MLB Network Top 20 Games Last 50 Years

[G-Fafif]

No. 12 will be Game 4 2001 WS -- let's move on.

[Gwreck]

Thanks for the advance heads-up. Won't be watching that one.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Remember when Byung-Hyun Kim was the most ridiculed guy in America for two days?

People who hadn't watched a game in two years were making Byung-Hyun Kim jokes.

[G-Fafif]

11. One-Game Playoff for AL East title, 1978. Played at Fenway Park. Result not instantly recalled.

[Gwreck]

They had guest commentators Lou Pineilla and some scrub shortstop for the MFYs who I can't remember the name of. Watched about 15 minutes and turned it off.

[G-Fafif]

No. 10: Kirk Gibson game, 1988 WS -- or as I like to call it, the game that never should have been played.

[Frayed Knot]

G-Fafif wrote: No. 10: Kirk Gibson game, 1988 WS -- or as I like to call it, the game that never should have been played.

And even if you don't happen to agree with that last comment (although I don't know anyone who doesn't) that was hardly a great game aside from the signature moment.
I'd like to think a list like this would do more to take entire games into consideration rather than just one photogenic moment. #6 in '75, for instance, was a great game before Fisk ever stepped to the plate in the 12th.

[G-Fafif]

No. 9: Game Seven, 2001 World Series, Diamondbacks perform Heavenly Father's work (as they might say on Big Love) and snuff out the evil dynasty.

Thought this one would have ranked in the top three or so given that it was the climax of an instantly legendary series; that it was settled in come-from-behind fashion in the bottom of the ninth; and that perhaps the greatest lefty starter of his generation, Randy Johnson, came out of the bullpen on no days' rest, to throw 1-1/3 scoreless innings of relief to get the win.

But the MFYs lost, so I guess it had to be tamped down. Or so it felt listening to the special guests, Joe Torre and Tim McCarver who, with hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci, made the world champion Diamondbacks sound like special guests at their own victory.

I guess it was impossible to find Arizona starter Curt Schilling and get him to talk.

[Ceetar]

No. 9: Game Seven, 2001 World Series, Diamondbacks perform Heavenly Father's work (as they might say on Big Love) and snuff out the evil dynasty. Thought this one would have ranked in the top three or so given that it was the climax of an instantly legendary series; that it was settled in come-from-behind fashion in the bottom of the ninth; and that perhaps the greatest lefty starter of his generation, Randy Johnson, came out of the bullpen on no days' rest, to throw 1-1/3 scoreless innings of relief to get the win. But the MFYs lost, so I guess it had to be tamped down. Or so it felt listening to the special guests, Joe Torre and Tim McCarver who, with hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci, made the world champion Diamondbacks sound like special guests at their own victory. I guess it was impossible to find Arizona starter Curt Schilling and get him to talk.

Don't forget who got the loss in that game. The so-called 'greatest closer ever' in pretty much the highest leverage situation you can possibly get or that he'd ever be in (is there anything as close as game seven bot 9 up by 1 run?) blew the save, and while the winning hit was a bloop, the blown save hit was a solid double, but unearned thanks to an error (but wait!, it was RIVERA's error)

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, this should be top three. Four of the greatest pitchers of their time locked in a game seven duel that would come to mean the end of a dynastay --- at least for another decade or so.

If it ended with Derek Jeter singling just beyond the reach of Luis Gonzalez, instead of the other way around, it would be known as "The Game That Defined a Generation" or something.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

I guess there's little chance Game 6 will be shown then.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

This game also laid the groundwork for further MFY humiliation: The complete failure of their Randy Johnson acquisition and the Bloody Sock incident with Schilling.

