8 Best Pitching Performances in World Series Game 7 History

The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros will send Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke to the bump, respectively, in what will go down as a seminal moment in baseball history in Game 7. These moments always have a habit of bringing out the best in pitchers, and these eight forever etched their name in baseball lore with dominant Game 7 performances.

8. Babe Adams, 1909

Adams, who posted a 1.11 ERA as a rookie in 25 games, came to play in this series, winning three of its seven games. Adams capped his effort with a complete game shutout for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 7 of the 1909 series, which would be the last time the Ty Cobb would ever play in the Fall Classic. This has been lost to history to some degree, but Adams' performance that year is up there with anyone.

7. Mickey Lolich, 1968

Lolich's Detroit Tigers took on Bob Gibson in the middle of one of the most dominant seasons in baseball history, and they managed to come out on top. Lolich, pitching on two days rest in the climactic game, hurled a complete game against Gibson, allowing just one run while notching a home run of his own to propel the Tigers to a 4-1 win. The Tigers have just one championship since Lolich's heroics in '68.

6. Lew Burdette, 1957

With Hall of Fame left-hander Warren Spahn sick with the flu, Burdette, who had thrown two complete games earlier in the series, came back and threw a shutout in Game 7. Burdette, who allowed seven hits while striking out three in his third win of the series, became the first pitcher since Christy Mathewson to throw two shutouts in the same World Series.

5. Madison Bumgarner, 2014

Tim Hudson and Jeremy Affeldt weren't doing the job, so Bruce Bochy broke out Old Reliable in Game 7. Madison Bumgarner came in after four innings, and authored arguably the best relief performance in postseason history. Bumgarner gave up just two hits in five innings, slamming the door shut on the Kansas City Royals, and giving the San Francisco Giants their third title in five years.

4. Ralph Terry, 1962

A lineup with three Hall of Famers in Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda was light work for 26-year-old New York Yankees starter Ralph Terry on the road. The '62 World Series MVP gave up just four hits in a complete game shutout, during which the Yankees could only manage one run of support at Candlestick Park. Terry had no room for error against that lineup, and he was almost perfect on that night in San Francisco, ending the contest with a Willie McCovey liner to Bobby Richardson at second.

3. Johnny Podres, 1955

The then-Brooklyn Dodgers finally broke their hard luck streak in 1955, nabbing that elusive World Series championship on the back of an MVP performance from 22-year-old Johnny Podres. Barely able to buy a drink legally, Podres shut down a Yankees lineup that featured Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, and Elston Howard in the decisive Game 7, giving the diehards in Brooklyn a championship before they bolted for Los Angeles in 1958.

2. Sandy Koufax, 1965

Their World Series magic didn't run out in LA, as one of the most dominant pitchers of all time remained just as unhittable when the chips were down. Koufax, who famously chose not to pitch in Game 1 because it fell on Yom Kippur, gave up just one earned run in 24.1 innings in this series, including a three-hit, 10-strikeout shutout against Harmon Killebrew, Jim Kaat, and the Minnesota Twins, giving the Dodgers yet another World Series victory.

1. Jack Morris, 1991

There's being dominant, and then there's being dominant for 10 INNINGS. Morris only allowed seven hits in 10 frames against the Atlanta Braves in the final game of what is widely considered one of the greatest World Series matchups of all time. When Gene Larkin roped a hit off of Alejandro Pena and scored Dan Gladden, the Twins were finally champions, and Morris forever became synonymous with postseason dominance.