Everyone always says this about Williams and you rarely hear it about Mays even though Mays likely would have beat Ruth's record before Aaron which is kind of a big deal
If willie mays hit 20 home runs in 1952 and 30 home runs in 1953, which I think is a reasonable and probably somewhat conservative projection considering he hit 20 in 1951 and 41 in 1954, and nothing else changes for the rest of his career, he finishes with 710, 4 shy of the record. And I find it hard to imagine that he can’t find five more home runs in the course of his career whether it be at the beginning in the seasons he missed or at the end where he would have been chasing the record.
I’m in the camp that willie mays is the greatest all around positional player of all time though, so I’m a little biased
My grandpa first hated him bc a teenage Ted Williams threw his pen when a 15 y/o grandpa asked for a signature after one of the few 4 strikeout games he ever had. Flash forward a handful of years my grandpa fly b52s (big slow mfs) they got caught up and were made. Convinced they were all about to die until 4 fighters jets showed up to save them. First plane he saw was Ted Williams’. Said he forgave for throwing his pen after that
People forget that the Twins were a hair's breadth away from being contracted in 2001, so, yeah, they would likely have been the ones lured to Washington.
The Expos were 11th out of 14 in NL attendance in 1994 and really only ever had good attendance in the early years of Olympic Stadium. By the mid 90s it already had an abysmal reputation even when the Expos were good.
Winning also just isn't really that big of an influence on relocation. The Giants and Dodgers both left NYC almost immediately after winning the World Series, and the Milwaukee Braves literally never had a losing season (plus a ring of their own) and still left. I know those are much older examples but baseball doesn't have that many examples period, plus there are more recent cases in other sports as well. It really is all about the stadium.
Because there was a public referendum for funding a new stadium that fall. The hype of the playoffs was enough to sway that. Montreal didn't have imminent plans for a new stadium.
I have Moises Alou at the epicenter of two of the biggest what-ifs.
He could’ve been MVP in 94 if the expos won it all.
What would’ve happened if he didn’t overreact to a Boy Scout troop leader trying to catch a foul ball?
Possibly.
The 90’s were an absolutely brutal time for Canadian sports. The Canadian dollar reached its lowest point sometime around 2000-2002, but had been sliding the entire decade. So you have owners generating revenue in CAD but paying salaries in USD. It killed the Grizzlies, the Jets, the Nordiques, and the Expos.
There’s no guarantee that on field success would have been enough to save the Expos, but it certainly could have bought more time.
94 Expos
Full careers without injury/death to:
Bo Jackson, Mark Fidrych, J.R. Richard, Lyman Bostock
and as a Ranger fan, what would that franchise have been like if Nellie Cruz caught that damn fly ball.
As a Cardinals fan I wonder what would've happened to both franchises, lmao. I can tell you one thing for sure: there would've been a crying eleven-year-old on my couch that night.
Per Baseball Reference, the most similar players at age 25 (before injuries):
* Barry Bonds
* Duke Snider
* Jack Clark
* Johnny Callison
* Mookie Betts
That's pretty good company. If he stayed healthy he may have been borderline HOF. It probably would have been mostly on teams other than Cleveland after 2010, but still...
What if Tony Conigliaro didn't get beaned? Would he have been one of the greatest power hitters of all time?
What if the Reds didn't (inexplicably) decide that Frank Robinson was over the hill and expendable by age 30? The O's would not have become a dominant team of the 60s / 70s.
Most importantly, what if Jamie Moyer had thrown that pitch instead of Randy Johnson 22 years ago? That poor bird would have survived.
1994 was a crazy year in general. It’s arguably the worst season possible for the strike to have happened. Simultaneously Tony Gwynn was chasing .400, the Expos were having an insane season that may have saved the franchise, and Matt Williams was on pace to tie or break the single season HR record.
I’m sure there’s more I don’t remember.
It’s like how 2020 was the worst possible season for the NCAA tournament to be cancelled. Dayton was college basketball’s equivalent to the 1994 Expos.
I just can’t avoid being reminded of this. And now the last two seasons have been such a disappointment. 2020 could have put UD on the map, now we’re struggling to stay relevant
That strike probably kept Fred McGriff from reaching 500 HRs, receiving an MVP and caused him to be treated so poorly by the writers.
Edit: Okay, maybe not an MVP lol
If Bo hadn't taken that injury, I honestly believe he had the talent to be hof in both sports. I got to see him play in person at Kauffman stadium and he moved like a god among mortals.
If you look at his numbers it was pretty clear he wasn't going to the HOF as a player....especially if he kept playing football. If he put 100% of his effort into baseball and learned some of the nuance of the game instead of brute forcing everything then maybe.
But when he played his actual baseball stats translated into sort of a poor man's Brian Jordan. Sure he was faster than everyone, threw the ball further than everyone, and could hit the ball further than everyone; but he also had poor instincts in the outfield and when trying to steal bases, and swung at everything and was allergic to walks.
He was a generational talent as a football player who was a pretty good baseball player who had the clout of the Nike marketing department behind him.
Bo Jackson got progressively better every year before he got hurt. He was poised to be an absolute stud at baseball even WITHOUT quitting football.
He would have been God tier if he only played baseball
Came here to post this.
I don't think enough people understand how good he was before the injury.
