The following is a list of games that have been given names that are widely used or recalled in reference to the game or as part of a Major League Baseball (MLB) team's lore. This list does not include games named only after being a World Series game unless they are referred to by a name besides their official yearly name. The list also includes games with names given to them based on associated promotional events, such as Disco Demolition Night.
| Name | Date | Away team | Score | Home team | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addie Joss Benefit Game | July 24, 1911 | All-Stars | 0–2 | Cleveland Naps | Exhibition benefit game for the family of recently deceased pitcher Addie Joss, preceding the creation of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1933.[1] [2] [3] | |
| Mack Attack | October 12, 1929 | Chicago Cubs | 8–10 | Philadelphia Athletics | Game 4 of the 1929 World Series: Famous for an Athletics rally from 8–0 that included a three-run inside-the-park home run, being the last inside-the-park home run in a World Series game until Game 1 of the 2015 World Series and helping to make the largest deficit overcome in postseason history.[4] [5] | |
| Tri-Cornered Baseball Game | June 26, 1944 | Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees | 5–1–0 | Three-way exhibition baseball game as a fund-raiser for World War II, played in a round-robin format.[6] [7] | ||
| Grandstand Managers Night | August 24, 1951 | Philadelphia Athletics | 3–5 | St. Louis Browns | Promotional game where fans collectively made managerial decisions for the team using double-sided placards reading "yes" and "no" for voting purposes.[8] [9] | |
| Ten Cent Beer Night | June 4, 1974 | Texas Rangers | 5–5 (Forfeit) | Cleveland Indians | Infamous promotion held by the Cleveland Indians selling beer for ten cents, culminating in a violent riot of fans that forced the chief umpire to forfeit the game to Texas.[10] [11] [12] | |
| Black Friday | October 7, 1977 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 6–5 | Philadelphia Phillies | Game 3 of the 1977 National League Championship Series: Dubbed as such by Philadelphia due to the Dodgers winning the game when trailing going into the ninth inning.[13] | |
| Bucky Dent Game | October 2, 1978 | New York Yankees | 5–4 | Boston Red Sox | 1978 American League East tie-breaker game: Named after light-hitter Bucky Dent's three-run home run to give the Yankees a 3–2 lead and ultimately win the game.[14] [15] [16] | |
| Disco Demolition Night | July 12, 1979 | Detroit Tigers | 4–1 | Chicago White Sox | Promotional game that gave discounts to those who brought a disco record, resulting in all the collected vinyls being blown up in the middle of the field, provoking a riot and causing significant damage to the field, thus forcing Chicago to forfeit the next game to Detroit.[17] | |
| Pine Tar Game | July 24, 1983 | Kansas City Royals | 5–4 | New York Yankees | Game featuring a controversial umpire ruling stating that Royals batter George Brett had exceeded the amount of pine tar allowed on his bat, negating a two-run home run with an out that required the game to be restarted from the point of the home run.[18] [19] | |
| Sandberg Game | June 23, 1984 | St. Louis Cardinals | 11–12 | Chicago Cubs | Game where Ryne Sandberg hit two home runs in the ninth and tenth innings to bring the Cubs victory despite holding deficits of 7 - 1, 9 - 3, and 11 - 9.[20] [21] | |
| Bean Brawl Game | August 12, 1984 | San Diego Padres | 3–5 | Atlanta Braves | Series of brawls caused by several attempted beanings and retaliations, resulting in 13 ejections, five arrests, and fan involvement.[22] [23] | |
| Rick Camp Game | July 4, 1985 | New York Mets | 16–13 | Atlanta Braves | Game known for Braves relief pitcher Rick Camp, a career .060 hitter at the time with no home runs, hitting a solo home run to re-tie the game.[24] [25] [26] | |
| Earthquake Series | October 17, 1989 | Oakland Athletics | N/A | San Francisco Giants | 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck just prior to Game 3 of the 1989 World Series, being the first major earthquake in the United States to be broadcast by live television.[27] | |
| The Bug Game | October 5, 2007 | New York Yankees | 1–2 | Cleveland Indians | Game 2 of the 2007 American League Division Series New York–Cleveland matchup, where a swarm of tiny insects circled the mound in the late innings, causing the game to stop momentarily.[28] [29] | |
| Blackout Game | September 30, 2008 | Minnesota Twins | 0–1 | Chicago White Sox | 2008 American League Central tie-breaker game, known for being the lowest-scoring game in MLB tie-breaker history and for fans wearing all-black clothing to show support for the White Sox.[30] [31] | |
| The Imperfect Game | June 2, 2010 | Cleveland Indians | 0–3 | Detroit Tigers | A near-perfect game played by Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga that was ruined one out short after first-base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled that Indians batter Jason Donald reached first base safely on a ground ball.[32] [33] | |
