I loved Buckners guest appearance on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". He gets Mookie to sign a ball for him. "He owes me a favor." Loses the ball out a window, "That was a bad throw!" And finally makes it good by catching a falling baby. Nice to see he has a sense of humor about it.
People forget that the cubs completely fell apart after that foul ball. Alex Gonzalez forgot that he owned a glove. And Dusty Baker left Prior out there to rot, which he has a long history of doing throughout his career as a manager.
The Gonzalez ball wasn't going to be a double play. It was hit too softly. On the telecast I think they even mentioned that. It likely would have just been the force out at 2nd. I feel like most of the more educated fans bring up Gonzalez error as a way to be protective of Bartman because after all, he was just a fan. I've heard this quite a few times. The reason I think Bartman gets most of the blame, fair or unfair is that his incident came before there was any hint of trouble in the inning. So it felt like everything that came after was a karmic consequence of the Bartman play. Now, it's still really sad that this guy who just wanted to go to his favorite team's ballgame got caught up in something so ugly, but I think that was part of why it upset people so much at the time.
I mean, I have always felt that way. It was wild but they had no business losing that game and falling apart like that. I totally agree with you, though, not enough people think of that part or even know about it
That was one of the worst jobs of managing I’ve ever seen. You can see that your players are all amped up and you need to go out there and say “hey guys, it’s just a foul ball. Let’s calm down.” As we know, that didn’t happen. The Cubs were up smartly in that game. Oh well, they still had one more. They were up in that one too! Nope, I blame that one on Dusty.
Great job! Most of the time when I see the headline "BEST/WORST....IN HISTORY", they seem to think history began around 2000. You clearly covered all the big ones.
It’s great to watch a compilation of plays made by someone who is aware that baseball wasn’t invented in 1980. So many compilations have no awareness of baseball history before 1980. Great video!!!
@@Andy_Babbif anything the pitch clock would be very popular among old school baseball fans since it used to take 3 or 3 1/2 hours to play 9 innings. Now the games are considerably shorter, which is a good thing. Also it is refreshing to see someone who actually knows about baseball history and acknowledges that big stuff in baseball happened before 1980
For as many things as you mentioned for why it wasn't all Buckner's fault, you still missed one: Stanley didn't get off the mound to cover first base, and as mentioned before, Buckner's knees were shot. While the official scorer did say "Wilson reached on E3 (Ground Ball), Knight scores/unER", the proper scoring really should've been "Wilson infield single to 1B; Knight to 3B; Knight scores on E3 (Ground Ball)/unER".
WRONG!!!! Stanley was AHEAD of Wilson getting to first. Stanley SLOWED UP once he saw the ball got through Buckner. If Buckner had fielded it Wilson was an EASY OUT!!!
1972 NLCS Game 5: Bob Moose's wild pitch wins the pennant for the Reds. 1992 NLCS Game 7: Randy Marsh calls a ball on a clear third strike, keeping the Braves alive for Francisco Cabrera to win it for them.
Appreciate your added perspective on these plays. Too many do not recall all of the events that surrounded #4 (Gonzalez) and #2 (Buckner). Cubs had many chances to make the Bartman event a non-factor and so many forget that the Buckner game was tied already at the time of the play and there was still a game 7 to be played. As a huge baseball fan, I was embarrassed not to have known the Ruth play though. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for mentioning the Buckner and Bartman / Gonzalez plays. Both plays happened in game 6 and neither play would have won the game had they made the plays. I do think the Gonzalez play is bigger as he gets at least one out on that play so you'd have two outs and things would calm down after Bartman. The Cubs could have gotten out of the inning. After that the floodgates opened. The night of the game I remember thinking they are gonna kill Gonzalez, but the next day it was all Bartman
Here is what a lot of people don't remember about that game. If Buckner grabs the ball and steps on first base and make the play - the game is tied. We are going to extra innings. So technically the Red Sox Could have lost that game no matter what. Not saying a thing wrong about the Red Sox.
By all rights, Buckner shouldn't have even been in the game. He was hobbled by injuries to both ankles. A sad climax to what was arguably a HOF career.
As a Red Sox Fan since 1975 I remember game 6 of the 86 Series. I was watching it in an Airport Terminal at LaGuadia. I was flying back from FLA and was wearing my Sox Cap with my Dad (another lifelong Sox Fan) standing beside me. I remember watching Calvin Schiraldi looking like a dear in headlights. My Dad said "Get him out of there, he's doesn't want to be there". Then as Bob Stanley came out of the bullpen we both Scream "NOOOOOO" and it was then we knew it was over.
Not "tragic" but one of the best blunders in MLB history was in 1962.. Marv Throneberry of the Mets hits what looks to be a triple.. but gets called out for missing second base. When Casey Stengal came out to argue, the Mets first base coach told him not to bother because Throneberry missed first base too!
FYI - Merkle’s action was not a “blunder”. It was standard play at the time (especially at the Polo Grounds) for runners like Merkle to not bother to advance to the next base on a walk-off hit. 2 reasons for this. First, at the Polo Grounds the clubhouses were out through the centerfield wall. Second, it was normal for the fans to storm the field after EVERY game, not just important ones. So Merkle, seeing that the game was over, did not ‘fail to touch second base’. Rather, he ran for the clubhouse - something he had likely done many times before, as had hundreds of veterans before him.
I can't help but smile everytime I see Sparky saying "Hey don't wanna walk you!!" It's like even Sparky knew it was a foolish move to pitch to Gibson there!!
Babe Ruth was not running on his own. It was reported at the time that the batter, Meusel, called for a hit & run and then proceeded to swing & miss, What's more, Meusel had two costly misplays earlier in the game. It is Bob Meusel that should be remembered as the goat of the series.
Really appreciate your take on the Cubs game. It's unbelievably absurd that Bartman enters into the discussion about this game, when the Cubs, a team I like, absolutely dug their own grave in the eighth. The fact that Bartman received harassments and death threats is obscene. Anyone who understands baseball one iota would have no ill will to Bartman. Maybe a mild 'hey dude" but nothing like the vitriol the he received.
We are Twins season ticket holders. We were at Game 2 when Hrbek pulled him off the bag. One week later, Game 7. There were a couple of Braves fans waiting in line with us at Murray's for the Silver Butter Knife Steak. The one Braves man say's at least 20 times. "That Hrbek.... he's pulling my leg". We just kept smiling. Greatest Series Ever! We got the stubs to prove it.
Thank for reminding me! I was 16 at the time and I forgot about that play! I'm from Montreal and I hated the Braves but that was just a totally ludicrous call by the Ump
The Tigers' win over the Padres in the 1984 World Series capped one of the most dominant seasons ever. Detroit won 19 of its first 21 games that year and never looked back. And RIP Vin Scully, who had the call on Gibson's HR over Gossage.
Agreed. 40 games in, Detroit was 35-5 and everybody knew who was gonna win the AL Pennant, and in all probability, the World Series. The whole season seemed like a mere formality until they handed the WS trophy to Sparky.
Jack Morris was insane that season and Willie Hernandez, don't get me started. Phillies traded him to Detroit for 2 bags of used jock straps. Don't get me wrong, I loved Glenn Wilson as a guy and he was a decent player but he certainly wasn't worth an elite relief pitcher.
Corrections: The Marlins Cubs NLCS was 2003, not 2005.. also apparently I accidentally said Jose Cabrera instead of Miguel Cabrera.. that is a stupid slip up; I know who Miggy is.. one of my favorites of all time. My bad.
Haha I was super confused for a minute. Honest slip up. Still, a bit funny and ironic you did it during this video. Great work, though. Really enjoyed.
It was't just Calvin Schiraldi that fell apart in that game. Bob Stanley came in to relieve Schiraldi and threw a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score. Then came Mookie Wilson's ground ball that led to the ball going through Buckner's legs and the winning run to score. Because of his bad legs, Buckner shouldn't have even been in the game at that point and normally would have been taken out of the game for a defensive replacement. That loss demoralized the Red Sox so they were flat in game 7.
An interesting bit of trivia- Schiraldi is, so far, the only pitcher in history to be the losing pitcher in Game 6 and Game 7 of the same World Series.
3:28 What's ironic there is that Gibson faced this same situation in the 2011 NLDS. Game 1, 8th inning, Brewers lead DBacks 2-1, Braun just doubled and Prince Fielder up with first base open, 1 out. Gibson let Ian Kennedy pitch to Fielder, and after strike 1, where Prince smiled in disbelief that he was being pitched to, then hit a 2-run homer on the next pitch, and the Brewers won 4-1.