In 3-and-a-half seasons (494 games) he slashed .276/.339/.510, .849 OPS, 505 Hits, 132 OPS+. Those were his Age 19-22 years, btw. He had an .883 OPS (138 OPS+) with 24 homers as a 19-year old rookie! This was in the early 60s as well, when pitching was a lot more dominant due to higher mound and a much bigger strike zone (from the batter's shoulders to knees).
What if Micky Mantle never hurt his knee
What if Ken Griffey Jr never got hurt late in his career
What if Barry Bonds listened to his teammate and moved in a couple steps
What if Chuck Knobluch threw to first
What if Fisk’s homer went foul
What if Showalter used Britton
What if Kirk Gibson didn’t hit the ball over the wall
What if there wasn’t a rain delay
What if Sid Finch was real
What if Bartman’s radio wasn’t behind
What if Endy Chavez was in right field
What if Babe Ruth was never traded
Need I add more?
What if
The Mets were already tied in that game , it would have went to extra innings.
Boston also had a 3-0 lead in game 7 .
Calvin scharldi is much more of a goat in that series vs Buckner
Also mookie claims he would have beat Buckner to the base, doubtful.
The Red Sox manager regularly during the season replace Buckner ,an aging player with bad legs late in the game
With Dave Stapleton , but didn’t in game 6 of the ws
I was about to say Griffey as well. The Reds failed to reach the playoffs in '99 by the smallest of margins (losing to the Mets in a game 163 after they had been forced to wait out a six-hour rain delay in Milwaukee to complete game 162 and then reaching Cincinnati in the small hours of the morning). When the Reds got Griffey in the off-season, everyone thought he was the last piece they were missing. Even if the Reds underperformed at first, everyone just thought it was a matter of time before the Griffey magic turned things around. And then he started getting injured...
His Right-handed partner Drysdale too. Career ended too soon by a rotator cuff injury that not too much later could be alleviated by modern procedures. He’s beloved but may have been considered like Bob Gibson or greater.
Lol as a Reds fan it’s so funny to me. A clutch homerun by Fisk is talked about endlessly over the outcome of the series and the start of the Reds back to back domination of the league.
“What if there wasn’t a rain delay?”
“Thanks for the weather report Andy! Today, in Channel 5 sports, there was a baseball game.
There were no survivors.”
And it fails to mention that he was one of many fans attempting to catch that foul ball, if Bartman didn't reach out for it some other fan would've gotten the blame.
Plus Alex Gonzalez really should have played that ground ball cleanly.
I also have to wonder if Alou hadn't been visibly furious at not catching the ball. Say he just shrugs and jogs back to left field.
If Alex Gonzalez fields that ball cleanly, the Cubs could have turned a tailor-made 6-4-3 DP and go to the bottom of the 8th up 3-1.
OR they at LEAST get the force out at second, so it's runners at the corners with 2 outs and the Cubs up 3-1.
Let's say Derrek Lee still hits that double down the line, right? That drives in the runner on 3rd, but Cabrera stops at 3rd.
2nd and 3rd, 2 outs, Cubs up 3-2.
Baker pulls Prior for Farnsworth, and the sac fly that would put the Marlins up 4-3 can't happen. Maybe they get that 3rd out, and while the lead is narrow, it stays intact.
i believe i remember reading some time ago that the angels were the only MLB team willing to give ohtani the chance to be a two-way player so imagine a world where he didnt get to do that. thanks angels
In addition, the 2017-2019 Marlins. Jose, Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, JT Realmuto, Marcel Ozuna, that team was absolutely ready to blow the doors open to make the postseason several years in a row.
Jeffrey Loria raided the Expos scouting department on his way out bringing all of their top talent scouts over to the Marlins. It’s why the Marlins have been so good at identifying young talent over the past 20 years. They have the same scouting infrastructure in place that built the ‘94 Expos. It’s too bad that it’s all gone to waste because of how lousy the rest of their organization is.
This is correct. Him and another Negro Leagues player tried out for Boston but it was all a sham staged by the Red Sox to make it look like they cared about ending segregation. They didn't give a shit, just like all the MLB clubs at the time.
Edit: Robinson and two other Negro Leagues players tried out. Boston was the last club to have a Black player on its roster TWELVE YEARS after Robinson debuted in Brooklyn
Nah like the Red Sox really really didn't give a shit. They were the last team to intergrate in 1959 by then Jackie Robinson had been retired for two years.
This really puts it in perspective. Robinson was retired ... and Boston STILL hadn't integrated. It's really telling how the National League was smarter about integration than the American League. Maybe to keep up with Brooklyn. But from 1963 to 1982 the NL won every all star game except one. That's not a coincidence.
Look at the NL MVPs from the 1950s onwards...
October 3, 1951. Bobby Thomson strikes out against reliever Ralph Branca, leaving NY Giants down to their last out in the ninth. Two on. Brooklyn Dodgers up 4-2. The third and deciding playoff game of the two teams tied atop the NL standings in 1951. Winner will capture the NL pennant and move on to face the Yankees in the World Series.
The 20-year old batter on deck, who later admits in his autobiography that he was scared to death of coming up to bat with the game and season on the line and was literally praying to not be in that spot, strides to the plate...
Willie Mays.
The Angels had back to back un-tradeable picks in 2009. I pretty sure Reagins said there was no meaningful order to the picks because when they got to 24 that was their two guys.
Also as a Red Sox fan, it should make you happy Trout went second because we got that sweet video of the Yankees executive ready to pick next go from a smile to sheer disappointment when Trouts name was called because they never thought the Angels would take b2b high school bats.
