2018 was a year to remember for baseball. From unexpected underdogs, to a 52-game hitting streak, to 115 losses... this year was one to remember. Even if one of the most hatable teams in the league won a World Series, this season had a lot of intriguing moments overall. But for those who like to hear this year in a much more simple way, we've come up with a list of every MLB team's 2018 season summarized in one word each. Along with this, there will be brief descriptions about each teams season and what to look forward to for years to come. Enjoy!

Boston Red Sox (108-54): Unbelievable

In all seriousness, did anybody see this coming? The Red Sox silently put together one of the best seasons by a major league baseball team in this decade. This team redefined what it means to be consistent. Oh, and let's not forget about AL MVP Mookie Betts, and J.D Martinez, who won two silver slugger awards this year (Seriously, that's unreal). You know a team is good when their only loss in the World Series came in an 18-inning game. Just saying.

New York Yankees (100-62): Ouch

Usually when a team wins 100 games and makes the playoffs, their fans should be happy with the season, right? Well, there's an exception with the 2018 Yankees. The expectations with this team before the season started were to win the World Series. Since that didn't happen, this year was considered a bust. But in all seriousness, this team has a lot of potential for future years to come. With the presence of Aaron Judge and rookie sensations Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar, this team could eventually finish the chase for 28.

Tampa Bay Rays (90-72): Creative

Wasn't this team supposed to tank this year? The Rays would've made the playoffs if they weren't trapped in a division with two juggernauts ahead of them. This was a team that shocked the league; because they were actually contending. The opener strategy proved to work for a while because it gave them an advantage to score runs first. Also, Blake Snell's unforgettable year helped this team out tremendously. The use of this team's young talent helped them out a lot this year, and might help them out for future years to come.

Toronto Blue Jays (73-89): Average

This team wasn't tanking, but at the same time they were kind of contending at various points in the year, so it can be safe to say that this was an average year for the Blue Jays. Since 2016, this team has been on the downfall. Some core pieces have been missing from this team that they had a couple of years ago. The offense without Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion in their primes isn't as good as it used to be. The starters haven't been as reliable, especially with the tough year that Marcus Stroman had. The bullpen is shaky, and needs more depth in general. But, this team looks good for future years to come. Triple-A star Vladimir Guerrero Jr will finally get his time in the majors, and other prospects could make a difference too over time.

Baltimore Orioles (47-115): Awful

Honestly, awful is an understatement when talking about the year that the Orioles had. This team redefined what it's like to go through a rebuilding stage. From the start of the season, things were looking bright for the Orioles. But nobody would predict that Chris Davis would have the worst statistical year in baseball history, all of the starters would have a losing record, and the bullpen would be as reliable as Jon Lester throwing to bases. Sorry Orioles fans, but your team will take a long time before they could come close to contending. Now that Manny Machado is gone, this team needs more young stars to emerge if they have any hopes of reaching the postseason. But who knows, maybe things could turn around for this team in the near future.

 Cleveland Indians (91-71): Disappointing

No Indians fans, I'm not talking about the regular season. That was completely fine. I'm talking about the playoffs. I know anything can happen in baseball, but how did this team get swept? To be fair, the Astros are a very capable team, but the Indians could've met their level. Their playoff run ended in a sad way because they were missing core pieces to be as dominant as their previous two years. Andrew Miller is a big part of their bullpen, and with him having a tough year with injuries, it's hard to rebuild from that. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez carried this offense, with some help from Michael Brantley as well. But the big reason this team didn't make it far in the playoffs was their lack of offense and their bullpen. If this team has any hopes of returning to their dominant teams from 2016 and 2017, they need to build their offense and bullpen more.

Minnesota Twins (78-84): Saddening

Sorry Twins fans, but it looks like 2017 was just a miracle. To go from the worst record in baseball to the playoffs is quite an accomplishment I must say. But to not build off of that is a big let down. With Ervin Santana in the minors, the pitching wasn't as good as before. With Brian Dozier leaving and no one else really stepping up (besides Eddie Rosario a little bit), the offense was slacking throughout the year. This year was saddening not because they did awful, but because they went in the opposite direction than they needed to. But this team can still compete, and may be back in the playoffs in a few years.

Detroit Tigers (64-98): Uneventful

What happened to this franchise? It seemed like this team was dominant in the early 2010's, when they had Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera in their primes. Nowadays, this team just simply can't compete. Every aspect of this team needs rebuilding, and I mean everything. This offense has some spark in it, like Nicholas Castellanos, that the team could build around. But with Victor Martinez retiring and Miguel Cabrera suffering from the injury bug, this team needs help if they want to return to the playoffs in the future.

Chicago White Sox (62-100): Hawk

Hawk Harrelson leaving was probably the only significant (and very sad) thing that happened this season for the White Sox. This was just another year of this team trying to find its true potential. I will admit, this team has a lot of young talent that could eventually come together. Michael Kopech could easily be a future Cy Young candidate in the near future. Adam Engel is unbelievable in the field, and if his bat could come around, he could become an all-star too. This team is very close to building a dominant team, and it could very well happen in the near future.

Kansas City Royals (58-104): Frustrating

Boy, this team must miss 2015. Ever since then, things have completely fallen apart. The Royals lost more than 25 games than the league predicted they would. Almost none of their games were very competitive. The 2014 and 2015 Royals would slaughter this team every time if they could play each other. Not only were the losses high, but the number of ejections were high too. I understand the Royals who were ejected, because it's frustrating to simply not be able to compete with everybody else in almost every game they play in. I also have a reason to dislike this team, because of Jake Junis plunking Aaron Judge and landing him on the DL for two months. This team needs help, and they need it quick. Sorry Royals fans, but you may not get a taste of the playoffs for a long time, because this rebuild is just getting started. But baseball is completely unpredictable, so who knows.

Houston Astros (103-59): Almost

I say almost because I had a feeling that the Astros would win back to back world series: and it almost happened. It probably would've happened if it wasn't for the breakout year that Boston had. The Astros went through an up and down year, dealing with injuries from key players like Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, but others stepped up and this team was still solid throughout the year. The acquisition of Gerrit Cole in the off season proved to make the starting rotation even more scary than it already is. Bregman's breakout year was huge for the Astros and really solidified the offense to be a force to be reckoned with. Let's not forget how good George Springer is in the postseason. Houston was the best chance at beating the Red Sox in the postseason, but let's be honest, even that was very unlikely to happen. But this team is continuing to get better and better every year, and could very well win another World Series very soon.

Oakland Athletics (97-65): Moneyball

It was deja vu for the 2018 Athletics, as the philosophy from 2002 came back into play for Oakland. Was anybody expecting this? A team that began the season with a league low of $62 million turned into a powerhouse in the AL West. The starting pitching was good enough, and Mike Fiers was also a good mid-season pick up as well. The bullpen was solid as well. Blake Treinen was a top tier closer throughout the year, and the addition of Jeurys Familia was helpful too. The offense was good as well, with breakout years from Stephen Piscotty, Matt Olson, and Matt Chapman (who is slowly becoming a star by the way). Also Khris Davis continues to impress with his consistency and power. This is his third straight year batting .247 and hitting at least 40 home runs. Although this team's playoff run was cut very short, I would say this was a very successful season and the future looks very bright in Oakland. Also that new stadium looks pretty nifty.

Seattle Mariners (89-73): Ugh

Man, I feel for Mariners fans: every season has been one disappointment after another. For about the first half of the season, it was looking like Seattle was going to snag the second wild card spot in the American League. But, the team couldn't handle the onslaught in Oakland and quickly fell apart. I don't really know what to say about where this team is heading next year, because it's looking like they are going to start rebuilding. James Paxton, Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, and Jean Segura have already been traded, and it looks like Nelson Cruz and others may be among them. I think this organization is finally realizing what they have to do to make a long-awaited return to the playoffs. But only time will tell what the outcome ends up being for the Mariners.

Los Angeles Angels (80-82): Annoying

This team wasn't annoying to watch. It's just annoying how much talent they're wasting. Mike Trout needs to leave the Angels at some point. I'm sorry, but a future hall-of-famer should not go his whole career without winning a single World Series. I mean, this guy has only been in the playoffs once in his whole career (2014), and the Angels lost in the first round that year. Also, it was a huge mistake for Shohei Ohtani to sign with the Angels, because he will eventually turn into a star, but without a ring if he stays in Los Angeles. Also on a side note, the Angels still owe Albert Pujols $89 million, who isn't nearly as good as he was with St Louis. I think if this team has any chance of making the playoffs again, they need to rebuild around their stars, or get rid of their stars (and former stars) and get talented prospects to build a better team. But for now, it looks like this team will be low in the rankings for a while.

Texas Rangers (67-95): Tank

I say tank because it seems like this team was going to start tanking this season, but it looks like it will be an official tank for next season. Although Shin-Soo Choo's 52-game hitting streak was very impressive, this team needs work. Elvis Andrus is out of his prime, and Adrian Beltre announced his retirement, so this team needs rebuilding if they want to compete again. The pitching needs a lot of improvement, both in the starting rotation and the bullpen. The lineup needs work as well (and Joey Gallo's strikeout rate). There really isn't one thing this team needs improving on, it's just kind of everything. Eventually it'll all come together and this team will be back in October in the future.

Atlanta Braves (90-72): Family

Who expected this? We always knew that the Braves had good young talent, but nobody knew when it would all come together. In 2018 it certainly did. Teams with good chemistry go very far, and that's exactly what the Braves were an example of. On paper this team may not look like anything special, but they produced when it mattered. Rookie stars Ronald Acuna Jr and Ozzie Albies shined, and veterans Freddie Freeman, Mike Foltynewicz, and Nick Markakis had seasons to remember. For next season, this team could use some work in the bullpen, as it proved to be their downfall in the playoffs. But overall, this team could very well make a return to the playoffs next season.

Washington Nationals (82-80): What

It honestly surprises me that the Nationals didn't make the playoffs this year. Their roster is very solid, ranging from Bryce Harper to Anthony Rendon. But I really don't know why this team wasn't able to compete this year at the level of the previous two years. I guess since Max Scherzer can't pitch in every game, or Ryan Zimmerman's back problems. But I guess the only place to improve on is the pitching, but even that is good enough. If Washington brings Harper back somehow, this team could still compete and possibly make a return to the playoffs next year. At least this year they didn't have to deal with their playoff curse.

Philadelphia Phillies (80-82): Nola

This team had a decent year, but Aaron Nola was the most special about the 2018 season. He made a very good case for the Cy Young, next to Scherzer and deGrom, which is pretty hard to do. Believe it or not, this team was in the race for the second Wild Card spot for a little bit, but they're just not good enough yet to get there. This team needs a little bit of improving in every aspect. The starting rotation could use some help behind Nola, the bullpen needs tweaking, and the lineup needs more consistency. It looks like the Phillies are being very active this offseason, and might have a shot at Bryce Harper, so they could very well compete next year if all goes well.

New York Mets (77-85): Weird

What a typical year for the Mets: unexpected and weird things happened. This team shocked the league for the first two weeks of the season, going 11-2 and starting the whole salt and pepper thing with Todd Frazier. This team was looking bright with their good chemistry and dominant performances. But shortly after that, the team turned into a circus. Jacob deGrom made history as the least winning pitcher to win the Cy Young in 2018, and you can completely thank the Mets offense for that. If it wasn't for him, this team probably would've lost 10 more games, because without a good offense it's very hard to win games. On the bright side, the Mets are doing great in the offseason, so a breakout year for this team is very possible for 2019.

Miami Marlins (63-98): Expected

This might sound odd, but the Marlins actually did better than I expected (probably because of the horrific season in Baltimore). But when there is one good aspect of your team (in this case, the outfield), and you get rid of that completely, there is barely any hope for the next season. I would explain how much improvement this team needs (and how they need to get rid of J.T Realmuto), but all I can say to do is tank. It's the best option because there is nobody to build around, and it's best just to wait for the best prospects. Even though this team won't compete next year, their new uniforms look pretty cool, so that's one thing I'm excited for.

Milwaukee Brewers (96-67): Wow

Another team that completely shocked the baseball world. The division looked like it belonged to the Cubs and Cardinals at the start of the season for sure. But the Brewers came out of the shadows and made the NL Central a complete frenzy for the last two months of the season. The thing I loved about this team was the chemistry, and contributions from everyone on the team. There could certainly be an argument for the onslaught of Christian Yelich, but what about Josh Hader's dominance out of the bullpen? What about the surprising years from Wade Miley and Jhoulys Chacin? When the playoffs came around, this is where this team really shined. Pitching was dominant, and the bats came alive when necessary. This team almost made it past the Dodgers, who are on a much higher skill level on paper, but fell just short in the end. There really isn't much this team should improve on, except maybe get another starter in the rotation. But this team could easily make a return to the playoffs next season for sure.

Chicago Cubs (95-68): Baez

I have to say it: the 2018 Chicago Cubs season was all about Javier Baez, and that's exactly why they didn't get very far. This team had some great moments in the season, but it seemed like everyone had very average years. Kris Bryant was hurt for most of the season, Rizzo had an oddly quiet year, and it just felt like this team needed more. The playoffs was disappointing of course. The offense didn't do enough behind Jon Lester's impressive outing, and they lost at home. I feel like the Cubs are finally on the downfall. They are still a very capable team, but it seems like this team is struggling to return to their dominant form of 2016. But who knows, maybe a World Series is right around the corner for this ball club.

St. Louis Cardinals (88-74): Choke

Unfortunately, the race between three teams in the NL Central can only have two winners. The Cardinals choked big time in this race. To sum it up, this team was full of breakout years for talented players. Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty could be long time starters, Harrison Bader could soon become the every day center fielder, and Jordan Hicks is a force to be reckoned with in the bullpen. Even though Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez had impressive years, the offense just wasn't enough. I think this team will come together at some point in the future and win the race in the NL Central eventually.