[Frayed Knot]

No. 9: Game Seven, 2001 World Series, Diamondbacks perform Heavenly Father's work (as they might say on Big Love) and snuff out the evil dynasty. Thought this one would have ranked in the top three or so given that it was the climax of an instantly legendary series; that it was settled in come-from-behind fashion in the bottom of the ninth; and that perhaps the greatest lefty starter of his generation, Randy Johnson, came out of the bullpen on no days' rest, to throw 1-1/3 scoreless innings of relief to get the win. But the MFYs lost, so I guess it had to be tamped down. Or so it felt listening to the special guests, Joe Torre and Tim McCarver who, with hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci, made the world champion Diamondbacks sound like special guests at their own victory. I guess it was impossible to find Arizona starter Curt Schilling and get him to talk. Don't forget who got the loss in that game. The so-called 'greatest closer ever' in pretty much the highest leverage situation you can possibly get or that he'd ever be in (is there anything as close as game seven bot 9 up by 1 run?) blew the save, and while the winning hit was a bloop, the blown save hit was a solid double, but unearned thanks to an error (but wait!, it was RIVERA's error)

Not that Rivera's post-season record isn't outstanding - better even than his regular season resume - but it's amazing how often YLDBs explain away that inning a solely as the product of the error, and not really an error because it was all caused by a wet field on account of a light mist coupled with the D'Backs refusal to close the roof.
The fact remains that Mariano pitched to six batters that inning and retired ONE of them - and that's with two of them trying to make outs with sac bunts, both of which were lousy:
SINGLE - SAC BUNT (error) - SAC BUNT (force play) - DOUBLE - HBP - SINGLE

Also, not sure if they discussed it (I recorded this and will watch it probably tonight) but the other complaint is that Brosius had time for a DP on that second bunt but never looked for it. I never saw a camera angle that showed one way or the other if he did, but what I do remember is that when he decided to retire that winter the stories about how he blew that play suddenly surfaced the next day with both Rivera and Torre commenting on it. It was like they couldn't wait for him to retire so they could begin parking the bus on his chest over that incident.

[Ceetar]

I get into the Rivera failures sometimes when I'm bored, but I think making excuses for them is actually detrimental to his entire career. We _know_ he's not an ultimate diety cut(tered) from the cloth of God into a reliever that can do no wrong, and acting like he is just makes him look fake and trumped up.

if I recall he also had two chances to close out the Red Sox in 2004, which while probably not as big a failure as '01 was still a failure, and they'd likely have gone on to win that WS too.

Or in an age where it's assumed that players playing into the 40s was almost exclusvely a result of steroids and HGH and all that but never to whisper or wonder if/what Rivera might be doing on the side?

[G-Fafif]

8. 1986 ALCS Game 5: Red Sox pull it out vs. Angels.

So let's get some more 1986 action going.

[Gwreck]

Costas noted that there are 3 games from the '86 postseason in the top 10. Presumably our two game sixes are the other ones.

[Frayed Knot]

8. 1986 ALCS Game 5: Red Sox pull it out vs. Angels.

Great game and great series all around. It obviously got overshadowed in this town due to the even better concurrent NLDS, but it was still a gem.
I still remember the Al Michaels call (which you can hear faintly in the replay underneath the cross-talk) after Brian Downing nearly took out the fence making that extra-inning catch; "Are we really seeing this game?!?"

The only surprising thing here is that they didn't use Joe Torre as a commentator based on the idea that he used to broadcast Angels games.
I thought they'd figure out a way to get him into all of them.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's also the dawn of the era of the closer cruelly taking the lion's share of the heat.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: It's also the dawn of the era of the closer cruelly taking the lion's share of the heat.

Yeah, although Mauch didn't initially go to Moore or use him under the strict closer 'rules' we've come to know.

Starter Mike Witt was pitching well so he started the ninth; that lasted until Baylor's 2R HR brought the Sox to within one.
Mauch then went to a lefty-specialist to face Gedman who he had struck out all three times he faced him ... and promptly hit him with the first pitch.
Then up came Henderson.

After that HR, Moore got out of the inning and the Angels tied it up in their half of the ninth. Moore stayed in to throw the 10th and eventually became the losing pitcher when he got into trouble in the 11th.

[G-Fafif]

7. Marlins-Cubs, Game Six, 2003 NLCS.

You know...Bartman.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Disgraceful performance by FOX and McCarver, if I recall.

[Frayed Knot]

Thom Brennerman & Steve Lyons on the mikes.

Once again the studio failed to land Joe Torre for the commentary so settled for the still-chipper though has to be nearing 80 y/o Jack McKeon*, Marlins' 3B Mike Lowell, and the Chicago half of the two Alex Gonzalez's who played SS in that game.

