Has an MLB team come back from 3-0 in the World Series? History of teams to force Game 7 in baseball playoffs

Postseasons can be fickle, particularly in the world of baseball where volatility reigns supreme. Anything can happen in the playoffs — aces can turn into pumpkins, bullpens can turn into aces and world-class hitters can find themselves slipping into madness as pitch after pitch misses their barrels.

Even the most decorated teams can suffer the indignity of falling flat when the lights are at their brightest. There's no worse place to be than down 3-0 in a seven-game set, a chasm that appears impossible to overcome to casual fans and dogged supporters of the sport alike.

But on a few special occasions, the adversity of a 3-0 disadvantage can spur a team forward. Everyone loves a good comeback story. When that comeback involves falling behind 3-0, that's even more apparent.

So, just how many times has such a rally occurred in big league history? The Sporting News has the answer.

Has an MLB team come back from 3-0 in the World Series?

3-0 comebacks across the world of sports are few and far between. In World Series history, they're even less common. Such a reaction has never occurred in the history of the Fall Classic to date.

Only one side has battled back from a three-game disadvantage to secure a series victory in big league history: The 2004 Red Sox, who overcame a 3-0 handicap to down hated rivals New York in the ALCS. After that comeback,  the Red Sox went on to win their first World Series title in 86 years.

The 2020 Astros came close to equaling the feat against the Rays, surging back from a 3-0 hole to send the ALCS to a decisive seventh game. Houston fell short of the finish line in Game 7, though, falling 4-2 as Tampa advanced to the Fall Classic.

Red Sox 3-0 comeback, explained

Boston engineered the greatest comeback in modern baseball history back in 2004, rallying back from a 3-0 series deficit to punch a ticket to the World Series.

Such a result seemed unlikely for multiple reasons. The Red Sox had endured a host of postseason heartbreaks in the decades since their last MLB title, from Bill Buckner's error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series to, more recently, Aaron Boone's walk-off blast in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.

2004 looked destined to produce a similar fate for the Sox, who swiftly fell behind 3-0 after surrendering 32 runs across the series' opening 27 innings.

Boston found life in Game 4 courtesy of future Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who entered  the game as a pinch runner with the Red Sox down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Roberts swiped second, sneaking into the bag just before Jorge Posada's throw reached him. One pitch later, the game was tied; Bill Mueller brought Roberts home with a single that trickled through the gap between second base and shortstop.

In the bottom of the 12th, David Ortiz stepped to the plate with one on and no outs. He turned an inside fastball into mincemeat, blasting it into the right field bleachers to keep Boston's playoff hopes intact.

Ortiz nigh on repeated the feat in Game 5, blooping a single into center field to score Johnny Damon and secure another walk-off victory for the Red Sox.

Game 6 had its own luster to it, as Boston pitcher Curt Schilling tossed seven innings of one run ball despite playing with a torn tendon sheath in his right ankle — an injury which prompted blood to pool across his sock. Schilling's contributions, coupled with a four-run fourth-inning outburst, were enough to bring the Red Sox one game from history.

They left little doubt about their might in Game 7, vanquishing the Yankees 10-3 to advance to the Fall Classic.

History of 3-0 comebacks in sports

Overcoming a 3-0 comeback is fairly rare in the world of sports. Just five teams across the four major American sports leagues have found a way to capture series' after falling behind 3-0.