Darkest Days in Baseball History
Days to Forget
Roger Clemens' appearance in Congress Wednesday was one of the worst moments in baseball history. Find out where it ranks as we count down the 15 darkest days the national pastime has ever seen.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
15. Oct. 8, 1957
Dodgers Bolt Brooklyn
Two years after the Dodgers won their first World Series title, owner Walter O'Malley announces he's moving the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Ebbets Field, which becomes a symbol of a lost era, is demolished three years later.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
14. March 17, 2005
Palmeiro's Congressional Point
Five players testify in the first Congressional panel on steroids. While Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire dodge questions about drug use Rafael Palmeiro states "I have never used steroids, period." Less than five months later, he fails a drug test.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
13. Aug. 7, 2007
Bonds Breaks Hank's Record
Barry Bonds breaks the most hallowed record in sports, hitting his 756th home run to pass Hank Aaron on the all-time list. Because of Bonds' surliness and his alleged steroid use, fans outside of San Francisco take little joy in the historic moment.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
12. July 4, 1939
Iron Horse Says Goodbye
Lou Gehrig bids adieu to the fans at Yankee Stadium after being diagnosed with ALS. Though Gehrig's message is positive ("I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth"), it's a heartbreaking farewell. Two years later, Gehrig passes away.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
11. Sept. 13, 1985
Pittsburgh Drug Trials
Before steroids were the drug of choice, Pirates star Dave Parker and 12 other major leaguers are witnesses in a Pittsburgh grand jury's drug probe. Testimony reveals a culture of cocaine and amphetamine abuse in major league clubhouses.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
10. Feb. 13, 2008
Rocket Goes to Washington
Roger Clemens makes his last stand. The greatest pitcher of the modern era testifies under oath that he has never taken steroids or HGH, directly contradicting the Mitchell Report. Clemens does little to save his reputation.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
9. Jan. 28, 1959
Campanella Paralyzed
One of the greatest catchers ever and a key cog for the Dodgers in the 1950s, Roy Campanella, center, has his Hall of Fame career cut short when he's paralyzed from the chest down in a car accident on Long Island, N.Y.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
8. Aug. 16, 1920
Chapman Killed by Pitch
Carl Mays lets one get away with fatal consequences. Mays hits star Indians infielder Ray Chapman in the head with a stray pitch. Chapman dies 12 hours later in a New York hospital and to this day remains the only player killed in game action.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
7. Aug. 2, 1979
Yankees Lose Heart and Soul
Thurman Munson, the heart and soul of the Yankees' late-1970s dynasty team, dies in a plane crash while taking flying lessons. Munson, just 32, was hoping to get his pilot's license so he could fly home and visit his family on off days.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
6. Aug. 24, 1989
Rose Banned for Life
All-time hits leader Pete Rose is banned from baseball for life for gambling on games while he was manager of the Reds. The Dowd Report details his trangressions, including the revelation that he gambled on his own team.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
5. Dec. 31, 1972
Clemente Killed in Crash
Roberto Clemente, one of the first Latin players to attain stardom in the majors, is killed in a plane crash while trying to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Clemente's body was never recovered.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
4. Sept. 14, 1994
Strike Cancels World Series
Baseball is no stranger to labor strife, but work stoppages in 1972 and 1981 didn't stop the crowning of a champ. With no end to the 1994 strike in sight, Bud Selig is forced to cancel the Fall Classic. The dispute isn't resolved until next April.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
3. Dec. 13, 2007
Mitchell Exposes Steroid Era
Sen. George Mitchell releases his report on the steroid era. MLB's lead investigator identifies 86 players who allegedly used performance-enhancing drugs and writes that "everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades" is to blame.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
2. May 28, 1916
'Gentlemen's Agreement' Set
Though blacks were systematically excluded from the pros starting in the 1880s, some still played sporadically. Jimmy Claxton was the last such player, pitching in one game in the PCL. 31 years later Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier for good.
Darkest Days in Baseball History
1. Aug. 4, 1921
'Say It Ain't So, Joe'
After being acquitted of throwing the 1919 World Series in court, the eight White Sox players who conspired to fix the series are banned for life by newly appointed commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
