Put Your Rally Caps On: The Biggest Comeback In MLB History

• Score: Cleveland Indians 15 - Seattle Mariners 14
• Date: August 5th, 2001

The biggest comeback in MLB history occurred on August 5th, 2001, when the Cleveland Indians came back from a 12-run deficit to beat the Seattle Mariners 15-14 in extra innings.

In that game, the Mariners had a 14-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Indians scored seven runs in the seventh, four runs in the eighth, and one run in the ninth to tie the game at 14-14.

The game went into extra innings, and in the top of the 11th inning, Jolbert Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly to score Kenny Lofton, giving the Indians the lead and ultimately the win. This incredible comeback set the record for the largest deficit overcome in a game in MLB history.

• Score: Philadelphia Athletics 17 - Cleveland Indians 15
• Date: June 15th, 1925

On June 15, 1925, the Philadelphia Athletics staged one of the greatest comebacks in MLB history against the Cleveland Indians. The game started off well for Cleveland, who scored five runs in the first inning and added four more in the second to take a 9-0 lead. The Indians continued to score throughout the game and by the bottom of the seventh inning, they held a seemingly insurmountable 15-4 lead over the Athletics.

The Athletics did the unthinkable in the bottom of the 8th and put together one of the greatest rallies in MLB history, ripping off 13 runs in the inning. This gave them a 17-15 lead and capped off one of the greatest comebacks ever.

• Score: Detroit Tigers 16 - Chicago White Sox 15
• Date: June 18th, 1911

On July 4, 1911, the Detroit Tigers staged an incredible comeback against the Chicago White Sox. The game was played at Navin Field in Detroit, and the White Sox got off to a hot start, scoring eight runs in the first inning and adding two more in the second to take a commanding 10-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the score still 10-8 in favor of the White Sox, the Tigers mounted their final comeback, loading the bases with one out, and hitting consecutive singles to tie the game at 10-10. With the bases still loaded, Tigers catcher Oscar Stanage hit a single to right field, scoring the winning run and completing the comeback.

• Score: Boston Red Sox 8 - Tampa Bay Rays 7
• Date: October 16th, 2008

On October 16, 2008, the Boston Red Sox staged a wild comeback against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. The game was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Rays got off to a quick start, taking a 5-0 lead that ballooned to 7-0 by the seventh inning.

The Red Sox began their comeback in the bottom of the seventh, scoring four runs to reduce the deficit to three. They backed that up with a 3-run bottom of the eighth before scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the 9th.

This may not be the biggest comeback in terms of literal runs, but this game held more meaning than maybe any other on this list. Completing a comeback of this magnitude amidst a playoff run surely puts this game on the list of greatest MLB comebacks.