The Five Most Foolish Baseball Plays of All Time
Contents
- The Five Most Foolish Baseball Plays of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Catches of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Bunt Attempts of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Infield fly balls of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Pitches of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Base running Plays of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Fielding Plays of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Throwing Plays of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Hitting Plays of All Time
- The Five Most Foolish Coaching Plays of All Time
From the baserunner who missed third base to the pitcher who forgot how many outs there were, these are the five most foolish baseball plays of all time.
The Five Most Foolish Baseball Plays of All Time
1. catcher’s interference
2.miscommunication between pitcher and catcher
3. stolen base attempts gone awry
4. getting tagged out between bases
5. mental lapses in the field
The Five Most Foolish Catches of All Time
There are all sorts of ways to make a fool of oneself on a baseball diamond from missing an easy popup to botching a rundown to, well, whatever it is B.J. Upton does out there. But in honor of the game’s greatest fools, we’ve compiled a list of the five most foolish catches ever made.
(For the purposes of this exercise, we’re defining “foolish” as any catch that immediately puts the player and/or his team at a disadvantage.)
5. Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones loses track of a fly ball and collides with the outfield wall
In 2012, Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones lost track of a fly ball and ended up crashing into the outfield wall. The result was not only an embarrassing moment for Jones, but also a costly one, as the ball bounced away and allowed two runs to score.
4. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki drops a routine fly ball
In 2006, Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki had what should have been an easy catch taken away from him by misfortune when he dropped a routine fly ball. The gaffe allowed two runs to score and gave the Detroit Tigers an early lead in what would eventually be an 8-3 victory.
3. Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts loses track of a pop-up and has it go off his head for a home run
In 2015, Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts was victimized by one of the most frustrating Plays in Baseball the popup that goes off the fielder’s head for a home run Betts was tracking the ball well when it went off his noggin and over the fence for a solo shot by Houston Astros infielder Jed Lowrie.
The Five Most Foolish Bunt Attempts of All Time
1. The infield fly Bunt
In 2012, the Houston Astros re Playing the Pittsburgh Pirates With one out and a runner on first base, Astros’ third baseman Chris Johnson tried to bunt the ball toward first baseman Garrett Jones. The ball went high into the air and landed fair between first and second base. It should have been an easy out, but Johnson ran past first base and into foul territory where he was tagged out by Pirates second baseman Neil Walker.
2. The Morneau Meltdown
In 2006, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Justin Morneau was playing the Baltimore Orioles With two outs and a runner on first base, Orioles’ batter Jay Gibbons hit a fly ball to Morneau in foul territory. Instead of catching the ball for the final out, Morneau lost it in the sun and it fell behind him. Gibbons ended up with a ground-rule double and the Orioles scored two runs on a subsequent single, costing the Blue Jays the game.
3. Bonds’ Bases-Loaded Blunder
In 2004, San Francisco Giants Left fielder Barry Bonds made a foolish mistake against the Atlanta Braves With the bases loaded and one out, Bonds bobbled a single by Braves center fielder Druw Jones Instead of picking up the ball and throwing it to home plate to force out runner Rafael Furcal, Bonds threw wildly past third base, allowing all three runners to score. The Braves ended up winning 14-4.
4. Uggla’s Untimely Error
In 2010, then-Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla made a costly error against his future team, the Atlanta Braves With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and Braves pinch-runner Brent Lillibridge on first base, Uggla fielded a grounder by Brooks Conrad and threw it into right field, allowing Lillibridge to score from first base and giving the Braves an 8-7 walk-off win.
5. Free Baseball in Pittsburgh!
The Five Most Foolish Infield fly balls of All Time
Infield fly balls are, more often than not, an easy out. There’s a reason why coaches stress to their players to “let it drop” when an infield fly is hit in their direction. However, there have been many instances where infielders have failed to heed this advice, costing their team dearly in the process. Here are five of the most foolish infield fly balls of all time:
1) The “Merkle’s Boner” Infield Fly – On September 23, 1908, Fred Merkle of the New York Giants made a critical error in a game against the Chicago Cubs With the score tied at 1 in the bottom of the 9th inning and runners on first and second base, Merkle failed to touch second base on a ball hit by Al Bridwell. As Merkle jogged towards first base, Cubs fans began storming the field, thinking the game was over (a tie at that time would have resulted in a replay of the game). When order was finally restored, it was determined that because Merkle had failed to touch second base, he was out and Bridwell’s hits only counted as a single. The game ended in a tie and had to be replayed (which the Giants ultimately won).