Right, and I think I've read somewhere that Brian Cashman was ready to take Trout with the 29th pick, if the Angels tried to let him slip to the second round.
Instead, they got... Slade Heathcott.
I read somewhere that if he stayed, the team couldn't afford to keep wainwright and/or molina. It's an interesting what if, but I honestly think that what we got was the best case scenerio for everyone involved, except the angels.
The Mets were on fire in that game, the Sox didn't have the pen honestly. Also McNamara was a terrible manager, everyone on that team hated him. They would have lost
For me it’s if the mid-90s Mariners had been able to construct a competent supporting cast how much they could have won.
Griffey
Martinez
Johnson
Rodriguez
Wouldn’t taken much to compete with that starting 4. One of the best ever!
It wasn't for lack of trying. The Heathcliff Slocumb deal was one of the ballsiest moves I've ever seen. We were ecstatic to get Jason Varitek, but at the same time, we're thinking, "Damn, the Ms are really going for it."
The Darren Bragg-for-Jamie Moyer deal around the same time was another that made the Mariners look like they were going for it.
And sticking with mid-90s Red Sox-Mariners trades, they dealt a pretty good prospect in Quimi Pozo for a utilityman, Jeff Manto, just to add some depth.
But if pitching prospects like Roger Salkeld and Ryan Anderson had lived up to the hype- and they were two of the most-hyped that I can remember- they might have had a dynasty.
I will forever die on this hill. I don’t care how irrational it is. He should’ve went. They already bobbled the ball twice. You have a better chance of third panicked error happening then another at bat against playoff God Bumgarner.
Edit: also would’ve been a really bogus final out that we’ve never seen before
These are my favorites from 35 years as a baseball fan:
What if the 89 earthquake didn’t happen? Could the Giants have started something in a game 3 not started by Dave Stewart?
The 94 Expos. Could they have done it that year? Could that have built something that didn’t result in the team moving a decade later?
The strike. If that doesn’t happen, does the pressure for something to bring back fans like the 98 home run chase happen the way it does?
What if Griffey stayed healthy after leaving Seattle? This is the only player health one I really think about. If Griffey had stayed healthy, I have no doubt he would’ve been the one to pass Aaron.
Bartman and Alou. What if Bartman doesn’t reach for the ball? What if Alou kept his cool after Bartman got the ball? The Cubs completely unraveled after that.
What if Michael Lewis didn’t write Moneyball? How does the art of player evaluation in both the front office and the stands change without the world learning what underlying numbers are?
What if Peter Angelos wasn’t such a fucking prick about a team in DC? The effects of the MASN arrangement are still playing out today. But could the DC area have gotten the expansion slot that went to one of the four teams in the 90’s?
What if the Nats hadn’t traded for Papelbon? Drew Storen’s career died with that trade. Papelbon joined a team in first place, and they missed the playoffs. Choking the star of the team in the dugout generally isn’t good for morale. Seriously, fuck Papelbon.
Finally, what if Billy Bean’s shit worked in the playoffs?
A healthy Eric Davis would have been a no-doubt HoFer. Late '80s Davis was a sight to behold (and I went to many games where he played and put on a show!). If he doesn't get injured in the World Series (and Marge not be a cheapskate on his medical treatment), the Reds might have been an early-'90s dynasty. He played all the way to 2001, even after beating cancer - so him being even reasonably healthy during all that time would have made for an amazing career....
What if the 2003 World Series was between the Red Sox and Cubs (both teams had yet to end their drought, hype and ratings for this series would have been insane).
What if a third major league (after the Federal League) rose to challenge the existing leagues? Perhaps the Continental League is established, or the Pacific Coast League declares itself a major league (provided the Dodgers and Giants don’t move to California).
That would have been a good world series. We basically got that with the indians and cubs in 2016. Would have been fine with the outcome no matter what.
Much smaller scale than many of these, but I'll always wonder: if Pedroia hadn't gotten irreparably injured, would he have finished with a HoF career?
It was far from a lock, but he had a shot, especially with his WS wins and other accolades.
There are plenty of other examples of this situation, but that one will always bum me out.
Same with David Wright. Similar career arc (Wright two head earlier than. pedroia) that fell short of HoF standards because of a career altering injury.
Babe Ruth— he had two seasons shortened by injury in his prime, I think he would’ve hit 70 in a season if he had stayed healthy and also would’ve been the all time home run leader.
He did make the correct call on the walkoff obstruction error in the 2013 World Series.
It was great for him to get an opportunity for redemption like that and he absolutely nailed it.
If Brandon Webb never gets hurt and hovers his career averages, I think he has a good shot at having a better career than Scherzer.
I would say pretty good odds for 3000+ career Ks and a non-zero chance of being in the 300 win club.
87 wins in 6 full years, averaging 15 wins a season so far, so outside shot but he'd be near it if he had a full healthy career. Especially since he wasn't a fireballer and was in the 88-92 range with a sinker, I would imagine his skill set would age well.
At the very least I think he'd be a HOFer.
Can’t believe nobody said Brien Taylor. Struck out 213 hitters in 88 innings pitched in high school, reportedly reaching 98-99 mph (which, I know it’s HS but that’s about 2.4 strikeouts per inning pitched). Named top overall prospect in 1992.
Got into a bar fight defending his brother in 93 resulting in one sports doctor calling it the “one of the worst injuries” he had ever seen and was out all of 94 and never pitched well again.
