Top 10 World Series Blunders of all time

Nothing can be worse than being considered the man who cost your team the World Series! But many of the men listed are considered just that. In many cases, it was not just the person that’s blamed for it; many times, things happened after the initial blunder that caused the game to be lost.

10. 2001 World Series New York Yankees’ Mariano Rivera, Game 7, Wild Throw and a blown save

Following an incredible postseason run that helped rejuvenate New York following the September 11 attacks, the New York Yankees led the Arizona Diamondbacks by one run entering the ninth inning of Game 7. Mariano Rivera appeared poised for victory when he surrendered a lead-off single and then made a huge blunder by throwing the ball into center field when their next batter attempted a sacrifice bunt; before this momentous error, Rivera had only ever committed one regular-season error during his career.

Two batters later, Tony Womack doubled to tie the score. Following an intentional hit batsman, Luis Gonzalez hit a soft liner past a drawn-in infield that scored Arizona’s series-winning run. Rivera experienced his first World Series save failure.

2001 World Series Game 7 Highlights | New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

9. 1926. World Series – Babe Ruth caught stealing

Babe Ruth helped power the New York Yankees to victory in Game 4, driving three home runs off Grover Cleveland Alexander; he would follow that up by hitting a solo homer in Game 7 to give them a 1-0 advantage at home. Unfortunately for Ruth, though, the St Louis Cardinals rallied and held onto a one-run advantage going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Unfortunately for Ruth, though, a throw from Cardinals catcher Bob O’Farrell to second baseman Rogers Hornsby forced out Ruth as Ruth unwisely tried to steal second base ending the game and the series.

It remains the only Fall Classic play in which a thief was caught stealing second base to end the series. However, The Bambino later stated he decided to steal on his own because the Yankees seemed unlikely to string consecutive hits off Alexander. Was Babe Ruth the greatest baseball player of all time?

1926 World Series- History of Baseball Class(Cardinals vs Yankees)

8. 1966 World Series – A series of unfortunate events by Willie Davis

On a sunny Los Angeles afternoon in the fifth inning of a scoreless game, Baltimore Orioles center fielder Paul Blair hit an easy fly ball into center field. Still, Dodgers center fielder Willie Davis mishandled it due to being blinded by sunlight. Later on, when another Baltimore batter lifted a shallow fly to centre, Davis again mishandled it – this time compounding his error with an accidental wild throw from third base – setting an unprecedented World Series record with three errors within an inning!

Davis later disputed the rulings regarding his drops. He told media members: “You can’t catch what you can’t see.”

These errors allowed Baltimore to score three runs and win Game 2, thanks to 20-year-old Jim Palmer’s brilliant shutout performance. The Orioles would go on to win the series.

Willie Davis – 1966 World Series Game 2 – Orioles 6, Dodgers 0

7. 1912 World Series – A missed pop fly by Fred Snodgrass

As the New York Giants were leading by one run in Game 8 (Game 7 had ended in a tie), Boston Red Sox pinch-hitter Clyde Engle hit an easy pop fly to left center field; Giants center fielder Fred Snodgrass prepared himself for a routine play, yet Engle’s pop flew bounced in and out of Snodgrass glove. After a walk, Tris Speaker singled home Engle, and two batters later, Boston won the series with a long sacrifice fly.

The press pinned the loss on Snodgrass, who offered no excuses. “I was frozen to the marrow when I muffed the fly,” he said. “It just dropped out of the glove, and that was all there was to it.”

Fred Snodgrass

6. 1941 World Series – A third strike missed by Mickey Owen

Although Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Mickey Owen had difficulty at the plate during 1941, he earned his first All-Star selection through his outstanding defense, setting a National League record for consecutive errorless chances by a catcher. When one strike away from tying up World Series games two and three at two each, Owen instructed relief pitcher Hugh Casey to throw an off-speed pitch that both fooled Henrich and himself; Owen missed the third strike as all runners advanced safely.

The Yankees capitalized on Owen’s first passed ball of the year by scoring four runs and claiming a 7-4 victory.

Mickey Owen’s dropped third strike, 1941 World Series

5. 1986 World Series – The infamous Bill Buckner blunder

Boston’s first baseman, Bill Buckner, made an error in Game 6, one of MLB history’s most costly mistakes. Yet, the team’s devastating collapse was the product of a team effort. This loss was not on Buckner alone. Check out our list of the greatest World Series games of all time.

Boston stood poised for its first championship since 1918 with two outs, an empty bases and a two-run lead over the New York Mets in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 7. Unfortunately, manager John McNamara controversially lifted ace Roger Clemens after just seven innings, then allowed overworked reliever Calvin Schiraldi to pitch. The Fatal mistake for the Red Sox was instead of replacing Buckner with someone more defensive at first base; they rolled with the gimpy Buckner.

