It doesn't get much better in professional sports than a game-winning homer to propel a team into the playoffs.
Here's a look at the top 10 greatest late-season home runs of all-time:
10. Hank Greenberg's grand slam clinches pennant for Detroit Tigers, 1945: Greenberg's big bat helped the Tigers win the 1945 World Series, but the team never would have even made the playoffs had it not been for his late-season heroics. On the last day of the 1945 season, Greenberg blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the AL pennant for the Tigers.
9. Gabby Hartnett's "Homer in the Gloaming," 1938: No "best home runs" list could be complete without the addition of Hartnett's epic blast on Sept. 28, 1938. Hartnett's "Homer in the Gloaming" lifted the Chicago Cubs to a big victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, lifting the team to first place.
8. Willie Mays helps San Francisco Giants tie pennant, 1962: Mays gave the Giants a 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros with a majestic blast in the eight inning of a game on Sept. 30, 1962. It was the final game of the season, and the homer helped the Giants tie the Los Angeles Dodgers for the pennant.
7. Johnny Lindell's memorable eight-inning shot, 1949: The 1949 AL pennant race was heating up in late-September, and Lindell gave the New York Yankees a shot in the arm with a beautiful blast on Oct. 1, 1949, giving his team a much-needed 5-4 win to stave off a playoff push from the Boston Red Sox.
6. Robin Yount's late-season heroics, 1982: No Milwaukee Brewers fan will ever forget Yount's incredible game on Oct. 3, 1982. Yount blasted two solo homers of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer, leading his team to a 10-2 victory and an AL East title.
5. Carl Yastrzemski gives the Red Sox life, 1967: The 1967 race for the AL pennant was a wild scramble, and it came down to Yaz's three-run shot on Sept. 30, 1967, to take the Red Sox to the promised land.
4. Joe Morgan ends Dodgers' playoff hopes, 1982: The Dodgers desperately needed a victory on Oct. 3, 1982, to tie for the division title, but San Francisco Giants slugger Joe Morgan delivered the knockout blow with a three-run homer off Terry Forster.
3. Dick Nen's Dodger classic, 1963: Nen picked a great time to notch his first and only hit of the 1963 season. On Sept. 18, 1963, Nen smashed a pinch-hit homer to tie the game for the Dodgers against the St. Louis Cardinals, a team they were battling for the pennant. The Dodgers would go on to win the game in 13 innings.
2. Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World," 1951: More than 50 years have passed since Thomson hit a three-run shot off Ralph Branca on Oct. 3, 1951, but the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is still recognized as one of the greatest homers in MLB history.
1. Steve Finley's grand slam clinches NL West for Los Angeles Dodgers, 2004: It doesn't get much more dramatic than this one. On Oct. 2, 2004, Finley blasted a grand slam to cap off a seven-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning of a game against the San Francisco Giants.
Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Mets fan. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