As someone who’s way into baseball history, I gotta say this is a great list and your analysis is spot on too. I appreciate you including the old time stuff even though there isn’t video.
Thing about the Gonzales error, he was one of the best defensive shortstops in the NL that year. I recall they had posted a graphic about his low error rate or high number of plays since making an error a short time before the error. I remember watching that game as a Cub fan and it wasn't Batman it was this play. The next day at school all the kids were talking about Bartman, and I just said it wasn't Bartman that dropped the double play ball.
I'm surprised that umpire Don Denkinger's blown call at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series between Kansas City and St. Louis wasn't at the very least, an honorable mention.
He would have had to add Jack Clark's muff on the pop-up, Todd Worrell's crossing up of the catcher that led to a wild pitch, and Darrell Porter's inability to block the plate, all of which happened in the same inning.
just watched this...I wouldn't call this one of the worst, because even though it was a very important call that changed a lot, it was a very close play. Watching in real time I wasn't sure if he was safe or out. The replay of course clearly shows it, but they didn't have replay back then like we do now. For me the one I was surprised not to see, and I'm sorry I don't know any of the names without looking them up, but some ump blew a call at first that ruined the pitcher's no hitter or perfect game, can't remember which. And that one was NOT a close play at all. Just horrible...game didn't really matter and he robbed the pitcher of a major accomplishment on a blown call that wasn't even close.
@@bradutterstrom4105 June 6, 2010 in Detroit, Perfect Game- Armando Galarrago, last play of the 9th inning blown call. Galarrago then got the next runner out to end the game. Galarrago's respone to the blown call shows what a CLASS ACT he is. Find Jomboy's breakdown of this; you will like it
@@terrywilliams9924 both men acted with class, from Armando completely forgiving him to Jim Joyce breaking down over the mistake he completely owned up too
Very well done! As a Cubs fan, I agree 100% that Alex Gonzalez should have been the goat not Steve Bartman! I also agree that Moisés Alou baby tantrum changed the tone of the game very quickly!
One of the most overlooked gaffes. In the 1968 WS game five Lou Brock tried to bowl over All Star catcher Bill Freehan at the plate Freehan played tight end for the U of M. .St.Louis was up 3-1 in the series were ahead in this game and Detroit was just hanging on.Him being thrown out totally changed the series and Detroit won it. The Cards never were the same not making the post season for 14 years.
That play was huge. Had Brock slid, he would've been safe. But the problem wasn't Lou Brock. The play was at his back, so he had no idea whether to slide or not. He had to guess and try to read Freehan, the Tigers catcher. The problem was Curt Flood who was the on-deck batter. Flood failed to move up to the vicinity of home plate to watch the incoming throw and coach Brock to get down. Watch the footage of that play. Even after Brock is 15 feet past home plate, Flood is still nowhere to be seen.
There's arguably an ever bigger mistake committed in the same inning as the more famous Snodgrass Muff. With one out and runners on the corners, Tris Speaker lifted a pop fly into foul territory, easily catchable for the first baseman (none other than Fred Merkle himself!) -- except Christy Mathewson called for catcher Chief Meyers to take it. The ball fell to the ground untouched; Speaker, reprieved, singled in the tying run; and the eventual walk-off winning run scored on a sacrifice fly -- i.e., what would have been the third out had the foul ball been caught.
Actually, Ruth was the best option Miller Huggins had for getting a runner into scoring position for Meusel. His only options for pinch-runner was utility infielder Aaron Ward. But Ward had a worse stolen base % than Ruth. Ruth was 85-of-164 to that point in his career. Ward was 30-of-63. And Ruth had just stolen 2nd the day before off of the same pitcher, Pete Alexander, for the Yankees only stolen base of the series. Alexander had shut the Yankees down all series. (2 complete games...Game 2 and Game 6, IIRC) And he was doing it again in relief on no rest in Game 7. Meusel had the most success off Alexander in the series, so with 2 outs, down 1 run in the bottom of the 9th, the Yankees needed to get Ruth into scoring position. There wasn't a better option on the Yankees bench.
As a Padres fan, I also think of Durham right through his legs game 5 1984 NLCS. And I would never blame Buckner. He was a solid player and he had a pretty good series in 86.
@@stantheman2756 I don’t know about “biggest disaster ever.” Moore was decent. Pitched injured. Gave up his biggest homer. The 86 ALCS was part of what ended Moore.
Excellent video, and I really hope that with what we know now in 2022 there's not people still mad at Bartman. Honorable mention: Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, the Rangers leading the Blue Jays in the bottom of the 7th inning with no outs, but then proceeded to commit THREE CONSECUTIVE ERRORS that loaded the bases, leading to five runs, including the most famous bat flip in postseason history
So many videos of this type limit their examples to the broadcast era so that highlights can be shown. Thank you for considering all of baseball history.
Strange that you did not even mention the name of the HOF "relief pitcher" in the 26 WS: Grover Cleveland Alexander. This game is better known for his strikeout of Tony Lazzeri to end the bottom of the 8th inning. He had pitched a complete game victory the day before, and was sleeping in the bullpen when called on to relieve with 2 out in the 8th. Ruth said he stole because Alexander was pitching so well, he thought he better get in scoring position.
Who would think that something as simple as a decoy throw to second base would still be talked about thirty years after the fact. In baseball, sometimes it’s the little things that make a huge difference.
How about in 2002, game six: Dusty Baker hands Russ Ortiz the World Series game ball, with 5 outs yet to record for the win. That arrogant move of premature celebration apparently fired up the Angels dugout, who staged an amazing comeback. As a Giants fan, it was literally one one of the worst nights of my life. Everyone knew there was no way SF was winning game 7.
Crazy the exact thing that Merkle did happened my senior year in the district finals. Our pitcher was on first and didn't run on a game winning hit in bottom of 7th. We won in extras so no harm no foul. Great video
You're right about that Buckner play, about the bullpen collapsing and that Buckner shouldn't have been in the game at that point. When they played game 7 the next day, the Red Sox were flat because how they lost the night before demoralized them. The sad part is that all Bill Buckner is remembered for is that one play and not his long storied career. He had over 2700 career hits and over 1200 RBI.
As a Nats fan my favorite is, of course, the first one. But you cut off the video before the best part. Never having won a playoff series of any kind since 1924, the Washington fans went nuts. My favorite line from the game was when the announcer said - "Juan Soto is out at second - but, you know what - nobody in this joint cares!!" I was in Boston on Business and watching the Red Sox/Mets Buckner game in my hotel room when the error happened. It was about midnight and very quiet - until the error. You could hear the reaction all over the hotel. And in the morning when I went into work - it was like a funeral. From extreme excitement the day before - to total silence and the people were walking around like zombies. I really felt for them.
It definitely is. But in an empty stadium, I think Alou makes the tough play. I know it's not considered nice to say because we want to take the blame off Bartman, but I think it's enough to say that fans shouldn't be held to the standards of players anyway. Also it was 20 years ago and the Cubs have since won the World Series. I think Steve can come out of hiding now.
@@bostonrailfan2427 really? I wonder if he meant that or if he just felt bad for Bartman. I know after the fact he kind of felt bad that he reacted the way he did on the field.
#1 the Cubs curse was never called the Merkle Curse. If anything that should have cursed the Giants franchise. The Cubs merely made a resourceful play amidst chaos and it led to them snatching a pennant from defeat. The Cubs drought was always referred to as the curse of the Billy Goat because of the goat that got banned from Wrigley during game 4 of the 1945 World Series, which was their last pennant for 71 years.
Great job again! Regardless of whether or not Lake caught the 3rd strike on Perzinski, that goes down as one of the most heads up plays in baseball history! Never give up!
I’ll never forget Lonnie Smith’s base running gaffe.. 7th game of the World Series no less.. Smith was a bit of a World Series hero earlier in his career too..
They did a documentary on the Buckner play in the WS. He saw and set up on the ground ball correctly, it was cold that night and the clay has harder than usual and it slightly changed the trajectory of the ball. It was played in super slo-mo and it was a great documentary
I have always felt it was the awful play of the cubs that was to blame for that game. Yet a loyal fan who does what the majority of most fans do in that situation. Even more surprising was that media outlets didn’t focus on this fact either. That never would have happened in St. Louis. Great job out of you.
It's not what most fans would do in the case of Steve bartman. It is what most fans did in that section. Bartman wasn't the only one reaching for the ball. There were like seven other people. Apartment just gets to blame because he's the one that touched it when it could have easily been any of the others.
fascinating stuff, loved watching this! I don't know that 'boner' was the most accurate description here though, I was expecting something very different from that play....
