Falling Apart at the Seams Quiz - Sports Collapses USA | Sports Mixed

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. August 5, 2001 -- The Seattle Mariners were cruising to victory on the shores of Lake Erie, up by 12 runs in the 7th inning, only to see their lead vanish in the final three innings, losing in extras. Which team pulled off what is known as "The Impossible Return?"

Answer: Cleveland Indians

The Seattle Mariners were the best team in baseball during the 2001 season, finishing the season with a staggering 116 wins. After defeating the Indians in the American League Division Series, the Mariners fell short of the World Series, losing to the New York Yankees in five games.

The most stunning part about this season however, was their epic collapse on August 5. The Mariners had amassed a 14-2 lead over the Indians through the first six innings. Having scored four runs in the second, eight runs in the third, and two more in the fifth, the Mariners looked unstoppable. Even after Cleveland chipped away with three runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth, Seattle still had a five run lead, needing just one more out to finish the game.

The Indians, down to their last out, never quit. They scored two to cut the Seattle lead to 14-11, and then loaded the bases, allowing Omar Vizquel to line a bases clearing, game tying three run triple down the right field line. The game would go into extra innings, where the Indians completed the "Impossible Return" with a game winning RBI single in the 11th inning, giving the Tribe a 15-14 victory.

2. February 5, 2017 -- The Atlanta Falcons, enjoying a 28-3 lead with 2:17 left in the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl 51, proceed to give up 25 unanswered points in the final 17 minutes. Led by Tom Brady's 466 yards passing, which team came back to win the first overtime Super Bowl in NFL history?

Answer: New England Patriots

Tom Brady is often considered one of the greatest football players of all time, winning seven Super Bowl rings, and five Super Bowl MVP awards. One of his most stunning performances of both of these achievements came at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, who couldn't hold a 25 point lead in the second half of Super Bowl 51. Brady led the Patriots to 25 unanswered points to force overtime. Brady then led New England down the field for the game winning touchdown, clinching the win in the first overtime Super Bowl in NFL history.

It was Brady's fifth Super Bowl title and fourth Super Bowl MVP.

3. 1996 Masters at Augusta National -- Greg Norman took a six stroke lead into the final round, looking to close out the round for his first Green Jacket. Instead, he fell apart, shooting a 78 in his final round. Who overtook Norman on hole 12 and eventually claimed the Masters title?

Answer: Nick Faldo

While Norman collapsed after shooting a 78 in his final round, Nick Faldo surged ahead, overtaking Norman in the 12th hole. Faldo shot a 67 to stun the golf world and claim the 1996 Masters title. Greg Norman would finish in the top five at Augusta National eight times, including three times as the runner up, but the Green Jacket would elude him, with 1996 arguably being the closest he ever came.

4. AFC Wild Card, January 3, 1993 -- After a pick-six by the Houston Oilers increased their lead to 35-3, many people thought the game was done. No one could predict that their opponent would go on a 38-3 run to win the game in overtime. Which team completed this comeback?

Answer: Buffalo Bills

The Houston Oilers took a 28-3 lead into the locker room at half time, and proceeded to score first in the third quarter after a 58 yard interception was returned for a touchdown. Up 35-3, and with Buffalo's starting quarterback and running back both sidelined with injuries, the Oilers gave up 28 unanswered points to end the quarter, and were outscored 7-3 in the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime.

The Bills won on a 32 yard field goal, completing one of the largest comebacks in the history of the NFL.

5. 2004 American League Championship Series -- The New York Yankees took a 3-0 series lead over their hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, needing just one more win to reach the World Series. However, the Red Sox pulled off the incredible, winning four straight in the series to steal the American League pennant from New York. True or false: this was the first instance in MLB history that a team had come back from 3-0 down to win a playoff series?

Answer: True

Despite being down 3-0 in the best of seven Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox never gave in, and completed one of the most amazing comebacks in the history of baseball. The "Bloody Sock" game pitched by an injured Curt Schilling was the highlight of the Red Sox comeback, where Schilling pitched an astonishing seven innings allowing just one run on four hits to force a Game Seven.

The Red Sox completed the miracle by winning their first World Series since 1918 after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0.

6. 1995 Eastern Conference Finals, Game One -- The New York Knicks in front of their home crowd at Madison Square Garden had a seemingly insurmountable 105-99 lead with just 18.7 seconds left. But, the Indiana Pacers pulled off one of the most incredible comebacks when one player score 8 points in just 9 seconds. Which Pacer took over those last few seconds sending Indiana to a 107-105 victory?

Answer: Reggie Miller

Reggie Miller went on an eight point tear in just nine seconds to stun the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. After sinking a three pointer, Miller stole the ensuing in bounds pass and sank another triple. After the Pacers fouled New York's John Starks on the following in bound, Starks missed his free throws, the second of which was rebounded by Miller. Miller himself was fouled by the Knicks' Patrick Ewing, and he went to the free throw line and sank both of his two free throws to give Indiana an incredible 107-105 lead with 7.5 seconds left.

