Throughout the rich history of Major League Baseball, there have been many incredible moments on the field, which have typically made one set of fans extremely happy, while the opposing set of fans have to deal with enormous disappointment and heartbreak. However, every once in a while, a truly amazing and emotional moment occurs that nearly every baseball fan has to appreciate and feel at least some positive energy about. Even fans of the opposing team look back and feel good about some of the moments we’ll talk about today and that is definitely a rare occurrence. Sometimes it’s an amazing player comeback and others are unscripted emotional and cinematic moments that follow a terrible tragedy. Game winning home runs and World Series victories will not be included on this list as obviously, opposing fans wouldn’t feel good about those moments, so while you’re welcome to let me know some moments I should’ve included, keep in mind I’m trying to include only moments that basically every baseball fan can appreciate. So, I won’t be including Kirk Gibson’s incredible 1988 walk-off home run, because obviously it wasn’t so great for A’s fans to lose a World Series game. Also, there were a few extremely sad moments that I almost added but ultimately felt were more emotional and sad than feel-good, so those will be included on another video of the most emotional moments. Now, let’s get into some moments that only a bitter & depressed fan could possibly be angry about – so in other words - lot of fans will be angry. Let’s discuss my Top 15 Feel Good Moments in MLB History. But before we get into the main list, I had to include one honorable mention.
Honorable Mention – Oh Breaks The All-Time Record: I didn’t put on the main list because it’s not technically an MLB moment. However, an entire country celebrated this special moment as Japanese superstar Saduharu Oh crushed his 756th home run, surpassing Hank Aaron’ s 755. Although it was not a Major League record, it was considered a World Lifetime Home Run Record, and for the people of Japan, it was an incredibly emotional moment.
15: Bote Hits an Ultimate Slam:
Infielder David Bote played baseball at Neosho County Community College in Kansas and may have only been noticed because scouts were so interested in his teammate, pitcher Matt Strahm. Bote was taken in the 6th Round of the 2012 Draft by the Cubs and spent 7 years in the Minor Leagues, hoping to someday get a chance to play in the show. It finally happened in 2018 and on August 12th, he got the chance to take a situational at bat most players only dream of – bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, down by 3 runs. It was a pinch-hit appearance and Bote had 2 strikes on him, when he connected.
He became just the 2nd player to ever hit a pinch hit grand slam to win a game 4-3.
14. Adam Greenberg Gets an Official At Bat:
In 2002, Adam Greenberg was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and worked his way through the minor leagues, getting promoted in 2005. It looked like he had a bright future as a big leaguer – that is, until the first pitch he ever saw in the Majors hit him in the back of the head. He suffered a severe concussion, and spent the rest of the year on the D.L. Greenberg suffered from vertigo, headaches, nausea, double vision and dizziness. He returned to the minor leagues in 2006 but his numbers fell and after stints in the Dodgers, Angels and Royals minor league systems, he ended up in the independent leagues. After 4 years with the Bridgeport Bluefish, it was becoming clear that Greenberg would never get back to the big leagues.
That is, until the Miami Marlins, the team Greenberg was facing when he was hit in the head, signed him to a one-day contract in order to give him a chance to have a proper MLB at bat, which he had earned way back in 2005 but never got. It was a great gesture by the Marlins, although I never understood why they chose to give him the at bat against the practically unhittable R.A. Dickey, who was baffling even the greatest MLB hitters at that time. Other than that one weird detail, it was awesome to see Greenberg get a real MLB at bat.
Unfortunately, he struck out 3 pitches, and R.A. Dickey won the Cy Award and led the league in strikeouts. But at least Greenberg got his official MLB at bat.
13. Duane Kuiper Goes Deep:
Now known as one of the best voices in baseball as the San Francisco Giants play-by-play announcer, Duane Kuiper was once a solid ballplayer and hit .271 in 3,379 MLB at bats, while being known as an outstanding defender at second base. One downside in his game, however, is that he had virtually no power. In all those at bats, he went deep precisely one time and fortunately, he did it on a National ABC Broadcast so we have the clip to prove it.