| Infield Fly Game | October 5, 2012 | St. Louis Cardinals | 6–3 | Atlanta Braves | 2012 National League Wild Card Game, known for a controversial infield fly called by umpire Sam Holbrook on a fly ball off of the bat of Braves player Andrelton Simmons that landed in shallow left field between Cardinals players Pete Kozma and Matt Holliday.[34] [35] | |
| Crowdless Game | April 29, 2015 | Chicago White Sox | 2–8 | Baltimore Orioles | The first crowdless game ever played by Major League Baseball teams as a result of civil unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray.[36] [37] | |
| Fort Bragg Game | July 3, 2016 | Miami Marlins | 5–2 | Atlanta Braves | Specialty game played at Fort Bragg Stadium in Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty), the first regular season professional sports event ever held on an active military base and first MLB game played in North Carolina.[38] [39] | |
| Bedlam at the Bank | October 23, 2022 | San Diego Padres | 3–4 | Philadelphia Phillies | Game 5 of the 2022 National League Championship Series, where Philadelphia player Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run to left field, giving the Phillies a one-run lead and causing a "delirious reaction" from the home fans.[40] [41] [42] | |
| Reverse Boycott Game | June 13, 2023 | Tampa Bay Rays | 1–2 | Oakland Athletics | Game where Oakland Athletics fans protested the team's relocation to Las Vegas by getting as many fans to attend the game as possible in order to demonstrate that there was still a sizable market for Major League Baseball in Oakland.[43] [44] | |
| Loss No. 121 / Loss #121 | September 28, 2024 | Chicago White Sox | 1–4 | Detroit Tigers | Notable for being the 2024 White Sox's 121st loss of the season, beating the record for the most losses by any team in a MLB season post-1900. The game was also notable for Detroit's win clinching their first playoff berth since 2014.[45] [46] [47] [48] |
| Name | Date | Away team | Score | Home team | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15‚000 slide | October 23, 1886 | Chicago White Stockings | 3–4 | St. Louis Browns | Play during the 1886 World Series where St. Louis player Curt Welch scored on a slide after a wild pitch to win the series.[49] [50] [51] | |
| Merkle's Boner | September 23, 1908 | Chicago Cubs | 1–1 | New York Giants | Base-running error made by New York rookie Fred Merkle by failing to advance to second base on what should have been a game-winning hit, leading to a tied game with Chicago winning the replayed game that allowed them to take the 1908 National League (NL) pennant.[52] [53] | |
| Snodgrass's Muff | October 16, 1912 | New York Giants | 2–3 | Boston Red Sox | A significant fly ball drop in the 1912 World Series made by New York center fielder Fred Snodgrass, becoming crucial to their loss to the Red Sox.[54] [55] | |
| Babe Ruth's called shot | October 1, 1932 | New York Yankees | 7–5 | Chicago Cubs | Home run hit by Yankees batter Babe Ruth in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, preceded by him making a pointing gesture widely interpreted as him calling the direction he would send the ball.[56] [57] [58] | |
| Homer in the Gloamin' | September 28, 1938 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 5–6 | Chicago Cubs | Home run hit by Chicago future Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett in darkness, due to the late hour of the ninth inning with no artificial light present, leading to the Cubs' victory and allowing them to reach the 1938 World Series.[59] [60] [61] | |
| Lombardi's Big Snooze | October 8, 1939 | New York Yankees | 7–4 | Cincinnati Reds | Play in the last inning of the last game of the 1939 World Series, where Cincinnati catcher Ernie Lombardi was accidentally hit in the groin, dazing him and allowing Joe DiMaggio to score.[62] [63] [64] | |
| Slaughter's Mad Dash | October 13, 1946 | Boston Red Sox | 3–4 | St. Louis Cardinals | Play in the 7th game of the 1946 World Series where St. Louis right fielder Enos Slaughter allegedly ran through third base coach Mike González's stop sign and ran for home, while Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky continued to hold the ball instead of throwing to home, costing the Red Sox the deciding game of the World Series.[65] [66] | |
| Shot Heard 'Round the World | October 3, 1951 | Brooklyn Dodgers | 4–5 | New York Giants | Walk-off home run hit by New York third baseman Bobby Thomson in the ninth inning of a three-game playoff for the pennant, scoring three runs and putting New York ahead by a score. The play was seen by millions of viewers across America and heard on radio by millions more.[67] [68] [69] [70] | |
| September 29, 1954 | Cleveland Indians | 2–5 | New York Giants | Play made during Game 1 of the 1954 World Series where New York player Willie Mays caught Vic Wertz's deep fly ball, preventing a score and helping the New York Giants win the World Series. | ||
| Battle of Candlestick | August 22, 1965 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 3–4 | San Francisco Giants | 14-minute long bench-clearing brawl considered to be one of the most violent in sports history.[71] [72] [73] | |
