Baseball's 10 Biggest Pennant Race Meltdowns

Numerous subplots emerge during a typical 162-game long baseball season. By August and September, the pennant race provides the most drama, as teams hungry for a playoff berth and World Series championship either kick it into that extra gear or wilt under the pressure. This season, the Yankees and Sox are battling for the best record in the AL East and AL, and the defending champion Giants are neck and neck with the upstart Diamondbacks in the NL West. Other division leaders boast more "comfortable" leads, but, as every amateur baseball historian knows, the race isn't over until the corks have been popped — just look at the following teams that melted down during the stretch run. Each one serves as proof that baseball is a marathon, and finishing strong is an absolute must.

1. 1934 New York Giants, 7-game lead on Sept. 6

   Led by Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell, the defending World Series champs were rich with late-season experience and appeared to be poised for a repeat. However, uncharacteristically, their offense sputtered in September, causing them to post a substandard 8-13 record in their final 21 games. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, anchored by Joe Medwick and Dizzy Dean, went 18-5 in their final 23 games, securing the National League pennant by two games, eventually defeating the Tigers in the World Series.

2. 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, 13.5-game lead on Aug. 11

   An incredible run by the Giants, who went 50-12 in their final 62 games — including a 16-game winning streak — enabled them to catch the Dodgers, who really didn't perform poorly at the end of the season. A respectable 26-22 record wasn't enough to stave off the surging Giants, as they had to defeat their rival on the final day of the season to force a three-game playoff, essentially an early version a National League Championship Series. The close-fought three-game series was capped off by Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" at the Polo Grounds, winning the Giants the pennant and completing the impossible comeback.

3. 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-game lead on Sept. 22

   Memories of 1951 resurfaced 11 years later, when the Dodgers, suffering through injuries and a slump, again succumbed to the Giants. This time, the Dodgers were more culpable for their demise, as they lost 10 of their final 13 games, blowing a four-game lead in their final seven games. Like in 1951, the two teams faced off in a three-game playoff, and the Giants again eliminated the Dodgers, who foolishly opted not to use Don Drysdale in the deciding Game 3.

4. 1964 Philadelphia Phillies, 6.5-game lead on Sept. 20

   One of the worst teams in baseball for a large portion of the 20th century, the Phillies were unfamiliar with the concept of finishing a season strong — they were hardly ever in such a position. After finishing in eighth place in the National League in 1961 for the fourth consecutive season, they gradually climbed into contention by 1964, when they enjoyed a seemingly comfortable lead during the waning days of September. But, for some inexplicable reason, manager Gene Mauch decided to mess with the rotation, causing it to implode and contribute to a 10-game losing streak. The Cardinals swept them in the process, winning the National League and eventually the World Series. The Phillies wouldn't reach the World Series again until 1980.

5. 1969 Chicago Cubs, 9-game lead on Aug. 16

   The Cubs had the rare opportunity of ending their designation as "lovable losers" during the 1969 season, achieving a near-double-digit lead in the newly-formed NL East in mid-August. Within two weeks, the Miracle Mets had surged to two games back in the midst of their impressive 36-11 run in the final 46 games. The Cubs, on the other hand, finished the season 17-26, losing 14 of their final 20 games and giving the Mets an eight-game cushion in the final standings. With pitchers Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and a young Nolan Ryan out of the pen, the Mets went on to win the World Series.

6. 1978 Boston Red Sox, 14-game lead on July 19

   When the Sox secured the 2004 World Series title, fans were reminded of the bad times they endured, such as the end of the 1978 season — not only did they blow their chance to win the AL East, but they let the Yankees pass them by and eventually win it all. A skid beginning with an Aug. 30 loss to the Blue Jays on the backend of a doubleheader ended with 14 losses in 17 games, including a four-game sweep by their archrivals. At the end of the season, however, the Sox managed to reel of eight straight wins, needing only a Cleveland win over the Yankees to force a one-game playoff. It happened, and with a homerun, Bucky Dent made Sox fans' lives even more miserable.

7. 1987 Toronto Blue Jays, 3.5-game lead on Sept. 26

   The Blue Jays were cumulatively one of the better teams in baseball during the 1980s, but didn't quite have what it took to become a title contender, as evidenced by their end-of-the-season swoon in 1987. The offense fell into hibernation, and the team lost its final seven games of the season — four by one run and none by more than three runs — including the final three-game series to the Tigers, who in turn claimed their place atop the AL East. American League MVP George Bell was just 3-27 during those games.

8. 1995 California Angels, 11.5-game lead on Aug. 9

   Before their 2002 World Series title, the Angels had endured some hard luck through the years. First, there was the 1986 ALCS in which Dave Henderson's homerun off of Donnie Moore saved the Sox from elimination and sparked a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. Then, in 1995, the Angels finished the season 12-27 — including two nine-game losing streaks — allowing the Mariners to make up ground and push for their first-ever playoff appearance. From Aug. 16 to Sept. 20, the Angels blew a 10.5-game division lead, the quickest collapse of the century. A five-game winning streak to finish the season gave the Angels a second chance, but they were shut down by Randy Johnson in a one-game playoff.

9. 2007 New York Mets, 7-game lead on Sept. 12

   Beginning in 2004, the Mets organization made a concerted effort to field more talented teams capable of perennially contending for World Series titles, a la the Yankees. In 2007, stacked with talent and coming off a loss in the previous season's NLCS, the Mets were favored, at the very least, to produce a repeat performance. For most of the season, it appeared that would be the case — until the Phillies rapidly gained ground in September as the Mets suffered through a 5-12 funk in their final 17 games, including losses in six of their last seven. The Mets lost the division and didn't even receive the consolation prize, a wild card berth, as the Rockies won 13 of their final 14 games to secure it.

10. 2009 Detroit Tigers, 3-game lead on Sept. 30

    The Tigers hold the unfortunate distinction of being the only team in baseball history to squander a three-game lead with four games to play. What's more, they led the AL Central for 164 days beginning on May 10 before the opportunistic Twins caught them in improbable fashion. In the two teams' final series of the season, the Tigers took two out of three, losing the final game and giving their rival a glimmer of hope. The Tigers proceeded to lose two more games in a row to the White Sox, while the Twins won two versus the Royals. Each team won their final games of the season, thus forcing a one-game playoff, a memorable contest won by the Twins in 12 innings.

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