2) Don Denkinger’s missed call – In Game 6 of the 1985 World Series umpire Don Denkinger made a critical error that cost the St. Louis Cardinals dearly. With his team leading 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th inning and one out remaining, Kansas City Royals’ Jorge Orta hit a routine grounder to Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark Clark threw late toDenkinger at first base for what should have been an easy out, but Denkinger called Orta safe. The Royals would go on to score two runs in that inning and win the game 2-1. They would also win Game 7 and take home their first ever World Series title.
3) Jeffrey Maier disrupts play – In Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier interfered with Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco as he was trying to catch a ball hit by Yankees’ Derek Jeter As a result of Maier’s interference, Tarasco was unable to make the catch and Jeter ended up with an RBI double. The Yankees went on to win that game 4-3 in 11 innings and eventually swept Baltimore en route to their first World Series title since 1978.
4) Steve Bartman interferes with Moises Alou – In Game 6 of 2003 National League Championship Series between rivals Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins, Steve Bartman disrupted play when he interfered with Marlins outfielder Moises Alou as he was trying make a catch on a ball hit by Luis Castillo. Had Bartman not interfered with Alou, it’s very likely that he would have made the catch for an out. Instead, Castillo ended up with a single and later scored on an Ivan Rodriguez home run as part of an eight-run inning for Florida. The Marlins went on win that game 8-3 ,force Game 7 (which they also won),and advance to their second World Series title in six seasons..
5) Darrel Porter’s dropped fly ball – In Game 5 1982 World Series between St., Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers , Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter dropped Brewers’ Gorman Thomas’ pop up with two outs in bottom ninth inning.. As result his error , Thomas reached safely ,and paul molitor scored from third base giving Milwaukee 3-2 lead . Cardinals would go score one run top Tenth Inning ,but it wasn’t enough as they lost game 5-3 ,and ultimately series 4 games 3 .
The Five Most Foolish Pitches of All Time
Pitching is perhaps the most important part of baseball. A great pitcher can change the game, and a bad pitcher can cost his team the win. Pitching is also one of the most complex and difficult parts of baseball, which is why there are so many ways to get it wrong.
Here are five of the most foolish pitches of all time:
1. The balk: This is when a pitcher steps outside of the pitching rubber or stops his pitching motion without delivering the ball. It’s a blatant violation of Baseball Rules and it’s an easy way to give up a run.
2. The wild pitch: This is when a pitch goes so far off course that the catcher can’t control it. Wild pitches often result in runs scored as well as bases being advanced for the batting team.
3. The beanball: This is when a fastball is thrown at a batter’s head in an attempt to intimidate or injure him. Beanballs often lead to bench-clearing brawls, and they can get pitchers ejected from games.
4. The grooved pitch: This is when a pitcher throws a pitch right down the middle of the plate, making it easy for the batter to hit. Grooved pitches often get hit hard, and they often result in runs being scored.
5. The eephus pitch This is when a pitcher throws an extremely slow pitch, usually around 40 miles per hour or slower. Eephus pitches are sometimes used as surprise weapons, but more often than not they just end up getting hit for home runs
The Five Most Foolish Base running Plays of All Time
Here are the five most foolish Base running plays of all time:
1) Trying to steal third base with two outs and your team down by two runs.
2) Running towards home plate when the ball is still in the outfield.
3) Buntig to break up a no-hitter.
4) Sliding into first base.
5) Getting thrown out at home plate while your team is behind by three runs.
The Five Most Foolish Fielding Plays of All Time
From the spectacular to the bizarre, here are the five most foolish fielding plays of all time:
5. Steve Balboni of the Kansas City Royals once ran full-tilt into an outfield wall while chasing a fly ball. He was knocked unconscious and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
4. Detroit Tigers outfielder Corey Patterson made headlines in 2005 when he completely missed a fly ball that bounced off his head and over the fence for a home run
3. Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregor Blanco made a similar mistake in 2010, misjudging a fly ball that hit him in the face and rolled over the fence for a homer.
2. Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome collided with teammate Reed Johnson while chasing a fly ball in 2008, and both players ended up on the disabled list
1. The most infamous gaffe in baseball history occurred in 1976, when New York Yankees infielder Chris Chambliss hit a walk-off home run to win the American League pennant. As he rounded first base, Chambliss slipped and fell, but still managed to get up and score before his teammates could catch him.
The Five Most Foolish Throwing Plays of All Time
1. Throwing to the wrong base
2. Throwing to the plate without looking
3. Throwing to a base that’s already occupied
4. Throwing away a sure out
5. Throwing the ball into the stands
The Five Most Foolish Hitting Plays of All Time
In baseball, as in any sport, there are moments of great skill and glory, and there are also those moments when even the most die-hard fan has to scratch his head and say, “What on earth were they thinking?” Here are five of the most foolish hitting plays of all time.
1.One of the most famous foolish hitting plays happened on May 17, 1938, when Chicago Cubs’ slugger Hack Wilson came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cubs were down by two runs and desperately needed a hit. Wilson swung at the first pitch and hit a harmless little popup to shortstop. The game was over, and the Cubs had lost.
2.On June 27, 1950, Boston Red Sox outfielder Sam Mele was at bat with two outs and two runners on base in the top of the ninth inning. The Sox were down by one run against their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees Mele swung at a low pitch and hit a little grounder to third base. It should have been an easy out, but instead Mele ran straight towards first base without even touching home plate! By the time he realized his mistake and ran back to score, it was too late — the Yankees had already thrown him out at home plate and won the game.
3.On September 23, 1995, Baltimore Orioles’ outfielder Jack Voigt was at bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians The score was tied 2-2,Voigt swung at a high pitch and hit a long fly ball to left field It looked like it would be a routine out — but Voigt started running towards second base without even touching home plate! He was easily thrown out at second base, and cleveland won 3-2 in Extra Innings because Voigt’s brain lapse had cost his team a run .
4: On August 18th 2001 Jorge Posada of NY Yankeess came to bat with bases loaded against Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Esteban Yan there were 2 outs in 8th inning . scoreboard showed Yankees up 10-6 , but then disaster happend , Tampa Bay pitcher threw wild pitch that let Rangers Score 2 runs , after that Posada swung forContacting pitch that almost killed umpire Paul Schrieber who fortunately just avoided being hit by batted ball ,after that play Rays scored 4 more runs in 9th Inning which resulted in Tampa Bay come from behind victory 13-10 . Esteban Yn’s brillant pitching 8 innings giving up only 6 hits 3 er resulted in victory despite Jorge Posada’s big mistake
5 On may 5th 2017 Houston Astros all star George Springer came up with chance to be hero hitting walk off homerun against Seattle Mariners reliever Steve Cishek , but unfortunately he swinging for grand slam trying to do too muchhe popped out for final out of game
The Five Most Foolish Coaching Plays of All Time
In baseball, as in any sport, there are plenty of opportunities for coaches to make foolish decisions. Here are five of the most foolish coaching plays of all time:
1. Sending a runner home on a sacrifice fly: This is one of the most common coaching blunders, and it never fails to cost teams runs. The runner is almost always out, and the team is left with one fewer out in the inning.
2. Calling for a bunt with two strikes: A lot of coaches seem to think that bunting with two strikes is a good way to get the batter on base. However, it almost always ends up leading to an easy out.
3. Intentionally walking a batter: This is usually done when the coach thinks that the batter is too good and doesn’t want to risk giving up a hit. However, it often backfires, as the intentional walk usually leads to more runs being scored than if the batter had been allowed to hit.
4. Not using Relief pitchers A lot of coaches seem to think that starting pitchers should be able to finish what they start, but this isn’t always the best decision. Often, relief pitchers are brought in because they’re better suited to get outs in specific situations.
5. Mismanaging the bullpen: This is another common blunder that can cost teams games. It’s important for coaches to know when to bring in specific relievers, and how long they should stay in the game.