Baseball has been played professionally for more than 120 years and has since developed a rich history of strange events and unusual moments. One of the strangest things that can happen during a baseball game is to lose the right. A turnover is an obscure rule, implemented whenever the referees determine that it is no longer safe for players to be on the field. Lost baseball games are rare, and many of the game’s most memorable moments have been the result of them. Since 1970, there have only been five DNFs in Major League Baseball.
September 30, 1971 During the last game before the Washington Senators moved to Texas to become the Rangers, angry fans stormed the field during the ninth inning of a game against the Yankees. Fans tore up grass and knocked down seats. Security tried to restore order, but after a while, the crowd became too large to contain.
June 4, 1971 The Cleveland Indians ran a promotion called 10 Cent Beer Night. The idea was to lure people into the stadium by offering cheap alcohol, but what the promoters didn’t plan for was thousands of drunken and rowdy fans trashing the venue. In the bottom of the ninth inning against Texas, two fans jumped over the outfield wall and began assaulting Rangers outfielder Jeff Burroughs. This made the crowd nervous and a riot soon broke out resulting in the referees declaring a loss.
September 15, 1977 Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver was ejected from the game by a referee in a game against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Weaver claimed his players were in danger from an oddly placed tarp in the bullpen. Weaver was insulted at being sent off and refused to let his team play again. The umpires had no choice but to award the game to the Blue Jays.
July 12, 1979 The most famous lost game was Disco Demolition Night. A Chicago radio station infamous for being critical of disco teamed up with the owner of the Chicago White Sox for a promotion in which thousands of albums would explode on the field. Fans were offered free admission if they brought in a disco album to blow up. The promotion was a great success and thousands of people had to be rejected. When it was time to blow up the albums, a giant pile was set up on the field and a large amount of dynamite placed around it. The explosion left a giant hole in the grass and everyone who was denied entry began to climb into the stadium. A riot broke out and thousands of people celebrated and trashed the stadium before a baseball could even be played.
August 10, 1995 The Los Angeles Dodgers gave away free baseballs with a photo of outfielder Raúl Mondesi printed on them. In the ninth inning of a close game, Mondesi was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. The fans became very upset with the ejection and started throwing baseballs onto the field. The referees had no choice but to declare a loss when the fans did not stop. MLB soon banned clubs from giving away anything that could easily be thrown onto the field.