Pittsburgh Pirates (82-79): Uneventful

Man, this team was boring to watch. Not competing is one thing, but literally nothing was memorable about this season for the Bucos. Ever since McCutchen and Cole left, there really hasn't been anyone that could drive this team in the right direction: yet. Colin Moran could blossom into a star, and Felipe Vasquez can turn into an even more dominant closer. I'd say to improve the starting rotation and the offense a little more, and this team could have a chance of contending. But if I'm being honest, this team has a long way to go if they want to even scratch the surface of the postseason.

Cincinnati Reds (67-95): Enjoyable

Might be a surprise by this pick, considering the record that the Reds had in 2018. But this team was actually very fun to watch, despite the high amounts of losses. Scooter Gennett's breakout year was awesome, watching Joey Votto hit is a privilege, and Eugenio Suarez had an impressive year. Also, Anthony Desclifani and Michael Lorenzen are the best hitting pitchers I've ever seen (besides Bumgarner of course). On an even brighter note, this team may actually compete this year. Along with their three all-stars, Puig and Kemp could make a difference in the lineup, and Alex Wood could make a difference in the bullpen or rotation. Don't sleep on this team in 2019 is all I'm going to say.

Los Angeles Dodgers (92-71): Unfortunate

Another year, another choke. I really do feel bad for Dodger fans, because this team got so close to a World Series ring in 2017 and 2018, but just fell short. But hey, at least this team is consistently in the postseason. This team's 2018 season started out very rough, but quickly progressed to a decent run. The race in the NL West was crazy for the playoffs, but the Dodgers came out on top once again for the sixth year in a row in the division. Even with Corey Seager out for the year and surprisingly quiet years from Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner, the team still used its very strong core to make it back to October baseball. Also, Max Muncy's incredible story was something else too. The trade deadline definitely helped this team, as they acquired Brian Dozier, Ryan Madson, and the one and only Manny Machado. Their postseason run was very impressive, up until the World Series. This team stood no chance against the juggernauts in Boston, and once again failed to complete the journey in October. But, Los Angeles could find themselves in the playoff race once again in 2019 for sure.

Colorado Rockies (91-72): Avalanche

The Rockies had a solid regular season in 2018: only to have it crumble down in the postseason. Colorado was solid all around, with certain players breaking out at various times. Trevor Story and David Dahl contributed late, while Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado kept the offense steady. The rotation needs work, but German Marquez is a very capable starter, so the Rockies could easily build around him. The bullpen was decent, with help from Wade Davis and of course, Adam Ottavino. The postseason was a big disappointment for Colorado however. After a bizarre Wild Card game at Wrigley, this team got nothing less than pummeled by the Brewers. It was a very embarrassing way to go out, I must say. This team has already lost Ottavino and DJ LeMahieu in the offseason, but I still think they could have a decent season next year.

Arizona Diamondbacks (82-80): Downfall   

I say downfall because it looks like 2018 was the first year of this team slowly moving down in contention. The reason this team made the playoffs in 2017 was because everything came together: to keep it short, things did not come together in 2018. Paul Goldschmidt can only carry your offense for so long, and a mediocre bullpen can only be mediocre for so long. I really can't say much else for this team, because it looks like they won't be competing next year. Now that the face of their franchise is gone (Goldschmidt), who knows what direction Arizona will go in now.

San Francisco Giants (73-89): Empty

It doesn't look like this team is going to have any more magical seasons anytime soon. Ever since 2014, this franchise simply hasn't been dominant at all. Pablo Sandoval is nowhere near the player he used to be, Buster Posey had a rough 2018, Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen were wastes of pickups (in my opinion), and this team is flat out lacking identity. I can't tell you if this team is going to thrive or tank next season, because right now it looks like the Giants are stuck in their mediocre stage of contention right now.

San Diego Padres (66-96): Typical

Lets be honest, when you think of non-contending teams, I'm sure the Padres come up very often. But the funny thing is, they thought they had a chance to compete this year. The signing of Eric Hosmer was one of the most questionable decisions I've ever seen in baseball. Now, they want Harper in that mix too. I get that they have a young team with a lot of promise for the future, but it will take longer than in 2019. Honestly this team will not be in contention for a while, but keep an eye out for a breakout year from this ball club at some point in the future.

On July 28th, 2018, the Yankees traded relievers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash, and first-baseman Luke Voit. When I heard of this trade, I was disappointed because of my respect for Shreve, and Gallegos could have a bright future. But I understood the rough season that Chasen was having, and the problem known as the starting first base job in New York. But I was convinced that Luke Voit was not the answer. I expected him to go to the minors, where he had spent most of his time on the Cardinals, and I wanted the Yankees to go after Mike Moustakas to fill that spot. Voit's stats in the majors had not been anything to show for, as he batted .182 with one home run and three RBIs with the Cardinals. So how could anybody have high hopes for this guy?

Nearly a month later, something had to be done. Greg Bird continued to struggle at the plate, and barely peaked his average over .200 throughout the season. Luke Voit got the call to play first base, and he did everything that the Yankees could've asked for. In just 39 games, Voit hit .333 with 14 home runs and 33 RBIs. He was also named Player of the Week during the month of September. In the postseason, Voit had a huge two-run triple in the Wild Card game against the Athletics, and came up with some big plate appearances in the ALDS against Boston. 

Voit showed incredible improvement in his short time with the Yankees. 2019 is very exciting for him, and I'm sure for fans as well. Voit has a chance to win the first base job, and show his first full season in the big leagues. Who knows if Voit's short time with the Yankees was a mere breakout, but on the other hand, the Yankees may have gotten one of the best steals in baseball history. But Luke's performance in 2019 will tell if that becomes a reality or not.

New York Yankees: Gio Urshela, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Luke Voit

New York Mets: Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil

Boston Red Sox: J.D Martinez, Michael Chavis 

Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez

Cleveland Indians: Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor

Oakland Athletics: Matt Chapman

Pittsburgh Pirates: Josh Bell

Chicago White Sox: Tim Anderson, James McCann

Tampa Bay Rays: Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham

Seattle Mariners: Mallex Smith

 Houston Astros: George Springer, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman

Milwaukee Brewers: Christian Yelich

St. Louis Cardinals: Kolten Wong, Paul Goldschmidt

Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout, Tommy La Stella

Cincinnati Reds: Derek Dietrich, Eugenio Suarez

Atlanta Braves: Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr, Austin Riley

Minnesota Twins: Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, Byron Buxton

Philadelphia Phillies: Rhys Hoskins, Jay Bruce

Toronto Blue Jays: Eric Sogard, Vladimir Guerrero Jr

San Francisco Giants: Kevin Pillar

Texas Rangers: Joey Gallo, Hunter Pence

San Diego Padres: Hunter Renfroe, Fernando Tatis Jr

Colorado Rockies: Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini

Detroit Tigers: Nicholas Castellanos

Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner

Arizona Diamondbacks: Ketel Marte, Adam Jones

Kansas City Royals: Hunter Dozier, Whit Merrifield

Miami Marlins: Harold Ramirez

I think we can all officially say the curse is over. As many National fans have wanted to hear since 2005, and as Bryce Harper wanted in the offseason, Washington has finally won it all. A team that was once 19-31 in May, and seemed like there was a need to rebuild for the future. But how did this team make such a drastic turnaround? How did they defy all odds that said they couldn't do it? Let's take a look at how the Nationals made for one of the best postseason runs in baseball history.

