Top 10 Worst Calls In MLB History

My very subjective, unbiased opinion of the top 10 worst calls of all time. Measuring these took a combination of how bad the call was along with the leverage of the situation.

[Sasfoot]

The call that ruined Galarraga's perfect game was pretty much the last straw when it came to the instant replay debate.

[corypope]

I’m not saying the MLB should go back and fix every blown call, but the Galarraga perfect game feels like an exception that nobody would object to.

[JamesStewart-lxwb]

Jim Joyce made the worst call in MLB history, but he and Galarraga shared the greatest display of sportsmanship afterwards. Being from Detroit and watching it live on TV and getting ready to go crazy over witnessing the entirety of a perfect game, only for Joyce to make that awful call, made so many people really angry. Seeing the replay made him realize the grave mistake he had just made and he was in tears. But Galarraga told him that it was ok and accepted all the apologies that Joyce gave him and made Joyce feel better about the call. He didn’t want Joyce to be a pariah. He didn’t want Joyce to feel as if he made the worst call ever. That’s sportsmanship through and through.

[MichaelLewis-enir]

As a Tiger fan that fell to the floor in pain at the end of the imperfect game, I agree that was appropriately ranked #1. But the Livan Hernandez strike zone sequence was the most egregious series of calls I've ever seen. That home plate ump should have been publicly fired the very next day.

[jbdixon]

the silver lining with the imperfect game, is the tremendous accountability and humility shown by jim joyce afterward, and the tremendous class shown by gallaraga. it may not be a perfect game in the stat books, but he’s got an unique piece of baseball history for sure.

[pratikhazari]

That not-perfect game hurts every time I see it

[ejhollandoracle]

I remember watching that Livan Hernandez game live and thinking "There is no way that this strike zone can get worse." And then it kept getting worse.

[cityofpalms]

I simply didn't (and still don't) understand why one of the other umpires didn't discreetly tell Jim Joyce, "Uh, Jim... he was out by a full step and it's a perfect game. We need to correct the call now."

[ugadawgs]

Eric Gregg was a terrible umpire. That strike zone in the NLCS with the Marlins - Braves was criminal.

[brettsprinkle]

If the batter gets upset about getting called safe in a perfect game you know he was out.

[AnEternalEnigma]

I used to watch the Braves with my Dad and I have never seen him more livid at anything in his life than Eric Gregg's strikezone. He wanted to get in his car and drive to Miami as soon as that game was over.

[grouchomarx]

Game 6 of the 1985 World's Series. I remember Don Denkinger's blown call at first base. In an SI interview, the following Spring he admitted blowing the call. It still hurts 40 years on to see that play.

[Tridentcity]

Crazy to see some of these old plays, and how lenient umpires were in the screaming and protesting they allowed before ejecting someone. Nowadays, you even look at an umpire after a borderline call, you’re gone instantly

[bobafett]

The one thing about the perfect game is Jim Joyce really did feel the heat of his mistake. This man took it far more personally than any ump would have. Did he f up. Yeah. Did he show just how badly he regretted it. Yes. And that's more than any other ump in this vid. Such a sad situation for Gallaraga, Detroit, baseball fans at large, and Joyce

[MountainStreamLives]

In that moment Galarraga showed us all what class and grace and temperance looks like. Joyce in return displayed great humility and genuine accountability and atonement.
It was a transcendent outcome greater than a perfect game that we were all too blind with anger to see at the time.

[yogibear]

Another big one is Twins vs Yankees at Yankees where Mauer hit a slicing ball down the left field line, the fielder touched it fair, it landed fair, bounced over the fence for a ground rule double, but was called a foul ball.

[silentcrow]

The lack of accountability held to umpires is astounding

[steinerp]

Haven't seen an Angel Hernandez highlight film in a while. looking forward to watching

[elllelf]

I don't think Atlanta fans give a rip about what the commentator thinks embarrasses them. What's embarrassing is the umps call and the commentator's quickness in blaming the fans instead of focusing on the call.

[schaddalton]

Honestly, the imperfect game call notwithstanding, the Adam Rosales call is the most glaring to me because it was AFTER replay had been instituted and the clowns in NY still got it wrong despite the obvious change of angle and direction on the fence above the HR line on the wall.