20 infamous moments in major league history

Baseball Digest, March, 2003 by Jack Lang

NOW THAT MASTER CARD AND Major League basebal have foisted the game's memorable moments on us during the last World Series, a bunch of baseball writers who disagreed with several of the choices, were sitting around discussing other baseball moments. The kind Major League Baseball would prefer to forget.

Baseball's infamous moments.

While we surely missed a few, the following were the nearly unanimous choices of the writers. Suggestions from Baseball Digest readers are welcome for any omitted.

* Topping the list is the Black Sox scandal of 1919 when the heavily favored Chicago White Sox decided to throw the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

* Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee in 1920 needed money to produce a Broadway show so he sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000 and a $300,000 loan, thus creating "The Curse of the Bambino." Ruth became a greater show in New York than any of Frazee's productions.

* Mickey Owen's dropped third strike in the 1941 New York Yankees-Brooklyn Dodgers World Series. In the fourth game, with two out in the ninth and the Dodgers leading, Owen dropped a third strike with Tommy Henrich at bat The ball got away from Owen and Henrich reached base. The Yankees went on to win, 7-4, and eliminated the Dodgers the next day.

* Bill Buckner's error on Mookie Wilson's grounder in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series enabled the New York Mets to defeat the Boston Red Sox. The Mets won again the next day to gain their second World Series crown.

* In a game at Yankee Stadium April 16, 1920, Yankee pitcher Carl Mays hits Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman in the temple with a submarine pitch Chapman never regains consciousness and dies the next day--the only player in major league history to die from a beaning.

* Walter O'Malley and Horace Stoneham break the hearts of millions of Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants fans in October 1957 by announcing they are moving their teams to the West Coast.

* In a game in Boston in mid-season 1977, Yankee manager Billy Martin and outfielder Reggie Jackson have to be separated in the dugout as they almost came to blows Their argument came during a nationally televised game and was shown around the country.

* In a moment of pique, New York Mets chairman of the board M Donald Grant trades Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, 1977. Seaver, known to Mets fans as "The Franchise," was one of the best pitcher in the National League at the time.

* Pete Rose is suspended in 1989 from baseball for life by Commissioner Bart Giamatti after the commissioner's special investigator finds allegations that the all-time hit king bet on baseball games, including his own Cincinnati Reds.

* At trials in Pittsburgh in 1985, it is revealed that several major leaguers, including Keith Hernandez while he was with the St Louis Cardinals had been using drugs.

* All-time great Ty Cobb goes into the stands during a game at New York's Hilltop Park in 1912 and beats up a fan who had been razzing him. The fan, it turned out, was a cripple.

* In 1965, major league owners elect relatively unknown Army Gener-al William Eckert as commissioner. It later develops the man they really wanted was Army General Zuckert. Eckert, with virtually no knowledge of baseball, is voted out four years later.

* On August 22, 1965, San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal, annoyed that a return throw by Los Angeles Dodgers catcher John Roseboro almost nicked his ear, slams his bat over the catcher's head What followed was one of the major leagues' nasty brawls.

* In 1973, two New York Yankee pitchers negotiate the weirdest trade in baseball history when Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich swap wives.

* Umpire Don Denkinger misses a call at first base on Jorge Orta that enables the Kansas City Royals to launch a ninth inning rally against the St. Louis Cardinals and stave off elimination in the 1985 World Series Television replays, shown repeatedly, indicate Denkinger blew the call Kansas City won the Series the next day.

* Yankee owner George Steinbrenner is suspended from baseball twice, once for illegal campaign contributions and a second time for paying alleged gambler Howie Spira $40,000 to dig up dirt on Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield.

* Philadelpha Phillies owner Bill Cox is suspended from baseball in 1943 for betting on his team's games.

* Jeffrey Maier, a teenage fan from New Jersey becomes a hero at Yankee Stadium during the 1996 playoffs when he reaches out of the right field stands to catch a fly ball which Baltimore outfielder Tony Tarasco is waiting to catch The ball was hit by Derek Jeter and the Yankee shortstop is credited with a home run.

* Vince Coleman is released by the New York Mets in 1993 after he throws a firecracker into a group of fans lined up outside the gate at Dodger Stadium.

* Last summer, the 11-inning All-Star game in Milwaukee was declared a 7-7 tie by Commissioner Bud Selig after managers Joe Torre and Bob Brenly inexcusably used up all their pitchers without considering the possibility the game might go beyond nine innings.