Biggest Comebacks in MLB History

by Mike Pruitt - 10/26/2021

Biggest MLB comebacks Jake Arrieta Chicago Cubs

“It ain’t over til it’s over.” Yogi Berra

He sure seemed like a character, didn’t he? Outside of having one of if not the coolest nicknames of all time, Yogi Berra was a legendary catcher for the New York Yankees as well as one of the warmest personalities the sporting world has ever seen.

Yogi was trying to tell us, and also his teammates, to never lose your focus, never stop playing, and thus give yourself every opportunity to win the game. Baseball is one of the only sports in the world that doesn't have a time limit, so it is especially imperative to think and play like Berra while on the diamond.

Today, I wanted to share with you some of the biggest comebacks in Major League Baseball history. These games are in no particular order, and forgive me if I left your favorite team or game off the list. And, hopefully, you can read about a game you don't remember or maybe never heard of.

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2001 Seattle Mariners vs Cleveland Indians

Just because there is no time limit in baseball doesn’t mean the comebacks are going to sound more impressive than other sports. You have to remember this about baseball, though. The other team can slow the game down all they want.

This gives Uncle Mo’ plenty of time to decide which side of the fence he wants to fall. I may be wrong here, but I don’t think baseball is a game that relies so much on momentum like say, basketball.

To me, this makes the comebacks in baseball that much more impressive. It is more like several smaller comebacks that add up to 1 than it is one big comeback for the ages. Either way, baseball has delivered some dramatic comebacks and moments over the years.

One of those came in the fateful year of 2021. It was 14-2 in the 7th inning when the Tribe went on a roll.

Fast forward to the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs, the bases juiced, and Omar Vizquel up to bat. Oh, and a 3-2 count, of course also. He ripped one down the first base line, and Kenny Lofton was on first, so you know they plated 3.

Then, in the bottom of the 11th with the lightning Loften on 2nd base, a line drive was hit into left field and a beautiful throw delivered to home plate, but Kenny was just too fast. The second coming of Willie Mays Hays if I ever saw it.

The final score was 15-14 for the Indians.

2016 MLB Playoffs Chicago Cubs vs San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants were on their way to their 11th consecutive postseason elimination game win against the Chicago Cubs when America’s favorite band of baby bears came back for a bigger bite.

The Giants were up 5-2 at the time, so this wasn’t this mind-blowing number of a comeback, but I had to include it because of how dominant the Giants had been at the time. They were also facing elimination from the playoffs on the road and found a way to win.

The Cubs completed this comeback with just 3 remaining outs and had plated 4 before their 2nd out of the inning.

The final was 6-5 for the Cubbies.

2004 ALCS Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees

This comeback is a little bit different than the rest. However, in the American sporting world, it may be the most memorable of all. For so long, the New York Yankees had dominated the Boston Red Sox, particularly in the postseason.

After 3 games into the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Sox found themselves down 3 games to none against their rival Yankees. Each team, especially New York, has fans across the world.

From the Dominican Republic to Japan and back, baseball is and always will be important. This series couldn’t have been any more important than it was for Boston, though.

This comeback spanned 4 games, and the Boston Red Sox became the first team in major sports to come back and win a series from a 3-0 deficit.

2011 World Series St Louis Cardinals vs Texas Rangers

This was Game 6 of the World Series, and the Texas Rangers came into it up 3 games to 2 in the 7-game series. The Rangers headed into the bottom of the 9th inning with a lead of 7-5, and looked like they were about to win a World Series for the first time in franchise history!

Just 3 more outs! Okay, 1 more out.

Now, one more strike. Just one more swing and a miss and the Rangers were world champions! Cue the Queen! Where’s Freddy at?!

Deep fly ball to right but playable...make that mis-playable as the ball made it over the right fielder's head and the Cards tied it up. Okay, headed to extras.

In the 10th, the Rangers made it a 2-run lead with a home run. The Cards tied it up in the bottom of the inning, and we headed to the 11th. After holding Texas scoreless in the top of the inning, David Freese walked it off with a homer to get the W.

The final score was 10-9 St Louis over the Rangers.

To cap it off, the Cardinals won Game 7 by the score of and another World Series title.

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