Top 10 Worst MLB Errors of All Time

Sometimes the pressure of a situation is too strong to combat, and we see the best ballplayers in the world make mistakes. In this video, we've narrowed down what we think are the 10 biggest errors, including umpire mistakes.
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[@chasemartin5373]

MLB needs to go back and amend that perfect game for that guy. Was a perfect game and they should mark it down as being a perfect game.

[@SynsityGW]

i think the story around it and it being on basically every MLB compilation might even make it better. not that any perfect game is ever forgettable, but there are plenty that aren't brought up very often. this one on the other hand is brought up constantly and everyone on the planet knows it was a perfect game.

[@MrFlathands]

@@SynsityGW I mean, it would still be remembered uniquely for a rare after-the-fact correction. And all it would cost would be changing the status of two at-bats.

[@apebitmusic83]

Yeah, I think it doesn’t matter either way at this point. It’s as famous for the blunder as it would be for being an official perfect game. Everyone knows it should have been.

[@stephennajemy3321]

In my mind, he pitched more than a perfect game. He retired 28 batters in a row.

[@Relic119]

Well said the only more then perfect game honestly. Should be grandfathered in in my opinion. The world knows he was safe.

[@EdHerzog1]

I'm a Cleveland fan and I agree. He 100% deserves to be credited with a perfect game.

[@akathecops]

When ever the perfect game total is mentioned every real fan knows one is missing. That is the legend of the of the only 28 out perfect game in baseball history.

[@CharlesCosta-ix2sd]

harvey haddix has entered the chat...

[@jacohenn42]

​@@CharlesCosta-ix2sdnah, he allowed multiple real hits and runs, as astronomically impressive as taking one as far as he did is

[@mandospence]

The body language in that Jeter Arod error. They hated each other so much in that moment.

[@joeyteter9383]

Also, just in general lol

[@waynepurcell6058]

No doubt. Watching the clip several times makes me roll my eyes at Jeter. Yeah, a shortstop basically runs the infield game, however when a ball is falling straight into a glove the size of a dumpster back off, called or not. That error was caused by pure "I don't like you" ego.

[@rafaelpelaez8097]

Jeter error. Only one guy gets it.

[@williammalloy5314]

I'm no A-Rod fan, but he was camped right under the ball in perfect position to catch it. Jeter, trying to be the hero, runs into him and the ball gets dropped. Then, he just walks away like a baby. The left fielder ended up fielding the ball. Don't give me the 'it's the shortstop's prerogative'. A-Rod was camped right under it. Jeter looks like a diva on this play.

[@colyhope6467]

Considering Jeter's lack of range at SS I'm surprised he even got over to Alex.

[@ImReverseGiraffe]

I never noticed, but even the runner was surprised he was called safe and couldn't believe the perfect game was ruined.

[@syourke3]

The home run off Canseco’s head is priceless! It could not have happened to anyone else. Only Canseco.

[@billyskittles1036]

Idk man, I could have totally seen that happening to Manny Ramirez.

[@green4black]

@@billyskittles1036 ​ totally - I came here to say the same thing and saw that you’d already beat me to it. It’s a wonder Manny didn’t have a ball bounce off his head and over the Green Monster.

[@mystreteacher]

Didn't even hurt him.

[@syourke3]

@@mystreteacher That’s why it’s so funny!! 😀 I don’t think his teammates would have laughed at it if he had been carried off the field on a stretcher.

[@crackerjack9320]

The home run off canseco's head never gets old!.

[@chrisbradick667]

I was at that game!

[@williammalloy5314]

Ramirez was a decent player, but he has the end all flex in baseball: 'Yeah? I hit the homer off Canseco's head.'

[@bildo1977]

The ground rule dumbbell.

[@GetBenched2010]

He was one of a kind and this just added to the legend.

