9. The comeback that wasn’t: 2004 ALCS: Yankees 10, Red Sox 7.
For most of the day, this didn’t look like any kind of game. First, the Yankees scored two in the opening frame. Then they added four runs in the third, and then another pair the sixth. Heading into the top of the seventh, this was the ultimate snooze.
In the top of the seventh, however, Boston erupted, scoring five runs, all crossing the plate with two outs. The next inning, David Ortiz knocked in two runs with a two-out triple. Boston trailed, 8-7, with the tying run just 90 feet from home plate.
And that’s where the comeback stalled. The Yankees brought in super-closer Mariano Rivera, who coaxed a pop-up from Kevin Millar to end the eighth. Moments later, Bernie Williams doubled in a pair of suddenly needed insurance runs, and the Yankees scored a 10-7 win. But for a few moments there, it looked like an all-time great comeback.
8. The comeback that was: 2010 ALCS: Yankees 6, Rangers 5.
In 2004, the Yankees avoided blowing the biggest lead in any LCS Game One ever. Six years later, they achieved the greatest comeback in one.
Texas bolted out to an early lead and built it to a 5-0 advantage. Then came the top of the seventh when a Robinson Cano homer made it 5-1. No matter, that was all New York scored that frame, and Texas still led comfortably. Things changed rather dramatically in the eighth as the first seven Yankees reached base on one walk, four singles, and a double. By the time Texas finally got an out, the Yankees had a 6-5 lead, and that was how it ended.
Repoz
Posted: October 15, 2012 at 09:20 AM |
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1. Benji Gil Gamesh Rises Posted: October 15, 2012 at 09:49 AM (#4270790)10. 1969 NLCS - Mets 9, Braves 5
9. 1999 ALCS - Yankes 4, Red Sox 3 (10)
8. 1993 NLCS - Phillies 4, Braves 3 (10)
7. 1998 NLCS - Padres 3, Braves 2 (10)
6. 1995 NLCS - Braves 2, Reds 1 (11)
5. 2012 ALCS - Tigers 6, Yankees 4 (12)
4. 1972 ALCS - A's 3, Tigers 2 (11)
3. 1969 ALCS - Orioles 4, Twins 3 (12)
2. 1996 ALCS - Yankees 5, Orioles 4 (11)
1. 2003 NLCS - Marlins 9, Cubs 8 (11)
So that top 5 is composed entirely of games from Dag's top 7.
Out of curiosity, Dag, are you going to do this for Games 1-7? I ask because there have only been 14 Game 7s in LCS play to date, so it might be better to condense the end of the list.
The Cubs were hosed by MLB that year (yes, I used to be a Cubs fan). However, they still should have and could have won; I can still picture that grounder going thru Leon Durham's legs.
Did you edit it back down to 10 but forgot to change this paragraph? I counted 3 times and saw only 10 games.
That place will probably be on the list of the best Game 5's ever, rather than the best Game 1's.
That's the plan. I just won't talk much about the ones at the back end of the list.
Did you edit it back down to 10 but forgot to change this paragraph? I counted 3 times and saw only 10 games.
Yup. Sorry about that. I wrote up the list on Saturday, put in 2012 yesterday, then realized I may as well throw out the newly #11 (1998 NLCS) rather than keep it in. I thought I caught the list-of-11 references, but clearly missed that one. Sorry.
FWIW, the link to this game in the footnote is misdirected; it goes to 2012 ALCS Game 1 again.
When Ortiz hit the triple, for a brief moment I thought the ball was gone. So close.
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