Good stories. As a Phillies fan, the biggest blunder in my lifetime came in game 3 of the 1977 NLCS. Like the Red Sox in 1986, the Phils led by 2 in the top of the 9th with their closer Gene Garber on the mound. Usually Danny Ozark would substitute Jerry Martin in left field for Greg Luzinski for defensive purposes but for some reason he didn't. But the Phils got 2 quick outs when Vic Davalillo legged out a bunt. The Manny Mota hits a golf shot to deep left field and it looked like Luzinski had a bead on it but as he caught it, he hit the wall and the ball popped loose. Davalillo scored and to make matter worse, Luzinski's throw gets away from Ted Seizmore and Mota takes 3rd. Then Davy Lopes hits a smash off of Mike Schmidt that deflects to Larry Bowa who seemed to just get Lopes at first but the ump calls him safe(2nd missed call by an ump that game that allowed the Dodgers to score a run) and Mota scores the tying run. Then in a pickoff attempt Garber throws wildly which allowed Lopes to take 2nd then Bill Russell singles home Lopes for the go ahead run. The Phils go down in the 9th to lose 6-5 in a game Phillies fans call Black Friday. The Dodgers would win game 4 in a steady rain 4-1 to win the pennant. Had Ozark put Martin in and he caught that fly ball, the Phils would have won 5-3 and taken a 2-1 series lead with games 4 and 5 in Philadelphia so who knows what would have happened had they won game 3.
@@matthewerulkar3164 at least with that the Blue Jays were just a better team. The Phils did a good job hanging with them but that series was lost when they blew a 6 run 8th inning lead in game 4. After that the series was academic. But in '77 the Phils were every bit as good as the Dodgers if not better.
The “Bartman” game was in ‘03 , I think you said’05, I mean you did say 2005 NL championship. Mistakes happen but we don’t see the playoffs much here on the North side so we have to get it right.
What about Leon Durham's error in Game 5 of the 1984 NLCS against San Diego? He was Billy Buck two years prior. Or Tony Fernandez's error in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series?
Despite Buckner's and Gonzalez' blunders, those games weren't the last ones. BOTH teams had another game to make things right. Buckner later said that he had an older glove (for reason's unknown) and that it would flop open and closed against his will. On the WIlson play, he reached down and it flopped closed. And I guess Nelson Cruz' inability to catch David Friese's ball is merely honorable mention. Of course the Rangers, too, had one more game to make things right.
As a Mets fan let's stop blaming Buckner. Even he fielded the ball, Mookie would've been safe at first, maybe out at second, but the best outcome for the Sox the game remains tied. Red Sox fans did Bill dirty.
Red Sox fan did him dirty. Game was already tied before Buckner play. Buckner should've had it. It's not that hard even with bad knees. Bill Buckner fucked up. That's an easier play for an MLB ball player
@@Lance-Stroll Even if Buckner fielded it cleanly he was not going to beat Mookie to the bag, and had he thrown it to Stanley Mookie would've beat him too.
Great video. The Merkle thing I've always thought was unfair to him, you can't just grab a random baseball after the game is over and run over and touch second base. As I've said before it's usually the umpires that blow it. Really iconic stuff in here, the Sparky Anderson smile at 3:30, the Bartman, the Buckner...the Alex Gonzalez error is probably the most overlooked mistake by a player ever
With the Pirates up 2-0 over the Braves in the bottom of the ninth of the 1992 NLCS, Gold Glove 2B Jose "Chico" Lind of the Pirates kicks a routine grounder. If he makes that play, the Pirates likely win the game and go to the World Series. HUGE error
One of the oldest and classic miscalculations in Major League history may go back to October 3, 1951 in the Polo Grounds. Prior to Bobby Thompsons' famous or infamous ( depending on allegiance) "Shot Heard 'Round the World", Brooklyn manager Charlie Dressen had a choice of replacing his gassed starter, Don Newcombe, with either Ralph Branca or Carl Erskine in relief. He went with Branca which proved to be a dubious decision whether or not Thompson had the sign and the rest is history. When the Giants and Dodgers bolted New York City for California most sports fans in New York discarded what should be known as the most famous moment in New York sports history. Great job Humm Baby. I love this stuff.
Awesome production. I personally would rank Lonnie Smith's base-running blunder in '91 at or near the top, but... puh-TAY-toe/puh-TAH-toe. An interesting tidbit regarding Ruth's ill-fated stolen base attempt to end the '26 World Series is that, throughout the entire Series, the Yankees had stolen only 1 base vs St. Louis. And that was by Ruth in the previous game. Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the 6th with 1 out in Game 6, Ruth stole 2nd off righty Pete Alexander. Fast-forward to the bottom of the 9th of Game 7, and Alexander, who'd shut the Yankees down all Series, was pitching again 1 day later, this time in relief. And he was shutting the Yankees down again. Meusel had had the most success vs Alexander out of all the Yankees hitters, with a single, double, triple & walk, but Ruth wasn't in scoring position. Ruth's success the previous day in stealing off of Alexander probably emboldened him to try it again in order to get into scoring position for Meusel. I'm not so sure it was such a terrible thing by Ruth. Strategically, I think Ruth had the right idea, much like Dave Roberts vs Mariano Rivera in the 2004 ALCS. I have to wonder, though, if Yankees manager Miller Huggins gave any consideration to using the only possible stolen base threat on his bench, utility infielder Aaron Ward, who had 30 career stolen bases to his credit at that point, as a pinch runner, assuming he was faster than Ruth? The only problem with that, though, is that Ruth was actually a better base-stealer than Ward. Ruth was 85-of-164 (51.8% success) in his career at that point, while Ward was only 30-of-63 (47.6% success).
I think the Ruth one could easily be #1 or at least #2. The fact that he was a star, the fact that it wasn't an accident (like Grisham or Buckner's), the fact that it literally gave away the WS
This video conveniently doesn't tell the Babe's motivation. Babe said he wanted, based upon how Alex was pitching, to get into scoring position. But let's ignore the rest of the story.
I do not believe Lonnie Smith was fooled by the 2B & SS, as he made no inclination of sliding but rounded second. Though possibly a distraction, the real issues for Smith were: #1) It was a hit and run, so he did not see the ball off the bat nor could see where it was until it was too late. #2) He was thrown out at home in game 4 on a similar play, and he did not want a repeat of that. #3) CF Kirby Puckett had made a tremendous catch in game 6, so Smith had to respect his ability to go back on balls. At third with no outs and the heart of the order up, the Braves still should have been able to get him in.
The one that stood of to me the most was #2 Billy Buckner When Billy played with the Dodgers I went to my very first game. It cost $2 bucks in the 70's to sit in the home run pavilion. I had brought my glove with me. Billy was up and hit this screaming line drive home run and I remember standing up on my seat and the ball went into the deep part of my web throwing me back two rolls. All the Latinos around me picked me up and I was covered with beer from head to toe. They were all tapping the top of my head and I just stared at the ball in disbelief. Some of the fans offered me money for it but I just looked at and held it close. That night and that game my blood turn blue and I have been a fan of the Dodgers since..48 years. Buckner became my hero at 12 years of age. Once, I had seen him catch a fly ball out in left field at the warning track and he threw it from then warning track to home plate without a bounce. He had a gun in his early years. That night he missed that ground ball at first in 86 broke my heart. I had read that because of that play he almost committed suicide over it. He still to this day is a hero of mine. He was a aggressive good ballplayer. .
THE THING ABOUT BUCKNER NO ONE MENTIONS IS THAT THE MAN WAS LITERRLY HELD TOGETHER BY DUCT TAPE AT THIS TIME,HE WAS A WARRIOR...AND DONT FORGET CALVIN SHIRALDI COULDNT CLOSE THE GAME,AND THE STEAMER SUCKED, THERE WAS STILL ANOTHER GAME TO PLAY,,,,,,,,,FRIGGIN GARY CARTER....SAD THAT BUCKNER GOT SHIT ON...................GLAD HE CAME BACK AND GOT HIS LOVE LOL
It doesn't make any sense. How would Merkle, a Giant, commiting a blunder curse the Cubs? Merkel HELPED the Cubs. The Cubs had their own curse with the Goat....
I dont know if I would call the '91 series between the Twins and Braves so much a base running error as much as it was an incredibly smart fake toss to 2nd by Knoblauch to slow/confuse the runner.....that was one of the best plays I have ever witnessed...
