Choking: The Thing a Losing Team Does Most Often

Congrats to the Heat on winning back to back championships in the NBA, even though I hate you and everyone on the team very, very much (Go Bulls!). The Spurs could have won it all if a couple calls went there way and they made good shots and played defense, but they choked. So I had in mind, instead of who’s hot and who’s not, let’s look at games where the other team just choked.

2011 World Series: Oh, how could anyone forget this. 

Texas Rangers pitcher Neftali Feliz was one strike away against St. Louis Cardinal David Freese, but instead of getting him on a 1-2 pitch, Freese blasts one into right field, Nelson Cruz misplays it, and two runs score on Freese’s triple that tied the game, 7-7. They had another chance in the 10^th when they were up by 2 after a Josh Hamilton blast. With two men on and the game 9-8 now, Lance Berkman worked a 2-2 count (once again one strike away), and Berkman singled into center, tying the game. In the 11^th David Freese did it again, leading off and hitting Mark Lowe’s 3-2 pitch into center field for the game winner, forcing it into game 7. The Cardinals would end up winning Game 7 and the series.

2004 ALCS: This was possibly the greatest series I have ever watched. 

The New York Yankees took a commanding 3-0 lead, and it looked like the Boston Red Sox would get swept. After losing 19-8 in Game 3, Bob Ryan from The Boston Globe wrote “They are down 3-0, after last night’s 19-8 rout, and in this sport, that is an official death sentence. Soon it will be over, and we will spend another dreary winter lamenting this and lamenting that.”

In Game 4, Yankees Mariano Rivera comes in to close the ballgame and the series, being up by 1. Rivera allowed a lead-off walked to Kevin Millar, which changed the series. Dave Roberts pinch ran. After being checked 3 times at first, then on the first pitch to Bill Mueller, Roberts stole second, putting himself in scoring position. Mueller’s single got Roberts to score, and they went to extras. In the 12^th, the Red Sox finally won it when David Ortiz blasted a two run homer to right off of my rival Paul Quantrill.

Game 5 had the same effect. The Red Sox came back in the 8^th, scoring 2 runs to tie the game. In extras both teams struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, and stranded runners after every inning. That was, until the bottom of the 14^th, where Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez walked with two outs to bring up Ortiz again. Ortiz walks off again, this time singling Damon in to win it.

Game 6 was most famously known for Curt Schillings “bloody sock” game, where he was pitching with a torn tendon in his right ankle. In this game, a controversial call could have changed the series dramatically. Bronson Arroyo was on the mound, giving up 1 run to make it 4-2 Red Sox. With Derek Jeter on, Alex Rodriguez grounded a ball to Arroyo, who picked up the ball and ran to tag Rodriguez out, but Rodriguez slapped Arroyo’s arm, knocking the ball lose, which allowed Jeter to score. The umpires came together and called Rodriguez out for interference, and Jeter was ordered back to third (note: This was a great call). The place got so pissed off that they were throwing things onto the field, and Boston went into the dugout to avoid injury. The NYPD officers took the field in riot gear, and things stopped. Keith Foulke finally got a save in the series to win the game.

The Red Sox were the first team ever to force a Game 7 after being down 3-0.

 

Boston took control in Game 7, as Johnny Damon hit two homers, one of them a grand slam, and the Red Sox won 10-3. With what was an amazing comeback and a huge choke by the Yankees, the Red Sox went on and swept the World Series.

2003 NLCS: The infamous “Bartman Ball” with the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins. The Cubs had a 3-1 lead in the series, but then lost Game 5 to force a Game 6. The Cubs had a 3-0 lead entering the 8^th inning, and Mike Mordecai hit a popup to get one out. The Cubs were 5 outs away from their first World Series berth since 1945. Juan Pierre then hit a double off pitcher Mark Prior. 

On the 8^th pitch of the at-bat, Luis Castillo hit a fly ball towards left field. Moises Alou headed towards the stands to catch the ball for a potential out, but Cubs fan Steve Bartman interfered with the play, forcing the ball into the stands for a foul ball. The Cubs pleaded for fan interference, but the umpires rules that the ball had left the field of play and it was anybody’s ball.
After, Prior walked Castillo and Pierre moved to third on a passed ball. 

Now the Cubs lost it. Pudge Rodriguez hit a 0-2 pitch into left field to score Pierre, making it 3-1. Rookie Miguel Cabrera hit a ground ball to Alex S. Gonzalez, who pulled a Bill Buckner and made it go right through his legs. Instead of a inning ending double play, the Marlins now had bases loaded. Future Cub All-Star Derrek Lee would drill a double into left to tie it 3-3. Prior was replaced by Kyle Farnsworth, who could do nothing, and the Marlins would go on to score 8 runs in the 8^th to win it, 8-3. If the Cubs didn’t choke, they would’ve made the World Series and probably would have won based on how good they were. Instead, the Marlins would win Game 7, and would beat the Yankees to win the World Series.

In 2011 and 2012 there were chokes made by the Red Sox, Rangers, and Atlanta Braves, but blew it in September and would lose their first place spot in the last game of the year. The Red Sox and Braves would not make the playoffs, while the Rangers made the Wild Card, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card play-in game. 

Those are chokes. So it’s OK, San Antonio, you’re not the only team that’s done it. But damn why couldn’t you have won?! I hate the Heat!

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com if I missed any famous chokes in baseball.

-Evan Boyd