A walk-off home run is when the home team hits a home run in the bottom half of the final inning (usually the ninth, or in extra innings) that gives them the lead and ends the game immediately. The visiting team does not get another turn at bat, so players and fans celebrate on the field as the game ends and everyone “walks off” the field. Key points

• Timing: bottom of the ninth inning or later, or any extra inning.
• Result: the home team takes the lead and the game ends immediately.
• Impact: the winning run scores on a live-ball play, and the losing team must walk off the field.

Common questions

• Do other types of plays qualify as walk-offs? Yes. Any play that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning or in extra innings can be walk-off, including bases-loaded walks, hits, or sacrifices, though the most famous are walk-off home runs.
• Why is it called “walk-off”? Historically, the winning team could simply walk off the field at the end of the final inning because the game was over once the winning run scored; the losing team would literally walk off in defeat. The term has retained that imagery in modern usage.

If you’d like, I can give a quick example or describe a famous walk-off moment.