Our story starts on October 1st, when the Nationals took on Milwaukee in the Wild Card game. The early stages of the game did not look promising, as starting pitcher Max Scherzer gave up 3 runs in the first two innings, thanks to two home runs by Yasmani Grandal and Eric Thames. The Washington offense was limited to one run in the first seven innings by Brewer pitching, and it seemed like the curse would come back to haunt the Nationals again. But when Josh Hader entered the game in the 8th inning, everything would change. A single and two walks would load the bases for young stud Juan Soto. He would proceed to rip a fastball into right field, presumably scoring one or two runs, putting Washington in a good position. Instead, the ball took a funky hop, and got away from right fielder Trent Grisham, a replacement that postseason of former MVP Christian Yelich. This allowed all three runs to score, to give the Nationals the lead, and ultimately win the game. The curse was over, and Washington was happy.

At this point, people assumed that the Nationals' run would be cut short. Their opponent would be a team with the second best record in the league, an electric pitching core, and an explosive offense: the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series was predicted to be a cakewalk, but the Nationals had other plans. Game one went to the Dodgers thanks to a dominate performance from Walker Buehler, and a collapse on the mound by Patrick Corbin. Game two was a nice bounce back, thanks to clutch hitting and Clayton Kershaw continuing to choke in the postseason. Game three was a blowout, thanks to another collapse by Corbin, and the National bullpen. Washington was on the ropes, trailing in the series two games to one. Game four was all the team needed: a strong outing by Max Scherzer and a clutch three-run home run by Ryan Zimmerman to force a decisive game five. This game did not start out well, as Max Muncy and Kike Hernandez powered homers to give the Dodgers an early 3-0 lead. In the sixth, Juan Soto gave the Nats hope with an RBI single. Walker Beuhler went 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, before he was replaced by Clayton Kershaw to get out of the seventh. He succeeded, so he was left in to get through the eighth. He was then greeted by back to back home runs by Anthony Rendon and Soto to tie the game. The move to keep Kershaw in by manager Dave Roberts was highly questionable, as Rendon had previously hit Kershaw very well, and there were better bullpen arms to face Soto. After Will Smith missed a walk-off home run by a matter of feet, Joe Kelly was kept into extra innings after pitching a scoreless ninth. It was shown this inning that he had nothing left, and that a move to another arm was necessary. Nonetheless, Roberts kept Kelly in, leading to a go-ahead grand slam by Howie Kendrick to give Washington a convincing lead. They would close out the game in the tenth, leaving Los Angeles stunned. A 106-win season capped off by utter disappointment and questionable in-game managing. The Nationals took advantage of everything they got, and were on their way to St. Louis.

After a stunning series win against the Dodgers, the Nationals were facing the Cardinals in the NLCS. The red birds had just embarrassed the Braves at home in game five of the NLDS, beating them 13-1. People were expecting a good series, with each team fighting back and forth for the pennant. Instead, the Cardinals had no answer to Washington's clutch performance, and got swept. The previously hot bats were silenced by the Nationals' high-end pitching. Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer nearly threw no-hitters in the first two games. Not only the bats, but the defense was a huge problem. Jose Martinez might be good at the plate, but not so much in right field. The pitching just flat out couldn't get the job done either. Howie Kendrick would go on to win MVP honors, with 5 hits in 15 plate appearances, 4 doubles, and 4 RBIs. Washington had finally won the National League pennant, and were heading to their first ever Fall Classic. 

The Nationals had plenty of rest before facing a super-team in the Houston Astros. Predictors and analysts around baseball said that this was the most one-sided prediction in a World Series since 2007. The Astros overall had a better team, with more depth, a better offense, and a much more solid pitching core. Also, they had more than two solid options out of the bullpen. What would follow was one of the most memorable and unique World Series of all time. Game one was a nice introduction to the two teams, with back and forth action, and Juan Soto proving that he owns Gerrit Cole. Game two was a blowout, and put the Nationals in a great position heading back home for game three. However, this series would change dramatically when the two teams faced off in Washington. Game three was an accumulation of a questionable strike zone and clutch hitting by the Astros to take a must win game for them. Game four was an embarrassment for the Nationals, as a collapse by Patrick Corbin, the Nationals bullpen, and a grand slam by Alex Bregman evened the series for Houston. Before game five, it was found out that Max Scherzer could not start due to neck spasms, putting a lot of pressure on Joe Ross to give the Nats a quality start. Homers by Yordan Alvarez and Carlos Correa, along with a quality start by Gerrit Cole would put the Astros in a great position heading back home to Houston. However, once again, the momentum shifted after the teams changed the stadium they played in. Game six was an instant classic. Anthony Rendon got the scoring started off of Justin Verlander in the first with an RBI single. In the bottom of the inning, Jose Altuve would tie the game with a sacrifice fly, followed by a solo home run by Alex Bregman to give Houston the lead. He would then carry the bat with him all the way down to first base, intending to hand it to the first base coach in an attempt to pimp out the blast. But with the first base coach not paying attention, it turned into one of the most bizarre things to ever happen on a baseball field that even had Altuve giving puzzled looks towards Alex. Later in the game, Adam Eaton hit a clutch home run to tie the game at two in the fifth. Later that inning, Juan Soto would proceed to give the Nationals the lead with a massive bomb to right. He then copied Bregman's celebration, and did it even better because he dropped the bat in front of the first base coach instead of dropping it on the field. Following this would be more clutch hitting by Anthony Rendon, a very questionable out call that lead to Dave Martinez being ejected, and a very impressive outing by Stephen Strasburg to save the bullpen for game seven. This would be the deciding game. Max Scherzer would return to face Zack Greinke in the most pivotal game of the series. The game started with a bang, with a solo home run by Yuli Gurriel and an RBI single by Carlos Correa to get Houston off to a fast start. A pitcher's duel would proceed all the way into the 7th inning, where Anthony Rendon hit a solo home run off Greinke to cut the lead in half. This is where the game got interesting. After allowing Soto to reach base by a walk, Greinke was pulled from the game by manager AJ Hinch after throwing just 80 pitches. He went to his best arm out of the bullpen in Will Harris to face the DH in Howie Kendrick. On just his second pitch, Kendrick ripped a ball that hit the right field foul pole, for a go-ahead two-run home run. In the 8th inning, Juan Soto added to the lead with an RBI single, followed by a two-run single by Adam Eaton in the 9th to seal the game. Daniel Hudson would strike out two in the ninth to secure the Nationals' first World Series title in franchise history.

The Nationals were not expected to make it to the World Series. They were not expected to win it. They were assumed to be outmatched by all the opponents ahead of the Wild Card game. The Nationals won it all for plenty of reasons. In the Wild Card game, the Nationals wouldn't have won without the support of Josh Hader imploding or Trent Grisham in right field. The Nationals don't win the NLDS against the Dodgers without Dave Roberts' questionable moves, and clutch hitting when they needed it most. The Nationals won the NLCS because the Cardinals had no answers for the clutch hitting and the stelar pitching all series long. To close it off, the Nationals won the World Series because of being clutch when needed. Also, it can be debated that if Zack Greinke stays in game seven after the walk, the outcome could be different. This was without a doubt one of the most unbelievable playoff runs baseball has seen in a long time. A true underdog that defied all odds against them, and that will forever be remembered in baseball history. 