[@sopamarucha2388]

Jim Joyce call on that missed perfect game would be one of the worst ridiculous calls in history .. smh.. he was out by a mile

[@mark2220]

makes me sick every time I see it as a baseball fan

[@leandroramos3041]

He forever tainted a player's legacy. It's pathetic

[@MadMike1]

To Joyce's credit, he at least owned up to his mistake and apologized for it after the game. Which is way more than we can say about 99.9% of referees/umpires when they screw up. It's not really the bad calls that are the issue, it's the fact that officials in any sport are never held accountable for their bad calls. The NFL is especially egregious for this. They throw 10 flags for someone breathing on Tom Brady the wrong way and after the game they be like "we made the right call lol"

[@INYB]

He thought he missed the bag. Not that the runner beat him

[@monsta21cb]

@@INYB even if he thinks that it’s the last out of a perfect game call him out

[@jaytrace1006]

Buckner was so much more than that one play.

[@woodsy3495]

Yep, that play totally altered what was an outstanding career. Buckner was a great hitter but those knees got the best of him.

[@jonathanbeatrice8317]

@@woodsy3495 Plus, it only tied the game. Bob Stanley was the real goat, and I don't mean Greatest of All Time, I mean baaaaaa goat, like it was his fault the Sox lost.

[@NothingToPointOut24]

And there still was a Game 7 that the Sox could've won. To me, Denkinger is the worst ever cause he literally stripped a team of a World Series.

[@jordanfry5138]

It's so unfair to him. He's this admired vet, they don't make the defensive switch to give him the chance at the celebration, and that play becomes his legacy. Not to mention, it's already a tie game, there's a very good shot Mookie beat him to the bag if he fielded it cleanly, and there's game 7 regardless. As a Mets fan that moment will always be a triumph for us, but Buckner was the scapegoat to end all scapegoats.

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

Come on now, the runner Denkinger errantly allowed, Jorge Orta, was wiped out on the bases a few plays later. Denkinger was in no way responsible for the Cardinals’ complete mental meltdown including an 11-0 thrashing in game 7.

[@TaterChip91]

Needs Javier Baez running back towards home plate and the Pirates 1st baseman chasing him

[@ShengYu1995]

That is actually not an error by the Pirates first baseman since he fielded it cleanly. Although its way more stupid than actual errors that could be tough plays to make or tough calls for umpires. It would go on the list of dumbest plays but not an error

[@nathanrodriguez8125]

@@ShengYu1995 the catcher was actually credited with an error on the Javy Baez play, though, so it still could work

[@reedr7142]

Thank you for including umpire errors in this.

[@EqualsPeach]

9:33 no, Bonilla wasn’t trying to shield Fernandez - you can see they aren’t even in the same zip code - he was just trying to stay away from the ball after it was hit. If the ball hits him, he’s out!

[@chrisbradick667]

It still hurts watching that play😢

[@devonalomar9012]

Agreed. It's so sad to me TF will be remembered for that error more than the fact that he was one of the best fielders of his generation.

[@DiogenesLantern]

Good post.

[@maxellcdr12]

Joe Morgan is a fool

[@RIP_Greedo]

Shoutout to Benny agbayani throwing the ball into the stands after he caught the second out (thinking it was the third), allowing all runners to tag up and 2 runs to score.

[@TheGotoGeek]

The moment I saw the title I knew what the #1 error had to be, was not disappointed.

[@colyhope6467]

The irony of the Leon Durham error was that Bill Buckner was the Cubs first baseman but was traded to the Red Sox earlier in the year.

[@lorimeyers3839]

I watched the 97 World Series game 7 live as an 8 year old and nobody ever mentioned Fernandez’s error. I’m glad you finally brought it to light. That was the play that lost Cleveland the World Series right there. There was also a baserunning blunder, I believe it was Sandy Alomar JR. who only ran about 60% from third on a ground ball earlier in this game and he was thrown out on a close play. I forget exactly how it went but I can remember my dad screaming at Alomar Jr., calling him a bum for what a bonehead baserunning play he made.

[@JohnH0130]

Bonilla isn't trying to obstruct Fernandez' view of the ball, at least not consciously. He's just trying to make sure it doesn't hit him, since in that case he would be out. But I agree that the hesitation might have had the effect of making the play more difficult for the infielder.

[@keithshaughnessy1645]

Without even watching this I know number one.... Here comes Knight and the Mets win it! I was 10 years old living just outside of Boston and was crushed.

[@Vitaee13]

Yeah, me too. And I also knew that Canseco's "heads up play" was going to be on here somewhere.