| Shoe Polish Play | October 16, 1969 | Baltimore Orioles | 3–5 | New York Mets | Play during Game 5 of the 1969 World Series, where a pitched ball hit New York batter Cleon Jones on the foot. The Orioles claimed the ball hit the dirt and not Jones, but when inspected, a spot of shoe polish was found on the ball, resulting in Jones being awarded first base.[74] [75] | |
| Carlton Fisk waves it fair | October 21, 1975 | Cincinnati Reds | 6–7 | Boston Red Sox | Home run hit by Boston player Carlton Fisk in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, during which Fisk gestured to try and wave the struck ball away from the left field line in hopes that it would not end up as a foul ball.[76] [77] | |
| Gatorade Glove Play | October 7, 1984 | Chicago Cubs | 3–6 | San Diego Padres | Error in catching a ground ball made by Leon Durham in the decisive fifth game of the 1984 National League Championship Series, prior to which Gatorade had been spilled on Durham's glove.[78] [79] [80] | |
| The Call | October 26, 1985 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1–2 | Kansas City Royals | Bad call made by umpire Don Denkinger in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, contributing to the St. Louis Cardinals's loss of the World Series and leading to several death threats and hate mail being sent to Denkinger.[81] [82] [83] | |
| Buckner Play | October 25, 1986 | Boston Red Sox | 5–6 | New York Mets | Tenth-inning error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series where Boston player Bill Buckner failed to catch a ground ball in between his legs, culminating in the Red Sox's loss of the game and eventually the World Series and leading to several death threats, derisive comments, and pop culture references to Buckner.[84] [85] [86] | |
| Kirk Gibson's home run | October 15, 1988 | Oakland Athletics | 4–5 | Los Angeles Dodgers season | Pinch hit walk-off home run hit by Los Angeles outfielder Kirk Gibson in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, despite injuries to both of Gibson's legs.[87] [88] [89] | |
| The Slide | October 14, 1992 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2–3 | Atlanta Braves | Game-winning play in Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series where Braves player Sid Bream was able to slide just underneath Pittsburgh catcher Mike LaValliere's tag to score the winning run.[90] [91] | |
| October 8, 1995 | New York Yankees | 5–6 | Seattle Mariners | Double hit by the Seattle Mariners' Edgar Martínez in Game 5 of Major League Baseball's 1995 American League Division Series that scored two runs to clinch the series. Generally considered to be the "biggest hit in franchise history" for helping prevent the team from moving out of Seattle and garner approval for a new stadium.[92] [93] [94] | ||
| Jeffrey Maier incident | October 9, 1996 | Baltimore Orioles | 4–5 | New York Yankees | Incident during Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series where 12-year-old spectator Jeffrey Maier deflected a batted ball by New York Yankee Derek Jeter into the Yankee Stadium stands to be ruled a home run rather than fan interference, allowing the Yankees to tie the game and eventually win the series.[95] [96] | |
| Grand Slam Single | October 17, 1999 | Atlanta Braves | 3–4 | New York Mets | Game-winning play in Game 5 of the 1999 National League Championship Series where Mets player Robin Ventura hit what was effectively a grand slam that was credited as a single due to him never running across all the bases due to the on-field celebration.[97] [98] [99] | |
| Steve Bartman incident | October 14, 2003 | Florida Marlins | 8–3 | Chicago Cubs | Controversial play during Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series, where a Marlins-hit ball that was attempted to be caught by Cubs player Moisés Alou was inadvertently deflected away by Cubs fan Steve Bartman, after which the Marlins scored eight runs and won. Bartman was subsequently doxed and harassed by enraged Cubs fans.[100] [101] [102] | |
| Bautista bat flip | October 14, 2015 | Texas Rangers | 3–6 | Toronto Blue Jays | Described as "the most ostentatious bat flip in MLB history"[103] following a go-ahead, three-run home run by Toronto outfielder José Bautista during Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series, resulting in criticism against Bautista, memes made of the incident, and a later confrontation against the Texas Rangers culminating in Bautista being punched in the face by Rougned Odor.[104] [105] [106] | |
| A drive into deep left field by Castellanos | August 19, 2020 | Cincinnati Reds | 5–0 | Kansas City Royals | Play made by Cincinnati player Nick Castellanos made famous for occurring in the middle of an on-air apology from play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman after he said an anti-gay slur on a hot mic during the pre-game, resulting in Brennaman interrupting his apology to call the play as a drive into deep left field by Castellanos which was a home run, to make it a 4–0 ballgame, before resuming the apology. Subsequently, many sports fans and publications began to document home runs made by Castellanos at similarly inopportune or awkward times.[107] [108] [109] |