Over the past 35+ years, ever since I became a baseball fan, I’ve seen thousands of games in person and on TV. Thanks to the Internet, I’ve enjoyed quite a few that I previously hadn’t known about. To enhance your appreciation of the game, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite games I have ever seen. Each of these games has something special. Some fans may consider a few of these average, but all in all each of them has something exceptional. I think you will find this list interesting. If you know of any games that you think would top these, feel free to leave a comment. So here is my list of the 12 greatest MLB games I’ve ever seen:
This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.
1. New York Yankees versus Baltimore Orioles (June 1985)
This game was actually the first game ever I attended, and it was on my tenth birthday. Our neighborhood had a local community center where us kids would go after school to enjoy such activities as ping pong, chess, checkers, and other activities. One day a buddy of mine came to our apartment and told us that the center was gifting tickets to a Yankee game and that they would be taking us. Taking in Yankee Stadium, both outside and in, was a pleasure for me. I can still to this day remember visiting the stadium and also the smells of the foods from the concession stands. The Yankees won 7-4. Ricky Henderson had three hits, and drove in three of those runs. I also saw him catch an easy fly out to left field that I thought he would drop [with his jerky move after catching a ball for which he was famous]. My first-ever visit to Yankee Stadium, you could say, the true start of my love and fascination for the game. Before my visit to Yankee Stadium, I was but a casual baseball enthusiast; by the end of this game, I had transformed into a wholehearted fan, realizing that my passion for this captivating sport would endure for a lifetime.
2. First Toronto Blue Jays game (April 1977)
This is a game I have seen only on YouTube. And it was actually the first time, two weeks ago, that I discovered it. When the game started, temperatures were at 32° F (O° C), and on the field there was a light patch of snow. What I find most remarkable about this particular game is that the Canadian fans seem in awe of this new sport from down south that, although popular in Canada for many decades, had failed to draw in a team to its country, until the Blue Jays became the city’s beloved baseball franchise in 1977. You could see baseball players trying to warm themselves and I found the efforts of the coaches to warm themselves quite hilarious. All in all, a beautiful game that you must watch. It’s actually one of the few games I’ve seen played in the snow.
3. Mets versus Yankees in “Mayor’s Challenge” (April 1989)
On April Fool’s Day in 1989, I attended my first-ever Mets-Yankees game. From 1963 to 1983, both teams would face each other in the annual Mayor’s Trophy Game. This event ended after the 1983 season, but they would met again in 1989 in the “Mayor’s Cup.” At this game, I saw Darryl Strawberry, Gary Carter, and Hernandez–all in their final year as Mets. To add to the pleasure of witnessing this game, afterwards I met pitcher Jeff Innis of the Mets. I also met Yankees infielder [mainly shortstop] Álvaro Espinoza outside of Yankee Stadium. They were very nice to me; these friendly encounters added to my appreciation of the game. Innis graciously signed my item. What I remember most about him was he was lanky and tall, and friendly. I wrote a bit about Jeff Innis in my blog post 16 of the Craziest Pitching Styles in Major League Baseball, and mentioned a few things about him, including the trivia that he was the pitcher who gave up Michael Jordan’s first professional hit.
4. Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field (May 1994)
This was my first time ever at Wrigley Field. The highlight for me of the game was witnessing legendary Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray sing Take Me out to the Ball Game during the seventh inning stretch from his booth. I’d seen it many times on TV and dreamed of seeing him one day in person, and my wish was finally fulfilled. I also saw Howard Johnson in a Colorado Rockies uniform. HoJo was one of my favorite all-time Mets players, and I will always remember the game for all of these reasons.
5. Florida Marlins versus Los Angeles Dodgers at Joe Robbie Stadium (September 5, 1993)
My first-ever visit to Joe Robbie Stadium [since renamed Hard Rock Stadium] in Miami Gardens, Florida. I recall the field as being squarish and more suited to football. The stadium experienced a few years of challenges before the Marlins would move to another stadium. But the experience of seeing another baseball field with this new baseball team was quite interesting for me. I only recently remembered that Charlie Hough was the starting pitcher, and that former Met Roger McDowell also pitched. I was looking at the game summary while researching for the article and saw the game in my mind’s eye! Afterwards, I met Dodgers pitcher Ramón Martínez, the brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez, outside of the stadium as he and other players intermingled with us fans. He was so nice and we shook hands. I didn’t ask for autograph because I wasn’t prepared.
