As we come upon the end of the year and begin to look back at the incredible Major League season, we find ourselves staring at a … fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man or even the scorekeeper. This dimension, as vast as the Rockies outfield and as timeless as a rain delay, sits between analytics and tradition, between a ballplayer’s true ability and the kind of everyday clumsiness that leads to coffee spills on the front of a brand new shirt.
This is the dimension of goofs, gaffes and whoopsies. It’s an area which we call The Blooper Zone.
It’s time to count down the 13 absolute strangest, weirdest and most wild displays of athleticism that 2025 had.
Let’s begin where even normal baseball physics no longer hold true …
13. The foul-fair hit
How often have you seen a batter hit a ball down the line -- a sure single -- only for it to hook at the last moment, becoming a harmless foul ball? (A play that once was legal, letting Ross Barnes become the king of the fair-foul hit!) When Nico Hoerner dribbled this ball down the first-base line, he wisely assumed it was simply a softly struck strike. Instead, first baseman Tim Elko pulled a Doctor Strange and magically got the ball to roll into fair territory. Easiest out he'll ever turn.
12. The Peskiest pole
Fenway Park's Pesky Pole, that 302-foot Major League oddity, already stands alone. A bizarre outcropping that creates the shortest, strangest home runs in baseball played a big part in the 2025 season, helping Cedanne Rafaela to the shortest walk-off home run in history.
But Trevor Story's "blast" on Sept. 1 against the Guardians confused nearly everyone involved on the play. Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel chased the ball down, gloved it, had it clang off the foul pole, hit his glove again, knock into a fan and then hit the top of the wall. Was this a double? An out?
Nope. It was a home run.
“I was trying to catch the ball, and I felt like I ran into a kid,” Noel said. "I had it in my glove. But then when I hit the kid, that's when I felt the ball come out of the glove. How tough is this outfield? I got a little upset about that play, because I know, ‘OK, maybe the ruling was that way.’ But I don’t think it should have been a homer. Maybe a double because of the situation, but not a homer.”
11. A hard rain (and a hard ball) is gonna fall
Losing a ball in the sun or the stadium lights? Embarrassing, sure, but it happens. Losing the ball in a torrent of rain? A little less likely. Unfortunately, that happened to Rockies second baseman Thairo Estrada at the very worst time: With runners on second and third, the Dodgers' Max Muncy popped a ball up on the Coors Field infield as the skies let loose.
After calling for the ball, Estrada lost it among the rain, letting the ball drop on the infield and -- worst of all -- two runs to come home.
Suffice to say, Estrada is probably not going to match Marco Scutaro's enthusiasm for the weather.
10. Baseballs keep falling on my head
Sometimes, a blooper can be simple. Just give us the hits. For this one, it's namely two hits: First off the bat of Drew Waters, second off the skull of Chase Meidroth.
Perhaps the best part is the look of sheer dumbfounded confusion before Meidroth realizes what happens. This is like a cartoon character:
9. "There were only two outs, weren't there?"
You know that feeling, the one where you just closed your car door and realized the keys were now locked inside; the one where you arrive at the office and open your bag and remember that you left your laptop on the kitchen table? What if there were 30,000 people watching that little snafu?
I imagine that's what it must have been like for Giants outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee. During a breakout campaign that saw him inspire his own cheer squad, Lee's 2025 season was mostly filled with highlights. This wasn't one of them.
After making a catch against the Rockies' Hunter Goodman for the second out of the inning, Lee turned around, tossed the ball into the stands and -- as he noticed no one else moving -- realized he had miscounted.
This is a look that says, "I confidently knew there were two outs and I made that choice for my own personal and private reasons."
8. Have glove, will rob homers
Every baseball fan has surely dreamed of taking the field, glove in hand, and robbing a Major League star of a home run. You just don't want to do it during an event committed to celebrating, you know, home runs! Fortunately for Sam Musterer, the 17-year-old son of a Braves official scorer, who was shagging fly balls during this summer's Home Run Derby, he got to show off his ups at the wall and the judges still ruled that Junior Caminero's liner was a home run. No harm, no foul.
“I wasn’t quite aware of where I was on the fence,” Musterer told the Athletic. “I thought the fence was a little taller there. I kind of just reached up and grabbed it."
That does give me an idea, though: Could teams start stacking the deck in the outfield, hoping to rob dingers from rival ballplayers? Could add an interesting new element ...
7. A little post-retirement rust
Every day, in every big league ballpark, there are roughly a half-dozen balls hit into the stands where fans just absolutely boot it (estimated). We've all seen it: Home runs popping out of gloves, lazy fouls clanging off clumsy fingers. What about when there's a big leaguer sitting out there, though? Surely they're a little more skilled, right?
Turns out, the stars are just like us! After signing a one-day contract to officially retire as a Cubbie, Anthony Rizzo took in that afternoon's contest from the Wrigley Field bleachers. He was there when Moises Ballesteros hammered ball to center field for his first big league home run, the ball soaring almost directly to Rizzo. Instead of making the grab as he had done for so long as the Cubs' first baseman, Rizzo watched the ball bounce off his hands and into the crowd.
“He said that’s why he’s retired,” Ian Happ said. “He can’t catch them anymore."
6. Do you get anything for style points?
The only reason this play isn't higher on the list is that Daulton Varsho actually made the play. And the very best bloopers should always be a little embarrassing. Instead, Varsho -- racing back to snag a Jarren Duran fly ball -- pulled off something that we would more usually associate with trick shot compilations on YouTube.
And for that, he earns sixth place.
“I just stuck my glove out and somehow it went in,” Varsho said. “It was probably a really high percent probability of a catch and I made it look really hard.”
5. Walk the plank
It's never a good look when two outfielders converge on a single spot. It's even worse when the ball squirts by. And when one of those outfielders, trying to corral said baseball, tumbles onto his backside, well, let's just say there's a reason why Alexander Canario is on this list.
4. A Rube Goldbergian blooper
I can spend hours online watching Rube Goldberg devices, you know, those things where a marble knocks down a domino which starts a chain reaction of pulleys and levers eventually leading to something like a glass of water being poured? This may not be quite as excessive, but it still retains all the hallmarks of a decent "Three Stooges" routine.
To wit: Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera went to throw the ball back to the pitcher. Instead, it hit Nicky Lopez's bat, which then bounced off Lopez's head, knocking his helmet off.
3. Good Grief, Charlie Brown!
If you've ever read a "Peanuts" comic strip, you've seen it: Charlie Brown getting blown off the mound by a comebacker, hat and shoes soaring into the air. Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi decided to do his best impression against the Rangers' Sam Haggerty, losing his cap and glove before somersaulting on the infield grass.
Charles Schulz would applaud.
Looks pretty similar to me:
2. Down, set, yikes
It's a good thing that Tarik Skubal is a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, because I don't think many NFL teams are going to sign him for his long-snapping abilities.
When the Guardians' Angel Martínez laid down a bunt against the Tigers late in September, Skubal quickly raced in to grab the ball. With a speedy runner, Skubal had no choice but to make an extremely rare no-look, between-the-legs flip to the first baseman. Not knowing his own strength, Skubal sent the ball rolling down the first-base line and into foul territory.
1. I guess it's kind of a hidden ball trick?
And here we have it, the No. 1 blooper from the season. Tensions are always high when the Yankees and Mets square off each summer, and the players have to bring their very best. This time, Mets infielder Ronny Mauricio may have wanted it just a bit too much.
After fielding Brandon Nimmo's grounder, Jazz Chisholm Jr. threw to second hoping to get an inning-ending, 5-4 putout. Instead, his throw was high, forcing second baseman DJ LeMahieu to leap into the air. Mauricio thought the ball got away and got up to race to third base, but he only succeeded in running directly into LeMahieu's glove.
This is what disaster looks like:
