Everyone loves the underdog when it is not their team competing for the win and it is fair to say there have been some rather lucrative moments for those that have decided to take the plunge and place an inconceivable wager at some point.
MLB Betting is incredibly popular amongst sports bettors in the United States and with how some of the fixtures turned out that we’ve listed below, it is hardly a surprise as to why so many people look to get a taste of the action.
Here are just some of the biggest betting upsets in the history of MLB…
St. Louis Cardinals stun everyone in 2011
Perhaps one of the most unlikely stories in MLB history happened in 2011 when St. The Louis Cardinals beat odds of 999 to 1 to win the World Series.
The Cardinals were 4.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the Wild Card when Vegas traded bizarre odds. To be clear, the odds were listed as futures where cardinals had to win the World Series.
The Braves imploded in the last 15 games of the season with the Cardinals achieving a 11-4 record, which was good enough to win a Wild Card seat.
The World Series would then go on to produce one of the most memorable fall classics in baseball history, as St. Louis Cardinals somehow managed to overcome multiple final strikes in the series, winning it in seven games against the Texas Rangers.
Now for the big question, did anyone actually take the 999-1 odds for the Cardinals to win the World Series? Of course. A man pulled one of his bookmakers when he staked $ 250 on the Cardinals ahead of their marvelous run, which resulted in a payout of $ 250,000.
Washington Nationals at Minnesota Twins 2007
The Nats were only in their third season after leaving Montreal and would finish 16 games behind the Phillies in first place that season, but that didn't stop them from making a big surprise against Johan Santana. He had won Cy Young in two of the previous three seasons and would finish fifth in ballet in 2007, but Levale Speigner topped him in six innings that day.
Ryan Zimmerman provided all the Nationals' runs with a three-run homer off Santana in the third inning, and Chad Cordero shut the door in the ninth to secure the 3-1 victory. The Nats received just 26% of the bets that day, having been placed with odds of +395, but opposing gamblers who showed faith were rewarded.
Detroit Tigers pull of one of biggest shocks for years 2019 following Baltimore Orioles’ feat just weeks prior
The Detroit Tigers pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 MLB season on August 22 and stunned the betting markets in the process.
Facing Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros, the Tigers entered the game as +435 underdog ($100 bet wins $435) on Caesars Sportsbook. When Detroit pulled out a 2-1 victory, it became the MLB's biggest surprise in the past 15 years.
The Astros also set a record -560 to win ($560 bet wins $100), making them the biggest favorites in at least 15 years.
The Baltimore Orioles caused one of Major League Baseball's biggest upsets over the last 15 years on August 12, 2019.
The Orioles, who even had a +420 underdogs tag with some American bookmakers, beat Justin Verlander and Houston Astros 8-7.
Other notable big betting upsets to have happened in MLB
The Miami Marlins beat Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers as +320 underdogs in the 2018 campaign.
The Astros, the World Series consensus favorites, were one of the biggest single-game favorites. They closed at -460 favorites in the Caesars Sportsbook, but up to -550 favorites could be found at Station Casinos' sportsbooks in Nevada.
Houston is the ninth favorite of -400 or more since 2005 and only the second to lose, joining the 2007 Twins. The Dodgers were -485 favorites against the Atlanta Braves in 2016. The high price on the Astros money line drove away many bettors in Caesars, where 89% of the tickets and 97% of the money were in the underdog Orioles.
