Bill Mazeroski, the Pittsburgh Pirates legend whose walk-off home run clinched the 1960 World Series, has died at the age of 89. His death occurred on Friday, February 20, 2026, according to the team.
“His name will always be tied to the biggest home run in baseball history and the 1960 World Series championship, but I will remember him most for the person he was,” said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting in a statement. “Maz was one of a kind, a true Pirates legend, a National Baseball Hall of Famer, and one of the finest defensive second basemen the game has ever seen.”
Mazeroski was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2001. Throughout his 17-year career, all spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1956-1972), he was a seven-time All-Star. He is, however, most remembered for his dramatic ninth-inning home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees.
That home run was the first to ever end a World Series, and remains the only walk-off home run to clinch a World Series championship in a Game 7. ESPN ranked the moment as the top home run in baseball history, while Sports Illustrated placed it eighth in its list of the 100 Greatest Moments in Sports History. He received the Babe Ruth Award for his performance in the series, where he batted .320.
Beyond the iconic home run, Mazeroski was widely regarded as one of the best defensive second basemen of his era. He was an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, recognized for his exceptional ability to turn double plays. He led the league in assists nine times and in turning double plays eight times. In 1966, he set a single-season record with 161 double plays.
Mazeroski was also honored as part of the inaugural class of the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2010, during the 50th anniversary of the 1960 World Series, a statue in his honor was unveiled outside PNC Park near the right field entrance.
He is survived by his sons, Darren and David, and four grandchildren.
The discovery of the original television broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, thought to be lost for decades, came about thanks to Bing Crosby, who was a co-owner of the Pirates during Mazeroski’s career. The broadcast was found at Crosby’s home and was shown for the first time in 2010 with Mazeroski as the guest of honor.