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The RecordVol. I
Hall of ShameA catalog of baseball's lasting mistakes

Volume I · 67 entries

The plays baseball cannot forget.

A museum of classic blunders, told with the box score in one hand and the legend in the other.

Browse the catalogHow the record is kept
Spectators above the Polo Grounds during the Merkle game, September 23, 1908.

No. 1908.09.23 · Baserunning Blunders

Merkle's Boner

September 23, 1908 · Dead Ball Era

Fred Merkle, nineteen and starting in place of an injured regular, failed to touch second on a game-winning single. The league made the teams replay it, and the Cubs won the pennant.

From the collection

Featured entries

Babe Ruth in a Boston uniform in 1919, the season before the Yankees bought his contract. This is a publicity portrait, not a photograph of the sale.
Front Office & Trades1920

The Sale of Babe Ruth

The Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000, paid in installments. The Broadway story that explains the sale is a myth.

Boston Red Sox · New York Yankees

Eddie Gaedel, 3-foot-7, in his batting stance for the St. Louis Browns as Detroit catcher Bob Swift kneels, August 19, 1951.
Promotions & Ballpark Events1951

Eddie Gaedel Walks

Bill Veeck sent 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel to the plate in a child's uniform. Gaedel walked on four pitches. The league voided the contract the next day.

St. Louis Browns · Detroit Tigers

Bill Buckner in a Red Sox uniform, about 1986. This is not a photograph of the tenth inning.
Fielding Fiascos1986

The Ball Gets Through Buckner

The Red Sox were one out from a title when a ground ball went through Bill Buckner's legs. By then the lead was already gone.

Boston Red Sox · New York Mets

Jorge Orta, from his 1978 Hostess baseball card. This is not the 1985 call at first base.
Umpire Controversies1985

Denkinger Calls Orta Safe

With St. Louis one out from a championship, Don Denkinger called Jorge Orta safe at first. Replays showed he was out. The Cardinals never got the inning back.

Kansas City Royals · St. Louis Cardinals

Lonnie Smith with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983. This is not the 1991 World Series baserunning play.
Baserunning Blunders1991

Lonnie Smith Stops at Third

In a scoreless Game 7, Lonnie Smith was on first when Terry Pendleton doubled. A decoy at second base held Smith at third. He never scored.

Atlanta Braves · Minnesota Twins

Armando Galarraga pitching for Detroit on July 25, 2010, seven weeks after the game in this entry.
Umpire Controversies2010

Galarraga's Imperfect Game

Armando Galarraga was one out from a perfect game when Jim Joyce called Jason Donald safe. Joyce saw the replay, and said he had missed it.

Detroit Tigers · Cleveland Indians

All 67 entries

Table of contents

Eleven ways to get it wrong

Every entry wears at least one of these labels. Some wear two, because a missed base can also be a rule, and a crowd can also be an umpire's problem.

  1. 01Baserunning BlundersMissed bases, frozen leads, and runs that never came around to score.10
  2. 02Fielding FiascosBalls lost in the sun, dropped in the glove, or allowed to roll on through.17
  3. 03Pitching DisastersOne pitch, or one inning, that undid an afternoon of good work.14
  4. 04Hitting & Mental LapsesThe moment a player lost the ball, the strike zone, or the plot.4
  5. 05Umpire ControversiesCalls the replay settled, and calls the rulebook could not.7
  6. 06Managerial DecisionsThe visit to the mound, the short rest, the substitution that never came.6
  7. 07Front Office & TradesDeals that look obvious now and looked reasonable on the day they were made.15
  8. 08Promotions & Ballpark EventsStunts, beer, and the nights a ballpark stopped being a ballpark.3
  9. 09Fan & Crowd MomentsHands over the wall, fruit from the stands, and scapegoats in the seats.7
  10. 10Rules & QuirksPine tar, cork, and the plays that forced the rulebook to catch up.10
  11. 11Personalities & Off-fieldThe human beings inside the uniform, caught in a moment they could not take back.4