The Ugliest MLB Blowouts

We were looking forward to watching some great games tonight. Maybe see King Felix toss a no-no vs the hungover Angels? Or check out the Thursday Night Football game? But Felix Hernandez gave up a hit in the third inning. And Atlanta leads Tampa Bay 56-0 heading into the fourth quarter. 56-0! This got us thinking: What MLB games in history can compare to such a one-sided matchup? In honor of the manslaughter Atlanta is committing on Tampa Bay tonight, we went back and found some of the most one-sided games in MLB history. Enjoy.

August 22nd, 2007

Texas Rangers 30, Baltimore Orioles 3

Perhaps the best part about this game was that it was actually a close game for 5 innings. Baltimore actually lead 3-0, and heading into the top of the 6th, the Orioles were still in it, only down 5-3 And that's where the wheels came off. The Rangers scored 9, including a Marlon Byrd grand slam, to make it 14-3. Two innings later, Travis Metcalf (who?) added a grand slam of his own as part of a 10-run inning to make it 24-3. Another 6 in the top of the ninth gave them 30. Oh and by the way: this was the first game of a doubleheader. The Orioles actually had to trot back out there in front of that crowd (assuming there was a crowd) and play another game. Which they lost 9-7. But 9 runs compared to 30 runs? The pitching staff definitely made progress that day. Here's the Rangers box score:

August 31st, 2004

Cleveland Indians 22, New York Yankees 0

This one is really shocking. Coming into this game, the Yankees boasted an 81-49 record, whereas the Indians were just .500 at 66-66. It's why we love baseball though. Anything can happen. Cleveland tacked on three runs in each of the first three innings to jump out to a quick 9-0 lead. A Coco Crisp 2-run blast in the 5th leader to 6 more. Also of note: Victor Martinez was in the Indians lineup, going 2 for 4 with a homer. 10 years later and it's still a lot of the same from V-Mart. And who was on clean up duty for the Indians for the last two innings that day? None other than Jeremy Guthrie, who starts this Sunday for the Royals in a huge series vs the Tigers. Box Score: 

September 16th, 1975

Pittsburgh Pirates 22, Chicago Cubs 0

Another 22-0 thriller. Difference here is that the Pirates were the obvious favorite and better team heading into the game. 22-0 is still eye-opening nonetheless. Pittsburgh scored 9 in the top of the first and never looked backed. Rennie Stennett went 7 for 7, accounting for nearly 4% off his hits during the entire 1975 season. Rick Reuschel was the losing pitcher, only lasting 0.1 of an inning. Two years later, Reauschel would be an All Star and finish 3rd in Cy Young voting. Box Score: 

July 23rd, 2002

Boston Red Sox 22, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4

There were other games that had bigger margins of defeat, but we choose this one because a) It was more recent and not in a year like 1830 b) Nomar Garciaparra hit 3 home runs, had 8 RBIS, and it was his 29th birthday c) Johnny Damon and his luscious hair were playing d) Manny Ramirez was also playing and Manny Ramirez is the most amusing player ever. Box Score: 

The football game is finally over so we'll stop there. The Bucs ended up losing 56-14, not as bad as a 30-3 baseball loss. But still pretty pathetic. And we are only minutes away from the 11th anniversary of Randy Johnson's only career home run. So stay tuned.

Sources: espn.com, baseball-reference.com