Ranking the 10 Biggest World Series Controversies Ever
The World Series is upon us. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are about to clash.
The pomp, the circumstance, the crisp October joy—everyone should rejoice.
That said, since its inception in 1903, the Fall Classic has featured a number of divisive controversies. From blown calls to alleged ball doctoring to outright cancellations, the battle for the Commissioner's Trophy has been repeatedly tarnished.
Here's a look at the top 10 controversies in World Series history, with "controversy" generally defined as any issue that drew widespread negative attention.
Obviously, these rankings feature a high degree of subjectivity. In compiling them, however, we weighed the response at the time, historical significance and impact on the series in question.
No. 10: Yuli Gurriel's Racist Gesture
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In the midst of their 2017 championship run, the first in franchise history, Yuli Gurriel threw a wrench in the Houston Astros' works.
During Game 3 of the series, the Astros first baseman was caught making a racist gesture toward Dodgers starter Yu Darvish after opening the scoring with a solo home run.
MLB handed down a five-game suspension but delayed it until the beginning of the 2018 season.
"There is no excuse or explanation that makes that type of behavior acceptable," Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
His slap-on-the-wrist penalty said otherwise, and the 'Stros won the series in seven games, with Gurriel hitting a pivotal three-run homer in Houston's 13-12 Game 5 win.
No. 9: The 2013 Obstruction Call
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The St. Louis Cardinals won Game 3 of the 2013 World Series on a walk-off, in the least traditional sense of the term.
Cardinals runner Allen Craig got tied up with Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks on his way to the plate. Craig was the winning run, but he was thrown out...except he wasn't.
Umpire Jim Joyce called obstruction on Middlebrooks, which meant Craig scored the winning run. Game over.
"Instinctively, it comes out. It just comes out: 'Obstruction,'" Joyce said after the fact, per ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
The Red Sox went on to win the series, 4-2. But it was a call that confused viewers, sparked debate and ushered in the era of instant replay.
No. 8: The 1951 Giants' Sign Stealing
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The 1951 season will be remembered for one moment: the shot heard 'round the world.
You know the story: The New York Giants engineer a furious comeback and ultimately defeat the rival Brooklyn Dodgers in a three-game series for the pennant on a home run by Bobby Thompson.
Close your eyes and hear it: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"
Those same Giants would go on to lose in a six-game World Series against the Yankees.
The untold story, however, involved the Giants stealing signs. The allegation has percolated since Thompson's iconic blast and was detailed by the Wall Street Journal's Joshua Harris Prager in 2001.
Granted, the Giants' win over the Dodgers wasn't in the World Series, but it got them there. And who knows how much their (ahem) alleged malfeasance contributed to their deep run.
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No. 7: Kenny Rogers' Ball-Doctoring Controversy
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In Game 2 of the 2006 World Series, Detroit Tigers left-hander Kenny Rogers twirled eight scoreless innings en route to a Tigers victory. Overall, he threw 23 spotless frames in the '06 postseason.
But was his performance dirty?
Questions immediately swirled around a mysterious substance on Rogers' hand.
"It was a big clump of dirt," Rogers told reporters at the time. "I didn't know it was there. They told me about [it], but it was no big deal."
Others disputed that explanation.
"Somebody said they thought they saw pine tar on him," Cardinals second baseman Aaron Miles told reporters.
ESPN reported that "in starts against both the Yankees and Athletics [in the 2006 postseason], a similar-looking brown substance was spotted on Rogers' hand." Take a look for yourself.
The Cardinals won the series in five games, but Rogers' Game 2 dominance will forever be in question.
No. 6: Denkinger's Blown Call
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In 1985, the Cardinals led their World Series tussle with the Kansas City Royals, 3-2. In the bottom of the ninth in Game 6, St. Louis was up 1-0.
Pinch hitter Jorge Orta hit a bouncer to the right side. He was clearly out—but not according to umpire Don Denkinger.
The Royals won the game and claimed the series 4-3, making this among the most notorious blown calls in history.
"If it happened now, they'd review it and overturn it," Denkinger reflected in 2014, per MLB.com's Doug Miller. "Just like that."
No. 5: Burkhart's Ball-in-the-Hand Call
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If there was ever an ironclad argument for instant replay, it came in Game 1 of the 1970 World Series.
With the score tied 3-3, the Cincinnati Reds' Ty Cline hit a weak chopper in front of home that was just fair. Bernie Carbo broke for the plate, representing the go-ahead run. Baltimore Orioles catcher Elrod Hendricks picked up the ball and slapped on the tag, and Carbo was called out by umpire Ken Burkhart.
The problem? Hendricks tagged Carbo with his glove while clutching the ball in his other hand, and Carbo missed the plate.
The Orioles won the game, 4-3, and the series, 4-1.
Maybe the outcome would have been the same regardless. Then again, maybe not.
No. 4: Reggie Jackson's Hip Check
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Reggie Jackson is known as Mr. October because of his 18 career postseason home runs and pair of World Series MVP trophies.
But he authored another, less noble Fall Classic moment.
In the 1978 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers were up 2-1 in the series and 3-1 in Game 4. With runners at first and second, Lou Piniella hit a low liner that Dodgers shortstop Bill Russell fielded on a hop.
Russell forced Jackson out at second and threw to first, but Jackson's hip got in the way, deflecting the throw and allowing the run to score.
Was it intentional? You be the judge.
Here's what we know: The Yankees won the game and the series.
No. 3: Jon Lester Ball-Doctoring Controversy
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In 2013, Jon Lester went 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA in the World Series as the Red Sox defeated the Cardinals in six games.
Yet, his iconic output was tainted by accusations of ball doctoring.
As ESPN.com's David Schoenfield reported at the time, "There appears to be some pretty strong evidence that in Game 1 of the World Series, [Lester] was applying something to his fingertips in his victory over the Cardinals, probably to help get a better grip on the ball in the 45-degree weather."
Added Schoenfield: "You can see Lester wipe his fingertips inside his glove, where another photo reveals some sort of yellowish-green substance. I mean, it could just be a nervous tic and maybe an optical illusion of some sort. Right. And the Cubs will win the World Series next year."
He was off by two years on his Cubs prediction. But his analysis on Lester is legitimate, if inconclusive.
No. 2: 1994 Strike Cancellation
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The 1994 season was shaping up to be a humdinger. The Montreal Expos were on track to make their second postseason appearance in 26 years of existence. San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Williams was in the midst of a credible chase for Roger Maris' single-season home run record.
Then, it all came crashing down.
A labor dispute between the MLB Players Association and baseball's owners led to a strike. Negotiations stalled. The World Series didn't happen.
Technically, it wasn't the first time the Fall Classic was canceled. In 1904, the NL champion New York Giants refused to play the AL champion Boston Americans. At that point, however, the series was in its infancy.
By 1994, it was a hallowed event. The strike and subsequent cancellation irreparably damaged the sport. You could argue '94 was the year baseball ceased to be our national pastime.
Undeniably, it was the biggest scandal since...
No. 1: The Black Sox Scandal
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Simply put, there will never be a World Series controversy as bad as the Black Sox scandal.
You know the story: In 1919, a contingent of Chicago White Sox players got in bed with a bunch of shady gamblers and agreed to throw the Fall Classic.
The series was a sham. The Cincinnati Reds ended up with the mother of all pyrrhic victories. Eight White Sox players implicated in the scheme were banned from the game for life by then-Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, including "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.
To cite a possibly apocryphal quote from a young boy reported by Charley Owens of the Chicago Daily News, "Say it ain't so, Joe."
All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.
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