12. Bartolo Does The Impossible:
Fan-favorite Bartolo Colon pitched for 21 years in the big leagues, winning a Cy Young, striking out over 2,500 batters and earning a spot on the upcoming Hall of Fame Ballot. He wasn’t a great hitter though, with a career .084 average. However, his most viewed video on YouTube will likely always be his first and only MLB home run, which he hit at the age of 42. The call by Gary Cohen was tremendous and this is definitely a moment every baseball fan can appreciate.
11. Daniel Camarena – The Unlikeliest Hero:
While that Bartolo Colon moment was certainly special, another pitcher hit an even unlikelier shot. A relatively unknown relief pitcher named Daniel Camarena was having a nice season with the El Paso Chihuahuas in 2021 and the Padres called him up. On July 8th, 2021, the Padres were getting pounded by the Nationals with Max Scherzer on the mound. It was 8-2 and Camarena was put in the game to burn some innings and save the bullpen. At this time, the DH rule had not yet been instituted in the NL, so when it was his turn to hit, Camarena had to pick up a bat. Basically accepting defeat and wanting to preserve the bullpen for future games, manager Jayce Tingler had Camarena bat despite the bases being loaded. Against Max Scherzer, Camarena shocked the baseball world.
The reaction by Camarena’s brother was absolutely priceless.
10. The Splendid Splinter’s Final At Bat:
After the 1959 season, it looked like the great Ted Williams might have been just about washed up at age 41. Nevertheless, he came back for the 1960 season and showed he still had it, hitting hitting .316 with power. So, it came as a surprise when he announced his plan to retire at the end of the season with only a 2 days left. On September 28th, 1960, Ted Williams stepped up to plate in the bottom of the 8th inning, with every fan realizing this was likely his last MLB at bat. As usual, he rose to the occasion.
Ted characteristically did not tip his cap to the fans or come back out of the dugout for a curtain call. But the fans went crazy anyway and it was an amazing moment to cap off an incredible Hall of Fame career for one of the best to ever play.
9. McGwire Tops Maris
Admittedly, this moment has not aged well and due to the steroid scandal and McGwire’s admitted use of PEDs, this is not a feel-good moment for many fans anymore. However, back in 1998, the entire country was caught up in two players chasing Roger Maris’ single season home run record of 61. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were making headlines and helping save baseball in the aftermath of the 1994 player strike. Newer, younger fans became huge baseball fans and old, bitter fans came back to the game. Eventually, McGwire took the home run lead and tied the record. Then, on September 8th, 1998, with the whole baseball world watching, McGwire connected for the record.
The atmosphere was absolutely next-level and even the opposing team’s infielders congratulated McGwire as he circled the bases. He ended the season with an incredible 70 home runs, which was eventually broken by Barry Bonds, with much less national fanfare. The infielders didn’t seem to give a crap as he rounded the bases. Now, both players careers and numbers are considered tainted and many people still considered Roger Maris the single season home run leader – that is, until Aaron Judge passed him in 2022. So, if you don’t like the McGwire entry on this list, you can replace it with this one.
8. Babe Ruth’s 3 Home Runs:
When it comes to a true baseball legend and the most common answer to the greatest of all time, the name Babe Ruth comes to mind immediately. For about 20 years, he dominated the league and did things once thought to be impossible. However, after the 1934 season, it looked like The Babe’s hard and fast living had finally caught up with him and the Yankees decided to release him. He signed with the Boston Braves and was a ghost of his former self. By late May, the 40-year old was hitting under .200 and contemplating retirement. Then, on May 25th, 1935, Ruth suddenly turned back the clock at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, crushing not 1, not 2 but 3 home runs. Each went farther than the one before, with the 3rd completely leaving the stadium. There there is no video footage of this event, so we don’t know the reaction of the crowd, but I always imagine the Pittsburgh fans coming to their feet and applauding as it was portrayed in the movie The Babe, which was surely exaggerated for cinematic effect. In the movie, the Babe walks off the field after the 3rd home run to never play again. That would’ve been truly epic, but in reality he played in 5 more games, without another hit. Those 3 bombs were the last 3 of his illustrious career.
7. Dave Dravecky’s Comeback:
In 1988, Dave Dravecky was a solid lefty in the San Francisco Giants rotation when a cancerous tumor was found in his pitching arm. This rare and aggressive tumor was positioned on his left deltoid muscle, a muscle needed to throw a baseball. Half the muscle was removed along with a huge portion of Dravecky’s arm in an October 1988 surgery. Doctors advised him he would never pitch again. But Dravecky was determined and went through an incredibly fast rehab that took him from not being able to lift a 1 lb. dumbbell to pitching again by 1989. Doctors urged him to wait until at least 1990, but Dravecky felt ready to pitch and was sent to the minors on rehab ,where he incredibly threw 3 complete games. He made his MLB return on August 10th, 1989, and there was magic in the air as he pitched 8 innings, defeating the Reds 4-3, despite the doctors prediction that he would lose 95% of the use of his left arm.
Sadly, he broke his arm during the following start and the cancer returned, leading to a necessary amputation. Fortunately, the cancer did not return after that and he went on to become a great motivational speaker.
6. Jeter’s Last Home At Bat
Before the 2014 season, the 20-year MLB veteran and future Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter announced he would be retiring at the end of the season. He didn’t leave the game without some big final moments, including a 2-for-2 performance in the All Star Game, where he received two standing ovations. The final home game of his career came on September 25th and he had a chance to walk it off. To no one’s surprise, he came through.
This was an amazing feel-good moment and even most Red Sox fans can respect it. In fact, Jeter wasn’t done with the dramatics and in the last at bat of his career, in Boston, he came up with an infield RBI single.
5. Aaron Hits #715
By the early 1970’s, the already legendary Hank Aaron was steadily approaching 700 career home runs. Fans and the media began to hype up the possibility that he could break the once unbreakable record of 714 home runs set by none other than Babe Ruth. He had a chance to break the record during the 1973 season and thousands of letters from fans poured in every week, requiring the Braves to hire an extra secretary to sort through them. Sadly, not all the letter were positive and Aaron received lots of hate mail that included death threats and racist remarks. As the pressure was mounting, Aaron just wanted to get it over with. He also received lots of support in response to the hate and bigotry. Aaron finished the 1973 season one home run short of the record. Then, in 1974, the Braves opened the year in Cincinnati, where he tied the record.
Back home in Atlanta, on April 8th, 1974, in front of 53,775 fans, Hank Aaron hit one of the greatest home runs of all time, becoming the home run king.
Vin Scully was able to describe perfectly the moment, in which there was no evident signs of hate or racism and Hank Aaron was finally able to smile.
4. Ripken Breaks an Unbreakable Record
In 1982, a young player named Cal Ripken Jr. became the everyday shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. He hit 28 homers and won the Rookie of the Year award, playing in 160 games. Little did anybody know at the time that he would go on to break what must have been considered an absolutely unbreakable record. Lou Gehrig had played in 2,130 consecutive games and no one had ever come close to this number. But Ripken was also an iron-man and year after year, he didn’t miss a single game, while making the All Star Game every year and even winning an MVP. He suffered injuries, but played through them, including a sprained left ankle in 1985 and 1993 knee injury. In 1994, baseball fans were ready to walk away from the game after a Player strike canceled the entire postseason including the World Series. But on September 6th, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. helped heal the National Pasttime in one of the greatest moments in MLB history as he broke the once unbreakable record when the game became official after the bottom of the 5th inning.
