So yesterday was October 27, 2021. It's the 36th anniversary of the day the Kansas City Royals clinched the 1985 World Series with a win in Game 7, and the 17th anniversary of the day the Boston Red Sox clinched the 2004 World Series to end 86 year of heartache.
It's also the 10th anniversary of the infamous Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. The Texas Rangers were one win away from capturing the 2011 World Series. Of course they blew it in historic fashion to enhance their legacy of failure.
And of course, because I was so masochistic I decided to watch the entire game for the first time ever, since ten years earlier I only tuned in for the seventh inning onward. And I decided to Tweet the entire debacle. Here's a collection of my tweets.
It's the 10th anniversary of the worst sports moment of my life. And because I'm a self-loathing masochist, I plan on watching the game that's haunted me and millions of other Rangers fans for the first time in a decade.----------
Ten years ago I was in my third year of medical school and was in my internal medicine rotation. I was done with work when the game started but being somewhat superstitious I stayed home and followed it from afar early on.----------
I had gone to a World Series home game when the series was in Texas. Of course it was the nightmarish Game 3 where the Cardinals romped 16-7, instead of either of the two Rangers wins that put them at this place, just one win away from their first ever World Series title----------
*sigh*
“He is going to try to break their hearts.”----------
Foreshadow much, Joe Buck?
Also, fuck Ron Kulpa
Oh gosh they’re showing the Cardinals defense and now I’m feeling sick all over again.----------
It could be be leftover Buffalo Wild Wings I had earlier
Kinsler walk and singles by Andrus and Hamilton give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.----------
Where did it all go wrong?
I miss Adrian Beltre so much, even if he struck out in this first inning.----------
He did get revenge on Garcia six and a half years later, kinda
Colby Lewis is still the winningest postseason pitcher in Rangers history, with four (out of the 21 the team has ever won). Yet he's only 23rd in pitching bWAR, behind the likes of Roger Pavlik, Danny Darwin, and 2011 Cardinal great Lance Lynn.----------
He also blew the 1-0 lead by allowing a two-out, two-run home run to Lance Berkman.----------
I hope this isn't the last time this would happen...ha...
They just showed David Freese on the on-deck circle and now he's coming to the plate after a two-out walk.----------
Fuck David Freese.
Colby Lewis is a terrible hitter, bunting into a double play. I hope this isn't the last time his offensive futility fucks the Rangers over.----------
Rangers postseason win leaders----------
4 Lewis
3 Cliff Lee, Derek Holland
2 Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams
1 John Burkett, CJ Wilson, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman, Darren Oliver, Yovani Gallardo, Keone Kela
Kinsler just tied the game for the Rangers with a ground rule double, so Colby Lewis's offensive futility hasn't come back to bite the team...yet.----------
Awkward play for Freese on an Andrus foul ball. Couldn't make the play but Elvis still struck out. Too bad.----------
This was a called strike...greeeeat...so now Beltre had to swing and anything close to the strike zone and grounded into a double play after Hamilton's second hit.
Trivia: How many World Series Game 6 have ended in a home run?----------
Wellll...there's Carlton Fisk, Joe Carter, and Tim McCarver just mentioned Kirby Puckett. Not sure if I can think of any others.
Oh man, an advertisement for J. Edgar. I remember how everybody thought that was going to be a major Oscar player. It's definitely Oscar bait.----------
Cruz just reached thanks to a two-base error due to miscommunication between Matt Holliday and Rafael Furcal. This seems like a play that would get a team the World Series title, but the question is which team...?----------
Especially after potential World Series MVP Mike Napoli followed it up with an RBI single that stayed fair by inches. Can they finally hold a lead this time?----------
Ahahahaha I'm so funny.
Cardinals make a second error this inning on another Lewis bunt to allow him to reach, but now Rangers have to deal with their potential future MVP twisting his ankle like this. Ouch.
And the Cardinals get out of it with no further damage, because of course they do.----------
And now their leadoff runner reached as Colby Lewis missed the bag on a misplay by Michael Young. Great...
The broadcast just showed Lance Lynn warming up in the bullpen. He spent only one full season and one half-season with the Rangers, and he's already tied for 21st in pitching bWAR, ahead of a few longtime Rangers such as Colby Lewis, Darren Oliver, Bobby Witt, Kevin Millwood----------
An easy popup towards third to lead off the fifth, and Freese can't secure it in his glove. Hahahahahaha, suck it asshole.----------
I hope this doesn't come back to bite the Rangers later.
Napoli gets intentionally walked, leading Ron Washington to pinch-hit for Craig Gentry. And there goes the best defensive outfielder for the 2011 World Series. There's no way this won't come to haunt the Rangers later in the game.----------
And pinch-hitter David Murphy walks, loading the bases with two outs for...Colby Lewis!...who promptly strikes out on three pitches.----------
It's okay. I'm sure the Rangers didn't need those insurance runs.