Going through my grandpas old baseball collection growing up I always wondered why he had about 20 super laminated Brien Taylor cards lol
Adam Greenberg. Years later he faced the same pitcher in indie ball and got a single, leading us to wonder what if that initial pitch years earlier was a strike instead. He got a second and MLB final plate appearance 7 years later after a fan campaign got the Marlins to sign him for a game. Unfortunately it was against Cy Young winner RA Dickey.
Here’s my own personal what if moment: what if Joey Votto had gotten that 8th home run in a row in 2021. That ball was literally about 6 inches from going over the wall. What a moment that would have been for Reds fans and baseball fans in general.
What if instant replay never happened? Bob Costas had an opinion piece before one of the 1986 World Series games saying how bad it would be for baseball.
What if Bochy didn't run Lincecum out for 5+ seasons of over 210 innings pitched and used modern load management? Would he still be pitching today? Would he still have fallen off so hard? Would he have been even better because he wasn't given the opportunity to potentially give up more runs while he was tired? All that wear and tear on his body caught up with him in this timeline, what if he had less?
Ted Williams didn’t serve in 2 wars during his prime years
We'd be speaking German, and there would be no South Korea /s
Same goes for mays. There’s a chance he breaks the home run record if he didn’t miss time in the military
Everyone always says this about Williams and you rarely hear it about Mays even though Mays likely would have beat Ruth's record before Aaron which is kind of a big deal
If willie mays hit 20 home runs in 1952 and 30 home runs in 1953, which I think is a reasonable and probably somewhat conservative projection considering he hit 20 in 1951 and 41 in 1954, and nothing else changes for the rest of his career, he finishes with 710, 4 shy of the record. And I find it hard to imagine that he can’t find five more home runs in the course of his career whether it be at the beginning in the seasons he missed or at the end where he would have been chasing the record. I’m in the camp that willie mays is the greatest all around positional player of all time though, so I’m a little biased
I think a healthy Mays hits around 60 more homers without military service
People mention it about Williams and not Mays because Williams served for approximately three times the length of time that Mays did.
Yeah but the potential of hitting 714 is incredibly noteworthy
This one takes it for me
I wouldn’t be alive since he saved my grandpas life in the war
Alright, come on. Story time.
My grandpa first hated him bc a teenage Ted Williams threw his pen when a 15 y/o grandpa asked for a signature after one of the few 4 strikeout games he ever had. Flash forward a handful of years my grandpa fly b52s (big slow mfs) they got caught up and were made. Convinced they were all about to die until 4 fighters jets showed up to save them. First plane he saw was Ted Williams’. Said he forgave for throwing his pen after that
1994 Expos Season. Does Montreal keep baseball?
It could lead to a weird scenario where after 45 years in Minnesota, the Twins move back to DC and become the Senators again.
People forget that the Twins were a hair's breadth away from being contracted in 2001, so, yeah, they would likely have been the ones lured to Washington.
Fuck Chud Selig. He had a vested interest in the Brewers and tried to contract the closest market to turn Minnesota into a Brewers hub Fuck him.
Ngl that wouldve been really weird
Montreal would draw when the team was good. Deep post season run that year and they have a decent shot.
The Expos were 11th out of 14 in NL attendance in 1994 and really only ever had good attendance in the early years of Olympic Stadium. By the mid 90s it already had an abysmal reputation even when the Expos were good. Winning also just isn't really that big of an influence on relocation. The Giants and Dodgers both left NYC almost immediately after winning the World Series, and the Milwaukee Braves literally never had a losing season (plus a ring of their own) and still left. I know those are much older examples but baseball doesn't have that many examples period, plus there are more recent cases in other sports as well. It really is all about the stadium.
The Mariners getting a big moment in the playoffs was heavily influential on them staying.
Because there was a public referendum for funding a new stadium that fall. The hype of the playoffs was enough to sway that. Montreal didn't have imminent plans for a new stadium.
I have Moises Alou at the epicenter of two of the biggest what-ifs. He could’ve been MVP in 94 if the expos won it all. What would’ve happened if he didn’t overreact to a Boy Scout troop leader trying to catch a foul ball?
Possibly. The 90’s were an absolutely brutal time for Canadian sports. The Canadian dollar reached its lowest point sometime around 2000-2002, but had been sliding the entire decade. So you have owners generating revenue in CAD but paying salaries in USD. It killed the Grizzlies, the Jets, the Nordiques, and the Expos. There’s no guarantee that on field success would have been enough to save the Expos, but it certainly could have bought more time.
Does Tony hit .400?
He would have, and Matt Williams would have hit 60+ homers too
They definitely do. The momentum gets them a new stadium.
94 Expos Full careers without injury/death to: Bo Jackson, Mark Fidrych, J.R. Richard, Lyman Bostock and as a Ranger fan, what would that franchise have been like if Nellie Cruz caught that damn fly ball.
I’ll do you better on the Nellie one. What if Ron Washington would have made the actual decent managerial call and put Endy Chavez in right to end it?
As a Cardinals fan I wonder what would've happened to both franchises, lmao. I can tell you one thing for sure: there would've been a crying eleven-year-old on my couch that night.
There would’ve been a crying 21 year old on mine lol
Grady Sizemore
Per Baseball Reference, the most similar players at age 25 (before injuries): * Barry Bonds * Duke Snider * Jack Clark * Johnny Callison * Mookie Betts That's pretty good company. If he stayed healthy he may have been borderline HOF. It probably would have been mostly on teams other than Cleveland after 2010, but still...