You obviously weren’t a very good base runner then. Only time a player would ever not know where the ball is, is if it’s behind him or a hit and run is on. 1st rule of base running is locate the ball. 2nd is ALWAYS pick up base coaches. The ball was hit to left field which is the easiest location to notice a ball hit when running from 1st. Smith obviously knew it was in play hence him already running. Takes a simple glance at the 3rd base coach to see that he’s being waved around. The fake would’ve only been good if it caused him to slide thinking it’s gonna be a play at 2nd. He froze, clueless as to what to do…100% horrible base running
Thank you narrator for not using one single profane curse word during your narration. Because of that, I subscribed! Great job! Poor Bill Buckner, he didn't deserve that, he was actually a very good hitter.
Here's one that happened during the 1985 NLCS. Dodgers pitcher Tom Niedenfuer who gave up the famous walk off home run to Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith in Game 5. Then in the top of the Ninth in Game 6 with the Cardinals up Three games to two Niedenfuer chooses not to intentionally walk Jack Clark who was the only power hitter in the Cardinals lineup. Clark crushes the first pitch he sees for a three run tape measure home run that put the Cardinals ahead to stay to send the Cardinals to the 1985 World Series.
Later in 1987 he pitched for the Orioles. I was in the bleacher seats and there was a rain delay and the scoreboard was showing highlights of that playoff series. As the video went to the Clark play, Niedenfuer stood up and yelled at the scoreboard, "No! Don't throw that pitch!" Funniest thing I ever saw live at a baseball game.
I played as a first grader up into Collegiate Leagues and as a guy that fielded well I made my share of Errors fly balls, dropped and errant throws but missing a Ground ball in the outfield was the worst for me. It only happened a few times but it seemed worse and lonely as you had to chase the ball then face everyone! 😓…🤣😂 I’m glad that 💩 is over!
i would love to have seen what your research process was for this video. a long form video documenting how you defined these specific instances. considering how many pivotal moments I've seen that COULD easily have qualified based on the weight of the game lost....
Gossage had struck Gibby out with three straight pitches for Gibson's first major league at bat. Goose thought he was still facing a greenhorn, fresh up from the minors... ( :
Some will remember you for being the all-time leader in home runs (if they choose to do so). Some will remember you for putting up god-like numbers past your early thirty’s, some will remember you as being “the all-time home run king and winning only one pennant and world championships in your almost 20-plus year career. Yet everyone remembers you as a guy who took steroids, and everyone knows you as a guy who still isn’t in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Bartman was one of many fans who tried to catch the ball! People don’t want to talk about that and how he got death threats from Cubs fans for catching it because Alou got mad at him! Proof that sports fans take it too seriously!
Glad you didn't put Buckner #1, he was an unfortunate victim of bad decisions compounded by bad luck. I'd have put the Cubs #3, another case of bad decisions compounded by bad luck. Excellence as always, Erik
Come on, now. The first baseman who ran the batter back to home is the biggest brain cramp ever. Btw, Mookie said Buckner was afraid Mookie would have beaten him to the bag. I think he’s right!
The saddest thing about the Alex Gonzales error is that all season long he was actually a very very solid defensive shortstop. He was in the lineup for his glove, not his bat. As a long suffering Cubs fan I was watching that game on TV and didn't even really think about Bartman until much later.
Jose Lind's error at 2b in game 7 of NLDS, PITT vs Atlanta in 1992. 9th inning. Allowed a roller coaster disaster as Sid Bream scores winning run. This error cursed the pirates to 21 straight losing seasons.
I'm a Tigers fan and I would say a far more enormous blunder was the 1968 World Series Curt Flood of the Cardinals lost his footing in the outfield that allowed Jim Northrup to get a triple in game 7 to help the Tigers win the WS after being down in the series 3 games to 1. Goose Gossage's home run to Kirk Gibson while a famed play, the Tigers were on their way to winning that WS in five games even without Gibson's home run.
That has been debated a lot. Some like Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell and others at the game said even if Flood had not slipped he would not have caught it. Flood has a bad inning and a half there. Picked off in the bottom of the 6th then the triple with two out. Incredible Gibson was sailing along got two out easy in the 7th then three consecutive pitches and there went the series. Pitch one Cash Single Pitch two Horton single Pitch three Northrup triple
Lonnie didn’t get deeked. If he thought it were a ground ball he would have slid into second base to break up a double play. He simply lost the ball in the white dome top and didn’t know if the OFers were going to catch it or not. Remember there was a delayed steal attempt on the pitch… Lonnie was in motion
The walk off wild pitch for the Yankees to win the World Series in 27 over pitts is never talked about. I mean it was a sweep so that’s probably why but still… very odd way to end a World Series.
#10 - Who would have thought the 3 people involved in that play are now on the same team? Grisham, Hader, and Soto are all on the Padres now. Go figure. #8 - If it wasn't for the Padres blowing a couple of leads in the 1998 World Series, I would still be salty about this one. Looks like Gibson gave Goose a lesson in humility that time.
8:48 You mention a player buy the name of "Jose Cabrera" I believe that was Marlin's rookie outfielder and future Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. Other than that, great vid.
I loved Buckners guest appearance on "Curb Your Enthusiasm".
He gets Mookie to sign a ball for him. "He owes me a favor." Loses the ball out a window, "That was a bad throw!" And finally makes it good by catching a falling baby. Nice to see he has a sense of humor about it.
He’s DEAD.
Love how there is ZERO bs and you get RIGHT to the point, refreshing!
People forget that the cubs completely fell apart after that foul ball. Alex Gonzalez forgot that he owned a glove. And Dusty Baker left Prior out there to rot, which he has a long history of doing throughout his career as a manager.
Nobody even talks about Alex Gonzalez blunder, easily one of the biggest errors
The Gonzalez ball wasn't going to be a double play. It was hit too softly. On the telecast I think they even mentioned that. It likely would have just been the force out at 2nd. I feel like most of the more educated fans bring up Gonzalez error as a way to be protective of Bartman because after all, he was just a fan. I've heard this quite a few times.
The reason I think Bartman gets most of the blame, fair or unfair is that his incident came before there was any hint of trouble in the inning. So it felt like everything that came after was a karmic consequence of the Bartman play. Now, it's still really sad that this guy who just wanted to go to his favorite team's ballgame got caught up in something so ugly, but I think that was part of why it upset people so much at the time.
Alou even admitted that he was never catching hat ball, it was just a bd excuse for choking
I mean, I have always felt that way. It was wild but they had no business losing that game and falling apart like that. I totally agree with you, though, not enough people think of that part or even know about it
That was one of the worst jobs of managing I’ve ever seen. You can see that your players are all amped up and you need to go out there and say “hey guys, it’s just a foul ball. Let’s calm down.” As we know, that didn’t happen. The Cubs were up smartly in that game. Oh well, they still had one more. They were up in that one too! Nope, I blame that one on Dusty.
Great job! Most of the time when I see the headline "BEST/WORST....IN HISTORY", they seem to think history began around 2000. You clearly covered all the big ones.
This!!!!
And they were only good or bad if they affected big market teams.
Steve Bartman... 2k5... no... no... no... no
More like 1996
++++qq+++
Cubs fans blaming Bartman is a travesty
It’s great to watch a compilation of plays made by someone who is aware that baseball wasn’t invented in 1980. So many compilations have no awareness of baseball history before 1980. Great video!!!
Do you hate the pitch clock too? lol
@@Andy_Babbif anything the pitch clock would be very popular among old school baseball fans since it used to take 3 or 3 1/2 hours to play 9 innings. Now the games are considerably shorter, which is a good thing. Also it is refreshing to see someone who actually knows about baseball history and acknowledges that big stuff in baseball happened before 1980
For as many things as you mentioned for why it wasn't all Buckner's fault, you still missed one: Stanley didn't get off the mound to cover first base, and as mentioned before, Buckner's knees were shot. While the official scorer did say "Wilson reached on E3 (Ground Ball), Knight scores/unER", the proper scoring really should've been "Wilson infield single to 1B; Knight to 3B; Knight scores on E3 (Ground Ball)/unER".
😂 get over it
WRONG!!!! Stanley was AHEAD of Wilson getting to first. Stanley SLOWED UP once he saw the ball got through Buckner. If Buckner had fielded it Wilson was an EASY OUT!!!
1972 NLCS Game 5: Bob Moose's wild pitch wins the pennant for the Reds.
1992 NLCS Game 7: Randy Marsh calls a ball on a clear third strike, keeping the Braves alive for Francisco Cabrera to win it for them.
I remember this game. Could have made pirates the team of decade instead of Reds.
