Rank the Collapse

My friend PK asks:

“Where does the Mets loss ranks in terms of MLB collapses?

 

I mean, I don't think it's fair to compare these sorta collapses with playoff series like the '04 Yankees or the '86 Angels.

 

But I think there's a separate category for regular season collapses that we should consider. And several jump out, Obviously, as contenders, the '64 Phillies, the '69 Cubs, the '78 Red Sox, the '51 Dodgers and, now, the '07 Mets.

 

I think, certainly, we can say that in the 21st-century-style MLB -- with 4 teams from each league making the playoffs -- this is the worst collapse of this era. Now, compared to the others, it may be considered The Worst Ever simply because they didn't just lose the division, they fell completely out of the playoffs. The Phillies went from 1st place in the NL in '64 to a tie for 2nd place, 1 game off the Cards. The Brooklyn Dodgers collapsed, sure, but they actually ended the season tied for 1st and lost out in a really hard-fought game in the bottom of the 9th to one of the single most dramatic plays in the game's history.

 

The '78 Red Sox may be the only comparable thing, but it was longer and slower, a 2-month slow motion free-fall as opposed to the complete implosion that occurred in half a month for the Mets. And of course the Sox did manage to tie the Yanks and, like the '51 Dodgers, lost in the divisional playoff game to one of the more dramatic HR's ever (Bucky Dent).

 

This collapse was sooo spectacular, so pathetic, I'm not sure anything compares.”