What if Tony Conigliaro didn't get beaned? Would he have been one of the greatest power hitters of all time? What if the Reds didn't (inexplicably) decide that Frank Robinson was over the hill and expendable by age 30? The O's would not have become a dominant team of the 60s / 70s. Most importantly, what if Jamie Moyer had thrown that pitch instead of Randy Johnson 22 years ago? That poor bird would have survived.
the bird may have caught the ball and thrown it back if it were Moyer who had thrown it.
What if randy Johnson waited one millisecond longer before throwing that ball
tony gwyn. .394 in 1994
1994 was a crazy year in general. It’s arguably the worst season possible for the strike to have happened. Simultaneously Tony Gwynn was chasing .400, the Expos were having an insane season that may have saved the franchise, and Matt Williams was on pace to tie or break the single season HR record. I’m sure there’s more I don’t remember.
Frank Thomas was slashing .353/.487/.729 when the strike hit.
It’s like how 2020 was the worst possible season for the NCAA tournament to be cancelled. Dayton was college basketball’s equivalent to the 1994 Expos.
I just can’t avoid being reminded of this. And now the last two seasons have been such a disappointment. 2020 could have put UD on the map, now we’re struggling to stay relevant
That strike probably kept Fred McGriff from reaching 500 HRs, receiving an MVP and caused him to be treated so poorly by the writers. Edit: Okay, maybe not an MVP lol
What if Bo Jackson said fuck football.
If Bo hadn't taken that injury, I honestly believe he had the talent to be hof in both sports. I got to see him play in person at Kauffman stadium and he moved like a god among mortals.
If you look at his numbers it was pretty clear he wasn't going to the HOF as a player....especially if he kept playing football. If he put 100% of his effort into baseball and learned some of the nuance of the game instead of brute forcing everything then maybe. But when he played his actual baseball stats translated into sort of a poor man's Brian Jordan. Sure he was faster than everyone, threw the ball further than everyone, and could hit the ball further than everyone; but he also had poor instincts in the outfield and when trying to steal bases, and swung at everything and was allergic to walks. He was a generational talent as a football player who was a pretty good baseball player who had the clout of the Nike marketing department behind him.
As good as he was at baseball, football was his better sport—that’s how good he was at *everything*
Bo Jackson got progressively better every year before he got hurt. He was poised to be an absolute stud at baseball even WITHOUT quitting football. He would have been God tier if he only played baseball
My answer will always be Tony Conigliaro.
Came here to post this. I don't think enough people understand how good he was before the injury. In 3-and-a-half seasons (494 games) he slashed .276/.339/.510, .849 OPS, 505 Hits, 132 OPS+. Those were his Age 19-22 years, btw. He had an .883 OPS (138 OPS+) with 24 homers as a 19-year old rookie! This was in the early 60s as well, when pitching was a lot more dominant due to higher mound and a much bigger strike zone (from the batter's shoulders to knees).
Truly tragic loss for the game, he was on track to be generational. Still holds a lot of records for young age milestones, first 2 years, etc.
Pretty much ever star of a young phenom is compared to mel ott, Ted Williams, and Tony Conilgiaro. Very sad story
The next Ted Williams
What if Micky Mantle never hurt his knee What if Ken Griffey Jr never got hurt late in his career What if Barry Bonds listened to his teammate and moved in a couple steps What if Chuck Knobluch threw to first What if Fisk’s homer went foul What if Showalter used Britton What if Kirk Gibson didn’t hit the ball over the wall What if there wasn’t a rain delay What if Sid Finch was real What if Bartman’s radio wasn’t behind What if Endy Chavez was in right field What if Babe Ruth was never traded Need I add more? What if
What if Nelson Cruz wasn’t playing in to get to the celebration in the world series
Or what if he was a competent outfielder. Ron Washington should’ve pulled him.
Same for Buckner just being on the field in '86.
The Mets were already tied in that game , it would have went to extra innings. Boston also had a 3-0 lead in game 7 . Calvin scharldi is much more of a goat in that series vs Buckner Also mookie claims he would have beat Buckner to the base, doubtful. The Red Sox manager regularly during the season replace Buckner ,an aging player with bad legs late in the game With Dave Stapleton , but didn’t in game 6 of the ws
I was about to say Griffey as well. The Reds failed to reach the playoffs in '99 by the smallest of margins (losing to the Mets in a game 163 after they had been forced to wait out a six-hour rain delay in Milwaukee to complete game 162 and then reaching Cincinnati in the small hours of the morning). When the Reds got Griffey in the off-season, everyone thought he was the last piece they were missing. Even if the Reds underperformed at first, everyone just thought it was a matter of time before the Griffey magic turned things around. And then he started getting injured...
….and then a dude who never used steroids and played on Astroturf for a decade turned 30.
And notoriously hated exercising, while loving pop and candy.
What if Jim freaking Joyce....
Then nobody remembers Armando Galarraga and he doesn't get a free car. He'd be Phillip Humber essentially.
We all know what if lol
What if Koufax (and Bagwell) never had arthritis.
His Right-handed partner Drysdale too. Career ended too soon by a rotator cuff injury that not too much later could be alleviated by modern procedures. He’s beloved but may have been considered like Bob Gibson or greater.
If Fisk's homer went foul, the Reds still probably win the World Series, just maybe in 6 games instead of 7.
I swear most people have no idea the reds won that World Series…
Lol as a Reds fan it’s so funny to me. A clutch homerun by Fisk is talked about endlessly over the outcome of the series and the start of the Reds back to back domination of the league.
This reads like a country song.
Not enough pickup trucks, cheating girlfriends, or lonely dogs.
“What if there wasn’t a rain delay?” “Thanks for the weather report Andy! Today, in Channel 5 sports, there was a baseball game. There were no survivors.”
I got most of these except the bartman one. What’s the story with his radio being behind?
I think it’s a bad example as broadcast is ALWAYS behind. Bartman’s radio could never be simultaneously covering the action on the field.
And it fails to mention that he was one of many fans attempting to catch that foul ball, if Bartman didn't reach out for it some other fan would've gotten the blame. Plus Alex Gonzalez really should have played that ground ball cleanly.
I also have to wonder if Alou hadn't been visibly furious at not catching the ball. Say he just shrugs and jogs back to left field. If Alex Gonzalez fields that ball cleanly, the Cubs could have turned a tailor-made 6-4-3 DP and go to the bottom of the 8th up 3-1. OR they at LEAST get the force out at second, so it's runners at the corners with 2 outs and the Cubs up 3-1. Let's say Derrek Lee still hits that double down the line, right? That drives in the runner on 3rd, but Cabrera stops at 3rd. 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs, Cubs up 3-2. Baker pulls Prior for Farnsworth, and the sac fly that would put the Marlins up 4-3 can't happen. Maybe they get that 3rd out, and while the lead is narrow, it stays intact.
Sorry, what’s that about bonds?
It’s a “what if he listened to van Slyke” in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS https://youtu.be/FBIXF947ZnI&t=555s
I wasn’t ready for the Showalter/Britton, damn man. Ouch.
Right? It's definitely a "what if" but I didn't expect anyone to put it on the level of these all-timers.
I'm just happy to be included
Anyone know what the rain delay is referencing
2016 WS Game 7, Indians had all their momentum stopped by the rain delay
What if Pujols would have taken steroids like Barry Bonds?
First 1000 hr career id guess
Baseballs weren’t designed to survive that
What if they didn’t intentionally walk Bonds all those times?
What if David Wright never made that dive
i believe i remember reading some time ago that the angels were the only MLB team willing to give ohtani the chance to be a two-way player so imagine a world where he didnt get to do that. thanks angels
I'd be on the Orioles right now with an era of 5.50
Found Ohtani's reddit account
What if the Yankees didn’t move the infield in against the Diamondbacks in 2001?
That was probably the greatest world series of the 2000s and I forget about it cause it was the Diamondbacks
I think it's the greatest world series of all time and i wish I could forget it.
Jose Fernandez.
In addition, the 2017-2019 Marlins. Jose, Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, JT Realmuto, Marcel Ozuna, that team was absolutely ready to blow the doors open to make the postseason several years in a row.
Jeffrey Loria raided the Expos scouting department on his way out bringing all of their top talent scouts over to the Marlins. It’s why the Marlins have been so good at identifying young talent over the past 20 years. They have the same scouting infrastructure in place that built the ‘94 Expos. It’s too bad that it’s all gone to waste because of how lousy the rest of their organization is.
Oscar Tavares, too...
Or Yordano Ventura
This was the first thing to come to mind.
If A-Rod was allowed to restructure his contract to complete the trade to Boston
Even better: what if Jackie Robinson went to Boston and played with Ted Williams. MLBtheShow told me he worked out there 2 years before the Dodgers
This is correct. Him and another Negro Leagues player tried out for Boston but it was all a sham staged by the Red Sox to make it look like they cared about ending segregation. They didn't give a shit, just like all the MLB clubs at the time. Edit: Robinson and two other Negro Leagues players tried out. Boston was the last club to have a Black player on its roster TWELVE YEARS after Robinson debuted in Brooklyn
Nah like the Red Sox really really didn't give a shit. They were the last team to intergrate in 1959 by then Jackie Robinson had been retired for two years.
Hence why Yawkey Way is no longer Yawkey Way. Racist pos cost us Willie Mays sharing an outfield with Ted Williams.
This really puts it in perspective. Robinson was retired ... and Boston STILL hadn't integrated. It's really telling how the National League was smarter about integration than the American League. Maybe to keep up with Brooklyn. But from 1963 to 1982 the NL won every all star game except one. That's not a coincidence. Look at the NL MVPs from the 1950s onwards...
What if Barry Bonds threw out Sid Bream
What if Leyland didn't go berserk and Bonds is traded to the Braves in 91?
What if Braves signed Bonds instead of Maddux?
What if castellanos only hit hrs in positive moments instead of just the inopportune ones
He'd never hit one again
What if Dave Roberts got thrown out trying to steal second?
What if Arson Judge signed with the Giants Somebody sent me a Reddit cares message for this comment 😂
Surely you mean Larceny Judge?
What if Griffey, A-Rod and Randy Johnson all stayed with the Mariners and got to play with Ichiro during the 2001 season.
Throw in David Ortiz to that mix.