The game itself featured a great cast of characters, some of whom looked almost in disguise compared to their today selves:
Mark Prior was good and threw hard; Miguel Cabrera was skinny (and presumably sober); Sammy Sosa was still dark-skinned; Moises Alou wasn't injured at any point during the game; Derrick Lee was a Marlin not a Cub; Luis Castillo was good - y'know, things you wouldn't immediately think of now.

Bartman was, of course, featured prominently although I still want to know how those other two guys who reached along with him escaped the same scrutiny.




oe: McKeon just turned 80 in November

[HahnSolo]

It was interesting to hear Verducci talking about that 8th inning. If you take away one intentional walk, the whole 7-run outburst took only 12 pitches. Props to Alex Gonzalez (the Cub) for joining Costas, Mike Lowell, and Trader Jack in the studio, and describing what was going on.

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, it was amazing how quickly things came apart for Chicago after the Bartman/Moises incident - whether you believe the two were connected or not is up to you.

- Juan Pierre got things off with a one-out double
- Castillo ran the count to 3-2 and then starting fouling off a bunch. The Bartman ball was like the 3rd 3-2 pitch he wasted towards the LF stands; he then walked on the next one (1 post-popup pitch)
- Pudge then hit an 0-2 pitch in LF for a single scoring Pierre (3 more pitches = 4 total)
- Cabrerra hits a potential (though hardly guaranteed) DP ball on the first pitch he sees to Gonzlaez who flubs it (+1 = 5)
- Derrick Lee doubles to LF on the first pitch he sees to tie the game (+1 = 6)
** Game tied - out goes Prior in comes Farnsworth **
- Intentional walk to Mike Lowell loads the bases (not going to count those as actual pitches)
- Conine Sac Fly again on the first pitch puts the Marlins into the lead (+1 = 7)
- Lefty-swinging Todd Hollandsworth hitting for Chad Fox is intentionally walked
- Mike Mordecai (.213 hitter for the season, <.200 vs RHPs) drives a 2-1 into the gap for a bases-clearing double (+4 = 11)
- Juan Pierre singles MM home on the first pitch for the 8th run of the inning (+1 = 12)
- Castillo later popped out to end the inning

So that's a 3-0 Cubs lead to an 8-3 deficit in a span of just 12 pitches (20 if you want to count the two IWs)

[Benjamin Grimm]

This was a very rare case where I was watching a post-season game and I remember thinking at the time that Alou's reaction may have been as much to blame as Bartman himself. I think Moises may have set a tone for his teammates; he made it clear that something devastating had happened, and the Cubs went into panic mode. They seemed to be playing with a desperation that I'd later see with the 2007 Mets. I wonder if Alou had non-chalantly returned to his position, if things would have turned out differently?

I remember posting my thoughts about the game on the CPF back when it happened. It would be interesting to go back and read it now, if not for the ezBoard meltdown. We're so much better off now, not having to rely on those stooges who don't even know how to take a backup.

[Frayed Knot]

I think - as did the panel - that the Alou reaction had a ton to do with the fan/media response to Bartman. Most of the crowd didn't have a good enough angle on things to know exactly what happened and how close it was to being interference. Alou's reaction certainly set the tone for all that.

As for what it did to the Cubs ... who knows. The pitching and the Gozalez error were obviously the biggest things and it's hard to tie them directly to Moises's anger. Prior was pitching a gem up to that point but couldn't put Castillo away (but Luis was good at that sort of thing) and maybe was tiring. Farnsworth then threw gas on the fire but he has a reputation for never being good "in a big spot" although the rep was probably still being birthed on that night.

[Guest Edgy DC]

An ounce of humanity should have told the producers to stop pointing a camera at Bartman and the announcers to stop ridiculing him. A bunch of people reached for that ball, and if Bartman never existed, Alou still wouldn't have caught the ball. It would have been an unlikely grab for Moises if the stands were empty.

How much the Cubs were caught up in that narrative, it's hard to say, but as soon as you get it in your heads that your fate has been taken out of your hands, it becomes that much harder to focus and perform. Ask the '85 Cardinals.

The Cubs had a job to do and didn't. That's the story.

