Baseball error cards offer a unique look at some of the worst defensive plays and fielding blunders throughout history. While no player wants an error ascribed to their name, these cards serve as a reminder of the fallibility even of the game’s greatest talents. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most memorable and egregious baseball errors ever committed, as captured on specialized baseball cards.
One of the earliest and most notorious error cards is the 1982 Topps Bill Buckner error card. In game 6 of the 1986 World Series, with the Boston Red Sox up 3 games to 2 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Mets first baseman Ray Knight hit a ground ball that trickled between Buckner’s legs, allowing the winning run to score in one of the most devastating playoff losses in baseball history. The Topps error card served as a reminder of Buckner’s most infamous blunder, tragic given his excellent career fielding numbers. To this day it remains one of the highest selling error cards ever produced.
Another error that spawned its own card was Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark McGwire’s mishap in the 1987 American League Championship Series. With the score tied 1-1 in the top of the 9th, McGwire misplayed a tailor-made double play ball allowing two runs to score, essentially losing the game for Oakland. The Topps error card shows McGwire lunging unsuccessfully for the ball as Detroit Tiger players round the bases. While McGwire went on to have a Hall of Fame career, this remains one of the most conspicuous postseason fielding gaffes in recent memory.
In the late 1980s and 90s, error cards became more prevalent as manufacturers like Fleer and Score joined Topps in capitalizing on memorable miscues. One of Fleer’s most famous error cards was dedicated to Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg’s 1990 blunder against the St. Louis Cardinals. With Stan Javier on first, Ozzie Smith hit a ground ball between Sandberg’s legs, scoring Javier from first. The error proved extremely costly as the Cubs went on to lose 4-3. Sandberg, a surefire Hall of Famer known more for his glove than any lapses, likely wished this error had never been memorialized on card stock.
With the advent of sports highlight shows in the 1990s, spectacular fielding bloops gained even greater notoriety. Error cards started depicting miscues from all over the diamond. In 1993, Donruss issued a card showcasing Cleveland Indians third baseman Carlos Baerga’s gaffe against the Toronto Blue Jays. With two outs in the top of the 9th of a tie game, Baerga dropped an easy pop fly, allowing the winning run to score in yet another crushing playoff defeat. Further cementing its infamy, the play was shown endlessly on highlight reels andBaseball Tonight for weeks.
Many legendary players who excelled defensively for decades still have notorious error cards. For example, Ozzie Smith, a 15-time Gold Glover at shortstop, has multiple miscue cards including one from 1991 Topps where he missed an easy ground ball against the Montreal Expos. Similarly, Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt has an error card from 1984 Donruss where he booted an easy grounder during a rare defensive lapse in an important Phillies-Mets game. Even the greatest to ever play the hot corner were not immune to the occasional fielding failure, as evidenced by these tribute cards to their all-too-human errors.
While the aforementioned stars all had careers defined more by excellence than mistakes, certain players became almost synonymous with fielding blunders through their error cards. Perhaps none more than errors mainstay Scott Fletcher, who played 12 MLB seasons mostly with the Chicago White Sox. Fletcher seemingly has more error tribute cards than defensive highlights, capturing everything from overthrows to missed tags to botched double play turns. His porous fielding made him a favorite target of error card manufacturers seeking to capitalize on memorable miscues.
In the modern era, several noteworthy error cards continue to be produced. In 2009, longtime defensive stalwart Derek Jeter had a shocking three-error game against the Tampa Bay Rays, committing multiple miscues on one play alone. This set off a frenzy of special Jeter error cards from manufacturers like Topps and Upper Deck eager to commemorate possibly the shortstop’s worst defensive performance ever. More recently, a 2017 Topps Now card captured Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s critical fielding boot against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, a miscue that helped propel LA to yet another World Series berth.
While no player aspires to an error card, these specialized subsets serve as entertaining reminders of fallible human moments even from the surest of gloves. They preserve historically bad defensive performances for fans and collectors to marvel at decades later. Whether highlighting singular gaffes or perpetuating goats of fielding futility, baseball error cards add an amusing wrinkle to the extensive cardboard collections treasured by generations of baseball memorabilia aficionados.