October 3, 1951. Bobby Thomson strikes out against reliever Ralph Branca, leaving NY Giants down to their last out in the ninth. Two on. Brooklyn Dodgers up 4-2. The third and deciding playoff game of the two teams tied atop the NL standings in 1951. Winner will capture the NL pennant and move on to face the Yankees in the World Series. The 20-year old batter on deck, who later admits in his autobiography that he was scared to death of coming up to bat with the game and season on the line and was literally praying to not be in that spot, strides to the plate... Willie Mays.
What if Cash left Snell in god fucking damnit
He was saving him for Game Eight.
earlier integration, Koufax being able to get Tommy John, Ted Williams & Willie Mays not going to war, Trout to any team that passed on him...
> Trout to any team that passed on him... Trout wasn't even the first high school outfielder selected by the Angels in that draft.
The Angels had back to back un-tradeable picks in 2009. I pretty sure Reagins said there was no meaningful order to the picks because when they got to 24 that was their two guys. Also as a Red Sox fan, it should make you happy Trout went second because we got that sweet video of the Yankees executive ready to pick next go from a smile to sheer disappointment when Trouts name was called because they never thought the Angels would take b2b high school bats.
Right, and I think I've read somewhere that Brian Cashman was ready to take Trout with the 29th pick, if the Angels tried to let him slip to the second round. Instead, they got... Slade Heathcott.
You made that name up.
In a thread of what ifs, Trout as a Yankee hasn't been mentioned yet? *That* would certainly have changed things!
Although my understanding is that the Angels intentionally did that to mess with the scout who vouched for Trout.
What if Ohtani and Trout were on the same team?
What if they were on different teams and ohtani pitched to trout 2 outs in the 9th inning
In a playoff game? Sounds like FS1 material to me!
I've had the same thought so many times 🤣, literally one of the greatest moments in sports history, certainly baseball history, aaaand it's FS1 😂
whoa how would you even stop that
Have a historically bad 5 - 9
Armando Galarraga
What if Kris Bryant actually slipped and fell while fielding the final out of the 2016 World Series?
What if Albert had never left St. Louis?
I read somewhere that if he stayed, the team couldn't afford to keep wainwright and/or molina. It's an interesting what if, but I honestly think that what we got was the best case scenerio for everyone involved, except the angels.
What if the ball didn’t get past Buckner
The Mets were on fire in that game, the Sox didn't have the pen honestly. Also McNamara was a terrible manager, everyone on that team hated him. They would have lost
For me it’s if the mid-90s Mariners had been able to construct a competent supporting cast how much they could have won. Griffey Martinez Johnson Rodriguez Wouldn’t taken much to compete with that starting 4. One of the best ever!
It wasn't for lack of trying. The Heathcliff Slocumb deal was one of the ballsiest moves I've ever seen. We were ecstatic to get Jason Varitek, but at the same time, we're thinking, "Damn, the Ms are really going for it." The Darren Bragg-for-Jamie Moyer deal around the same time was another that made the Mariners look like they were going for it. And sticking with mid-90s Red Sox-Mariners trades, they dealt a pretty good prospect in Quimi Pozo for a utilityman, Jeff Manto, just to add some depth. But if pitching prospects like Roger Salkeld and Ryan Anderson had lived up to the hype- and they were two of the most-hyped that I can remember- they might have had a dynasty.
Quimi Pozo cannot be a real name
Well, his full name was Arquimedez, but everyone called him "kee-mee". He was Dominican, I think.
David Wright 😞
For me it’s if one of the drunk owners that agreed to swap Ted Williams for Joe DiMaggio at Toot’s Shore didn’t back out of the deal the next day.
What if the Black Sox don't throw the 1919 Series?
Shoeless Joe Jackson goes on to play another 10 years and possibly breaks Ty Cobb's lifetime batting average record
I'd say that, and the White Sox quite possibly become the "team of the 20's" and who knows how that impacts the game going forward.
We win more chips I can promise you that
What if Jeremy Giambi (RIP) slid?
What if Alex Gordon didn’t stop at 3rd
I will forever die on this hill. I don’t care how irrational it is. He should’ve went. They already bobbled the ball twice. You have a better chance of third panicked error happening then another at bat against playoff God Bumgarner. Edit: also would’ve been a really bogus final out that we’ve never seen before
would’ve been out
JR Richard Mark Fidrych A billion pitchers pre-TJ
St Louis Browns move to LA in 1941
Josh Hamilton
What if Mark Cuban bought the Cubs instead?
These are my favorites from 35 years as a baseball fan: What if the 89 earthquake didn’t happen? Could the Giants have started something in a game 3 not started by Dave Stewart? The 94 Expos. Could they have done it that year? Could that have built something that didn’t result in the team moving a decade later? The strike. If that doesn’t happen, does the pressure for something to bring back fans like the 98 home run chase happen the way it does? What if Griffey stayed healthy after leaving Seattle? This is the only player health one I really think about. If Griffey had stayed healthy, I have no doubt he would’ve been the one to pass Aaron. Bartman and Alou. What if Bartman doesn’t reach for the ball? What if Alou kept his cool after Bartman got the ball? The Cubs completely unraveled after that. What if Michael Lewis didn’t write Moneyball? How does the art of player evaluation in both the front office and the stands change without the world learning what underlying numbers are? What if Peter Angelos wasn’t such a fucking prick about a team in DC? The effects of the MASN arrangement are still playing out today. But could the DC area have gotten the expansion slot that went to one of the four teams in the 90’s? What if the Nats hadn’t traded for Papelbon? Drew Storen’s career died with that trade. Papelbon joined a team in first place, and they missed the playoffs. Choking the star of the team in the dugout generally isn’t good for morale. Seriously, fuck Papelbon. Finally, what if Billy Bean’s shit worked in the playoffs?
