What is the most important hit in baseball history.

[Bugsy]

Babe Ruth's 60th.

No other hit in history has come close to generating so many discussions and arguments. It seems like all premier sluggers over the past 75 years have had to face comparisons to the 60 home run season. Is Foxx going to be the guy to break it? How about Greenberg? Mantle? Even guys like Griffey and McGwire. Four guys have topped it, but were their achievements tainted or blemished? Yes, no, maybe? That is a matter of opinion, but we still continue to have these discussions (or arguments) because of #60 in 1927.

[terjung]

4192

[oldjudge]

A lot of good answers but I'll go with Gibson's PH HR in the WS (and I'm a Yankee fan)

[packs]

Mantle hitting the facade at old Yankee Stadium is pretty legendary.

[Mark]

It is tough to say which particular hit had the biggest impact on baseball or on other, less serious matters. As far as I know, Jackie Robinson didn't get a particular hit that made a big difference, even though his presence and subsequent success in the major leagues made a great difference in our society. But I would say that Ruth's 60th homer allowed fans to associate him with a particular number that set him apart from everybody else for generations. And this helped to elevate baseball's place in American culture. In addition, Mazeroski's homer gave Pittsburgh its first title in 35 years, and this helped to keep baseball alive in Western Pennsylvania for years. I am not sure how many other particular hits helped to change baseball or save a franchise. But I bet there are other examples.

[Robextend]

I will probably be the only one to choose this one, but Jim Leyritz off Wohlers in 1996 is #1 for me. If I was around in an earlier era it would probably be different, however for a Yankee fan that never experienced any winning, that was life changing.

[Peter_Spaeth]

715 was huge. For anyone to have broken what was probably the most sacred sports record in the American consciousness would have been enormous. Add to that the fact that it was broken by a black ballplayer playing in the Deep South, in a time that was still racially charged, only 6 years removed from MLK's assasination. Aaron later disclosed that he had received a deluge of hate mail, and death threats which had genuinely worried him, probably for good reason.

[David W]

715 has to be it....

[E93]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

715 was huge. For anyone to have broken what was probably the most sacred sports record in the American consciousness would have been enormous. Add to that the fact that it was broken by a black ballplayer playing in the Deep South, in a time that was still racially charged, only 6 years removed from MLK's assasination. Aaron later disclosed that he had received a deluge of hate mail, and death threats which had genuinely worried him, probably for good reason.

+1

Aaron's 715th has my vote.
JimB