Fact Check: What was the cause of MLB’s last forfeit? 1995 Dodgers suffer loss because of special promotion gone wrong

Forfeits are not often seen in the MLB. Since 1954, there have only been five instances of forfeits, with the last one coming in 1995.

On August 10, 1995, the Los Angeles Dodgers gave out souvenir baseballs to fans in attendance as they walked in the door. The game was interrupted in the seventh inning when three baseballs were thrown on the field.

In the ninth inning, Dodgers hitter Raul Mindesi was ejected, followed by manager Tommy Lasorda. It got the crowd into a frenzy, and they threw more baseballs onto the field, forcing the Cardinals players to go to the dugout. More baseballs were thrown when the players returned, and the game was called due to player safety.

After the game, the league made the rule that any future promotional giveaways that could be thrown would be received after the game. And that would mark the last time an MLB game ended in a forfeit.

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MLB has come a long way

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