MLB Playoffs

There have been a lot of disputed and controversial calls in MLB playoff history.

From Jeffrey Maier to Steve Bartman, to balls called strikes and safe runners called out, there's controversial calls in every postseason. 

In this article, I'll recognize the most important and most controversial calls in MLB playoff history.

Begin Slideshow

As the Texas Rangers embark upon their inaugural trip to the World Series, many have become familiar with household names like Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero, Michael Young, and who can forget Cliff Lee. It was truly a team effort, and while the aforementioned "stars" of the team played a pivotal role in slaying the mighty Yankees, one needs to look deeper to understand how the Rangers pulled off what many have termed an upset.

Begin Slideshow

Just a day removed from the Yankees elimination, it isn’t hard to find a disappointed New Yorker. The beloved Yankees are done for the year, and their dreams of a second consecutive world championship are diminished.

As many love to do, we can sit here and talk about what could have happened and what should have happened. We can talk about the mistakes the Yankees made; we can talk about the Yankees lack of luck; we can talk, and talk and talk.

Let me start by saying congratulations to the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers are the ALCS Champions and well deserve to be just that after winning Game 6 against the New York Yankees, 6-1.

While Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers continues his somewhat surprising march toward baseball immortality, each of his subsequent dominant postseason starts helps him climb higher and higher toward the pinnacle of baseball's Mount Olympus.

Already, after only parts of two seasons performing on baseball's grandest stage, Lee has earned himself the right to be mentioned alongside legends of the game like Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford and Bob Gibson, pitchers who excelled when the stakes were the highest.

Game 6. It sort of takes a backseat to Game 7.

But it shouldn't. Game 6 has often been the most memorable in many great playoff series. As Jerry Seinfeld said, "I made wisecracks in a nightclub. HE PLAYED IN GAME 6!!"

With two Game 6s on tap for this weekend, I thought this would be time to revisit the five greatest Game 6s of all time.

Here they are in reverse order.

Begin Slideshow

In a game steeped in desperation, the Philadelphia Phillies came alive to send Game 6 of the 2010 NLCS back to Philadelphia, and the good doctor provided the cure for the woeful Phillies at just the right time.

But for the Phillies, the importance was in HOW they won this game.

Miscues in the field, lack of power, nearly zero base stealing: All of these things have plagued the Phillies and prevented them from either closing out a winnable game, or stopping the Giants.

Let's take a look at how Philadelphia fared this time around, as we get ready for Saturday.

A terrific NLCS between the Phillies and Giants will continue Saturday in Philadelphia. Notes from Game 5 are below: