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In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead (and consequently, the win) in the bottom of the final inning of the game. Thus the home team can "walk off" the field immediately afterward, rather than finishing the inning. The winning runs must still be counted at home plate. It was originally directed to the pitcher, who had to "walk off" the field alone as the other team celebrated. Any kind of "walk off" scenario, which ends the game, can only be accomplished by the home team. ==History and usage of the term== Although the concept of a game-ending home run is as old as baseball, the adjective "walk-off" attained widespread use only in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The first known usage of the word in print appeared in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' on April 21, 1988, Section D, Page 1. ''Chronicle'' writer Lowell Cohn wrote an article headlined "What the Eck?" about Oakland reliever Dennis Eckersley's unusual way of speaking: "For a translation, I go in search of Eckersley. I also want to know why he calls short home runs 'street pieces,' and home runs that come in the last at-bat of a game 'walkoff pieces' ..." Although the term originally was coined with a negative connotation, in reference to the pitcher (who must "walk off" the field with his head hung in shame), it has come to acquire a more celebratory connotation, for the batter who circles the bases with pride with the adulation of the home crowd. Sportscasters also use the term "walk-off hit" if any kind of hit drives in the winning run to end the game. The terms "walk-off hit by pitch", "walk-off walk" (a base on balls with the bases loaded), "walk-off wild pitch", "walk-off reach-on-error", "walk-off steal of home", "walk-off passed ball", and "walk-off balk" have been also applied, and the latter has been dubbed a "balk-off". It is a separate stretch of the term to call a hit a walk-off when what ends the game is not the hit but the defense's failure to make a play (as in a single with a possible out at the plate). The day after Eric Bruntlett pulled off a game-ending unassisted triple play for the Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Mets on August 23, , the ''Philadelphia Daily News'' used the term "walk-off triple play" in a subheadline describing the moment. Starting in the 1990s, a walk-off grand slam that erases a three-run deficit has come to be known as an ultimate grand slam.〔Krabbenhoft, Herm. ("Dramatic finishes: Ultimate grand slams have decided 19 major league games" ). ''The Schenectady Gazette''. October 5, 1991. Retrieved 4 September 2015.〕〔Amedio, Steve. ("Krabbenhoft helps rewrite baseball records" ). ''The Schenectady Gazette''. April 18, 2003. Retrieved 4 September 2015.〕〔Chuck, Bill; Kaplan, Jim (2007). (''Walkoffs, Last Licks and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and Not-so-grand) Finales'' ). Skokie, IL: ACTA Sports. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-87946-342-7. Retrieved 4 September 2015.〕 There have been 28 such instances documented in major league history – all taking place during the regular season,〔("History of the Game; Doubleday to Present Day: Ultimate Grand Slams" ). MLB.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.〕 15 of those coming with two outs.〔Jackson, Frank. ("Ultimate slam: game over" ). Hardball Times. September 11, 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2015. "No. 6: 09/11/1955, County Stadium. Hitter: Del Crandall. Pitcher: Herm Wehmeier. Braves 5, Phils 4. This was the first (of 15) ultimate slams with two outs, which would seem to make it a little more special than its predecessors."〕 No player has accomplished this more than once.〔 Of the 28 home runs, only Roberto Clemente's was hit inside the park, at spacious Forbes Field on July 25, 1956. Pirates manager/third base coach Bobby Bragan instructed him to stop at third, but Clemente ran through the stop sign to score the winning run.〔Hernon, Jack. ("Clemente's Inside-Park Slam Nips Cubs, 9-8; Bucs Bounce Back After Losing Lead" ). ''The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. July 26, 1956. Retrieved 6 April 2015.〕 Alan Trammell's June 21, 1988 〔()〕 and Chris Hoiles' May 17, 1996 grand slams occurred under the cliché situation: bases loaded, two outs, full count, bottom of the ninth inning, and down by three runs. This was later referred to as the ultimate, ultimate grand slam. The most recent "ultimate grand slam" was by Rajai Davis, who performed the feat in the ninth inning as the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics 5–4 on June 30, 2014. Only four pitchers in major league history have surrendered two game-ending grand slam home runs in one season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau: * Satchel Paige of the St. Louis Browns, in , to Sammy White of the Boston Red Sox on June 30, and to Eddie Joost of the Philadelphia Athletics on July 15. * Lindy McDaniel of the Chicago Cubs, in , to Bob Aspromonte of the Houston Colt .45s on June 11, and to Jim Hickman of the New York Mets on August 9. * Lee Smith of the California Angels, in , to Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics, on June 30, and to Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians on July 18. * Francisco Rodríguez of the New York Mets, in , to rookies Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres, on August 7, and Justin Maxwell of the Washington Nationals on September 30. Rodríguez is the only pitcher to surrender two game-winning grand slams to two rookies. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Walk-off home run」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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