Top 10 Game 6s in World Series history

The 2016 World Series is headed back to Cleveland for Game 6 after the Cubs’ 3-2 victory over the Indians in Sunday night’s Game 5 at Wrigley Field.

If history is any indication, Tuesday night’s tilt at Progressive Field could be one that will be remembered for a long time. Over the years, 61 best-of-seven World Series have featured a Game 6, and many of those have provided nail-biting action and signature moments that stand among the most iconic of all time.

• World Series Game 6: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET air time | 8 ET game time on FOX

Game Date Time (air time/game time) Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 25   CLE 6, CHC 0 Gm 2 Oct. 26   CHC 5, CLE 1 Gm 3 Oct. 28   CLE 1, CHC 0 Gm 4 Oct. 29   CLE 7, CHC 2 Gm 5 Oct. 30   CHC 3, CLE 2 Gm 6 Nov. 1 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX *Gm 7 Nov. 2 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX * If necessary | All times listed ET • World Series coverageShop for postseason gear: Cubs | Indians

Certainly, there is no definitive way to measure the “best” of those Game 6s, and fans of different teams will certainly have conflicting opinions on the matter. But in one attempt to come to an objective answer, we first narrowed the list down to a top 10 based on both teams’ average leverage index, a stat that measures the magnitude of each plate appearance.

We then ranked those 10 by awarding three points for each lead change, two points for each tie (not counting 0-0) and one point for each extra inning played.

• World Series gear: Cubs | Indians

The points have been tallied, and the results are in. Here is a ranking of the most exciting Game 6s in World Series history:

1. Oct. 27, 2011: Cardinals 10, Rangers 9 Texas took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth and had St. Louis down to its last strike before David Freese’s game-tying triple over the head of right fielder Nelson Cruz. A Josh Hamilton two-run homer in the 10th put the Rangers back in front, but the Cardinals again survived being down to their last strike, as Lance Berkman knotted things up with an RBI single.

Freese then played hero once more with his walk-off homer in the 11th, and St. Louis took Game 7 the next night.

2. Oct. 25, 1986: Mets 6, Red Sox 5 The Red Sox, trying to close out their first championship since 1918, lost a 3-2 lead when Gary Carter hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth. Boston scored twice in the 10th, including Dave Henderson’s leadoff homer, but with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the frame, things unraveled. After three straight singles, a wild pitch and Mookie Wilson’s grounder through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner, the Mets walked off to set up their Game 7 …

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