Bill Mazeroski who hit ‘best house run in baseball historical past’ dies as followers mourn legend

Bill Mazeroski, the baseball icon whose legendary home run won the 1960 World Series, has died aged 89.

The Hall of Famer will be remembered forever for hitting what many regard as the greatest home run in baseball history – the ‘walk-off’ in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, which gave the unfancied Pittsburgh Pirates the championship over the favourites, the New York Yankees.

Mazeroski died on Friday, with the sad news of his passing being announced by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the only team he played for during his 17 major league seasons, on Saturday, February 21. The Pittsburgh Pirates did not disclose the cause of death.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates said on X: “It is with a heavy heart that we relay the news of the passing of legendary Pirates and National Baseball Hall of Famer, Bill Mazeroski.

“Maz was a 7-time All-Star who hit the greatest home run in baseball history. He was a beloved member of the Pirates family and he will be deeply missed.”

One of the most effective defensive second basemen in Major League Baseball at the time, he still holds several league records, including most seasons leading the league in assists (9), most seasons leading the league in double plays (8), and most double plays in a single season (161 in 1966).

The New York Times reports that when Mazeroski famously won the World Series for his side at the Pirates’ Forbes Field, he wasn’t sure whether it would clear the ivy-covered left field fence 406 feet away, so he galloped toward first base.

It wrote: “Only when he was halfway to second did he see the umpire, with a circular wave of a hand, signalling that it had. By the time he reached the bag, the Pirates second baseman began waving his cap wildly.

“Between second and third, Mazeroski jumped for joy, spreading out both arms as if doing the breast stroke. As he rounded third, he saw delirious Pittsburgh fans, whose team had not won a championship in 35 years, jump onto the field to greet him, forcing Mazeroski to thread his way to home plate.

“Mazeroski’s hit, off the Yankees’ Ralph Terry, still marks the only time a seven-game series has been decided by a home run on the final pitch — a ‘walk-off’ in current parlance. ESPN proclaimed it the greatest home run ever.”

Mazeroski was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001. The Pirates also honoured him as part of the inaugural class of their Hall of Fame in 2022.

In 2010, the Pirates had unveiled a statue of Mazeroski outside PNC Park near the right-field entrance, commemorating the moment that defined his career.

Mazeroski is survived by his sons, Darren and David, and four grandchildren.