6. New York Mets versus Florida Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium (October 1993)
More than the fact that it was October, and I had never been to a baseball game so late in the season, this was actually the first time I’d seen the Mets outside of Yankee or Shea Stadium. The Mets bested the Marlins. It was one of 59 they won that season.
7. Colorado Rockies versus New York Mets [First official game in Colorado Rockies history] (April 5, 1993)
On Opening Day 1993, with over 53,000 fans in the stands, I got to watch Dwight Gooden pitch against the new franchise Colorado rockies. This was a great game to watch because not only was I witnessing a new baseball team, there was but there was much excitement in the air for the Mets. I can even recall someone stating how they were sure that 1993 would be their year. The most beautiful experience I had that day, even more so than the game watching the game, was meeting the great John Franco after the game outside of the stadium. Unfortunately, I didn’t have paper and pencil for an autograph, but John Franco was such a great guy; he left a lasting memory in me about the wonderful surprises that can await fans at every twist and turn of this fascinating game.
8. Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets [Double Header] (June 7, 1987)
This is actually the first game at Shea Stadium I ever attended. On that day, I watched Rick Reuschel pitch in the first game against the Mets. Barry Bonds was in the lineup on that day and got a hit. It was an exciting week for the Mets as, two days before, Mets fans witnessed Dwight Gooden pitch after returning from his suspension. The day after that, Tom Seaver had re-joined the Mets with the possibility of a contract if he pitched well enough [on June 11th, he pitched for the Tidewater Tides and, eleven days later, played in his final game before retiring]. The highlight for me was meeting Mets pitcher Rick Aguilera. I actually took a picture with him, which I have to this day. Another beautiful experience at day besides watching the game was meeting Mets broadcasters Ralph Kiner and Tim McCarver in the booth on the way to my Diamond Suite. A game and day that I will never forget.
9. St Louis Cardinals versus Chicago Cubs [Mark McGwire hits his 62nd home run] (September 8, 1998)
This was a game watched by millions of baseball fans because Mark McGwire was attempting to break the longtime record of Roger Maris. For years many of us wondered whether This record would be broken, and we were amazed every time Mark McGwire hit a home run. That season, Sammy Sosa was the only real competitor to McGuire’s attempt to break Maris’ record. Like most are the walls that year, this one went out of into the stands in a hurry, and I pump my fist in the air while also wondering whether such a record would ever be broken. In 2022, Aaron Judge break Roger Maris’s American League record of 62 home runs.
10. New York Mets versus Boston Red Sox [World Series Game 6] (October 25, 1986)
Game 6 of the 1986 World Series is unquestionably one of the greatest moments in all of sports history. The Mets were down to their final strike but came back to tie and win it. Mookie Wilson’s roller under Bill Buckner’s legs is a moment I will never forget. This game featured everything, from great pitching and offense, and I honestly thought that the Mets were done after Keith Hernandez’s fly out to Dave Henderson. But, miraculously, they came back, in a moment that really symbolize the entire season of somehow coming back from seemingly hopeless situations. Indeed, that game was one of the greatest I have ever seen.
11. Philadelphia Phillies vs Toronto Blue Jays [World Series Game 6] (October 23, 1993)
I watched this game from my college dorm. The Phillies and Blue Jays were battling it out for the chance to be crowned world champions. The game ended on a Joe Carter home run. It was certainly a heartbreaker for Phillies fans. This iconic moment stands as one of–if not the greatest–moments in Blue Jays history as they won their second World Championship in their history, and second in as many years.
12. Chicago Cubs versus Chicago White Sox (June 13, 2010)
This was an interleague game on TV that I happened to catch late one night. I found it amazing that in this game that both pitchers Ted Lilly and Gavin Floyd had a no-hitters. Floyd would lose his in the 7th, though Lily would hold on to his until the 9th. A single by Juan Pierre one out in the 9th inning ended his hopes for this rare feat, but I was happy to have seen the game up until that point. No Cubs pitcher had thrown a no-hitter at Wrigley in 38 years–the last being Ferguson Jenkins in 1972. I’d never seen a game where both pitchers were flirting with a no-no. Chicago is a great sports city and fans have been supportive of their team throughout the years despite there are less than stellar performances and lack of a World Series until 2016. In all other respects, this was a rather ordinary game except for the flirtation with the no-hitter, but I thought I’d add it to my list.