Don’t forget Jose Lind booting the ball that same inning. Man, Pirates have had some heartbreaking moments
Appreciate your added perspective on these plays. Too many do not recall all of the events that surrounded #4 (Gonzalez) and #2 (Buckner). Cubs had many chances to make the Bartman event a non-factor and so many forget that the Buckner game was tied already at the time of the play and there was still a game 7 to be played. As a huge baseball fan, I was embarrassed not to have known the Ruth play though. Thanks for the video.
It was a hit and run and Meusel missed the sign on the Ruth play. It wasn't a straight steal.
@@haroldbrooks5930 Where did you hear that? In my 57 years, I have never heard nor read anything like that. I would like to see it.
Thank you for mentioning the Buckner and Bartman / Gonzalez plays. Both plays happened in game 6 and neither play would have won the game had they made the plays. I do think the Gonzalez play is bigger as he gets at least one out on that play so you'd have two outs and things would calm down after Bartman. The Cubs could have gotten out of the inning. After that the floodgates opened. The night of the game I remember thinking they are gonna kill Gonzalez, but the next day it was all Bartman
The 1926 World Series is still the only one to end in a caught stealing.
I'm a huge Mets fan and remember game 6 well. Sure Buckner errored but Schiraldi and Stanley had already blown the game.
Here is what a lot of people don't remember about that game. If Buckner grabs the ball and steps on first base and make the play - the game is tied. We are going to extra innings. So technically the Red Sox Could have lost that game no matter what. Not saying a thing wrong about the Red Sox.
@@aldito7586 Yeah, the game would have gone to the 11th inning, as the play happened in the 10th.
By all rights, Buckner shouldn't have even been in the game. He was hobbled by injuries to both ankles. A sad climax to what was arguably a HOF career.
As a Red Sox Fan since 1975 I remember game 6 of the 86 Series. I was watching it in an Airport Terminal at LaGuadia. I was flying back from FLA and was wearing my Sox Cap with my Dad (another lifelong Sox Fan) standing beside me. I remember watching Calvin Schiraldi looking like a dear in headlights. My Dad said "Get him out of there, he's doesn't want to be there". Then as Bob Stanley came out of the bullpen we both Scream "NOOOOOO" and it was then we knew it was over.
Not "tragic" but one of the best blunders in MLB history was in 1962.. Marv Throneberry of the Mets hits what looks to be a triple.. but gets called out for missing second base. When Casey Stengal came out to argue, the Mets first base coach told him not to bother because Throneberry missed first base too!
Now THAT’s what makes baseball so much fun to talk about. 🤷🏻♂️😅
Love those old time Mets
And he missed 2nd base too...
@@icetraydemartini3963 no shit sherlock.
Leave it to a Yankee fan to "add" something that was already said.
@@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace Haha 😂. Sorry, Kid. Does your Mom or Dad take you to the games?
FYI - Merkle’s action was not a “blunder”. It was standard play at the time (especially at the Polo Grounds) for runners like Merkle to not bother to advance to the next base on a walk-off hit. 2 reasons for this. First, at the Polo Grounds the clubhouses were out through the centerfield wall. Second, it was normal for the fans to storm the field after EVERY game, not just important ones. So Merkle, seeing that the game was over, did not ‘fail to touch second base’. Rather, he ran for the clubhouse - something he had likely done many times before, as had hundreds of veterans before him.
Also with that. There is no actual proof that the ball the Cubs used to make the out was the actual game ball.
I can't help but smile everytime I see Sparky saying "Hey don't wanna walk you!!" It's like even Sparky knew it was a foolish move to pitch to Gibson there!!
Babe Ruth was not running on his own. It was reported at the time that the batter, Meusel, called for a hit & run and then proceeded to swing & miss, What's more, Meusel had two costly misplays earlier in the game. It is Bob Meusel that should be remembered as the goat of the series.
Really appreciate your take on the Cubs game. It's unbelievably absurd that Bartman enters into the discussion about this game, when the Cubs, a team I like, absolutely dug their own grave in the eighth. The fact that Bartman received harassments and death threats is obscene. Anyone who understands baseball one iota would have no ill will to Bartman. Maybe a mild 'hey dude" but nothing like the vitriol the he received.
But it wasn't n 2k5.
Man anytime someone mentions the 91 series the only thing I can think is "He's holding Gant's leg!"
We are Twins season ticket holders. We were at Game 2 when Hrbek pulled him off the bag. One week later, Game 7. There were a couple of Braves fans waiting in line with us at Murray's for the Silver Butter Knife Steak. The one Braves man say's at least 20 times. "That Hrbek.... he's pulling my leg". We just kept smiling. Greatest Series Ever! We got the stubs to prove it.
Thank for reminding me! I was 16 at the time and I forgot about that play! I'm from Montreal and I hated the Braves but that was just a totally ludicrous call by the Ump
That's hilarious--I was thinking the same thing: Kent Hrbek pushing Ron Gant off of first and the ump buying it.
The Tigers' win over the Padres in the 1984 World Series capped one of the most dominant seasons ever. Detroit won 19 of its first 21 games that year and never looked back. And RIP Vin Scully, who had the call on Gibson's HR over Gossage.
Agreed. 40 games in, Detroit was 35-5 and everybody knew who was gonna win the AL Pennant, and in all probability, the World Series. The whole season seemed like a mere formality until they handed the WS trophy to Sparky.
The Tigers' batters completely decimated the Padre's starting pitchers. IIRC the combined ERA of the SD starters was over 13.
Jack Morris was insane that season and Willie Hernandez, don't get me started. Phillies traded him to Detroit for 2 bags of used jock straps. Don't get me wrong, I loved Glenn Wilson as a guy and he was a decent player but he certainly wasn't worth an elite relief pitcher.
Corrections: The Marlins Cubs NLCS was 2003, not 2005.. also apparently I accidentally said Jose Cabrera instead of Miguel Cabrera.. that is a stupid slip up; I know who Miggy is.. one of my favorites of all time. My bad.
Haha I was super confused for a minute. Honest slip up. Still, a bit funny and ironic you did it during this video. Great work, though. Really enjoyed.
Great video nonetheless. Thanks.
As a Mets fan, that lose wasn't on Buckner. He shouldn't even have been on the field. Calvin fell apart. And of course the next game.....
It was't just Calvin Schiraldi that fell apart in that game. Bob Stanley came in to relieve Schiraldi and threw a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score. Then came Mookie Wilson's ground ball that led to the ball going through Buckner's legs and the winning run to score. Because of his bad legs, Buckner shouldn't have even been in the game at that point and normally would have been taken out of the game for a defensive replacement. That loss demoralized the Red Sox so they were flat in game 7.
@@stevegallo8483 that's what I said, Gallo, just much more succinctly
An interesting bit of trivia- Schiraldi is, so far, the only pitcher in history to be the losing pitcher in Game 6 and Game 7 of the same World Series.
One of the funniest bloopers was from Jose Canseco’s head on May 26, 1993 causing a home run. Now that’s a blooper.
3:28 What's ironic there is that Gibson faced this same situation in the 2011 NLDS. Game 1, 8th inning, Brewers lead DBacks 2-1, Braun just doubled and Prince Fielder up with first base open, 1 out. Gibson let Ian Kennedy pitch to Fielder, and after strike 1, where Prince smiled in disbelief that he was being pitched to, then hit a 2-run homer on the next pitch, and the Brewers won 4-1.
As someone who’s way into baseball history, I gotta say this is a great list and your analysis is spot on too. I appreciate you including the old time stuff even though there isn’t video.
Thank you!
excellent point. So many of these lists are pure examples of recency bias. It's nice to see someone with a good sense of history.
@@HummBabyBaseball stop talking so much
Good gawd
@@chuckfan1 ?
Thing about the Gonzales error, he was one of the best defensive shortstops in the NL that year. I recall they had posted a graphic about his low error rate or high number of plays since making an error a short time before the error.
I remember watching that game as a Cub fan and it wasn't Batman it was this play. The next day at school all the kids were talking about Bartman, and I just said it wasn't Bartman that dropped the double play ball.
All the Bartman ball and the Gonzales error had nothing to do with not winning game 7 they choked
I'm surprised that umpire Don Denkinger's blown call at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series between Kansas City and St. Louis wasn't at the very least, an honorable mention.
He would have had to add Jack Clark's muff on the pop-up, Todd Worrell's crossing up of the catcher that led to a wild pitch, and Darrell Porter's inability to block the plate, all of which happened in the same inning.
just watched this...I wouldn't call this one of the worst, because even though it was a very important call that changed a lot, it was a very close play. Watching in real time I wasn't sure if he was safe or out. The replay of course clearly shows it, but they didn't have replay back then like we do now. For me the one I was surprised not to see, and I'm sorry I don't know any of the names without looking them up, but some ump blew a call at first that ruined the pitcher's no hitter or perfect game, can't remember which. And that one was NOT a close play at all. Just horrible...game didn't really matter and he robbed the pitcher of a major accomplishment on a blown call that wasn't even close.