The 22-minute standing ovation and elaborate ceremony after the game might have been a little much to some fans, but if a record ever deserved it, it was this one – Ripken played in 2,131 consecutive games, an unfathomable number, and he wasn’t done there. He eventually played in 2,632 consecutive games, and it wasn’t an injury that kept him out. He asked to be removed from the lineup on September 21st, 1998 and did not get into the game, deciding for himself it was time to end the streak. I’m pretty sure his record will be safe for the foreseeable future.
3. Jackie Robinson’s Debut:
I debated whether to include this moment since at the time it happened, in the mid-40’s, I’m sure many fans didn’t feel good about this at all. However, I decided to disregard their feelings as this is a moment that should have been celebrated across the landscape of not just baseball but the entire country. This was Jackie Robinson making his Major League Baseball debut, breaking the color barrier and eliminating the evil Gentleman’s Agreement. Fortunately, I believe the vast majority of baseball fans can now look back and appreciate this as a truly great moment in the history of not just MLB but the entire nation. It’s sad that baseball was ever segregated in the first place, but Jackie Robinson was the right man to change that, and his debut should have been a moment celebrated with just as much intensity as any on this list in my opinion, even if that wasn’t the reality way back in 1947.
2. The Post 9/11 Presidential First Pitch
Although there was very little to feel good about on 9/11/2001, there was some very emotional feel-good moments during the aftermath as the country became more united than it had been in a long time and certainly more united than it is now. In the immediate aftermath, MLB cancelled all its games. The following Saturday after 9/11, the games restarted and baseball turned out to be a powerful source of healing for many Americans. The New York Yankees eventually made it to the World Series to face the Diamondbacks and despite recommendations that President Bush only show up to the games in Arizona due to safety concerns, he vetoed that idea and appeared at Yankee Stadium, electrifying the crowd. As some one in the military at the time who was deployed to Iraq to search for weapons of mass destruction that we never found, W. Bush is certainly not one of my favorite presidents. But regardless of mine or any one’s personal opinions on the man, there’s no doubt that the moment he stepped out on the field of Old Yankee Stadium to throw out the first pitch, walked straight to the top of the mound ignoring the second rubber, wearing a bullet-proof vest with an FDNY sweater and threw an absolute perfect strike over home plate had to be one of the most badass presidential and baseball moments of all time.
Then, he walked off like a boss to a standing ovation. It was a chills-inducing moment that would’ve been rejected in a Hollywood Script for being too unrealistic.
1. The Post 9/11 Home Run
Coming in at #1 on this list of feel-good MLB moments goes back again to 2001, 10 days after the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The first sporting event to take place in the city since that terrible day would be a Major League Baseball contest between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.
Still shaken by the attacks, people had the chance to find some refuge in baseball, but this would be anything but a typical game. The Mets wore first-responder caps and this game was difficult for even the announcers, who didn’t want to get too excited about anything baseball-related, but also had to call the game to the best of their ability. For any one alive at this time, you remember how insignificant sporting events suddenly felt like in light of what had happened. But the game went on, and baseball rose to occasion as Mike Piazza stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 8th inning with a man on base down 2-1.
It turned out to be a game winning shot as the Mets went on to win it 3-2. It was a moment that helped lift up a city and nation in mourning, and even Braves fans and players understood the importance of this moment and the game. “You never like to lose,” said Braves pitcher Greg Maddux. “But that was one that pretty easy to accept.”
And that will do it for today’s video on some feel-good moments that I hope nearly every baseball fan can appreciate, even if it came at the expense of their favorite team. I’m sure there are hundreds of other amazing moments that all fans can look back on and feel good about, so feel free to put more in the comments section down below. I know I’m going to hear about big dramatic World Series home runs and whatnot, but as I said earlier, this list is about general feel-good moments that every one can enjoy watching. I’m sure Red Sox fans don’t want to see Buckner’s error for the 5 millionth time. I hope every one has a fantastic day; hit that thumbs up and subscribe button and we’ll talk to you in the next video.