With Washington recently winning a World Series, we've been looking back on the many different reasons why each team won it all. Usually, it's a team effort,  but sometimes a player will go out of his mind for his ball club. Instead of talking about them, we wanted to be interactive, and test your knowledge on World Series MVPs. Enjoy! 

1. Who was the World Series MVP of 2015?

A. Eric Hosmer

B. Yoenis Cespedes

C. Salvador Perez

D. Lorenzo Cain

2. Which World Series MVP had the go-ahead hit that would break the longest championship drought in sports history in 2016?

A. Francisco Lindor

B. Ben Zobrist

C. Kris Bryant

D. Anthony Rizzo

3. Which World Series MVPs hit three home runs in one game? (Two are correct)

A. Reggie Jackson

B. David Ortiz

C. David Freese

D. Pablo Sandoval

4. Who became the first Japanese-born player to win a World Series MVP?

A. Hideki Matsui

B. Ichiro Suzuki

C. Yu Darvish

D. Koji Uehara

5. What two Diamondback pitchers shared the World Series MVP award in 2001?

A. Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray

B. Jose Valverde, Brandon Webb

C. Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson

D. Patrick Corbin, Archie Bradley

6. Who was the only World Series MVP to throw a perfect game in a World Series game?

A. Cy Young

B. Randy Johnson

C. Felix Hernandez

D. Don Larsen

7. True or False: Mariano Rivera has won World Series MVP honors.

A. True

B. False

8. How many innings did World Series MVP Jack Morris pitch in his Game 7 shutout?

A. 12

B. 10

C. 11

D. 9

9. True or False: David Ortiz was intentionally walked 4 times during his MVP performance in the 2013 World Series

A. True

B. False

10. Which team has the most World Series MVPs in their franchise's history?

A. Los Angeles Dodgers

B. Boston Red Sox

C. New York Yankees

D. St. Louis Cardinals

Answers:

1. C

2. B

3. A, D

4. A

5. C

6. D

7. A

8. B

9. A

10. C

Yes, it's back. With another year under our belts, there were a lot of different stories coming out of each team. From a crazy bounce back season, to an impressive injury-filled run, to a rookie home-run record, this season was (just like last year) one to remember. You know the deal, you know how this goes. So enjoy my descriptions on every MLB team's 2019 season in one word each.

New York Yankees (103-59): Injuries

Honestly, this team should've been hard to watch all year long. It almost got to a point where every single game ended with at least one player getting hurt. On top of the whole savages in the box thing, the Yankees developed a "next man up" mentality. No-name players like Mike Ford, Mike Tauchman, Gio Urshela, and Cameron Maybin performed. DJ LeMahieu came through all season long, Gleyber Torres had a very impressive year, Gary Sanchez bounced back, and Aaron Judge performed despite missing half of the season due to injury. James Paxton became a solid option in the rotation, Domingo German had a breakout year, and the bullpen was stacked. The amount of adversity this team over came was remarkable, and despite a disappointing playoff finish, this season was far from a failure, and there is a lot to look forward to in 2020.

Tampa Bay Rays (96-66): Creative

What a year for this franchise. This team was close last year, but figured everything out and made it to the postseason in 2019. With breakout stars like Austin Meadows, Charlie Morton and Nick Anderson, and rookie sensation Brandon Lowe, this team shocked the league with their results. The Rays showed how much they can develop pitchers by bringing in unproven arms like Tyler Glasnow and Emilio Pagan and turning them into stars. The team did exceptionally well in the postseason, defeating the Athletics on the road and losing to a juggernaut in the Astros in five games. Tampa is looking to continue their success into 2020, with new acquisitions like Jose Martinez and Hunter Renfroe to fill much needed gaps.

Boston Red Sox (84-78): Hangover

If you'd like an example of a world series hangover, take a look at the 2019 Red Sox. This team had almost the same roster as last year without Craig Kimbrel as their closer. Boston regressed in a lot of areas. The normally lights out Chris Sale did not perform at the elite level he is capable of. The bullpen could not find a capable closer for the entire season besides a few good months from Brandon Workman. The hitting core was very inconsistent, with bats like Steve Pearce and Andrew Benintendi going cold. The future for the Red Sox is questionable now. A franchise face in Mookie Betts and workhorse David Price have been dealt to Los Angeles, and it will now be up to the organization to fill those holes for next year.

Toronto Blue Jays (67-95): Prospects

Without being contenders, the Blue Jays biggest accomplishment was bringing up their promising youth. As big names like Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez leave the Jays, Toronto looks to have a fresh start to return to contention. Vladimir Guerrero Jr looks promising, Bo Bichette is a hitting machine, and Cavin Biggio will only get better. The team's future looks even more brighter with Nate Pearson and others on the way as well.

Baltimore Orioles (54-108): Tragedy

Different year, same story. Baltimore, all I can say is get used to this. When your highest payed player goes 62 consecutive at-bats without a hit and your teams pitching gives up the most homers in a season in baseball history, there's a problem. The only nice pieces this year were Trey Mancini and an impressive rookie year for John Means. Other than that, the rebuild will live on into next season.

 Minnesota Twins (101-61): Rebound

What a bounce back year in Minnesota. Many of the key pieces from the 2017 run came back and performed in a crucial way. Breakout years from guys like Max Kepler, Jorge Polonco, and Mitch Garver aided a division title for the first time since 2010. The main strength in this team was with the home run; they hit 307 to be exact. The pitching also became a strength of the team, with a starting rotation including Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi, and a legit closer in Taylor Rodgers. An embarrassing sweep by the Yankees in the ALDS aside, the Twins had an incredible and unexpected bounce back year, and expect to see the same for next year as well.

Cleveland Indians (93-69): Disappointing

Yes, no change from last year. Cleveland has developed a routine of having a team with tremendous potential year after year: only to have the season collapse in some kind of horrible way. This year, it was a failure to make the playoffs all together. I understand that the Twins came out of nowhere, but this team had the capability to be the central champions again. Believe it or not, this team had a better record than last year, which shows how little they deserved to be in the postseason. Like last year, they were carried by a few offensive pieces, but the pitching hurt them more than ever this year. Trevor Bauer was traded in the middle of the season, which ended up creating a big hole in the rotation without Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco returning to form. The bullpen wasn't nearly as reliable as it had been previous years. This team's flaws were finally revealed as soon as a team from their division got their stuff together. Expect more of the same next year if major moves aren't made.

Chicago White Sox (72-89): Progress

The White Sox made moves this season to move towards a brighter future. Sure, the record doesn't show much, but this team felt a lot different than last year's. Tim Anderson emerged as an impressive bat, Lucas Giolito had a solid comeback season, and young talents like Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada started to come around. It will still be years before this team will be competitive again, but it was nice to see pieces start to emerge for the franchise. Also with a big offseason for next year, expect big things to come.