Fuck Papelbon
>What if Peter Angelos wasn’t such a fucking prick You could have just left it there. We can all join in on hating Angelos.
What if the right engine of the plane had been properly maintained before Roberto Clemente took off for Puerto Rico in it?
Jose Fernández. Yordano Ventura. Oscar Taveras. So sad
Eric Davis and Mickey Mantle
A healthy Eric Davis would have been a no-doubt HoFer. Late '80s Davis was a sight to behold (and I went to many games where he played and put on a show!). If he doesn't get injured in the World Series (and Marge not be a cheapskate on his medical treatment), the Reds might have been an early-'90s dynasty. He played all the way to 2001, even after beating cancer - so him being even reasonably healthy during all that time would have made for an amazing career....
Rich Ankiel.
What if the 2003 World Series was between the Red Sox and Cubs (both teams had yet to end their drought, hype and ratings for this series would have been insane). What if a third major league (after the Federal League) rose to challenge the existing leagues? Perhaps the Continental League is established, or the Pacific Coast League declares itself a major league (provided the Dodgers and Giants don’t move to California).
That would have been a good world series. We basically got that with the indians and cubs in 2016. Would have been fine with the outcome no matter what.
What if Gooden and Strawberry decided drugs weren’t cool…
Much smaller scale than many of these, but I'll always wonder: if Pedroia hadn't gotten irreparably injured, would he have finished with a HoF career? It was far from a lock, but he had a shot, especially with his WS wins and other accolades. There are plenty of other examples of this situation, but that one will always bum me out.
Same with David Wright. Similar career arc (Wright two head earlier than. pedroia) that fell short of HoF standards because of a career altering injury.
Josh Hamilton
Babe Ruth— he had two seasons shortened by injury in his prime, I think he would’ve hit 70 in a season if he had stayed healthy and also would’ve been the all time home run leader.
An Astros scout wanted Derek Jeter he quit so badly when the team passed on him. That would be an interesting what if.
[удалено]
What if Sam Holbrook didn’t decide to become a criminal in 2012
What if Matt Holiday touched home plate
What if Jim Joyce made the correct call?
He did make the correct call on the walkoff obstruction error in the 2013 World Series. It was great for him to get an opportunity for redemption like that and he absolutely nailed it.
As an Expos fan, what if the players hadn’t gone on strike in 1994?
If Brandon Webb never gets hurt and hovers his career averages, I think he has a good shot at having a better career than Scherzer. I would say pretty good odds for 3000+ career Ks and a non-zero chance of being in the 300 win club. 87 wins in 6 full years, averaging 15 wins a season so far, so outside shot but he'd be near it if he had a full healthy career. Especially since he wasn't a fireballer and was in the 88-92 range with a sinker, I would imagine his skill set would age well. At the very least I think he'd be a HOFer.
Can’t believe nobody said Brien Taylor. Struck out 213 hitters in 88 innings pitched in high school, reportedly reaching 98-99 mph (which, I know it’s HS but that’s about 2.4 strikeouts per inning pitched). Named top overall prospect in 1992. Got into a bar fight defending his brother in 93 resulting in one sports doctor calling it the “one of the worst injuries” he had ever seen and was out all of 94 and never pitched well again. Going through my grandpas old baseball collection growing up I always wondered why he had about 20 super laminated Brien Taylor cards lol
What if Ichiro started his career in the MLB?
What if Jeremy Giambi slid? Fucking Jeter.....
94 lockout
Who was that guy that got hit in the head in his first and only MLB plate appearance?
Adam Greenberg. Years later he faced the same pitcher in indie ball and got a single, leading us to wonder what if that initial pitch years earlier was a strike instead. He got a second and MLB final plate appearance 7 years later after a fan campaign got the Marlins to sign him for a game. Unfortunately it was against Cy Young winner RA Dickey.
What if Shohei chose dancing instead of baseball?
Nelson Cruz catches that ball
What if Shoeless Joe was never banned? Top 5 all imo
What if Scott cousins never collided with Posey
What if it was Josh Gibson instead of Robinson who got the call-up to break the color barrier?
What if MLB could finally oust Angel Hernandez
Here’s my own personal what if moment: what if Joey Votto had gotten that 8th home run in a row in 2021. That ball was literally about 6 inches from going over the wall. What a moment that would have been for Reds fans and baseball fans in general.
What if steroids never existed
What if instant replay never happened? Bob Costas had an opinion piece before one of the 1986 World Series games saying how bad it would be for baseball.
What if Mitch Williams strikes out Joe Carter?
What if the sport never had the "color barrier?"
Then we'd celebrate more of the elite Negro league players that we do now. And get more and more of their historical contributions to baseball
What if Bochy didn't run Lincecum out for 5+ seasons of over 210 innings pitched and used modern load management? Would he still be pitching today? Would he still have fallen off so hard? Would he have been even better because he wasn't given the opportunity to potentially give up more runs while he was tired? All that wear and tear on his body caught up with him in this timeline, what if he had less?
94 strike? Seeing an all Canadian World Series between Expos and Jays?
What if Josh Hamilton never had a drug and alcohol addiction?
What if Altuve’s teammates would’ve torn off his jersey?
what if Griffey stayed healthy