Rays' rally joins Buckner, Bevens among wild Series endings

It was improbable eugh that light-hitting journeyman Brett Phillips would connect for Tampa Bay against Dodgers All-Star closer Kenley Jansen.

What followed was outright inconceivable.

Phillips’ tying single with two outs in ninth inning turned into a game-ending hit when Los Angeles Dodgers dropped ball twice, allowing Randy Arozarena to stumble home as winning run in Rays’ 8-7 victory in World Series Game 4 on Saturday night.

It was undoubtedly one of wildest endings in World Series history. Arozarena tripped and fell on his way home and had begun retreating to third when catcher Will Smith misplayed a relay feed. Arozarena about-faced and dived toward home, pounding on plate with a big smile while Phillips burst into tears in outfield.

“Man, baseball is fun,” Phillips said.

Walk-off homers are one thing — think Kirk Gibson, Carlton Fisk and Bill Mazeroski, among many ors. But a finish this wacky has only a few precedents in World Series history.

Some more memorable, unimaginable endings from Series past:

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1926 WORLD SERIES GAME 7, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS AT NEW YORK YANKEES

Babe Ruth was already most fearsome slugger baseball had ever seen when he stepped to plate in bottom of ninth inning, his mighty Yankees trailing Cardinals 3-2.

With two outs, Hall of Famer pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander took chances and walked Ruth, bringing cleanup man Bob Meusel to plate — Lou Gehrig was up after that.

Ruth decided to try to force action and took off, and was thrown out by catcher Bob O’Farrell. It was only time a World Series ended with a caught stealing.

1947 WORLD SERIES GAME 4, NEW YORK YANKEES AT BROOKLYN DODGERS

Bill Bevens went 7-13 for Yankees in final season of a brief major league career, n got start at Ebbets Field. In biggest game of his life, he was all over place, walking a record 10 batters.

But he was effectively wild, too. Because with two outs in bottom of ninth inning, Bevens was somehow still pitching a -hitter and holding a 2-1 lead. That’s when aging, popular Dodgers All-Star Cookie Lavtto stepped up and launched a double off right field wall, scoring two runs and ending Bevens’ bid for a most unlikely -hitter.

It was Lavtto’s last hit as a big leaguer and tied Series at 2-all. Bevens pitched just once more in majors, tossing shutout relief in Game 7 as Yankees won ar title.

1986 WORLD SERIES GAME 6, BOSTON RED SOX AT NEW YORK METS

Precisely 34 years before Dodgers’ double miscue Saturday night, Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner let Mookie Wilson’s 10th-inning grounder roll between his legs in baseball’s most well-kwn blunder.

error came after Boston scored twice in top of inning, only to let New York tie it on Ray Knight’s RBI single and a wild pitch by Bob Stanley. score was ktted at 5 when Buckner let Wilson’s dribbler go by, bringing winning run around and setting st for Mets’ Game 7 victory.

Red Sox — at time still plagued by Curse of Bambi — didn’t win a World Series until 2004.

2013 WORLD SERIES GAME 3, BOSTON RED SOX AT ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Allen Craig scored winning run for St. Louis without ever touching home plate after umpire Jim Joyce ruled Craig was obstructed by third baseman Will Middlebrooks.

game was tied at 4 with one out in bottom of ninth when second baseman Dustin Pedroia dived for a grounder and threw out Yadier Molina trying to score from third. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia n fired wildly trying to catch Craig at third, and Middlebrooks tripped Craig after trying to catch ball. Craig scampered home and appeared to be thrown out before eir side realized Joyce had made obstruction call.

win put St. Louis up 2-1 in Series, but Boston won next three games for ir third championship in a 10-year span.

2016 WORLD SERIES GAME 7, CHICAGO CUBS AT CLEVELAND INDIANS

Before Cubs could end ir 108-year title drought, y had to wait out a 17-minute rain delay.

Chicago led 6-3 when All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman entered with two outs in eighth inning. Brandon Guyer greeted him with an RBI double and Rajai Davis followed with a stunning two-run shot to tie it.

Both teams went scoreless in ninth, and grounds crew rolled out tarp before y could begin 10th. Jason Heyward delivered a fiery speech to his Cubs teammates during delay, and y responded with two runs when play resumed.

Cleveland threatened in bottom of 10th, with Davis driving home a run to cut deficit to 8-7, but Michael Martinez n grounded out to third baseman Kris Bryant to end game — and decades of woe for fans on Chicago’s rth Side.

Im credits: AP