The Real Reasons Behind the 10 Biggest Collapses in Baseball History

The 2012 MLB Postseason is upon us. However, before the Divisional match-ups could take place, the Wild Card spots needed to be filled out through the newly-implemented one-game playoff showdown. In the American League, the Texas Rangers were eliminated last night by the Baltimore Orioles, 5-1, which completed Texas' epic collapse from a comfortable lead in the AL West standings to a no show during October baseball.

As the entire Rangers team and their fans now realize, no lead is really safe. On June 30th, the AL West champion Oakland Athletics were down by 13 games in the division when they surged to within two with a three-game series against the Rangers on the horizon. The A's went on to sweep a struggling Texas team that eventually missed out on their dream of competing in October. As a result, the Rangers' postseason ambitions are history and the meltdown that led to this moment is now in the history books as one of the worst to ever happen in the majors.

And with every epic fallout, there needs to be a scapegoat that deserves the finger. No, not that one. Well, kinda. So, to commemorate the Rangers fallout, we take a look at the athlete, concession snacks and even animals truly responsible for the most tragic flops in MLB regular season history in the Real Reasons behind the 10 Biggest Collapses in Baseball History.

RELATED: The 25 Biggest Fails in MLB Playoff History

Who's to Blame? The fried chicken, beer and video games

If you know anything about the life of a starting pitcher than you gotta realize that these guys get a lot of downtime. By throwing every 5th game, starters are forced to make up activities, prank teammates and perform the infamous gum on the hat prank when a player isn't looking.

In 2011, Red Sox starters Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and John Lackey used their time off by taking part in other areas of interest, like playing video games, eating fried chicken, and drinking beer in the clubhouse and dugout during games. After the Sox completed their collapse when the Tampa Bay Rays came storming back from a 9-game deficit in the Wild Card standings, Boston looked around for reasons for their downfall and the team looked no further than the deadly combination of chicken wings, beer and video games.

Who's to Blame? Pitcher Craig Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel may have won the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year, but we're sure he would trade his hardware for another opportunity to redeem himself. Going into a late-season match-up against the Cardinals, Kimbrel was putting together some impressive numbers, which included 25 straight converted saves and a 37 2/3 scoreless innings streak. It all came to an end when the Cardinals' Albert Pujols ripped a two-run double to tie the game up. Surprisingly, that same team would eventually supplant them in the Wild Card standings. Later in the season, the Braves closer came in to finish out another game, but his bad luck rubbed off on teammate Chipper Jones, who lost the ball in the lights and allowed the tying run to cross the plate. The collapse continued until that fateful one-game playoff when the Braves were officially out of contention.

Who's to Blame? Pitcher Ralph Branca

In a three-game playoff against the New York Giants, the Brooklyn Dodgers split the first two games and held a comfortable 4-1 lead going into the 9th inning. But with the game-winning run at the plate in Bobby Thomson, the Dodgers called on Ralph Branca to close the door. A surprising choice from the manager since Branca had already lost Game 1 of the series after giving up a home run to Thomson. If you've ever heard of the "Shot Heard 'round the World," then you should know how this game ended. Thomson hit a three-run homer and the Giants defeated Brooklyn.

Who's to Blame? Tom Glavine

Going into the final game of the 2007 season, the task was simple for the New York Mets: win and you're in. After such a masterful performance out of Johan Santana the day before, the dependable Tom Glavine was asked to give the pitching performance of his life. Instead, Glavine buried the Mets' chances of victory before they even took their first at-bat. After giving up 7 runs in 1/3 of an inning, Glavine was pulled and New York was never able to recover from the daunting deficit.

Who's to Blame? James Hugh Joseph Tate

There were only 12 games left. The Philadelphia Phillies were holding onto a comfortable 6½ game lead in the National League. At the time, the Phils were returning from a road game on the West Coast when James Hugh Joseph Tate, Philadelphia's mayor at the time, showed up with thousands of fans to celebrate their eventual 1964 playoff appearance...or at least, that's what they thought. Later that day, the Phillies lost a heartbreaker to the Reds, 1-0, after Chico Ruiz scored the game's lone run on a steal of home. They had to realize they weren't on the right side of luck after that play. Eventually, the "Phold" was born.

Who's to Blame? The Entire Team

If the 2012 Yankees didn't make the playoffs, their road would have looked very similar to that of the 1995 California Angels. On August 15, the Angels were maintaining a great pace and won 25-8 after the All-Star Break. With a remarkable 64-38 record, the Angels looked like the best team in the majors. Then, out of nowhere, the wheels came off.

In a matter of five weeks, the Angels relinquished their 10½ game lead and were forced to play a one-game playoff against the Mariners, which they lost convincingly, 9-1. It's hard to pinpoint who is to blame for such a dramatic fallout, so the finger needs to be pointed at the entire team for not bearing down and allowing things to get so far out of hand.

Who's to Blame? The New York Yankees

In 1978, Boston's playoff hopes were single-handedly crushed by the Yankees. After they were swept by New York in a four-game series, the Red Sox were playing catch up, now that they were down by 3 1/2 games in the standings. Eventually, the Red Sox won 12 of their last 14 and forced a one-game playoff against the Yankees at Fenway Park. In the 7th inning, the legend (or hatred) of Bucky Dent was born after the shortstop hit a three-run homer to give New York the 3-2 lead. The Yanks would hold on to defeat the Sox, 5-4. To add insult to injury, the Yankees went on to win the World Series that year. Ouch.

Who's to Blame? Miguel Cabrera

The Detroit Tigers needed to win two out of three against the White Sox to avoid a monumental collapse. In preparation for the huge upcoming series, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera hit up a bar with a player from Chicago. Wait, what?

Anyway, Cabrera went home and got into a fight with his wife after spending the entire night of drinking. When he returned to Comerica Park that morning, Miggy had scratches on his face, which he said were from his dog. It was later discovered that he had a blood alcohol level of .26, three times the legal limit. Combine that with his 0 for 11 stint at the plate towards the end of the season and you got all the makings of a collapse scapegoat.

Who's to Blame? Detroit Tigers

Similar to that of Red Sox and their 1978 collapse, the fate of the Toronto Blue Jays postseason hopes were held by their rival, the Detroit Tigers. But unlike Boston's situation, the Jays had a chance to reverse their losing outcome if they could've just won one game over the Tigers. One game! However, Detroit came away with the sweep and Toronto was forced to watch the playoffs from home.

Who's to Blame? A Black Cat

Baseball players are a superstitious bunch. They have a set way of going about things, so don't question or disturb it. If you know someone or just so happen to be the person who believes in superstitions, you could imagine the stigma towards black cats.

On September 8th, the Chicago Cubs were facing the Mets at Shea Stadium when, out of nowhere, a black cat went behind the Cubs on-deck circle where captain Ron Santo was standing. Now, if you're unfamiliar with the superstition, it's believed to be bad luck if a black cat crosses your path. At this point, you probably have your doubts but after losing both games at Shea Stadium, the Cubs, who were holding onto a half game lead over the Mets, lost two in a row to the 99-loss Phillies. Chicago's losing streak was extended to eight games, New York overtook them in the standings and never looked back.

Sidebar: Was that cat ever given a name? If not, wouldn't "Jinxy" be apropos?