Once Schiraldi surrendered three consecutive singles that scored one run, reliever Bob Stanley unleashed a wild pitch that scored the tying run, then Mookie Wilson hit a slow roller that went between Buckner’s legs to send the Series to a decisive Game 7. Riding off of their victory in Game 6, the Mets went on to capture Game 7 and win the series.

WS1986 Gm6: Scully calls Mookie Wilson’s epic at-bat

4. 1985 World Series – The controversial umpire call

Don’t tell me that if Don Denkinger had gotten the call right, the Cardinals would have won it all. Sure, it would have helped, but the Cardinals imploded after that one bad call. They had to mess up many other things in the bottom of the ninth to lose that game. How the Cardinals laid down the next night in game seven will show you how mentally tough they were not in 1985.

The Cardinals led 1-0, with Todd Worrell on the mound poised to close things out. Jorge Orta opened up for the Royals by hitting a grounder to the right side of the infield; Jack Clark caught it and threw to Todd Worrell covering first base; Don Denkinger declared Orta safe, but replay showed otherwise; he was easily out and Denkinger had blown the call.

Denkinger’s call on Orta at first was terrible. It hardly signalled game-ending implications; it simply meant the Royals had one man on first with no outs. St Louis had a dominant reliever on the mound, while Kansas City boasted an inferior lineup. George Brett wasn’t due up anytime soon, so stand up and finish what you started!

The Cardinals could not respond. On the following pitch, after Denkinger called an out, Steve Balboni hit a foul popup that resulted in Clark running over and losing track of where he was; instead, it bounced harmlessly away; Balboni followed with a single.

JIm Sundberg — with two strikes — got down a bunt in an attempt to move over the runners, but Worrell threw out Orta at third for the first out. The Cards seemed to be regaining their footing. But they weren’t. The next batter was Hal McRae, and Worrell crossed up catcher Darrell Porter. With the passed ball, runners moved to second and third.

After the Cardinals intentionally walked McRae (which you assume they would have done had Sundberg been able to get down the sacrifice bunt), Dane Iorg hit the single that scored the tying and winning runs. This doesn’t all fall on Denkinger, but it was a horrendous call in a huge situation.

3. 1924 World Series – Hank Gowdy’s missed foul ball

The New York Giants were leading by two runs with three outs remaining when Washington Senators player-manager Bucky Harris hit a bases-loaded grounder that hit a rock, deflection over 18-year-old third baseman Freddie Lindstrom of New York to tie the score.

As the score was tied in the bottom of the 12th inning, Muddy Ruel of Washington skied a foul ball near home plate that catcher Hank Gowdy chased. Instead of tossing his mask far enough away from where it fell, Gowdy almost tripped as his foot caught in it, and the ball fell. “I thought my foot was being held captive in some kind of bear trap!” he later remembered.

Given new life, Ruel doubled and scored Washington’s winning run when yet another grounder vaulted over Lindstrom’s shoulder. “The ball hit a pebble—maybe the same darned pebble that Harris’ ball had hit,” Lindstrom recalled decades later. If only there had been artificial turf in 1924.

Watch the Washington Senators Win the World Series in 1924

2. 1997 World Series – Cleveland Indians’ Tony Fernandez, Blows it

Veteran second baseman Tony Fernandez’s third-inning single gave visiting Cleveland an early lead against the Florida Marlins and raised hopes for its first title since 1948. Unfortunately, Indians closer Jose Mesa could not keep this lead intact in the ninth inning, and Cleveland lost.

As Bobby Bonilla stood on first base with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning of a tied game, Marlins second baseman Craig Counsell hit a grounder to Fernandez – four-time Gold Glove winner – that should have resulted in either one or two outs but instead rolled beneath his glove into the outfield; Bonilla continued advancing via an error. Three batters later, Edgar Renteria hit a liner that hit the pitcher’s glove before continuing into centre field for a single to seal the victory for the Marlins.

1997 WS Gm7: Fernandez makes error on grounder

1. 1991 World Series –Lonnie’s Lapse, Oct. 27, 1991

In an epic pitchers duel between Minnesota’s Jack Morris and Atlanta’s John Smoltz, Braves designated hitter Lonnie Smith singled to begin an eighth inning of Game 7. Terry Pendleton hit a drive toward the left center field that looked certain to score Smith, who had been running on a delayed steal attempt. Instead, the Twins’ middle infielders pretended it was a routine grounder. A bewildered Smith hesitated for several seconds at second before realizing it had gone into the outfield. instead of scoring, he ended up harmlessly on third base, and the chance for the Braves to take the lead was gone. A weak ground-out and double play ended Atlanta’s threat. Two innings later, Minnesota secured victory via 10th inning sacrifice fly thanks.