A look at all the Cubs walkoff home runs from 1965-69

We began this series yesterday with the 14 Cubs walkoff homers in the first five years of the 1960s. There were somewhat fewer, just 11, from 1965-69, but they included one of the signature moments in franchise history.

• July 29, 1965, second game: This one’s the first since 1960 that was hit after the 10th inning. Ron Santo walked it off leading off the bottom of the 12th for a 2-1 win over the Mets — after the Mets had won the first game of the doubleheader 14-0.
• August 19, 1965, second game: The Cubs trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the eighth. Billy Williams hit a three-run homer in that inning and then with two out and a runner on second base, Don Landrum walked it off with a homer for a 5-4 win over the Reds. The first game of this doubleheader was pretty famous, too — it was Jim Maloney’s no-hitter.
• May 28, 1966: The Cubs trailed 5-2 going into the bottom of the eighth, but tied the game in that inning, the big blow a two-run homer by Billy Williams. With two out in the 12th, Glenn Beckert walked and stole second. Williams was then given an intentional walk, but Ron Santo hit a three-run smash to beat the Braves 8-5.
• May 29, 1966: Back-to-back games again, and this time it was Santo’s doing both times. The Cubs third baseman homered in the bottom of the 10th for a 3-2 win over Atlanta. The Cubs had gone into the May 28 game with a 10-27 record.
• September 4, 1967: Another future Hall of Famer matchup, as Ernie Banks led off the 11th inning with the walkoff blast off Don Sutton. The Cubs beat the Dodgers 2-1.
• July 7, 1968, first game: The Cubs blew a 4-2 lead in the top of the ninth, but reserve infielder Jose Arcia saved the game by leading off the bottom of the inning with a walkoff homer to beat the Pirates 5-4. It was Arcia’s only career homer in 293 MLB games. The Cubs also had a walkoff win in the second game of this twin bill, on a single by Don Kessinger.
• August 20, 1968: The Cubs tied this game on a single with two out in the last of the ninth, then Willie Smith — who had hit a two-run homer in the first inning — walked it off for a 6-5 win over the Braves.
• September 25, 1968: If you have ever heard Ron Santo’s story where he talks about his vision being blurred due to his diabetes and he went up to the plate seeing three baseballs and swung at “the middle one” and hit a walkoff homer, this is the game. Not only that, it was a walkoff slam off Bill Singer of the Dodgers for a 4-1 win. Singer had allowed just two hits before Billy Williams’ double and Santo’s slam.
• April 8, 1969: This one, you have probably heard about many times, and I wrote about it last April on its 50th anniversary. It’s one of the most famous home runs in Cubs franchise history, winning the Opening Day game 7-6 over the Phillies. And it’s the first one we have video for!

• June 22, 1969, first game: The Cubs went into the ninth trailing the Expos 6-3. Ernie Banks hit a two-run single to make it 6-5 and then Jim Hickman smashed a two-run homer for a 7-6 win. It’s said this was the first time Ron Santo clicked his heels going to the clubhouse after the game.
• June 26, 1969: “Hickman did it again!” That’s what Jack Brickhouse yelled on WGN-TV when Hickman, for the second time in five days, hit a walkoff homer. This one was against the Pirates, a two-out, two-run shot in the 10th for a 7-5 win.