[G-Fafif]

6. The last game of the 2003 ALCS. I forget what happened.

Better MLB Network countdown development is one infers that the Top 5 have to be, chronologically:

--1975 WS Game 6
--1986 NLCS Game 6
--1986 WS Game 6
--1991 WS Game 7
--1992 NLCS Game 7

Gwreck already related there'd be two more 1986es after Red Sox-Angels Game 5, and as the only other 1986 nominees are those listed above, this series should finally get eminently watchable.

[Gwreck]

They moved this series to Sunday nights now that the season has started. I see they have Pedro and a basketball star named Aaron Boone commenting.

Nice job G-Fafif with the remainder of the series. I predict they'll be ranked as follows:

5. 1986 NLCS Game 6
4. 1992 NLCS Game 7
3. 1975 WS Game 6
2. 1986 WS Game 6
1. 1991 WS Game 7

[G-Fafif]

Modest spoiler alert (modest in that MLB Network sent out a press release and Gwreck and I are the only ones who seem to be following this breathlessly): Mets will appear in the No. 5 Greatest Game of the Last Fifty Years this Sunday at 7:00 PM.

Joe Torre not guesting, but I fully expect Costas and Verducci to dwell on the MFYs and apologize to viewers for their absence from the 1986 postseason.

STRAWBERRY, OROSCO AND KNEPPER DISCUSS 1986 NLCS GAME SIX ON MLB�S 20 GREATEST GAMES ON SUNDAY, APRIL 17 Game Ranked Fifth in Series Countdown of the Best Games of the Last 50 Seasons Secaucus, NJ, April 14, 2011 - MLB Network�s MLB�s 20 Greatest Games continues on Sunday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET when Darryl Strawberry, Jesse Orosco and Bob Knepper join series hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci to discuss Game Six of the 1986 NLCS between the New York Mets and Houston Astros, which is ranked as the fifth best game of the series. In a game that lasted 16 innings and nearly five hours, Strawberry, Orosco and Knepper discuss the pressure on the Mets to win the series, how both teams rallied late to tie the score, the possibility of facing the Astros� Mike Scott in Game Seven, and the legacy of the 1986 Postseason 25 years later. A clip of the episode detailing a confrontation on the mound between the Mets� Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and Orosco in the 16th inning can be viewed here. New episodes of MLB�s 20 Greatest Games, which counts down the best games of the last 50 seasons, will continue to air weekly through May 22. A list of the rankings to-date is available here. Highlights from the episode include: DARRYL STRAWBERRY ON FACING MIKE SCOTT IN GAME SEVEN: �I knew if we had to go to Game Seven, there was no way we were going to beat Scott. He had already got in our heads so bad, we were so frustrated with that fact that we were going to have to face him again and that challenge. We just knew we weren�t capable of beating Scott.� JESSE OROSCO ON FINISHING THE GAME IN THE 16TH INNING: �I was tired. I was just trying to make those pitches. In that time of the moment, you just have to reach back and get everything you have inside you and go for it.� BOB KNEPPER ON IF MIKE SCOTT WAS SCUFFING THE BASEBALL IN THE SERIES: �Everybody said everybody knew it. � I think you�d have to ask Mike to get the low-down, but I would say yeah he was.� KNEPPER ON LOSING THE SERIES: �The immediate aftermath was just a complete emotional bottom of the barrel-type of feeling. � The entire series was just an emotional roller coaster. To have it end, you realize just how quick the ending comes. Even though it�s a six hour game or 16 innings or whatever it was, the ending is so sudden. � It was definitely a carpet being pulled up underneath you. � For me, it took me a long time [to get over the loss]. For too many times after that, I let that game define me because it was such a disappointment not to have finished that game out.� STRAWBERRY ON WINNING THE SERIES: �That was the greatest time of my career to be able to be in a series like that because that�s what every kid dreams about, getting to the World Series. Getting to the World Series is not an easy to path. � People always ask me, �What were the great moments [of your career]?� The great moments were playing in that series against the Astros because it was a nail-biter for us, it challenged us because we were the big bad [team] from the East. We were the Mets, we were the team that dominated, we were supposed to just run through it, but it wasn�t like that. It was baseball at its finest.