7 Fake Things About Baseball

With a century-plus of history, plenty of myths have sprung up around both the on-field and off-field world of baseball. Some of them are true. But many of them should be filed under fake things about baseball.

We’re not talking about whether Babe Ruth called his shot in the 1932 World Series, which may never get completely proven one way or the other (even though the late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said it happened).

No, these are things that are demonstrably fake things about baseball. Yet these legendary baseball myths persist.

Legendary Baseball Myths That Are Not True

The following seven legendary baseball myths refuse to die, even with all the facts lined up against them. They rank among the fake things about baseball.

1: Carlton Fisk Hit Biggest Home Run in 1975 World Series

Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk is credited with saving the team’s season in 1975 (for one game, anyway) when he hit a walk-off home run in Game 6 of World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The Red Sox went on to lose the World Series in Game 7, but Fisk’s home run is certainly huge, especially because of the dramatic video of Fisk waving the ball fair. But another Red Sox player might have hit a more clutch home run just four innings earlier, and in a more dire situation. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Bernie Carbo hit a three-run homer to tie the game. While Fisk came to bat with no one out in 12^th, Carbo hit his home run with two outs in the inning, two strikes in the pitch count and his team behind by three. Fisk’s home run is legendary, but Carbo’s is arguably the more clutch dinger of that series.

2: Jackie Robinson Was The First Black Baseball Player

Jackie Robinson broke the so-called “color barrier” in baseball for good when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting in 1947. But the first Black player in baseball was Moses Fleetwood Walker, who played one season for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884. He hit .263 and scored 23 runs in 42 games. Unfortunately, no other Black player stepped onto an MLB diamond until Robinson, 63 years later. For that reason alone, it’s worth remembering Walker.

Who Was Moses Fleetwood Walker?

3: Wade Boggs Drank 64 Beers On a Flight

Rumors have circulated for years that Wade Boggs, the former Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays player, drank 64 beers on a cross-country flight. He finally was asked about it on the “Pardon the Interruption” sports show, and he denied it. Or, at least, the part about it being 64 beers. “It was a few Miller Lites,” he said. He also said that “you get bored on a flight going from Boston to L.A., so you got to spend the time doing something” and “it’s nothing to brag about.”

4: There’s Little Action in Baseball

Baseball has about 25 minutes of time where the ball is in play. The NFL has 12. So, there’s twice as much action in a baseball game. Not to mention the fact that every pitch in a baseball game represents a terrifying moment where all can be lost for one team (usually the defense) and a euphoric moment of possibility for the other (usually the offense). Even those who know the game just a little will feel the tension as the innings progress, especially in big games.

5: MLB Is Less Competitive Than the NFL

In the first two decades of the new century, 13 different NFL teams won the championship. In MLB, 14 different teams won the championship. That’s a tossup, with a slight edge to baseball. What that also shows is that big money teams don’t always win the championship. Smart teams with great players win the championship.

6: Bill Buckner Cost Boston the 1986 World Series

He simply didn’t. The Red Sox managed to lose that series against the New York Mets in many heartbreaking ways, including the runs allowed by relievers in Game 6 (the game of Buckner’s error) and blowing a 3-0 lead in Game 7. The loss was a team effort. Yet for years, Buckner took the brunt of the blame.

7: Steve Bartman Kept the Cubs Out of 2003 World Series

Bartman became the focus of fan anger when he attempted to catch a ball while sitting in the stands at Wrigley Field during the National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. Cubs outfielder Moises Alou thought he could have caught the ball. At the time, the Cubs stood just five outs away from making the World Series. But the only people to blame for the Cubs’ loss are the Cubs’ players. Credit also goes to the Marlins, who were a great team of young future stars. The Cubs allowed a stunning eight runs after that play. There were also two walks, a wild pitch and an error by Alex Gonzalez that likely cost the Cubs an inning-ending double play. The Cubs also played Game 7 at home and lost.

These are some, but certainly not all, of the legendary baseball myths that will not die. Baseball is a great game that inspires many stories. It’s just that some of them are quite true.

History of the Jackie Robinson All-Stars