Baseball may be a long and arduous season through the dog days of summer, which can bore even some of its most passionate fans. Often, baseball fans are in a “Wake Me Up When September Ends” mindset, eagerly waiting on postseason baseball. Because then, we may be lucky enough to see some of the most shocking World Series upsets of all time that are on par with these epic surprises.
2006 World Series: 83-Win Cardinals Are World Champs
With an 83-78 record, one could assume that the Cardinals were the weakest team come October. Yet, they mowed through the National League playoffs, highlighted by a knee-buckling Adam Wainwright curveball to Carlos Beltran that defeated the New York Mets in Game 7 of the NLCS.
The Redbirds squared off against the best the American League had to offer, the 95-win Detroit Tigers. Detroit was the more powerful and balanced team but lacked the will to win that the Cardinals possessed, losing in five games.
2003 World Series: Marlins Play Spoiler
The 2003 MLB Playoffs were the equivalent of Game of Thrones at its peak. On one side, you had the Boston Red Sox taking on their nemesis, the New York Yankees, hoping to finally break the “Curse of the Bambino.” On the other side, you had the Chicago Cubs, whose shortcomings were apparent.
But then there was the Bran Stark of the quartet, the Florida Marlins, who ruined the most perfect story ever. Florida may have had help from Steve Bartman and an untimely Alex Gonzalez bobble. Still, Josh Beckett cemented himself as one of baseball’s most clutch performers when he threw a complete game shutout to defeat the Yankees in the series-clinching Game 6 victory.
1960 World Series: Mazeroski’s Stuns the Yankees
The Yankees have the most World Series titles (27) to their name, and they are possibly on their way to another as one of the top World Series contenders in 2023. Thus, it softens the blow for their most devasting losses.
In the 1960 World Series, the vaunted Yankees offense led by AL MVP Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle battled a young Roberto Clemente’s Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh was a very good ballclub, especially considering their shortstop, Dick Groat, who matched Maris by winning the NL MVP with a league-leading .325 batting average.
Neither Groat nor Maris were the headliners of the series. Instead, it was a pair of second basemen that stole the show. Yankees middle infield Bobby Richardson drove 12 runs over the seven-game series, winning the World Series MVP award for his efforts.
Unfortunately for Richardson, his win answers a fun trivia question since he is the only player to win the award on the losing team. The Yankees lost because slick-fielding, weak-hitting Bill Mazeroski sent the Steel City into a frenzy with his walk-off home run, giving the Pirates a 10-9 victory in Game 7.
1969 World Series: The Miracle Mets
Only seven years removed from a putrid 120-loss season, the Mets found themselves in the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Mets needed a spectacular Chicago Cubs collapse to even make the playoffs, so defeating the 109-win Orioles was a tall task. But thanks to the arms of the right arm of Tom Seaver, the left arm of Jerry Koosman, and the shoe polish of Cleon Jones, the “Miracle Mets” won the crown in five games.
The most shocking World Series upsets of all time prove that anything can happen on the baseball diamond. These underdog stories can motivate individuals or teams to overcome adversity and deliver their own shocking upset.
