Now that the New York Mets have lost the 2015 World Series, second baseman Daniel Murphy is likely to join the following list after his critical eighth-inning error in Game 4 led to three Kansas City Royals runs and dropped the Mets into a 3-1 hole. (Murphy's 12th-inning error in the deciding Game 5 the next night doesn't help his cause, either.)
In the meantime, in the 112-year history of the Fall Classic, here are the top 25 goats, rated largely on the impact of their misdeeds. The list includes some of the game's biggest names, many of them considered heroes as well. But just as their greatest moments are etched in our memories, their transgressions should not be ignored either.
1. Bill Buckner (1986)
One strike away from ending a 57-year title drought. A two-run lead. Champagne on ice in the Red Sox clubhouse. Then single, single, single and the game is suddenly tied. But all is not lost ... until Mookie Wilson's bouncer finds its way through Buckner's legs and into right field to cap the New York Mets' improbable Game 6 comeback and prolong Boston's agony.
2. Mariano Rivera (2001)
Three outs from the New York Yankees' fourth consecutive Series title, the game's greatest-ever closer couldn't finish the job. Rivera made a throwing error, hit a batter and gave up three hits, including Luis Gonzalez's soft single over a drawn-in infield as the Arizona Diamondbacks won the title.
3. Roger Peckinpaugh (1925)
The Washington Senators shortstop was considered one of the finest defensive shortstops of his era. Yet he committed a World Series-record eight errors, with two coming in Game 7, leading to four unearned runs and a championship for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
4. Mitch Williams (1993)
Called in to preserve a 6-5 lead in Game 5, the Philadelphia Phillies' unpredictably erratic closer instead gave up a three-run, Series-clinching home run to Joe Carter.
5. George Frazier (1981)
The Yankees' reliever joined Lefty Williams of the 1919 Black Sox as the only pitchers to lose three games in a Fall Classic. His ERA was 17.18.
6. Neftali Feliz (2011)
The young closer had the Texas Rangers within one strike (twice) of their first World Series title, yet the St. Louis Cardinals rallied for two runs in the ninth to tie Game 6 and send it into extra innings, where they won on David Freese's walk-off homer.
7. Fred Snodgrass (1912)
In the decisive Game 8, the center fielder dropped a routine flyball that led to two unearned runs in the bottom of the 10th as the New York Giants lost the series.
8. Jose Mesa (1997)
The Cleveland Indians were three outs from their first Series title since 1948, but Mesa couldn't hold a 2-1 lead in the ninth, giving up a run on Craig Counsell's sacfrice fly. The Florida Marlins then won in the 11th on Edgar Renteria's RBI single.
9. Babe Ruth (1926)
Representing the tying run with two outs and Bob Meusel at the plate against the Cardinals' Pete Alexander, the Babe was thrown out trying to steal second base to end Game 7.
10. Don Denkinger (1985)
In Game 6, the umpire's blatant missed call on Jorge Orta's infield single helped the Kansas City Royals score twice and beat the Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth.
11. Lonnie Smith (1991)
Smith's Game 7 baserunning blunder on Terry Pendleton's double -- he got deked by Chuck Knoblauch and held up at third -- prevented the Atlanta Braves from scoring the run that could have won them the Series.
12. Curt Flood (1968)
With Mickey Lolich and Bob Gibson locked in a scoreless duel in the seventh inning of Game 7, the Cardinals' center fielder -- a seven-time Gold Glove winner -- misjudged Jim Northrup's deep flyball, which sailed over his head for a two-run triple as the Tigers won the game and series.
13. Gil Hodges (1952)
After being the Brooklyn Dodgers' top slugger during the season, he went 0-for-21 in the series as they lost to the Yankees in seven games.
14. Calvin Schiraldi (1986)
Sure, Buckner made the mother of all errors, but the Red Sox reliever lost both Game 6 AND Game 7, giving up six earned runs in three innings.
15. Ralph Terry (1960)
Sometimes, one pitch is all it takes. And in Terry's case, he surrendered the Series-clinching home run to Bill Mazeroski, who had the lowest slugging percentage of every Pirates regular that season.
16. Bucky Harris (1925)
The Senators' manager inexplicably left a tired and ineffective Walter Johnson in Game 7 as the Pirates rallied to win the game and the championship.
17. Dennis Eckersley (1988)
The game's most dominant closer at the time, Eckersley threw a two-strike, backdoor slider to the gimpy-kneed Kirk Gibson, who sent it into the right-field seats for a Series-defining walk-off homer in Game 1.
18. Jack Bentley (1924)
The Giants' pitcher gave up two walk-off hits, including Earl McNeely's bad-hop double that won the Series for the Senators in Game 7.
19. Livan Hernandez (2002)
Starting two games for the Giants, including Game 7, Hernandez lost both and never made it past the fourth inning in either one. Overall, he gave up nine earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
20. Aaron Ward (1921)
With the Yankees down 1-0 in the ninth of Game 8, Ward tried to advance from first to third base on an infield groundout and was thrown out to complete a Series-ending 6-3-5 double play.
21. Ted Williams (1946)
Johnny Pesky usually gets a bad rap for his double-clutch on Enos Slaughter's mad dash, but the game's greatest hitter, in his one and only Fall Classic, was a dud at the plate, hitting .200 with no RBIs or extra-base hits.
22. Mickey Owen (1941)
On what would have been the final out of Game 4, the Dodgers' catcher allowed a passed ball on a strikeout to Tommy Henrich, who reached first base; the Yankees went on to score four runs and win 7-4.
23. Hack Wilson (1929)
The Chicago Cubs' stumpy center fielder lost not one, but two balls in the sun as the A's, down 8-0 in the seventh, scored 10 runs in the frame to win Game 4 and take control of the series.
24. Willie Davis (1966)
Davis set an infamous Series record for one inning when he committed three errors on consecutive plays in the fifth inning of Game 2. And he also went 1-for-16 at the plate as the Dodgers got swept by the Baltimore Orioles.
25. Mark Wohlers (1996)
With a 6-3 lead in Game 4, the Braves had a chance to go up 3-1 against the Yankees, but Wohlers surrendered a three-run, pinch-hit home run to Jim Leyritz that tied the game. The Yankees won in the 10th and then the next two games
Dishonorable mentions: Honus Wagner (1903); Ty Cobb (1907); Ernie Lombardi (1939); Johnny Pesky (1946); Bob Lemon (1954); Dal Maxvill (1968); Tony Perez (1970); Willie Wilson (1980); Dave Winfield (1981); Mike Schmidt (1983); John McNamara (1986); Jose Canseco (1988); Jeff Reardon (1992); Byung-Hyun Kim (2001); Evan Longoria (2008); Ryan Howard (2009); Vladimir Guerrero (2010); Mark Lowe (2011); Prince Fielder (2012); Kolten Wong (2013).