Kansas City Royals (59-103): Conclusion

This year felt like the end of an era for the Royals. Even though it was almost the same story as last year with awful performances on the field, Ned Yost announced his retirement at season's end. A man who lead a team to back to back World Series, and ultimately brought a championship to Kansas City. It's hard to have faith for the near future, but expect more down years in a hope that they can get another window to compete in.

Detroit Tigers (47-114): Abysmal

I honestly feel like if the Orioles didn't exist, this team would get much more attention than they do. If you thought last year was bad, it somehow got worse. The pitching was completely non-existent, the offense completely quiet, and little to look forward to in the coming years. Contracts like Miguel Cabrera and Jordan Zimmerman have started to look terrible for the franchise as well. However, it does look like a top pitching prospect in Casey Mize is on his way up, so keep an eye out for him in 2020. Other than that, the tanking is sure to continue. 

Houston Astros (107-55): Karma

This is exactly what karma looks like Houston. If the whole scandal done by this franchise wasn't revealed, I would have called this season a choke. The fact that the Astros, cheating or not, lost to the Nationals in the World Series to me is baffling. Despite big moves being made in the offseason and at the deadline for Michael Brantley and Zack Greinke, it wasn't enough. I don't really know what to say about this franchise anymore after all the news about this team has come out. I used to have respect for them because they were confident, and just overall talented. It will be a weird year for them in 2020, I'll just say that much.

Oakland Athletics (97-65): Repetition

This season felt just like last year for Oakland: an unexpected year filled with surprise only to have it collapse in the playoffs. New faces did emerge this year as well. Frankie Montas even with his PED suspension looks promising, Ramon Laureano is blooming into a solid player, Liam Hendricks turned into a stud, and young stars like Jesus Luzardo have tremendous potential. If they weren't trapped in the same division as Houston, this team could have a legit shot at a division lead. But with a small market and a tough division, it seems like this will be the hamster wheel the A's will be stuck in for a while.

Texas Rangers (78-84): Surprising

The record may not show much, but the Rangers completely over-performed for their talent level. Many of the players who were assumed to be mediocre played over their heads for most of the year. For the people who had Hunter Pence, Lance Lynn, and Mike Minor leading this team in production, you are one of a kind. They didn't really have a shot at the postseason however due to the two teams in front of them and their pitching not having enough depth. They could be competitive next year after trading for Corey Kluber however, so we'll see if this team can get out of their repetition of being mediocre.

Los Angeles Angels (72-90): Unfortunate

I think out of all teams, the Angels had the roughest season of them all. Not only with not contending and being very inconsistent, but the unexpected death of Tyler Skaggs in the middle of the year. A truly unfortunate event to a player who had potential to have a bright future with the team. On the bright side, the Angels threw a combined no-hitter on the night Skaggs was honored. Also the fact that Mike Trout had yet another outstanding year while earning MVP honors. However, the teams true struggles came from a weak pitching staff and a very inconsistent hitting core all year long. I feel like this team will improve next year with a big offseason though, so we'll see how they turn out.

Seattle Mariners (68-94): Expected

Besides the 13-2 start, everything about the year was expected in Seattle. The team was not impressive in the slightest, aside from a few breakout hitters like Daniel Vogelbach. The pitching was not effective, with starters like Felix Hernandez starting to decline. The bullpen fell apart without Edwin Diaz being their closer anymore. This was more of a symbolic year for the Mariners, with guys like Ichiro Suzuki and Felix officially leaving the team. The only team to never make a World Series doesn't look promising to make it there for a while at the rate they're going.

Atlanta Braves (97-65): Growth

It was a huge surprise to see the Braves in the playoffs last year, but this year much more expectations were placed on them. As expected they trampled through the NL East and made the postseason. I say growth for this team because of how much they overall improved. The offense cemented themselves as on of the most feared in the league, with bats like Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr, Ozzie Albies, and Nick Markakis leading the way. Also, that signing of Josh Donaldson was very rewarding for them. The pitching got upgrades by nice years from Max Fried, Mike Foltynewicz, and a breakout rookie campaign from Mike Soroka. The bullpen also proved to be reliable with trades and signings for Mark Melancon, Shane Greene, and Chris Martin. Although an embarrassing Game 5 collapse in the NLDS was not what the Braves had in mind for the end of their season, look for Atlanta to continue to be competitive for the next few years.

Washington Nationals (93-69): Unpredictable

What a story this team was. Nobody saw this coming at all. The Nationals had around a 3% chance of winning the World Series in May. They were sitting at a record of 19-31, 10 games back of the NL East to the Phillies, and with a bullpen that had an ERA of over 7.00. Washington proceeded to get themselves into form by trampling over their opponents and securing a first wild card spot. The rest of that run is history (more details in an article above). The Nationals are a great example of how numbers and predictions can only go so far. At the end of it all, no one really knows what could happen on a baseball field. You can measure stats and percentages, but you can't measure how much passion and heart a team has.

New York Mets (86-76): Bullpen

The season summary for the Mets was their one crippling flaw: their bullpen. This team had so much potential to make a deep playoff run with their roster. An amazing starting rotation with Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and a new addition in Marcus Stroman. A lineup including Michael Conforto, breakout stars like J.D Davis and Wilson Ramos, and future stars like Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil. The bullpen even had promise with guys like Edwin Diaz, Justin Wilson, and Jeurys Familia. But it all came crumbling down when Diaz started struggling, and everyone underperformed. The Mets had hot streaks towards the end of the year, and at certain points were a very exciting team. But the season would be best described as when the bullpen blew a 10-2 lead in the 9th against the Nationals. The Mets are looking promising however, with signings of Dellin Betances and Rick Porcello. Could be more, but it will definitely help the depth for next year.

Philadelphia Phillies (81-81): Underachieving

This team drastically changed their roster from last year: but still had the same results. Big signings like J.T Realmuto, Bryce Harper, and Jean Segura hoped to turn the franchise around. Only one problem arose from this: the pitching didn't change. The hitting was much improved overall, but the pitching could not keep up. Aaron Nola regressed compared to his Cy Young-caliber season before, Jake Arrieta was not consistent, and the bullpen was very shaky without a legit closer, and David Robertson being out for the year. This was really disappointing to see this franchise have another mediocre season with all the signings in the offseason, but look for them to stay competitive next year.

Miami Marlins (57-105): Expected

The longer this team tanks, the less their word for their season will change. The Marlins were built to be bad this year, and it showed quite frequently. However, there are some bright spots emerging. Garrett Cooper is starting to realize his potential, Brian Anderson is turning into a cornerstone, and pitchers like Caleb Lopez and Jordan Yamamoto are coming around. To be honest, expect this team to make steps forward next year. They've gotten pretty good signings in Matt Kemp, Corey Dickerson, Matt Joyce, Francisco Cervelli, and Jesus Aguilar to help out. They could win more than they have so far in their tanking years next year.

St. Louis Cardinals (91-71): Clutch

Sure, the record doesn't really show a team that won a division title, but man did they win when they needed to. The NL Central was crazy for the whole year, but the Cardinals ended up on top. You can mostly thank the second-half breakout from Jack Flaherty on the mound, and a strong offense lead by Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna. A strong finish to the year with a crucial sweep of the Cubs set up a chance at a deep playoff run. A nice upset of the Braves was first, followed by a collapse against the Nationals in the NLCS. This teams flaw was not having enough depth. They didn't have enough bullpen help, and Carlos Martinez was very hit or miss as a closer. Expect this team to stay in the hunt for the next few years.

