Baseball can be poetic, crisp, and beautifully efficient—and then it all comes crashing down. Every so often, you get a game that feels less like a competition and more like a public example of everything that can go wrong at once. If you’ve ever watched nine innings and thought, “Surely it can’t get messier,” these infamous entries in the sport’s blooper reel will make you feel much more vindicated.
Texas Rangers 30, Baltimore Orioles 3 (August 22, 2007)
This one was more of a scoreboard stress test than a game. The Rangers piled on runs in such relentless fashion that the usual rhythms of pitching changes and late-inning hope simply vanished. All we were left with was a lopsided marathon of misery for Baltimore.
Cleveland Indians 22, New York Yankees 0 (August 31, 2004)
Getting shut out is rough—getting shut out by twenty-two runs is something else entirely. Cleveland set an American League record for a shutout win, turning a marquee matchup into the kind of night where you’d rather reorganize your sock drawer than keep watching.
Tigers vs. White Sox Forfeit (Disco Demolition Night, July 12, 1979)
Sometimes the “worst game” is the one that can’t even finish being a game. A promotional stunt at Comiskey Park spiraled into field damage and chaos, and the second game of the doubleheader was forfeited to Detroit when play became impossible.
Royals vs. Yankees (The Pine Tar Game, July 24, 1983)
This fiasco had drama, rules-lawyering, and a legendary sprint out of the dugout, all wrapped around a reversed home run call. The dispute over pine tar halted the game and left everyone arguing about measurements. That said, it’s a great watch for any drama-lovers.
Chicago Cubs 26, Philadelphia Phillies 23 (August 25, 1922)
On paper, a 49-run slugfest sounds entertaining; in practice, it can feel like watching pitchers beg for mercy. Both teams combined for 51 hits, creating a chaotic, defense-optional spectacle. The players couldn’t take one, but we all needed a nap by the seventh.