[@joeheid2776]

Me too. Kinda obvious ay.

[@joemama62]

Buckner was the scape goat for that series. No way he or the pitcher would have beat Mookie to first, so the error was a non-issue. I felt bad for him that he took the blame. And I am a Met fan!

[@DanielSong39]

@@joemama62 Knight would have stopped at third though

[@waltoopoyndeaux4199]

I hate to say it, but as a 9 year old Angels fan, I loved it. Made up for the Angels being one pitch away from that World Series before losing to the Sox (our manager lost it for us by replacing Witt).

[@steveburtonomaha]

Vin Scully with another great call

[@markross2124]

You missed Jose Lind's crucial error in the bottom of the 9th of the 1992 Pirates Braves playoff series seventh game.

[@joeheid2776]

I came down here for just that reason. Put it where they put the umps mistakes. Idc where, but it deserves to be on here.

[@lambo58]

I remember that one

[@russs7574]

Yep. Without Jose Lind, there's no Sid Bream play at the plate on Balco Barry Bonds' roody-poo candy-ass throw on Francisco Cabrera's single.

[@squaremile]

Props for having all of these full video. I haven't seen that Fernandez 97 WS error since that game. Still hurts.

[@joggingscissors632]

Thanks for blowing out my ears at 7:07. Other than that, great vid.

[@KofaAvenueAnimations]

Denkinger blew that call for sure. However, the Cards blew it by choosing to dwell on it. Bad calls happen all the time. The best thing to do is move on and make your next move.

[@timward276]

Denkinger sure didn't make the Cards lose 11-0 in Game 7.

[@studgerbil9081]

exactly. After that error, the Cards no longer played like a major league team at all. And there was still a game left to play, but they never showed up. Everyone on the team including Whitey is to blame for that. I'm a big fan of Herzog, but he issued a veiled threat to Denkinger after that game and that was uncalled for. He shoud have threatened Jack Clark instead.

[@colyhope6467]

People forget Jack Clark dropped a foul ball in that inning.

[@Flosseveryday]

Wilson stumbling and somehow staying upright just enough to make a slide was hilarious to watch

[@scottstark5528]

The number one thing that stood out to me was the 1984 NLCS game between the Cubs and Padres was a day game! The good ole days of baseball.

[@metfan5115]

just knew little roller would be #1

[@AlexMiller6]

that ARod and Jeter play is 100% on Jeter. ARod hardly had to move and was camped under it the entire time.

[@pizzaparity]

if the shortstop is calling for the ball on the left side of the infield it’s his ball

[@BrownBomber92181]

​@@pizzaparitywhy in gods name would you call off a fielder that is camped under a pop fly???

[@CinemaDemocratica]

The one you left out -- maybe because the stakes weren't high enough? -- was Luis Castillo of the Mets, dropping an absolute can of corn from Alex Rodriguez to allow the Yankees to have a walk-off win.

[@erikwestervelt6083]

Yeah that was brutal if you're a Mets fan. Otherwise though it was a fairly meaningless regular season game and shouldn't be ranked as high as some of the playoff blunders here.

[@leam89]

I don't think umpires can commit errors

[@DiogenesLantern]

Sound like you are ready to post your own list

[@ShengYu1995]

@@DiogenesLantern Technically umpires can make the wrong call but its not the same as a player making an "error". Yes wrong call and error are the same thing in real life, but error in mlb is technically a stat. Umpires dont have stats on their wrong calls since they dont appear on the box score. I think that is what he meant.

[@dougim]

Yeah yeah, I knew they’d drag poor Billy Bucks through the mud yet again. The *real* error in that game was calling in Bob Stanley to pitch. The least you could do was include A-Rod’s sissy slap of Arroyo’s glove in the 2004 ALCS to compensate.

[@sdgakatbk]

I know this is from 1912 and there was no tv or video, but in the 1912 World Series, Giants center fielder Fred Snodgrass made an error late in the last game which turned the game around. It was a best of 7 World Series but game 2 was called after 11 innings with the teams tied 6-6. Since the series was tied 3-3 after 7 games, game 8 in Boston was needed. The Giants took the lead 2-1 in the top of the 10th. Then in the bottom of the 10th, Snodgrass muffed an easy fly to deep left center. The Red Sox rallied for 2 unearned runs and won the game 3-2.

