The World Series has featured some of the most egregious blunders of all-time. This slideshow captures the euphoria and agony of the Series.
By William Chase
On the one side, a team from its ownership on down to coaches, the 25 players on the field and its fans celebrates the rigors of the regular season and grueling playoffs. On the other side, a team has to suffer the heartbreak and agony of defeat of getting so close, yet coming up so far from their ultimate goal.
For 10 of those teams, it came down to a key blunder from one individual that either cost their team the crown, or very likely led to their fateful demise.
10. Daniel Murphy
Daniel Murphy has had himself an October, setting the all-time postseason record for six consecutive games with a home run. He was named the 2015 NLCS MVP, and the toast of the town as the New York Mets were finally going back to the World Series to face the Kansas City Royals.
Then he committed an all too crucial error in Game 4 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals, opening the KC floodgates for three unanswered runs. The Mets led the game 3-2 in the eighth inning, but Murphy’s error with one out and the chance to get at least one out, instead went no outs and a tie ballgame. And later a Royals win as they would put up three in the 8th. The Royals lead the series 3-1 instead of the Mets potentially tying the series.
You can’t ever assume an out right?
9. Mitch Williams
The Philadelphia Phillies were leading Game 6 of the 1993 World Series 6-5 over the Toronto Blue Jays. Trying to close it out and force Game 7, closer Mitch Williams had one out when with two on, he gave up the winning home run to Joe Carter. The Phillies season was abruptly over, and Williams, who had the most saves in Phillies history by a southpaw with 102, would be traded to the Houston Astros before the 1994 season.
It would be another 15 years before the Philadelphia Phillies would make to back to the Fall Classic, before ultimately knocking out the Tampa Bay Rays for their second World Series Championship.
8. Curt Flood
In the 1968 World Series the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers found themselves in a famed Game 7 scoreless dual. With Bob Gibson on the mound, Jim Northrup sent a pitch to centerfield that 7-Time gold glove winner Curt Flood misplayed the hit, two runs scored, Northrup ended up on third and the Tigers went on to capture the crown. The St. Louis Cardinals would win their next crown in 1982.
7. Don Denkingerp
The 1985 World Series, dubbed the I-70 Showdown Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals goes down for the infamous missed call by 1st base umpire Don Denkinger.
In the 9th inning of Game 6 and the Cardinals clinging to a 1-0 lead, Jorge Orta’s infield single was fielded properly by the Cardinals, and though replays show Orta was indeed out, Denkinger had ruled him safe. The blown call at first base allowed Jorge Orta’s in-field single to stand, but more importantly it allowed the Royals to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth and force the decisive Game 7.
Which of course the Kansas City Royals won. Manager Whitey Herzog of the St. Louis Cardinals had since said he wished he had gotten commissioner Peter Ueberroth to reverse the call and declare Orta out.
6. Ralph Terry
Among the more notable home runs in World Series history is Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off in 1960, propelling the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-9 over the New York Yankees. On the other side of that, for Ralph Terry who served up the pitch that proved to be the winner, was given up to a player who had the lowest slugging percentage of any Pittsburgh Pirate regular that 1960 season.
5. Hack Wilson
The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Athletics would meet in the 1929 World Series. The Cubs trailed the series 2-1 when, up 7-0 in the 7th inning, gave up 10 runs in the bottom half, giving the A’s a narrow 10-8 win, and putting the A’s up 3-1 in the series. However Hack Wilson, the Cubs centerfielder had misplayed a ball in the sun.
That botch allowed a 3-run inside the park home run, at the time, allowing the A’s to get within one, trailing at that point 8-7. Had Wilson never botched the play in the field, perhaps the Cubs do indeed tie the series and go on to win their first World Series since 1908.
4. Willie Davis
It’s 1966 and the Baltimore Orioles are in the 5th inning of Game 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dodgers’ centerfielder Willie Davis committed among the biggest blunders in World Series history, when on consecutive plays, he committed three errors. The Dodgers would end up getting swept out of the series. Only a 1-0 series deficit at the time, the errors in the inning paved the way for there Orioles runs, putting the game out of reach en route to a 6-0 victory. The Dodgers matched that six…in the error column.
3. Neftali Feliz
Texas Rangers led the World Series 3-2 over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6. Neftali Feliz was on for the save, trying to hold a 7-5 lead. Felix was twice, one strike away from helping the Rangers clinch the World Series. Instead he served up a 2-run triple, before David Freeze put away Texas in extra innings. The St. Louis Cardinals went on to win the World Series in Game 7. Feliz’s only blown save of the playoffs came in that Game 6 moment. What an inopportune time to blow it.
2. Mariano Rivera
Ace closer Mariano Rivera uncharacteristically fell apart in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series between the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Yankees, who were on the verge of their forth consecutive World Championship, had already inserted Rivera into the game in the 8th inning to protect a 2-1 lead. He struck out the side in the 8th and lowered his ERA to a postseason best 0.70. The best pitcher in the biggest situation; a situation he had perfected so many times before. And it all fell apart.
Mark Grace singled and Rivera threw an errant ball to second base on a bunt attempt by Damien Miller. This put runners on first and second instead of recording an out. The Yankees would finally record an out at third but Tony Womack doubled to tie the game. The Yankees brought the infield in; Rivera hit Craig Counsell with a pitch to load the bases, and Luis Gonzalez lofted a ball just out of the reach of shortstop Derek Jeter to end the Yankees season.
1. Bill Buckner
This play will forever go down as the most infamous error in World Series history. Though the Boston Red Sox eventually shook The Curse of The Bambino in 2004, the severity of the situation in 1986, compounded by the fact it was the Red Sox, who at the time had not won the Series since 1918, had taken the lead in the top of the 10th inning. Skipper John Mcnamara chose to let Buckner stay on the field for the bottom of the 10th instead of making a defensive replacement.
It’s one thing to lose, but for the ball to literally scrape through the legs on a seemingly easy out, it was misery for Red Sox fans.