The Most Painful Losses In Baseball History

[macro]

ESPN Article about the ten most-painful losses in baseball history. I think it came out in 2007: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/losses/031017.html

Maybe these bits of history will help us put last night into perspective. Last night was bad, but when one play turns around a World Series or a team blows a big lead in a World Series, it's the worst possible loss.

It's not baseball, but "the drive" from Super Bowl 23 (Bengals - 49ers) will gnaw at me the rest of my life. I will get over last night's game.

[HeatherC1212]

4. Giants can't hold 5-0 lead in Game 6, 2002 World Series
The Giants were seven outs away from winning their first World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1958. Russ Ortiz was pitching a gem against the Angels. Then, with one out in the seventh, Troy Glaus singled. Brad Fullmer singled. Dusty Baker went to the bullpen for Felix Rodriguez. In an epic at-bat, Scott Spiezio fouls off several pitches before launching a three-run homer. The next inning, Darin Erstad homers off Tim Worrell. The lead was down to one run. Tim Salmon singles. Garret Anderson singles. Robb Nen in the game. Troy Glaus doubles. Angels 6, Giants 5. Never before had a team blown such a big lead in potential World Series-clinching game. Game 7 goes to the Angels.

I remember watching that one live and thinking, "How in the heck did they just do that?!" when the Angels rallied to win that game. As an Angels fan I loved it but I felt bad for Ortiz who probably should have stayed in the game a little longer. I wonder if Dusty thinks about this game and second guesses himself every once in a while about it.

[westofyou]

It's not baseball, but "the drive" from Super Bowl 23 (Bengals - 49ers) will gnaw at me the rest of my life. I will get over last night's game.

Ughhh I hear you.

Another one for me is the 73 OSU-UM game, just a hand wringer and unsatisfying ending

[RFS62]

ESPN Article about the ten most-painful losses in baseball history. I think it came out in 2007: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/losses/031017.html

Maybe these bits of history will help us put last night into perspective. Last night was bad, but when one play turns around a World Series or a team blows a big lead in a World Series, it's the worst possible loss.

It's not baseball, but "the drive" from Super Bowl 23 (Bengals - 49ers) will gnaw at me the rest of my life. I will get over last night's game.

I'll see your drive and raise you an Ernest Byner fumble on the two yard line

[Cyclone792]

ESPN Article about the ten most-painful losses in baseball history. I think it came out in 2007: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/losses/031017.html

Maybe these bits of history will help us put last night into perspective. Last night was bad, but when one play turns around a World Series or a team blows a big lead in a World Series, it's the worst possible loss.

It's not baseball, but "the drive" from Super Bowl 23 (Bengals - 49ers) will gnaw at me the rest of my life. I will get over last night's game.

The one thing that bugs me about these lists is they almost never include anything from the first half of the 20th century. Or if they do, it's a token inclusion.

Merkle's Boner, for example, should definitely be near the top of that list. But since there's nobody with a living memory of that game still around, it gets left off these types of lists.

I said it yesterday, but October 4th, 1999 and Al Leiter still hurts more than yesterday. Halladay didn't end our season yesterday in one game, but Leiter did in 1999.

[reds1869]

The one thing that bugs me about these lists is they almost never include anything from the first half of the 20th century. Or if they do, it's a token inclusion.

Merkle's Boner, for example, should definitely be near the top of that list. But since there's nobody with a living memory of that game still around, it gets left off these types of lists.

I said it yesterday, but October 4th, 1999 and Al Leiter still hurts more than yesterday. Halladay didn't end our season yesterday in one game, but Leiter did in 1999.

ESPN has no interest in baseball history, only in appeasing the group of fans who's teams dominate this list. Hint: they are from cities that are rather large. Merkle's boner is painful and involves NY, though, so maybe it was on their radar.

[Roy Tucker]

I never liked Andy Van Slyke and I *really* never liked Barry Bonds but even I felt bad for them when Sid Bream chugged around 3rd and slid into home like a water buffalo at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It was one of the most killer sports moments I've ever experienced.

And being a Browns fan, Red Right 88, The Drive, and The Fumble are indelibly etched into my soul.

[cumberlandreds]

Last nights loss was disapointing but not painful. Losing a post season game when it looked like you had it won is very painful. The example Heather mentioned is one for sure. The Reds losing Game 6 of the 75 World Series was painful and how they came back the next night and won is a testament to the teams overall character. Another example of a painful loss was the Cardinals loss to the Royals in game 6 of the 1985 WS. Losing a WS game because of an umpires bad call has to be near the top of the list.

[Ravenlord]

I'll see your drive and raise you an Ernest Byner fumble on the two yard line

all because the wide reciever stopped to look at the play develop and the CB or OLB (can't remember which) took off and forced the ball. that's actually my first memory of football.