7. 1999 Open Championship -- Paul Lawrie, the eventual winner of the tournament, was a mind blowing 10 strokes behind the leader at the start of the final round. Everyone was looking up the leader board at the only one under par after the third round. But a triple bogey on hole 18 completed an epic collapse, and allowed Lawrie to win in a three person playoff. Who gave away their lead in the final round?

Answer: Jean van de Velde

The only one in red figures after the third round, the tournament was Jean van de Velde's to take in the final round. He started the day 5 shots ahead of second place. Despite dropping a couple shots during his round, he still had a 3 stroke lead on 18, but his triple bogey led to a three player playoff. Paul Lawrie won the four-hole playoff, with van de Velde and Justin Leonard finishing tied for second. Lawrie's historic comeback from 10 strokes back is often overshadowed by the fact that Jean van de Velde had such an historic meltdown.

8. 2016 Masters at Augusta National -- Jordan Spieth was cruising to the Green Jacket ceremony when disaster struck. Spieth had a five stroke lead at the turn, and within just three holes, he was three strokes behind the leader. Who overtook Spieth during his collapse by shooting a 67 and taking the Green Jacket?

Answer: Danny Willett

Danny Willett shot an impressive 67 in the final round of the 2016 Masters, and that in itself might have been a story, if not for Jordan Spieth's incredible collapse. Spieth led the tournament for three and a half rounds before he fell apart on the 10th. Bogeys on 10 and 11 were the least of his troubles.

At the middle hole of Amen Corner, Spieth put two balls into Rae's Creek, which runs in front of the green on hole 12. That lead to a disastrous quadruple bogey, allowing Willett's 67 to take the Green Jacket.

9. 1986 World Series -- Game Six of the '86 Fall Classic saw the Boston Red Sox with a 3-2 series lead and a 5-3 game lead over the New York Mets. With two outs and the bases empty, the Red Sox needed just one out to end their championship drought. But the wheels fell off completely, ending when a hobbled Bill Buckner let an easy ground ball to first go straight between his legs. Who scored both the winning run in Game Six, but also hit the go ahead home run in Game Seven for the Mets and was named World Series MVP?

Answer: Ray Knight

Ray Knight finished the 1986 World Series with a nearly .400 average, driving in five runs. His go ahead home run for the Mets in Game Seven was his only home run of the series. Gary Carter had two home runs and 9 RBI in the series, but his average was well lower than Knight's.

The Red Sox faltering in the 1986 World Series seemed to reinforce the "Curse of the Bambino" that many Boston fans believed remained in place until the Sox won it in 2004.

10. 2025 American League Central Division race -- The Detroit Tigers led the AL Central by 15.5 games on July 6, and were still leading by 11 games on September 4. The team in second place wasn't even above .500 on September 4. But none of that mattered. The Tigers collapsed, giving the lead away on September 23. Which AL Central team finished the incredible comeback to claim their second straight division title?

Answer: Cleveland Guardians

Following the retirement of Terry Francona, who became Cleveland's all time winningest manager, Cleveland brought in Stephen Vogt as their new manager. Recently retired from his playing days as an MLB catcher, Vogt captained the Guardians to an AL Central Division Crown in 2024. The Guardians looked to repeat that feat in 2025, knowing they would likely have to keep pace with the Detroit Tigers. The Guardians had a few rough patches through the 2025 season, allowing the Tigers to hold a massive 15.5 game lead over Cleveland in July.

The Tigers still held a huge 11 game lead on September 5, but it didn't matter. The Tigers fell apart, while the Guardians won 17 of the first 19 games after September 5. The Guardians clinched the division when the Tigers' meltdown was completed, losing to the Boston Red Sox on the final day of the regular season. Even if the Tigers had won that game, it wouldn't have mattered, as the Guardians won the season finale in dramatic fashion. After the Texas Rangers took the lead on a three run home run in the top of the 10th inning from Rowdy Tellez, the Guardians rallied for 4 in the bottom of the 10th, capped by a walk off home run from Brayan Rocchio off the right field foul pole.

The Guardians completed an incredible comeback in the most amazing way possible. The Tigers collapse was a stunning turn of events in MLB history. Stephen Vogt won his second straight American League Manger of the Year Award, due in large part to his team's remarkable comeback to win the Central Division. The Tigers would get revenge by defeating the Guardians 2-1 in the best of three Wild Card series following the regular season.

Source: Author jddrsi_raven

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Falling Apart at the Seams Trivia Quiz

Sports Collapses USA

The world of sports is full of surprises. No matter how a game may start, it's not over until it's over. We will cover some of sports' biggest collapses throughout history. Have fun, and good luck!

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