Jon Jay comes in as a pinch-hitter. Joe Buck says he's been 0 for 14 in this World Series. He grounds out, so I'm sure he's not going to get a hit in a crucial moment in the game.----------
A ground ball Adrian Beltre couldn't handle and another Michael Young error led to a mound meeting from Washington. He stayed in the game but rewards Wash's trust by walking Freese. Bye bye Colby.----------
And Alexi Ogando comes in to walk in the tying run. It could have been worse, but Mike Napoli throws out Holliday wandering too far from third thanks to some good glove-work from Adrian Beltre.----------
How can you walk Nick Punto? I know he hit .278/.388/.421 in the regular season but he still doesn't have an RBI in the World Series. No wonder Wash is going to Derek Holland, who gets out of the inning.----------
Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz with back-to-back home runs to lead off the 7th!----------
It was at this point that I decided that it was late enough in the game that I should try to find a place to watch the game. I ultimately decided to head to the physician's lounge at the hospital where I was working. What can go wrong?----------
David Murphy singles, but then for the second time a bad sacrifice bunt by a Rangers pitcher led to the erasure of the lead runner. Greaaaat...----------
At least Holland scores on a wild pitch and a Kinsler single to give the Rangers a 7-4 lead.
Holland gets a one-two-three seventh inning, and all of a sudden the Rangers are two innings away from the World Series.----------
Ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy
rZep-cZyn-ski----------
The broadcast can't stop talking about Albert Pujols and his impending free agency. Now that his massive 10-year contract has ended, let's see how he stacks up pre- and post-free agency.----------
2001-2011: .328/.420/.617
2012-2021: .256/.311/.448
Aaaaand Allen Craig hits a solo shot to make it 7-5.----------
But it's fine. There's one out in the eighth, and Tom Tango says there's an 89% chance of the Rangers winning. Everything will be fine...right...?
There was a point where I did think that Allen Craig would be the World Series MVP. Sure, he had only three hits before this one, but two of them were game-winning RBI hits, and the third would have been had the Rangers not come back to win Game 2.----------
A trio of two-out singles loads the bases, but Mike Adams gets Rafael Furcal to end the eighth. Only one more inning and the Rangers could end 51 years of frustration.----------
Wait...why is there still 76 minutes left in the video...?
Endy Chavez comes on as a pinch-hitter with David Murphy on first and two outs in the top of the ninth. He flies out, then goes to the bench as Neftali Feliz comes and takes his spot. It's not like Wash has ever used him as a defensive replacement anyways.----------
🤔----------
Ryan Theriot - the one player I always forget when doing 300-win lineups - strikes out. One out.----------
Albert Pujols doubles. Fuck.----------
Lance Berkman walks on three pitches. Double fuck.----------
At least it sets up a double play?
Feliz comes back from 2-0 to get a called strikeout against Allen Craig.----------
Two outs.
Ball one...fuck...----------
Strike one...1-1----------
Swinging strike. "And now the Rangers are one strike away"----------
"Into right, well hit. Back at the wall...it's off the wall. One run scores! Here comes Berkman! Freese has tied it!"----------
Triple fuck
Should Cruz have caught that ball had he not hesitated? It was a well-hit ball, but then he made a pretty good haul of Yadier Molina's fly ball so you never know. The only thing we do know is the game is going into extra innings.----------
Joe Buck is making a big deal about how Josh Hamilton has yet to go deep in the World Series, but here he comes with a home run to right-center after Andrus single, so suck it Buck.----------
9-7
The rest of the top of the 10th inning ends harmlessly, but now there's another two-run lead to hold. And Wash goes with...Darren Oliver? The guy that ranks 24th in pitching bWAR despite being 11th in innings pitched? Strange choice----------
I mean yes, the Cardinals have left-handers Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay to lead off the inning, but they both singled so that was a complete fucking waste.----------
Fuck you, Darren Oliver. Fuck you.
Still a weird moment to have Edwin Jackson pinch-hit, presumably to bunt, then Kyle Lohse to bunt.----------
And that's how you execute a sacrifice bunt, Rangers pitchers.----------
All these Cardinals fans with their rally caps and crossed fingers. It's not like y'all haven't won a World Series before.----------
Scott Feldman comes in and retires Ryan Theriot on a groundout. Sure, a run scores, but now there's two outs.----------
And now they're intentionally walking Albert Pujols to face Lance Berkman. That's going to end well...----------
Foul...0-1----------
Ball...shit...1-1.----------
Another foul...1-2..."and again the Rangers are one strike away"----------
Ball inside, Berkman didn't bite. 2-2----------
And...Berkman connects with a single. The Rangers outfielders were playing deep and had no chance at throwing out the speedy Jay. That's another blown lead.----------
Rangers get out of the inning, but the Rangers dugout is so demoralized it seems the fight had come out of them. What a shame. What a pity.----------
The Rangers do get a single from Mike Napoli in the top of the 11th, but then they get Esteban German to pinch-hit for Scott Feldman. Fuckkkk...----------
And of course German grounds out, and now comes Mark Lowe to make an appearance.----------
At this point ten years ago, I was like "Fuck it"
So yep I was in a McDonalds drive-thru when the game ended.
And as everybody know, the Rangers blew an early 2-0 lead to wimper quietly to lose the World Series.----------
And now ten years later they're a 100-loss team with very little hope for the future.
----------Well I burned the card which won the poll. It took almost half an hour! So here's a time-lapse version set to the music of Rainbow Rocks. pic.twitter.com/Oq1V6r99xL
— Gallop-a-Gus (@ajnrules) June 11, 2020
----------It took a few days (since my first lighter died and I had to wait a few days to buy another), but here's the burning of the card, set to the music of Gaur Plains.@kc_aska https://t.co/FAVZdqlSk0 pic.twitter.com/QJud4VoUGE
— Gallop-a-Gus (@ajnrules) June 21, 2020
Anyways, as EQG Rainbow Dash reminds us, L is for Loser
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