15 Worst Meltdowns in Major League Baseball History

MLB has had its fair share of epic meltdowns, which comes as no surprise seeing as baseball is the most superstitious sport and also features the most diverse group of athletes.

A meltdown can be categorized in many different ways. It may happen to a team or to an individual, and sometimes it may be violent, while other times it's purely embarrassing. Either way, there were plenty of options to choose from.

This list falls under the "all of the above" category, with the worst meltdowns from every facet of the game.

Here are the 15 Worst Meltdowns in Baseball History.

John Rocker: Entire Career

John Rocker was quite the character during his MLB days—and not in a good way.

Rocker was a solid relief pitcher for a few years with the Atlanta Braves, yet his career seemingly melted down as quickly as his apparent mental capacity.

In the end, Rocker hated everybody and hated life. He made a number of on-camera racist rants, and he definitely didn't shy away from flipping off fans in camera view.

MLB is a better place with Rocker out of the league.

Roger Clemens: 2000

The 2000 World Series pitted New Yorkers against one another as the Yankees and Mets squared off in the "Subway Series."

As Mike Piazza made contact on an inside fastball from Roger Clemens, his bat shattered and the barrel flew out towards the mound.

Clemens added fuel to the fire by picking up the barrel and tossing it at Piazza as he ran towards first base, later claiming that he thought the bat was actually the baseball.

Whether it was a meltdown or pure "roid rage," it ended up being the beginning of the end of Clemens' legacy in baseball.

Dave Engle: 1984

Dave Engle came up as a versatile outfielder in the Minnesota Twins organization but soon after was moved to catcher.

The switch wouldn't last long, as during batting practice one day Engle's return throw nicked the top of the protective screen and struck the pitcher in the face—breaking his nose.

Engle was mentally ruined at the backstop position. He began lobbing the ball back to the pitcher with a large arc in hopes that it would never happen again. Of course, after Alfredo Griffin swiped a bag during a return throw, the Twins realized they needed to make a change.

Engle played sparingly around the league over the next few years but only made 38 more appearances behind the plate.

Steve Sax: 1983

After winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1982, Steve Sax fell into the epitome of a sophomore slump in 1983.

Sax committed 30 errors from second base during his sophomore campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as his ability to make easy throws to first base suddenly disappeared.

The more he worried, the worse it would get. His control became so bad that fans behind the dugout began wearing batting helmets.

While Sax showed slight improvement throughout his career, he never regained the form he showed during the 1982 season.

Frank Francisco: 2004

Sept. 13, 2004, is the day Frank Francisco finally put his name on the radar. He was 24 years old and enjoying a solid rookie season with the Texas Rangers.

In one of the most bizarre fan-player interactions in MLB history, Francisco took a chair and threw it into the stands at a fan. The chair hit a woman in the face, and she required stitches to close the gash.

Francisco—who was taken to jail and booked on felony battery charges—was suspended by MLB for the remainder of the season.

Regardless of what the heckling fans were shouting at the Rangers players in the bullpen, two wrongs don't make a right, and Francisco should have been suspended much longer for his actions.

Boston Red Sox: 1978

The 1978 Boston Red Sox were absolutely loaded. By July 19, the Sox had already built a 14-game cushion over the Yankees in the AL East.

After George Steinbrenner fired manager Billy Martin a few days later, the upstart Yankees went on a tear through the month of August. By early September, the Red Sox lead had dwindled down to only four games heading into a four-game set between the two squads at Fenway Park.

The Yanks annihilated the Sox, winning all four games by a combined score of 42-8 in what will forever be known as the "Boston Massacre."

Both teams finished the season with a 99-63 record, so a one-game playoff was needed to determine which team would move on to the postseason.

Of course, that's when light-hitting shortstop Bucky Dent jacked a three-run bomb in the seventh inning, leading the Yanks to a 5-4 victory and a trip to the playoffs.

Mackey Sasser: 1990

Mackey Sasser showed a world of promise early on in his career. He became the starting catcher for the New York Mets in 1990 and batted .307 through 100 games.

Unfortunately, a serious collision at home plate that season may have shortened his promising career.

Sasser had no problems firing the ball to second base on a steal attempt. Oddly, it was throwing the ball back to the pitcher that caused issues.

Sasser developed a double-clutch, as he would hesitate and repeat his motion while attempting to toss the ball back to the pitcher. It was so bad that Brett Butler once stole a bag during one of his lobs back to the mound.

Sasser was never able to beat the double-clutch during his short career, and he was out of MLB by 1995.

Detroit Tigers: 2009

The 2009 Detroit Tigers were so, so close to an AL Central title and a trip to the playoffs. There was almost no way they would blow a three-game lead with only four games to play.

Yet after spending 146 days in first place, the Tigers proved the world wrong.

On the final day of the season, the Tigers and Minnesota Twins stood tied atop the AL Central to force a one-game playoff.

The Twins finished the job—beating the Tigers 6-5 in extra innings to secure a playoff berth.

The Tigers were the first team in MLB history to squander a three-game lead with only four left to play.