I was thinking of the Jim Joyce call of 'safe' at first that blew the perfect game for Armando Gallaraga.
@@bradutterstrom4105 June 6, 2010 in Detroit, Perfect Game- Armando Galarrago, last play of the 9th inning blown call. Galarrago then got the next runner out to end the game. Galarrago's respone to the blown call shows what a CLASS ACT he is. Find Jomboy's breakdown of this; you will like it
@@terrywilliams9924 both men acted with class, from Armando completely forgiving him to Jim Joyce breaking down over the mistake he completely owned up too
Don't forget that Steve Bartman had to go into witness protection and move away after death threats were sent in the aftermath of the Cubs' collapse.
Very well done! As a Cubs fan, I agree 100% that Alex Gonzalez should have been the goat not Steve Bartman! I also agree that Moisés Alou baby tantrum changed the tone of the game very quickly!
Wow..some awesome baseball memories here. Thanks for posting!
One of the most overlooked gaffes. In the 1968 WS game five Lou Brock tried to bowl over All Star catcher Bill Freehan at the plate Freehan played tight end for the U of M. .St.Louis was up 3-1 in the series were ahead in this game and Detroit was just hanging on.Him being thrown out totally changed the series and Detroit won it. The Cards never were the same not making the post season for 14 years.
Good one!
That play was huge. Had Brock slid, he would've been safe. But the problem wasn't Lou Brock. The play was at his back, so he had no idea whether to slide or not. He had to guess and try to read Freehan, the Tigers catcher. The problem was Curt Flood who was the on-deck batter. Flood failed to move up to the vicinity of home plate to watch the incoming throw and coach Brock to get down. Watch the footage of that play. Even after Brock is 15 feet past home plate, Flood is still nowhere to be seen.
There's arguably an ever bigger mistake committed in the same inning as the more famous Snodgrass Muff. With one out and runners on the corners, Tris Speaker lifted a pop fly into foul territory, easily catchable for the first baseman (none other than Fred Merkle himself!) -- except Christy Mathewson called for catcher Chief Meyers to take it. The ball fell to the ground untouched; Speaker, reprieved, singled in the tying run; and the eventual walk-off winning run scored on a sacrifice fly -- i.e., what would have been the third out had the foul ball been caught.
babe trying to steal 2nd makes me so mad as a yankee fan yet it’s so hilarious he tried to take off for 2nd knowing he’s not the best base runner lmao
Actually, Ruth was the best option Miller Huggins had for getting a runner into scoring position for Meusel. His only options for pinch-runner was utility infielder Aaron Ward. But Ward had a worse stolen base % than Ruth. Ruth was 85-of-164 to that point in his career. Ward was 30-of-63. And Ruth had just stolen 2nd the day before off of the same pitcher, Pete Alexander, for the Yankees only stolen base of the series.
Alexander had shut the Yankees down all series. (2 complete games...Game 2 and Game 6, IIRC) And he was doing it again in relief on no rest in Game 7. Meusel had the most success off Alexander in the series, so with 2 outs, down 1 run in the bottom of the 9th, the Yankees needed to get Ruth into scoring position. There wasn't a better option on the Yankees bench.
Others have said it, but thank you for setting the record straight about the Bartman game.
Great video, thanks!
I watched a documentary on the 90s Braves and they were loaded. It was such a shame they only got one World Series. Loaded team just got unlucky.
As a Padres fan, I also think of Durham right through his legs game 5 1984 NLCS. And I would never blame Buckner. He was a solid player and he had a pretty good series in 86.
buckner had terrible knees too, he shouldn't have been in the game there.
Ok if you were a fan back then what about Donnie Moore in 1986. Biggest disaster ever
@@stantheman2756 I don’t know about “biggest disaster ever.” Moore was decent. Pitched injured. Gave up his biggest homer. The 86 ALCS was part of what ended Moore.
UNlike Jim Rice. Who STILL trails Jesse Orosco in lifetime World Series RBIs!!!!!!
@@stantheman2756. Killed him.
Excellent video about many instances I knew nothing about. Thanks.
Great video. Lots of moments I never knew of instead of the same old stuff.
Excellent video, and I really hope that with what we know now in 2022 there's not people still mad at Bartman.
Honorable mention: Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, the Rangers leading the Blue Jays in the bottom of the 7th inning with no outs, but then proceeded to commit THREE CONSECUTIVE ERRORS that loaded the bases, leading to five runs, including the most famous bat flip in postseason history
And one of those errors led to zero outs in an clear double play situation (I know, you can't assume a DP, but...)
So many videos of this type limit their examples to the broadcast era so that highlights can be shown. Thank you for considering all of baseball history.
Enjoyable and informative. Thanks!
This was fun to watch and reminds me of the Giants..haha You are a very good commentator. Thanks for sharing this, Erik.
The Pierszynski play always brings a smile to my face (I'm a White Sox fan, obviously).
Strange that you did not even mention the name of the HOF "relief pitcher" in the 26 WS: Grover Cleveland Alexander. This game is better known for his strikeout of Tony Lazzeri to end the bottom of the 8th inning. He had pitched a complete game victory the day before, and was sleeping in the bullpen when called on to relieve with 2 out in the 8th. Ruth said he stole because Alexander was pitching so well, he thought he better get in scoring position.
Who would think that something as simple as a decoy throw to second base would still be talked about thirty years after the fact. In baseball, sometimes it’s the little things that make a huge difference.
How about in 2002, game six: Dusty Baker hands Russ Ortiz the World Series game ball, with 5 outs yet to record for the win. That arrogant move of premature celebration apparently fired up the Angels dugout, who staged an amazing comeback. As a Giants fan, it was literally one one of the worst nights of my life. Everyone knew there was no way SF was winning game 7.
To date, the 1926 World Series is the only postseason series to conclude on a caught stealing.
Crazy the exact thing that Merkle did happened my senior year in the district finals. Our pitcher was on first and didn't run on a game winning hit in bottom of 7th. We won in extras so no harm no foul. Great video
You're right about that Buckner play, about the bullpen collapsing and that Buckner shouldn't have been in the game at that point. When they played game 7 the next day, the Red Sox were flat because how they lost the night before demoralized them. The sad part is that all Bill Buckner is remembered for is that one play and not his long storied career. He had over 2700 career hits and over 1200 RBI.
buckner was a great man and a great player...and this is a great video.
I still don’t understand why Cleveland’s 3rd base coach held up Kenny Lofton at 3rd base in game 7 of the 2007 ALCS.
As a Nats fan my favorite is, of course, the first one. But you cut off the video before the best part. Never having won a playoff series of any kind since 1924, the Washington fans went nuts. My favorite line from the game was when the announcer said - "Juan Soto is out at second - but, you know what - nobody in this joint cares!!"
I was in Boston on Business and watching the Red Sox/Mets Buckner game in my hotel room when the error happened. It was about midnight and very quiet - until the error. You could hear the reaction all over the hotel. And in the morning when I went into work - it was like a funeral. From extreme excitement the day before - to total silence and the people were walking around like zombies. I really felt for them.
The Bartman play was insane
Even in an empty stadium, that'a really tough play for Alou to make
Cubs blew it
It definitely is. But in an empty stadium, I think Alou makes the tough play. I know it's not considered nice to say because we want to take the blame off Bartman, but I think it's enough to say that fans shouldn't be held to the standards of players anyway. Also it was 20 years ago and the Cubs have since won the World Series. I think Steve can come out of hiding now.
So did the clueless Bartman.
he said so himself that he was never going to catch it
@@bostonrailfan2427 really? I wonder if he meant that or if he just felt bad for Bartman. I know after the fact he kind of felt bad that he reacted the way he did on the field.
@@billny33 But it's not like Bartman was the only one reaching for it. He just stood out like a sore thumb. Gonzo booting the DP ball was worse
#1 the Cubs curse was never called the Merkle Curse. If anything that should have cursed the Giants franchise. The Cubs merely made a resourceful play amidst chaos and it led to them snatching a pennant from defeat. The Cubs drought was always referred to as the curse of the Billy Goat because of the goat that got banned from Wrigley during game 4 of the 1945 World Series, which was their last pennant for 71 years.
There was an entire book written about it
@@HummBabyBaseball looked it up. Ok well. I stand corrected. Carry on.