Milwaukee Brewers (89-73): Undeserved

This season shouldn't have happened to the Brewers. A strong roster hoped to return to the postseason after a stunning run last season. The Brewers finished the year strong, but not without losing their best player in Christian Yelich to a broken knee cap. Nonetheless, they still secured a second wild card spot to play the Nationals in D.C. They led the game 3-1 entering the 8th with Josh Hader on the mound. Unfortunately, Hader collapsed on the mound, and the Nationals would end up winning thanks to a crucial error by Trent Grisham (Yelich's replacement). Overall, I thought the Brewers got very unlucky this year, and didn't deserve the outcome they got. It will be very hard to say whether this team will be competitive next year with massive turnovers in the roster.

Chicago Cubs (84-78): Wasted

This was a wasted opportunity for Chicago. A roster filled with talent like Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Kris Bryant should be in the hunt for a playoff berth. Their problem was in the inconsistent hitting, underachieving pitching, and overall lack of depth. Hitters were very streaky, and with Javier Baez not hitting like a stud like he did last year, there was little to improve. The signing of Craig Kimbrel proved to be a total flop, as closing a game for him became as hard as hitting for the cycle. It seems like the Cubs are slowly regressing year after year since their championship team. The only thing this Cubs team should hope for is a couple more years of contention.

Cincinnati Reds (75-87): Promising

The Reds, believe it or not, actually made steps forward this year. The record may not show much, but the team showed they have pieces to move forward. The pitching got massive upgrades with Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo, and Sonny Gray to lead the rotation. The only problem was in the hitting department. Joey Votto was suddenly starting to regress, and the offense can't just rely on Derek Dietrich and Eugenio Suarez pimping home runs. Even though it didn't come together for the Reds this year, expect big things next year. They got massive upgrades for hitting in Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos, which will definitely help them try to take back the NL Central.

Pittsburgh Pirates (69-93): Comical 

Another forgetful year for the Pirates; what a shocker. When your season highlights involve fights with the Reds over home runs, there's a problem. Surprisingly, the team looked promising for the first half of the year. Josh Bell was hitting at a historically good level, and Bryan Reynolds is looking like an everyday player for the future. Their problem was also on the mound. The big trade for Chris Archer is looking very disappointing, especially with the return Tampa Bay got for him. There really isn't a capable starter, aside from Jameson  Taillon when he's healthy. With ownership taking a big turn, Pittsburgh can only hope for a rebuild to clean this mess up.

Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56): Failure

I've felt bad for the Dodgers for the past few years with how they've lost in the playoffs; this year was laughter instead. The team had the roster, depth, and skill to return to the World Series for the third year in a row. The team plowed through the regular season, only to get absolutely embarrassed by the Nationals on their route to the World Series. The Dodgers collapsed due to their questionable managerial decisions in that series. Putting in Clayton Kershaw after a brilliant start by Walker Beuhler in Game 5 was very questionable. Kershaw didn't pitch very well in his lone start of the series, and there were better options out of the bullpen to go with. The Dodgers have now won 7 consecutive division titles, and have no World Series ring to show for it. Expect them to be back in the postseason next year.

Arizona Diamondbacks (85-77): Underrated

Even though this team was nowhere near a division title, they did very well for how they were expected to be. Even while losing big pieces like Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke at the deadline, they still had a talented team. Guys like Eduardo Escobar, David Peralta, and Zack Gallen went under the radar throughout the league. Even though they are still far behind the Dodgers, expect this team to be competitive with a strong offseason as well.

San Francisco Giants (77-85): Farewell

Put the mediocre record aside, and the struggling team as well; this was a symbolic year for the Giants. There could be bright spots for the future in Mike Yastrzemski and Derreck Rodriguez, but this was the end of the Giants' prime years. The farewell to Bruce Bochy was a sign of a rebuild to come in San Francisco, and he also ended up getting his 2,000th career win. Don't be surprised if the Giants have a bad couple of years down the road.

Colorado Rockies (71-91): Pitching

I could describe this year with every synonym to embarrassing, but in reality the story of this team was in their pitching. They had an offense capable of taking them back to the postseason, but the Rockies had minimal pitching to help out. Kyle Freeland regressed dramatically one year after being a Cy Young candidate. The bullpen was hopeless without Adam Ottavino, and pitchers like Wade Davis were not very reliable. If Colorado has any hope to make it back to the postseason, they need to make serious changes to their pitching staff.

San Diego Padres (70-92): Hope

This year was different for the Padres. Sure, they still came in last, but we got a glimpse into what the future could hold for San Diego. Studs like Chris Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr made their debuts and did not disappoint. With talent like this, the team might be competitive in the next few years. They've already had a strong offseason to improve the depth, so expect the Padres to be a little bit better next year.

Welcome to the story of the Houston Astros. A tale of how a team went from being on top of the baseball world to the most hated team in the league. It's taken me a while to put all of my thoughts on this out there, but here it goes. The way this story will be told is through sections: the scandal itself, the results of it, the interviews of players and staff members, what this means for baseball, and my personal opinion on the subject. Enjoy!

The Scandal:

After the 2019 season ended, it was revealed in late November that the Houston Astros had a massive sign stealing scandal in place. This was revealed when an article on The Athletic came out, interviewing former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers. He revealed that the Astros used a camera placed in center field at Minute Maid Park to illegally steal signs from other teams. After investigations by the MLB took place, this turned out to be true; the only question that remained was how the batters were relayed this information. The information was passed to the clubhouse during the game to an Astros player or staff member, through a computer placed past the stairs leading to the clubhouse. Once this information was gathered, a player would bang on a trash can to signal to the batter at the plate what pitch was coming. It was concluded that no banging on the trash can meant that a fastball of some kind was coming, and a bang meant a changeup or some kind of off-speed pitch was coming. This practice was used in all of 2017, including the postseason, and was found out to be used in a part of the 2018 season as well. 

There has been a large amount of speculation surrounding the fact that the Astros continued this scandal for the rest of 2018 and even did it in 2019. Pictures of Jose Altuve and Josh Reddick have been leaked, showing what looks like some kind of buzzer taped to their chests. There has not been any confirmed evidence that the Astros used buzzers to signal signs in 2019, but it would not be surprising to find out down the road that this would be the truth. Houston won a World Series with this scandal in use in 2017, made the ALCS in 2018, and made it back to the World Series in 2019, where they lost in seven games to the Washington Nationals.

The Results:

After a scandal like this takes place, obviously serious punishments must follow; let's just say MLB went a little soft on the punishments for the Astros. Jeff Luhnow, the General Manager of Houston, and AJ Hinch, the Manager of Houston, were suspended for a year. After owner Jim Crane got the news about this, they were both fired by him immediately. The organization was also fined $5 million and lost their first and second-round draft picks for 2020. This might be a "historical" punishment for MLB's standards but this was a very weak execution considering how much this changed the game. The most common arguments for punishing the Astros were suspensions of players and stripping their World Series title. 

