This Week In Yankees Baseball: The Yankees Top 5 Walk Off Homers Since 2000

Well hello there everybody. Welcome to This Week In Yankees Baseball. Brett Gardner‘s decisive blast against the Rays Saturday brings us to ask, can you recall the top five Yankees walk off home runs since 2000?

The criteria used here is simple. How big of an impact did each home run have on the Yankees season? No preference is given to a players overall stature in the record books. And this is not to discount those that happened before 2000 in any way.

Number one on the list goes to Aaron Boone. Anyone who was at Yankees Stadium on Oct. 16, 2003 for Game Seven of the ALCS remembers how the Stadium shook when he lifted Tim Wakefield‘s 11th inning pitch over the left field wall. Coming against the Red Sox made it even sweeter. Boone took his special place in Boston hearts right next to Bucky Dent.

Next up is Derek Jeter. His 10th inning game winner against Arizona on Oct. 31, 2001 broke the 3-3 deadlock in World Series Game Four. Arguably, this could be number one. But since Boone’s was the difference in his series, he gets the edge.

Number three goes to Alfonso Soriano. Sori hit his against the Mariners in Game Four of the 2001 ALCS. It decided the 1-1 nail biter.

Number four goes to Mark Teixeira. His came on Oct. 9, 2009 in the ALDS against the Twins. Interestingly, as with Jeter’s walk off homer, Tex broke a 3-3 tie. But with Jeter’s coming in the World Series and Soriano’s coming in the ALCS, Teixeira gives way.

Rounding out our top five is Raul Ibanez. His is the most recent on our list. It was on Oct. 10, 20012 that he hit the game winner against the Orioles in the 12th inning of game three of the ALDS.

An honorable mention goes to Bernie Williams. His walk off came against the Twins in the ninth inning on Sept. 30, 2004. Although his might not have had the same impact on the Yankees season as some of the others on our list, anytime there is a chance to include Bernie for any reason it is worth doing.

So Brett Gardner is part of an exclusive club. For the record, he also had a walk off home run Aug. 11, 2013 against the Tigers. And he has the opportunity to move up. Just by doing it again in the 2016 postseason.