As the MLB regular season comes to a close, let’s take a look back on the best of the best
10. Old School vs. New School
Baseball is changing in a big way, whether it’s the new rule changes or it was Max Muncy telling Madison Bumgarner to go get the ball out of the ocean after hitting a home run into the waters outside of Oracle Park. Or it was the insane bat-flips from Tim Anderson for the Chicago White Sox that sent “baseball purists” into a frenzy. Or maybe it was the fact that for whatever reason, baseball shattered the most home runs in a season, and it wasn’t even close. Whether you want to admit it or not, the MLB is making major changes to liven up the game. I say bring on the bat-flips and all the drama that comes with it because it makes the game more exciting. To those that disagree with me, I say it’s better to hop on the bandwagon now because the new way to play the game is here to stay.
9. Justin Verlander No-Hitter
Justin Verlander has proved his worth season in and season out and this no-hitter proved that the Astros ace defies age. It was complete domination from the 36-year-old who continues to play like a fine wine, only getting better with age. Verlander has now thrown three no-hitters in his career, his first since his Cy Young award-winning 2011 season. Verlander has already ensured his name in the Hall of Fame but this outing was historic. He notched 14 strikeouts and threw even harder at the end of his outing, which was only fitting, considering this 36-year-old doesn’t seem like he is slowing down any time soon.
8. Mike Fiers No-Hitter
Mike Fiers threw his second career no-hitter this season as a member of the Oakland Athletics. No-hitters are spectacles in the baseball world and deserve every bit of recognition. In this case, Fiers’ no-hitter was the first of the 2019 season, giving the A’s the first no-hitter of the season in back-to-back years (Sean Manaea had one in 2018). This no-hitter saw a home run robbery, lightning delay, and 131 pitches. It certainly was far from your “typical” no-hitter, since Fiers had only six strikeouts during those nine innings.
7. MLB Makes Debut in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska is known for hosting the College World Series every year, but we have never seen an MLB game in Nebraska. The game was played at TD Ameritrade Park between the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers. Including the community that supports college baseball so well and honoring them was a cool moment for the fans and the league. The MLB deserves applause for this idea and creating new ways to cater to their fans. I look forward to seeing this trend continue for years to come.
6. Pirates and Reds All-Out Brawl
One of the most memorable brawls in the history of the MLB went down this season. There is no doubt that this fight will live on in the baseball world for a long time. It’s been common for hitters to charge the mound, but for the first time, it was the pitcher doing the charging. Amir Garrett took exception to something the Pirates dugout said and immediately charged the entire dugout swinging wildly at anything and everything. Madness ensued, including a moment that heightened the Yasiel Puig story. Puig, who had just been traded from the Reds to the Indians about 30 minutes before, didn’t waste any time getting in on the action. It was a moment that will be hard to forget for years to come.
5. Pete Alonso Breaks the Rookie Home Run Record
It didn’t take long for Aaron Judge’s insane record-breaking rookie season home run record of 52 (from 2017) to be broken. Alonso hit 53 home runs during the regular season and has provided hope for New York Mets fans. Alonso’s season shouldn’t go unnoticed even though his team didn’t make the playoffs. The Mets were a team that was a strong candidate to “sell high” at the trade deadline considering they weren’t in playoff contention and have two Cy Young caliber starting pitchers. Surprisingly, the Mets actually became buyers at the deadline going out and getting Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays. Now their focus will turn to 2020 to see if they have one last playoff run in them before Noah Syndergaard reaches free agency. Regardless of what happens, the Mets can lean on Alonso to be the star in the Big Apple.
4. Astros Aquire Greinke at the Deadline
At first, the 2019 MLB trade deadline was the “deadline that could’ve been” which quickly took a drastic turn just ten minutes after the deadline had passed. The Arizona Diamondbacks traded their ace to the Houston Astros in one of the more shocking trade deadline deals in recent memory. The impact of this trade hasn’t fully played out yet, but the Astros are headed to the playoffs with the best record in the MLB, and they have the best starting pitching staff in the majors. The Astros added Greinke to go along with two starters in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole that both deserve to win the AL Cy Young award this season. These three are the reason why the Houston Astros are the favorite to win the World Series.
3. The Rookie’s HR Derby
This year’s home run derby may have been the best in the past 20 years. It started with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and how effortless he makes hitting home runs seem. Similar to Josh Hamilton in ‘08, Vlad Jr. stole the show from the get-go but was unable to win the entire thing. This year’s derby was historic because it featured something that has never happened in the history of the event. The final round was a rookie vs. another rookie.
After Aaron Judge was the first rookie to ever win the home run derby two seasons ago, Vlad Jr. looked like the favorite after the first round where he broke Hamilton’s record by hitting 29 home runs in the first-ever round of his first derby at just 20 years old. But a different rookie showed him up in the final round. Pete Alonso did enough to get himself to the final round where he defeated Vlad Jr. by hitting 23 homers in a derby for the history books. It will be hard to forget the display that Guerrero Jr. put on for the entire world.
2. Albert Pujols Returns to St. Louis
A three-time MVP winner with the St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols helped the Cardinals win two championships. Growing up, Pujols was the guy that everyone looked up to because he had the best swing in the game and nobody ever questioned whether or not he was an all-time great. The best part was that Pujols had not made his return back to St. Louis since leaving before the 2012 season. Pujols wasn’t just a component in why the Cardinals were a threat every year; he was the reason. His reception from the historically classy St. Louis Cardinals fans, was just that. Cardinals fans realized they were just lucky enough to watch a legend in the making compete on a daily basis for ten straight seasons. His return to St. Louis and the standing ovation he received will always be a special moment in the game of baseball.
1. Angels Throw Combined No-Hitter During First Home Game Since Tyler Skaggs’ Unfortunate Death
This by far was the most memorable moment of the 2019 MLB season. The passing of Tyler Skaggs was incredibly sad, especially because you can tell how much he meant to the Angels organization. The emotions that spilled over before, after and during this game made it even more special. His team threw a combined no-hitter during their first home game following the All-Star break, which was also after Skaggs’ passing. Ironically, it was as if they had an angel watching over them that night. I will never forget the picture of all 24 Angel jerseys spread out across the mound as they all looked up to the sky as to say, “this was for you.”