Rays' rally joins Buckner, Bevens among wild Series endings

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — It was improbable enough that light-hitting journeyman Brett Phillips would connect for Tampa Bay against Dodgers All-Star closer Kenley Jansen.

What followed was outright inconceivable.

Phillips’ tying single with two outs in the ninth inning turned into a game-ending hit when the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped the ball twice, allowing Randy Arozarena to stumble home as the winning run in the Rays’ 8-7 victory in World Series Game 4 on Saturday night.

It was undoubtedly one of the wildest endings in World Series history. Arozarena tripped and fell on his way home and had begun retreating to third when catcher Will Smith misplayed a relay feed. Arozarena about-faced and dived toward home, pounding on the plate with a big smile while Phillips burst into tears in the outfield.

“Man, baseball is fun,” Phillips said.

Walk-off homers are one thing — think Kirk Gibson, Carlton Fisk and Bill Mazeroski, among many others. But a finish this wacky has only a few precedents in World Series history.

Some more memorable, unimaginable endings from Series past:

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1926 WORLD SERIES GAME 7, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS AT NEW YORK YANKEES

Babe Ruth was already the most fearsome slugger baseball had ever seen when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, his mighty Yankees trailing the Cardinals 3-2.

With two outs, Hall of Famer pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander took no chances and walked Ruth, bringing cleanup man Bob Meusel to the plate — Lou Gehrig was up after that.

Ruth decided to try to force the action and took off, and was thrown out by catcher Bob O’Farrell. It was the only time a World Series ended with a caught stealing.

1947 WORLD SERIES GAME 4, NEW YORK YANKEES AT BROOKLYN DODGERS

Bill Bevens went 7-13 for the Yankees in...

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