[@nathanrodriguez8125]

I think there was also an incident where the Giants’ catcher, pitcher, and first baseman let a fouls pop up drop, which would’ve been the third out of the inning, and the batter singled in a run immediately afterwards (also, the Giants’ first baseman that game was Fred Merkle, the man whose base running blunder against the Cubs cost the Giants a shot at the 1908 World Series)

[@sdgakatbk]

@@nathanrodriguez8125 I have not heard of that. Was that in the 1912 World Series? It actually would not surprise me since fielding back then wasn't that good compared to later years.

[@lolm2corybaxter326]

Part 2 needs Luis Castillo dropping the ball

[@woodencoasterfan]

I remember that critical play from the 97 World Series and I believe we won that game thanks to that play and Bonilla hustling to third base.

[@studgerbil9081]

Let me be the 40th poster to mention that the Boston error was on the manager and he was rightly fired. He used a defensive replacement at 1B when they had the late-inning lead in close and important games. He found out this time why that was a good idea. Oddly, both ended up with the Royals soon afterwards.

[@ohger1]

I suspect he wanted Buckner to have that honor of being on the field. But we also can't forget that even if he picks up the ball, the game is already tied by pitchers Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley spitting the bit and squandering a two run lead. There's still an excellent chance Boston loses that game even if Buckner makes the play IMO.

[@sammurphy3343]

That headbutt home run was amazing.

[@utahprepper8925]

The Buckner error is the most epic in baseball history.

[@Owenthebaseballguy]

My heart breaks for Bill Buckner. RIP king

[@MoneyHoneyBunny]

A Rods the 3rd baseman Jeter was the one that got in his way lol.

[@ohger1]

Shortstop gets priority over all infielders on pop ups, and middle infielders have priority over corner infielders. This has always been this way to make sure the ball doesn't drop between fielders on plays like this. Sure, if Jeter had known that Rodriguez was camped under the ball, he would have backed off. But say Rodriguez backed off like he should have when Jeter called for it, if Jeter also backed off the ball would have fallen between them. That's why they predetermine priority.

[@GetBenched2010]

How the baserunning error that cost the Braves the 1991 World Series didn't make this list is beyond me.

[@thebaseballcenter]

Part 2 Coming???

[@rickytavilla4259]

Oh no I haven’t even watched yet and I’m gonna have to relive Buckner again. It was really the wild pitch before hand.

[@marknan5352]

Isn't it wonderful that people are imperfect, bless their hearts.

[@apebitmusic83]

“Blatent error..” Haha. You really can’t make this stuff up.

[@aggressiveattitudeera887]

As a man that used to be a Cubs fan for so long, I'm happy to see the Alex Gonzalez error here. The "Bartman incident" turned me away from The Cubs *forever.*

[@davidevans6751]

Best error call ever- when Pirates 3rd baseman Jim Morrison misplayed a ground ball and then booted it, " Glove me two times"! Forget who announcer was.

[@binyomin308]

What were the umps talking about after a bad call? Would they ever overturn a mistaken call (Jim Joyce call)?

[@DaMurphyBeat]

2:20 - Everyone in NYC was screaming at their TVs:"PICK UP THE BALL!!" The morning after this debacle, the headline in the papers said "KnoBLOCK HEAD".

[@dougim]

Even Denkinger later admitted he was wrong on that one.

[@slugcult-10_years_and]

Jorge Orta being safe at first and Galarraga's perfect game being robbed were not errors. They were blown calls by the Umpires. Technically they're errors on the umpires, but not an error by any player.

[@chrisknowskarate]

I will contend forever that Miguel Cabrera shares blame in that play. Why range so far away from your position? Stay at 1st, let the 2nd basemen get the ball and it's a routine play/call. With all the moving pieces it's so much harder for an umpire to get it right.

[@alkuraal17]

​@@chrisknowskarate 😂😂😂 what are you talking about 🤡🤡🤡.

[@pinpoint_]

@@chrisknowskarate why would he? if the call was correct then we would see an out and a perfect game. its not miggys fault for that blown call.

[@planetaiden133]

Thanks Captain Obvious!

[@pinpoint_]

@@planetaiden133maybe it isnt so obvious, did u see the comment above?

[@sterlingarcher8567]

You could have had Daniel Murphy or Lucas Duda from the 2015 World Series

[@ahol9120]

The Fernandez error still makes me wanna bang my head against the wall 26yrs later. Still no world series titles in Cleveland 😢

[@Nuschler22]

Suggestion. The title should be called miscues. Many of these aren't errors at all, particularly the missed calls by umpires. Canseco's head scratcher was a home run.

[@killapositionz2]

buckner's ball took a crazy bounce off of the lip his was not even one of the worst on here.

[@PaulsWanderings]

For a Red Sox fan, yes, it was. It took until the Sox won the World Series in '04 before he was forgiven.

[@DiogenesLantern]

Felix Millan’s error in 1973 WS G1 might be the worst of all. the Mets might have won in 5 games instead of losing in seven.

[@Draper1217]

Gallaraga was no error except on Jim Joyce!! Tragic

[@dan1696]

Needs Trent Grisham's error in right on the Juan Soto single in the 2019 wild card game.

[@smithkurta]

Every old Red Sox fan watching this vid like... we know exactly how this is going to end

[@kyleskash7]

lol an 'Error" is an official stat. Not a mistake by the umpire ..

[@MatthiaGryffine]

Elvis Andrus X 3 in 2015 ALDS Game 5

[@NycLogics]

Was there ever any doubt what was going to be number 1 🎉

[@cristiandanielortizcuellar2990]

the late Carlos "Cafe" Martinez beloved here in Venezuela for Winter League. Hits Canseco head poor Kenny Rogers.

[@joemama62]

Bill Buckner: no, no, no, no, NO!!!! Not even close as one of the worst errors. If you look at the replay, there is NO WAY he or the pitcher were going to beat Mookie to first base and Knight would have probably scored anyway. Buckner was the scapegoat for that series and it put a stain on his wonderful career. And I am a Met fan, not a Red Sox fan.

[@barra333]

Even if the out wasn't made at 1st, there is no way Knight scores from 2nd if the ball stays on the infield.

[@brennanbarnes7628]

Joe Morgan as usual is completely and utterly wrong that Travis Fryman changes course. Helluva ballplayer, awful at color commentary

[@sammurphy3343]

The bucker one will be hard to top ever.

[@Nate_Allen]

As a Red Sox fan I started to get hope but I knew Buckner had to be in there

[@kencohen521]

A-Rod pop up to Luis Castilla was one of the worst errors.

[@gymzilla12]

Jo adell assisted home run in the outfield and the play of the first baseman with the pirates chasing the runner down instead of stepping on the bag will forever be the worst plays in baseball history in my mind.

[@dtim1331]

What about Jose Lind Game 7 Pirates/Braves?

[@richardslater677]

I got to 4 and couldn’t watch any more. To describe these as the worst errors of all time is ludicrous.

[@patrickbrowder6857]

That game tying ground ball through Leon Durham's legs came in the 7th inning in game 5 with the Pads trailing 3-2. They scored 4 runs that inning and the Cubbies were out. Remember it like it was yesterday.

[@kristopherloviska9042]

I so wanted a Cubs-Tigers World Series that year.

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

You and the entire world.

[@DG-cv8jy]

Bil Buckner, Bill Buckner - this is the first time I've seen or heard of Leon Durham's error, why might that be?

[@davidbowman4259]

Denkinger died the other day. One of the worst umpiring calls ever. RIP, sir.

[@user-yo5mj8tl4h]

I LOVE watching that ball bounce off of Jose Canseco's head for a home run. Then his teammate laughing at him. Best play of all time!!!

[@javtimestwo]

I know this much, Miggy had no business fielding that ground ball during the perfect game. That is an easy grounder to 2nd base, who will make an easier toss to 1st base for the putout. Miggy made the play 100 times more difficult because of his position and throwing to a pitcher on the run.