Chuck Knoblauch: 1999

Chuck Knoblauch spent the 1991-97 seasons with the Minnesota Twins and was considered one of the better all-around second basemen in baseball.

Knoblauch compiled a plus-5.3 dWAR during that time, even winning a Gold Glove Award after the 1997 season.

Then in 1998—after signing a hefty free-agent contract with the Yankees—Knoblauch caught a bad case of "the yips." He would go on to compile a minus-2.9 dWAR during four seasons in the Bronx.

Knoblauch bottomed out in 2000, when an errant throw sailed into the stands and clocked Keith Olbermann's mother.

Shortly thereafter, he was moved to the outfield, and the "Chuck Knoblauch Syndrome" was born.

You can check out the throw about 85 seconds into the video.

Philadelphia Phillies: 1964

The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies appeared destined for a trip to the World Series against Mickey Mantle and the Yankees. 

Enjoying a 6.5-game lead in the NL with only 12 games left on the schedule, the Phillies had their bags packed and were ready for a chance at their first World Series title.

Somehow, some way, the Phillies managed to lose 10 games in a row in what has since been dubbed the infamous "Phold."

The Phillies ended the season at 92-70—one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals—and missed their chance at a World Series.

Hal McRae: 1993

Do not ask Hal McRae stupid questions.

In 1993, during a postgame news conference, the Kansas City Royals manager gave us one of the greatest meltdowns ever caught on video.

After a 5-3 loss to the Tigers, a reporter asked McRae a couple of reasonable questions related to two managerial decisions he had made during the game.

Feeling second-guessed (and maybe he should have been), McRae went bonkers—throwing just about every object he could get his hands on in every direction. One reporter required stitches after a McRae-thrown tape recorder hit him square in the face.

Steve Blass: 1973

Steve Blass went from being remembered as a World Series hero to being infamous for "Steve Blass disease" in a little more than a year.

Blass was a mainstay in the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation in the late '60s and early '70s, earning two complete-game wins in the 1971 World Series to help the Pirates capture the title. During that season, he led all NL pitchers with five shutouts.

After another solid 1972 season, the 30-year-old sported an ERA around 3.50 for his career. Too bad he didn't retire.

In 1973, Blass inexplicably lost every ounce of control he'd once had. It was gone—all of it. His ERA ballooned up to 9.81, and in 88 innings he walked 84 batters while garnering only 27 strikeouts.

Blass spent most of the 1974 season in the minor leagues, and by 1975 he was out of baseball altogether.

New York Mets: 2007

Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies made a bold prediction before the 2007 season was under way.

"The Mets had a chance to win the World Series last year. Last year is over. I think we are the team to beat in the NL East, finally. But, that's only on paper," said Rollins.

You can bet the New York Mets had the clip posted in their clubhouse—at least through mid September.

On Sept. 12, 2007, the Mets sat atop the NL East with an 83-62 record and held a more than comfortable seven-game lead over the Phillies with only 17 games left to play. It appeared as though the Mets would get the last laugh.

As sure as the sun would rise, the Mets would fall—losing 12 of their last 17 games to finish with an 88-74 record. Not bad overall, except the Phillies won 13 of their last 17 games to finish with an 89-73 record and an NL East title.

It wasn't any better the following season, when the Mets blew their NL Wild Card lead during the final series of the season.

New York Yankees: 2004 ALCS

After Aaron Boone's Game 7 walk-off home run sent the Yankees to the 2003 World Series, the Red Sox went into the 2004 ALCS looking for blood.

The Yankees were the Red Sox' kryptonite—storming out to a 3-0 series lead after a 19-8 shellacking in Game 3. It appeared as if the Sox would once again fall to their hated rivals.

With the Sox down 4-3 heading to the ninth inning of Game 4, all it would take is a Dave Roberts steal and a Mariano Rivera blown save to turn the series around.

David Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning to win Game 4 and then hit a game-winning single in the 14th inning of Game 5 for an encore.

The Red Sox won the next two games to become the first team in MLB history to win a series after facing a 3-0 series deficit.

Rick Ankiel: 2000

Rick Ankiel's meltdown is by far the worst in MLB history.

Ankiel came out firing as a rookie pitcher in 2000, going 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 194 strikeouts en route to being named the Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year.

It wasn't until the 2000 NLDS that Ankiel's epic meltdown came to fruition. Due to injuries, manager Tony La Russa selected the 20-year-old to start Game 1 against Greg Maddux and the Braves.

After two solid innings, his pitching world turned upside down. Here's a quick rundown of inning No. 3:

Eight batters faced, 35 pitches, four earned runs, two hits, four walks and five wild pitches

That's right—five wild pitches in two-thirds of an inning.

In his next start, during Game 2 of the NLCS, Ankiel lasted only 20 pitches into the first inning after throwing five more balls past the backstop, with one being well over the catcher's head.

Ankiel never regained control and was eventually banished to the minors. In 2007 he returned to the Cardinals—this time as an outfielder.

He and Babe Ruth are the only two players in MLB history to have 10 wins as a pitcher and 50 home runs.