The Dumb and Dumber Chances of a Baltimore Orioles Collapse
Robert Andino (11) — an unlikely star for the Orioles at the end of 2011. Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
FAMOUS CRASHES OF RECENT HISTORY
The 1978 Boston Red Sox
The Sox of ’78 were in first place by a high point of 10 games just before the All-Star break. But the Yankees got hot in the second half and erased the entire lead. After a walk-off loss to the Yankees on September 16th, Boston was 3.5 games behind.
But the Red Sox won their final eight games of the regular season and forced a deciding one-game playoff with the Yankees.
However, Reggie Jackson and Bucky Dent would hit home runs to power the Yankees to a 5-4 victory, giving Ron Guidry his 25th win against only three losses. Dent’s three-run homer was only his fifth long ball of the year.
The 1993 San Francisco Giants
Near the end of July, the Giants had a lead over the Atlanta Braves of 10 games. But the Braves got hot, winning 49 out of 65 at one point. By September 10th, the lead was gone. The teams battled back and forth in what was Barry Bonds’ first season in SF – an MVP year – with the Giants winning 103 games, while the Dodgers had 104.
The 2007 New York Mets
Sometimes argued as the greatest crash ever, the Mets had a seven-game lead on September 12th, but they went 5-12 the rest of the way and lost to the Phillies. On a smaller scale, the same thing happened in 2008 and the Mets haven’t recovered yet.
The 2011 Boston Red Sox
If you don’t know about this one, you really aren’t an Orioles fan.