[@Steve_Hayden]

I tell you what, the baseball announcers back in the day eye way better (@7:15)

[@christopherwall444]

As an Indians fan..I was waiting for the Fernandez disaster..deciding 7th game WS..7th or 8th inning....horrible

[@drums4metal]

2011 World Series Game 6. Nelson Cruz totally misplayed that flyball. The game should have ended there. Instead, that became a game-tying triple.

[@JohnR22926]

Automatic replay came into the game the year after the galaraga debacle.

[@hamiltonridenhour7186]

Trent Grisham 2019 NLWC. allowed tying and winning runs to score

[@ShengYu1995]

It was wild card, less impactful than some LCS or WS games. But its up there in terms of playoff errors.

[@rustyshakelford]

2003 NLCS Game 6 Alex Gonzalez

[@aggressiveattitudeera887]

*THANK YOU!* "Steve Bartman incident". Steve Bartman didn't commit three errors in one inning!

[@grousetheghoul2754]

you forgot the play where Tommy John made 3 errors on the same play. circa 1967

[@8644mec]

It was 1988

[@grousetheghoul2754]

@@8644mec Right play, wrong decade, my bad.

[@JBG1968]

MLB worst errors or recent Pirates highlight film

[@lambo58]

No kidding

[@thedude3065]

Jose Lind

[@eman4568]

If you make a part 2, Correa's error in the 8th inning of the 2015 ALDS should make the cut

[@JD-11568]

The ball off Canseco's head was more like an assist not an error.😂

[@dennissvitak148]

What does Leon Durham and Michael Jackson have in common? They each wore a useless glove on one hand...

[@giorgiopatri]

You forgot the missed popup by Luis Castillo in 2009 World Series......sooooooooooo sad!

[@ItsAllAboutGuitar]

Let's all remember that Buckner and Durham were key players to get them there in the first place. Gonzalez not so much.

[@joeyteter9383]

The Canseco play will never not be funny to me

[@WorldWokeApeCult]

Oh, I thought this was a history of the Texas Rangers.

[@anthonyabate2248]

Weird to think about but, Compared to other Pro sports the MLB is weird sometimes lol, Errors in baseball are treated like literal crimes. In the NFL for example, on your average 1st & 10 play a turnover is far more costly than an Error on your average empty bases MLB play, Yet the interception is treated as a mistake or just apart of the game and the Error is so frowned upon. I get that fielding a ground ball is much easier and all but its just funny to think about.

[@MoneyHoneyBunny]

Theres a reason Cleveland and Chicago havent won in forever (until the Cubs finally won) cause theyd always choke in important series!

[@marsstubblefield]

Interesting that two of these were umpire errors … As a long time Met fan, I have always contended that on that Buckner error - it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’s going to beat Wilson to the bag, even if he comes up with the ball; it wasn’t hit sharply, Wilson was hitting from the left side and he’s fast - I think it’s better than 50-50 that he beat it out anyway.

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

But Knight stops at 3rd if Buckner simply gloves the ball.

[@shawnhenderson2091]

The dude inside the baseline never veered out like the announcers said, not sure what they were smoking saying he did, he never once set a single foot on the correct side of that line that marks the running lane until well after touching first base.

[@minchomania]

It is gonna be hard to top Bill Buckners error. 100, 200, 300 years from now that might still go down as the worst play in history.

[@PaulsWanderings]

If Bill Buckner didn't make this list I was going to be disappointed, even though I am a Sox fan. It had to be there.

[@tylerw3023]

Thank god Nelson Cruz's drop is #11 of all time :(

[@sportstimemachine2102]

How about a honorary blooper. Luiz Castillo drop pop up that let Yankee run to score in the 9th inning

[@timelliott4117]

How diagnostic is it when a player thinks he was wronged to the point he ignores a ball in play with runners advancing and scoring. This is MLB is the first baseman so out of touch he thinks he can stop play to argue a call despite players advancing?

[@maxheadroom1207]

Carlos Correa Alds error against the royals? Luis Castillo dropped pop up?

[@orangelab6846]

Knoblauch not the only one to do it, but I can't stand players who have to officiate DURING a play. Lack of focus.

[@tompeake8583]

The real error is Costas saying "there's nothing wrong with where Fryman is"

[@ohger1]

I don't know the history of all these plays, but I assume they all contributed to a loss other than the perfect game screwup?