On May 5, 2022, the Mets stormed back from a ninth-inning, 7-1 deficit to beat the Phillies, 8-7. It was the team's biggest ninth-inning comeback in 25 years and only the third time it's ever done something like it in franchise history.

That got us thinking: What is the largest come-from-behind victory in the final frame in big league history?

Well, it appears to have happened on April 25, 1901. Down 13-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Detroit Tigers came back to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 14-13.

The game -- Detroit's inaugural matchup in the newly created American League -- started off with much anticipation and celebration. There were parades leading fans to the field, epic pump-up songs, players from both teams marching to their positions and a completely over-capacity 10,023 people at Bennett Park. An extra 1,000 or so had to stand behind ropes in the outfield to watch their hometown team. Any ball hit beyond there would be an automatic double.

The Tigers also had a special good-luck charm: A dog that served as their unofficial mascot the year before when they played in the Western League as the Detroit Wolverines. The Wolverines were 21-1 when the dog, named Oom Paul (which seems to also be the name of some sort of Hungarian pipe?), was in attendance. There are unfortunately no photos of Oom Paul, but we're guessing he/she looked something like this.

Even with all the pregame pomp and circumstance, the Tigers went down big early. They made five errors in the first three innings (seven overall), and were down 7-0 once they came up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth. Shortstop Kid Elberfeld -- one of three players named "Kid" on the team -- made three of those errors. (He would go on to be one of the league's best defensive shortstops range-wise and become infamous for throwing mud into an umpire's mouth).

Aided by a Kid Gleason double in the fifth, the Tigers made it 7-3. But the Brewers scored three more in the seventh and eighth to up it to 13-3. A double by Detroit's Pop Dillon in the bottom of the eighth cut Milwaukee's lead to nine.

The crowd, with their team down 13-4 in the bottom of the ninth, began to head for the exits. A day that started with them cheering effusively had ended with them "growling profusely." But then, Doc Casey -- a third baseman/dentist -- led things off with a fly ball into the roped-off crowd. Jimmy Barrett, a la Starling Marte, beat out a slow roller to third. Gleason singled to score Casey and make it 13-5. Ducky Holmes doubled, Dillon hit his third double and Elberfeld hit another two-bagger. All of a sudden, it was 13-9 with nobody out.

Brewers player-manager Hugh Duffy came in from center field to change pitchers and, immediately, new hurler Bert Husting threw a wild pitch to advance the lone runner on the bases to third. Kid Nance then grounded out for the first out.

What was left of the crowd behind the ropes was, at that point, becoming delirious with the thoughts of a full comeback. Here's more from the Detroit Free Press.

"Hats were being thrown in the air, coats were flying and everyone was yelling themselves hoarse. One man in the bleachers threw up his coat and when it came down it was in two sections, but he didn’t care so long as Detroit was hitting the ball, and the chances are that he forgot he ever had a coat."

The stands probably looked something like this.

At one point, the game had to be delayed so Tigers players could push fans back off the field of play.

The next batter walked and pitcher Emil Frisk singled to score Eberfeld from third and make it 13-10. The dentist, Doc Casey, came up again, laid down a bunt and beat out the throw with a headfirst slide into the bag. Barrett, the next batter, struck out for the second out.

The bases were now loaded with two outs and the Tigers down three. One more run scored on a ground-ball error by the third baseman. Another scored on a slow roller that Ducky Holmes beat out.

Brewers 13, Tigers 12.

Pop Dillon, who already had three doubles in the game, came up to the plate with the bases loaded. The future apple orchard owner stroked his fourth double of the game -- an AL/NL record -- to bring home two runs. The crowd rushed the field and nearly "tore Dillon to pieces."

Detroit had scored 10 runs in the last inning to complete, the still, 121 years later, greatest ninth-inning comeback ever.

Big thanks for SABR's Richard Riis' account of this game