Great job again! Regardless of whether or not Lake caught the 3rd strike on Perzinski, that goes down as one of the most heads up plays in baseball history! Never give up!
I’ll never forget Lonnie Smith’s base running gaffe.. 7th game of the World Series no less.. Smith was a bit of a World Series hero earlier in his career too..
Chuck Knoblach really faked him out
You still had 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs. You gotta score there
@@zachcoggins9018
When’s the last time you saw a guy toss 10 inning shutout?..
They did a documentary on the Buckner play in the WS. He saw and set up on the ground ball correctly, it was cold that night and the clay has harder than usual and it slightly changed the trajectory of the ball. It was played in super slo-mo and it was a great documentary
Dishonorable mention, Barry Bonds not moving in when Andy Van Slyke signaled him to do so in game 7 of the 1992 NLCS.
Bonds is a tool
That blunder meant that he wasn't able to throw out the slowest baserunner after multiple knee operations. Didn't help that the throw was wide
I have always felt it was the awful play of the cubs that was to blame for that game. Yet a loyal fan who does what the majority of most fans do in that situation.
Even more surprising was that media outlets didn’t focus on this fact either.
That never would have happened in St. Louis.
Great job out of you.
It's not what most fans would do in the case of Steve bartman. It is what most fans did in that section. Bartman wasn't the only one reaching for the ball. There were like seven other people. Apartment just gets to blame because he's the one that touched it when it could have easily been any of the others.
fascinating stuff, loved watching this! I don't know that 'boner' was the most accurate description here though, I was expecting something very different from that play....
Good stories. As a Phillies fan, the biggest blunder in my lifetime came in game 3 of the 1977 NLCS. Like the Red Sox in 1986, the Phils led by 2 in the top of the 9th with their closer Gene Garber on the mound. Usually Danny Ozark would substitute Jerry Martin in left field for Greg Luzinski for defensive purposes but for some reason he didn't. But the Phils got 2 quick outs when Vic Davalillo legged out a bunt. The Manny Mota hits a golf shot to deep left field and it looked like Luzinski had a bead on it but as he caught it, he hit the wall and the ball popped loose. Davalillo scored and to make matter worse, Luzinski's throw gets away from Ted Seizmore and Mota takes 3rd. Then Davy Lopes hits a smash off of Mike Schmidt that deflects to Larry Bowa who seemed to just get Lopes at first but the ump calls him safe(2nd missed call by an ump that game that allowed the Dodgers to score a run) and Mota scores the tying run. Then in a pickoff attempt Garber throws wildly which allowed Lopes to take 2nd then Bill Russell singles home Lopes for the go ahead run. The Phils go down in the 9th to lose 6-5 in a game Phillies fans call Black Friday. The Dodgers would win game 4 in a steady rain 4-1 to win the pennant. Had Ozark put Martin in and he caught that fly ball, the Phils would have won 5-3 and taken a 2-1 series lead with games 4 and 5 in Philadelphia so who knows what would have happened had they won game 3.
@@matthewerulkar3164 at least with that the Blue Jays were just a better team. The Phils did a good job hanging with them but that series was lost when they blew a 6 run 8th inning lead in game 4. After that the series was academic. But in '77 the Phils were every bit as good as the Dodgers if not better.
Garry Maddox’s misplay of Bakers liner in the next NLCS was also big.
@@fredbobberts5753 the fact that Maddox usually caught anything hit in his zip code made that bizarre.
The “Bartman” game was in ‘03 , I think you said’05, I mean you did say 2005 NL championship. Mistakes happen but we don’t see the playoffs much here on the North side so we have to get it right.
What about Leon Durham's error in Game 5 of the 1984 NLCS against San Diego? He was Billy Buck two years prior. Or Tony Fernandez's error in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series?
Durham's muff was bad, but then Tony Gwynn hit a rocket right past Ryne Sandberg's ear (and like Alex Gonzalez, that one never gets mentioned).
Despite Buckner's and Gonzalez' blunders, those games weren't the last ones. BOTH teams had another game to make things right. Buckner later said that he had an older glove (for reason's unknown) and that it would flop open and closed against his will. On the WIlson play, he reached down and it flopped closed. And I guess Nelson Cruz' inability to catch David Friese's ball is merely honorable mention. Of course the Rangers, too, had one more game to make things right.
As a Mets fan let's stop blaming Buckner. Even he fielded the ball, Mookie would've been safe at first, maybe out at second, but the best outcome for the Sox the game remains tied. Red Sox fans did Bill dirty.
Red Sox fan did him dirty. Game was already tied before Buckner play. Buckner should've had it. It's not that hard even with bad knees. Bill Buckner fucked up. That's an easier play for an MLB ball player
@@Lance-Stroll Even if Buckner fielded it cleanly he was not going to beat Mookie to the bag, and had he thrown it to Stanley Mookie would've beat him too.
Not to mention that he was a steady .289 lifetime hitter who won the Batting Title in 1980. The whole team should have shared the blame.
Great video. The Merkle thing I've always thought was unfair to him, you can't just grab a random baseball after the game is over and run over and touch second base. As I've said before it's usually the umpires that blow it. Really iconic stuff in here, the Sparky Anderson smile at 3:30, the Bartman, the Buckner...the Alex Gonzalez error is probably the most overlooked mistake by a player ever
And Gonzales was actually one of the finest fielding shortstops ever.
The same thing had happened against Chicago a couple of weeks prior, and they remembered.
With the Pirates up 2-0 over the Braves in the bottom of the ninth of the 1992 NLCS, Gold Glove 2B Jose "Chico" Lind of the Pirates kicks a routine grounder. If he makes that play, the Pirates likely win the game and go to the World Series. HUGE error
This is what a "goat" in sports originally meant.
One of the oldest and classic miscalculations in Major League history may go back to October 3, 1951 in the Polo Grounds. Prior to Bobby Thompsons' famous or infamous ( depending on allegiance) "Shot Heard 'Round the World", Brooklyn manager Charlie Dressen had a choice of replacing his gassed starter, Don Newcombe, with either Ralph Branca or Carl Erskine in relief. He went with Branca which proved to be a dubious decision whether or not Thompson had the sign and the rest is history. When the Giants and Dodgers bolted New York City for California most sports fans in New York discarded what should be known as the most famous moment in New York sports history. Great job Humm Baby. I love this stuff.
Awesome production. I personally would rank Lonnie Smith's base-running blunder in '91 at or near the top, but... puh-TAY-toe/puh-TAH-toe.
An interesting tidbit regarding Ruth's ill-fated stolen base attempt to end the '26 World Series is that, throughout the entire Series, the Yankees had stolen only 1 base vs St. Louis. And that was by Ruth in the previous game. Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the 6th with 1 out in Game 6, Ruth stole 2nd off righty Pete Alexander.
Fast-forward to the bottom of the 9th of Game 7, and Alexander, who'd shut the Yankees down all Series, was pitching again 1 day later, this time in relief. And he was shutting the Yankees down again.
Meusel had had the most success vs Alexander out of all the Yankees hitters, with a single, double, triple & walk, but Ruth wasn't in scoring position. Ruth's success the previous day in stealing off of Alexander probably emboldened him to try it again in order to get into scoring position for Meusel.
I'm not so sure it was such a terrible thing by Ruth. Strategically, I think Ruth had the right idea, much like Dave Roberts vs Mariano Rivera in the 2004 ALCS. I have to wonder, though, if Yankees manager Miller Huggins gave any consideration to using the only possible stolen base threat on his bench, utility infielder Aaron Ward, who had 30 career stolen bases to his credit at that point, as a pinch runner, assuming he was faster than Ruth? The only problem with that, though, is that Ruth was actually a better base-stealer than Ward. Ruth was 85-of-164 (51.8% success) in his career at that point, while Ward was only 30-of-63 (47.6% success).
I think the Ruth one could easily be #1 or at least #2.
The fact that he was a star, the fact that it wasn't an accident (like Grisham or Buckner's), the fact that it literally gave away the WS
This video conveniently doesn't tell the Babe's motivation. Babe said he wanted, based upon how Alex was pitching, to get into scoring position. But let's ignore the rest of the story.
I do not believe Lonnie Smith was fooled by the 2B & SS, as he made no inclination of sliding but rounded second. Though possibly a distraction, the real issues for Smith were:
#1) It was a hit and run, so he did not see the ball off the bat nor could see where it was until it was too late.
#2) He was thrown out at home in game 4 on a similar play, and he did not want a repeat of that.
#3) CF Kirby Puckett had made a tremendous catch in game 6, so Smith had to respect his ability to go back on balls.
At third with no outs and the heart of the order up, the Braves still should have been able to get him in.
Another tragic mistake would be the giants not trading Rodon this deadline
Or trading half of the farm system for Soto.
@@norcalroamer5774 do you think having Soto will magically make us WS contenders lol?
@@molon___labe that’s not what I meant. It would be tragic if we did go through with it.
The one that stood of to me the most was #2 Billy Buckner When Billy played with the Dodgers I went to my very first game. It cost $2 bucks in the 70's to sit in the home run pavilion. I had brought my glove with me. Billy was up and hit this screaming line drive home run and I remember standing up on my seat and the ball went into the deep part of my web throwing me back two rolls. All the Latinos around me picked me up and I was covered with beer from head to toe. They were all tapping the top of my head and I just stared at the ball in disbelief. Some of the fans offered me money for it but I just looked at and held it close. That night and that game my blood turn blue and I have been a fan of the Dodgers since..48 years. Buckner became my hero at 12 years of age. Once, I had seen him catch a fly ball out in left field at the warning track and he threw it from then warning track to home plate without a bounce. He had a gun in his early years. That night he missed that ground ball at first in 86 broke my heart. I had read that because of that play he almost committed suicide over it. He still to this day is a hero of mine. He was a aggressive good ballplayer. .
This was very well put together. As a Massachusetts native I would’ve sworn Buckner was number one and he was close! But you set it up correctly
THE THING ABOUT BUCKNER NO ONE MENTIONS IS THAT THE MAN WAS LITERRLY HELD TOGETHER BY DUCT TAPE AT THIS TIME,HE WAS A WARRIOR...AND DONT FORGET CALVIN SHIRALDI COULDNT CLOSE THE GAME,AND THE STEAMER SUCKED, THERE WAS STILL ANOTHER GAME TO PLAY,,,,,,,,,FRIGGIN GARY CARTER....SAD THAT BUCKNER GOT SHIT ON...................GLAD HE CAME BACK AND GOT HIS LOVE LOL
I have never heard it called the Merkle curse.
It doesn't make any sense. How would Merkle, a Giant, commiting a blunder curse the Cubs? Merkel HELPED the Cubs. The Cubs had their own curse with the Goat....
@@bobcarp1239 and many others.
It's one of the more famous mistakes in baseball. In fact, the Cubs went on to win the World Series that year and didn't win another one until 2016.
I dont know if I would call the '91 series between the Twins and Braves so much a base running error as much as it was an incredibly smart fake toss to 2nd by Knoblauch to slow/confuse the runner.....that was one of the best plays I have ever witnessed...
You obviously weren’t a very good base runner then. Only time a player would ever not know where the ball is, is if it’s behind him or a hit and run is on. 1st rule of base running is locate the ball. 2nd is ALWAYS pick up base coaches. The ball was hit to left field which is the easiest location to notice a ball hit when running from 1st. Smith obviously knew it was in play hence him already running. Takes a simple glance at the 3rd base coach to see that he’s being waved around. The fake would’ve only been good if it caused him to slide thinking it’s gonna be a play at 2nd. He froze, clueless as to what to do…100% horrible base running
And I believe it was the best world series ever. I know for a fact it's the best one that I've ever watched
Lonnie Smith was a dummy running those bases!!
Thank you narrator for not using one single profane curse word during your narration. Because of that, I subscribed! Great job! Poor Bill Buckner, he didn't deserve that, he was actually a very good hitter.
Here's one that happened during the 1985 NLCS. Dodgers pitcher Tom Niedenfuer who gave up the famous walk off home run to Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith in Game 5. Then in the top of the Ninth in Game 6 with the Cardinals up Three games to two Niedenfuer chooses not to intentionally walk Jack Clark who was the only power hitter in the Cardinals lineup. Clark crushes the first pitch he sees for a three run tape measure home run that put the Cardinals ahead to stay to send the Cardinals to the 1985 World Series.
Later in 1987 he pitched for the Orioles. I was in the bleacher seats and there was a rain delay and the scoreboard was showing highlights of that playoff series. As the video went to the Clark play, Niedenfuer stood up and yelled at the scoreboard, "No! Don't throw that pitch!" Funniest thing I ever saw live at a baseball game.
OMG THANK YOU for blaming the Cubs and NOT Bartman. So ridiculous that he gets blamed. It was 3-0 with 1 out and the Cubs gave up 8 friggin runs FGS.
Such a cool presentation!
I played as a first grader up into Collegiate Leagues and as a guy that fielded well I made my share of Errors fly balls, dropped and errant throws but missing a Ground ball in the outfield was the worst for me. It only happened a few times but it seemed worse and lonely as you had to chase the ball then face everyone! 😓…🤣😂 I’m glad that 💩 is over!
i would love to have seen what your research process was for this video. a long form video documenting how you defined these specific instances. considering how many pivotal moments I've seen that COULD easily have qualified based on the weight of the game lost....
Gossage had struck Gibby out with three straight pitches for Gibson's first major league at bat. Goose thought he was still facing a greenhorn, fresh up from the minors... ( :
very well done video
Great list. I didn't know about. Babe Ruth
I know it’s not the best but the ball bouncing off Jose Cansenco head for a home run is absolutely funny
Some will remember you for being the all-time leader in home runs (if they choose to do so). Some will remember you for putting up god-like numbers past your early thirty’s, some will remember you as being “the all-time home run king and winning only one pennant and world championships in your almost 20-plus year career. Yet everyone remembers you as a guy who took steroids, and everyone knows you as a guy who still isn’t in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Bartman was one of many fans who tried to catch the ball! People don’t want to talk about that and how he got death threats from Cubs fans for catching it because Alou got mad at him! Proof that sports fans take it too seriously!
Impressed you brought up the Merkle play
You failed to mention how Kent Hrbek clearly pushed Ron Gant off of first base and tagged him out!
Fantastic video!
Glad you didn't put Buckner #1, he was an unfortunate victim of bad decisions compounded by bad luck. I'd have put the Cubs #3, another case of bad decisions compounded by bad luck. Excellence as always, Erik
being Game 6 and the fact that it was already tied due to choking by the pitcher saved it
Come on, now. The first baseman who ran the batter back to home is the biggest brain cramp ever.
Btw, Mookie said Buckner was afraid Mookie would have beaten him to the bag. I think he’s right!
The saddest thing about the Alex Gonzales error is that all season long he was actually a very very solid defensive shortstop. He was in the lineup for his glove, not his bat. As a long suffering Cubs fan I was watching that game on TV and didn't even really think about Bartman until much later.
Steve Bartman is the best thing that ever happened to Alex Gonzalez.
Jose Lind's error at 2b in game 7 of NLDS, PITT vs Atlanta in 1992. 9th inning. Allowed a roller coaster disaster as Sid Bream scores winning run. This error cursed the pirates to 21 straight losing seasons.
I'm a Tigers fan and I would say a far more enormous blunder was the 1968 World Series Curt Flood of the Cardinals lost his footing in the outfield that allowed Jim Northrup to get a triple in game 7 to help the Tigers win the WS after being down in the series 3 games to 1. Goose Gossage's home run to Kirk Gibson while a famed play, the Tigers were on their way to winning that WS in five games even without Gibson's home run.
That has been debated a lot. Some like Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell and others at the game said even if Flood had not slipped he would not have caught it. Flood has a bad inning and a half there. Picked off in the bottom of the 6th then the triple with two out. Incredible Gibson was sailing along got two out easy in the 7th then three consecutive pitches and there went the series.
Pitch one Cash Single
Pitch two Horton single
Pitch three Northrup triple
Lonnie didn’t get deeked. If he thought it were a ground ball he would have slid into second base to break up a double play. He simply lost the ball in the white dome top and didn’t know if the OFers were going to catch it or not. Remember there was a delayed steal attempt on the pitch… Lonnie was in motion
I'm the biggest Mets fan. But I have to say - I REALLY felt bad for Bill Buckner. How could you not ?
The walk off wild pitch for the Yankees to win the World Series in 27 over pitts is never talked about. I mean it was a sweep so that’s probably why but still… very odd way to end a World Series.
#10 - Who would have thought the 3 people involved in that play are now on the same team? Grisham, Hader, and Soto are all on the Padres now. Go figure.
#8 - If it wasn't for the Padres blowing a couple of leads in the 1998 World Series, I would still be salty about this one. Looks like Gibson gave Goose a lesson in humility that time.
8:48 You mention a player buy the name of "Jose Cabrera" I believe that was Marlin's rookie outfielder and future Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. Other than that, great vid.