Joe Carter woke up on October twenty-third believing something unusual was waiting for him before Game Six of the nineteen ninety-three World Series.
Joe Carter wears the “Home Run Jacket” as he high-fives Toronto Blue Jays players after Carter threw out the first pitch prior to Game 2 of the 2025 World Series in October. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
He told his wife Diana about a dream involving the number three and insisted something good would happen at the ballpark.
Toronto needed one win, yet Philadelphia carried momentum after a shutout victory that tightened the series dramatically.
Despite recent struggles at the plate, Carter carried calm confidence into the clubhouse that afternoon.
He told teammates he was ready, saddle on, inviting them to trust the moment unfolding quietly.
The game itself refused to cooperate early, swinging wildly as both teams traded momentum and pressure.
Toronto built a lead, lost it, and entered the ninth inning trailing by one run.
Then came another strange pause, as players and umpire scattered before the first pitch.
To Carter, it felt like confirmation rather than chaos.
Rickey Henderson walked, Devon White made an out, Paul Molitor singled.
The stage narrowed.
Carter stepped in, not hunting glory, just trying to tie the game.
On a two-two pitch he chased, he connected.
The ball sailed beyond left field, erasing doubt in an instant.
The run around the bases became permanent memory.
A championship sealed.
A city frozen.
Carter’s career had always leaned toward moments like that.
Many of his home runs changed games, not box scores.
That swing became bigger than baseball.
Decades later, it still echoes.
Now, a statue will rise near the same place, honoring a dream that refused to stay asleep.
Sometimes dreams come true.
Sometimes they last forever.
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