Other teams besides the Astros were affected by this. Former Houston bench coach and Red Sox manager Alex Cora played a major role in the scandal. After Boston was notified about this, they fired their manager right away. It also turned out that Cora brought a similar system to Boston where signs would be stolen with a runner on second base and the replay room. This scandal was not nearly as complicated as Houston's, but proper punishments were given out for that. Carlos Beltran also played a major role in the scandal; he was the only active player on the roster that was noted in the reports. He was gong to be the manager of the New York Mets in 2020, but they parted ways following the news. It's a shame that other teams had to be caught in between something they were not a part of.

The Interviews:

As one would expect, plenty of interviews with Houston players and staff members took place after the scandal came to light. One word to describe these interviews? Embarrassing. It was clear to us fans that the Astros had practically no remorse for what they did and how they affected people and the game of baseball. The interview with Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman seemed scripted the whole way through. The apology was nothing but "We're sorry for getting caught" and "We feel bad for our actions". It seemed like a reenactment of a teenage bully saying sorry to a kid for bullying them in front of the principal. There was no mention of detail in the scandal, if the buzzers were in play, or how long it went on for. It was as bland of answers as you could get. The interviews with owner Jim Crane also showed no emotion or sorrow, and included hypocrisy as well. Crane answered a question during the interview, stating that the scandal "didn't impact the game", then later on flipped the answer by saying he didn't say the scandal didn't impact the game. Certainly a forgivable mistake, it can be very hard to remember things you said about five minutes before that same subject came up again. Not a good look at all.

Interviews with other players also revealed the unity against this scandal. Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger was quoted saying that they've been cheating for the past three years, and that Jose Altuve stole an MVP award from Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge in 2017. Giancarlo Stanton was quoted saying that if he was part of that scandal, he would've easily hit 70 homers. Mike Trout lost respect for Astros players and stated that the scandal was "sad for baseball". Aaron Judge said the World Series trophy of 2017 doesn't hold any value anymore for the Astros. Kris Bryant said the scandal was worse than steroids, and also criticized the Astros' apology, stating that there was no sincerity in it. These comments from players shows fans how united everyone was that this scandal was awful and bad for baseball.

What This Means for Baseball:

This is obviously an awful look for baseball. Not only that the scandal was in place, but the punishments that followed. Without a major and unforgettable penalty for the Astros, it shows how the league isn't motivated enough to prevent this from happening in the future. There was also a rumor that this scandal was known to be happening around the league. MLB's chief baseball officer Joe Torre told the Astros and Nationals not to cheat using technology before the start of the 2019 World Series. This just proves that the league knew of the Astros but didn't want to bring it to light until they were forced to. If Mike Fiers never speaks out, this scandal may not have been known for years down the road. This scandal proved that there is a growing gap between the players and staff members in the game. 

My Opinion:

Being a fan of the New York Yankees, I will try my very hardest to be as non-biased as I can be while talking about this. Obviously for me, this scandal hurts. The 2017 Yankees was a team no one was expecting to do much, and they proceed to make a deep playoff run. I went to that year's Wild Card game, and was blown away with how much soul the team had when they came back to beat the Twins that night. I thought the Yankees were done when they fell to a 2-0 game deficit over the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. They just proceeded to shock the world and reverse-swept them to advance. At this point, I didn't expect the Yankees to come anywhere near beating the Astros, I just knew them as a powerhouse of the American League. We all know how that series turned out. It was heartbreaking for me at the time because I knew we just weren't good enough to make it past Houston. Hearing about the scandal that happened that year, I feel like we would've had a chance to win that series. Even though we were not the better team by any means, we dominated them in New York. With one win in Houston, we would've made it to the World Series. This example of the Yankees is one of many teams that got robbed by the Astros of having any hopes of making it farther than they did. Remember Jose Altuve's three-homer game in Game One of the ALDS? Take a guess as to where that game was played. That set the tone for that series, and gave the Red Sox hopelessness for the rest of the games against Houston. Remember how close the division lead was between the Astros and the Oakland Athletics in 2018? That division could've belonged to the A's without the Astros tactics. I just feel awful for all the teams that had their ambitions ruined by a team not playing the game the right way.

In my opinion, the Houston Astros cheated past the portion of 2018. I don't think any team in the right state of mind would stop doing something especially if it brought a World Series back to your hometown. I feel like the Astros had signs in the ALDS against the Rays, even in Game Five where Tyler Glasnow was tipping pitches. I feel like against certain pitchers on the Yankees, the Astros had the signs. They couldn't touch Tanaka in Game One, and I had a feeling it was because of the complicated sign system they had in that game. I'm not saying we deserved to win that series, because even at home they shelled our pitchers every game. I think the Astros lost the World Series in 2019 because of the Nationals smart ways of thinking, and a cruel twist of fate. As much as the Astros were heavy favorites to win that World Series, they couldn't hit the elite pitchers of Washington, and they also had a complicated sign system.

This leads me to my next point; I don't think the Astros had the signs in every home game they played. Do I think they had the signs in most games they played? Absolutely. But going through every possible way that a team could put down signs to me seems impossible. There could be so many different combinations as to what signs are for certain pitchers that I feel like it's unlikely they decoded all of them. That's why when I see comments about how the Astros wouldn't have won certain games without the signs, you have to rethink the fact that maybe they didn't have them. I'm not saying they weren't cheating a lot, because I guarantee they were. If they were cheating in 2019, I would bet on the fact that Jose Altuve knew that Aroldis Chapman was throwing a slider on that last pitch of the ALCS. I would bet on the fact that they had the signs in Game Five of the World Series against the Dodgers in 2017, one of the highest scoring games in baseball's history. It's a shame that these games can't be thought of the same anymore because of this.

I also wanted to make a statement: the Houston Astros are still a very talented team. That's why this whole scandal makes me furious; this team in no way needed to cheat to win games. Houston had a very promising team for the future before 2017 happened. Guys like Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa were looking like future stars in the organization, and their pitching slowly started to get better. I still think Altuve, Correa, and even guys like George Springer, Alex Bregman, and Yuli Gurriel would've blossomed into quality players even without the scandal. Away from home games, they still look like good players who have grown since joining the organization. The Astros would probably still be competing for the division lead with that offense and quality pitching. We will just never know for sure what would've happened if they played without knowing the signs.

The most annoying thing about this whole scandal is the unknown parts. We don't know how far this story goes, whether buzzers were used, why baseball wanted to hide this from us for so long, and what would've happened in 2017 without this whole thing. Some of the things I claim in this article may not even be fully true just because reporters may not get enough detail from the MLB about this. But trust me, I did my research before writing this.

Personally, I hate the fact that baseball now has this black eye in their game. I feel like I'll always have a second thought about any player or team that breaks out and has a great year. I'll always be thinking about the fact that they could be cheating, or that they know the signs. It's just unfortunate that this scandal had to be hidden from us for so long before a player had the guts to speak about it. Let's just hope something like this gets prevented in the future of baseball.

Baseball is finally back! With under a week before Opening Day, baseball fans everywhere are getting hyped to see the sport back in action. But, there is a topic that needs to be addressed for this season and for the future of baseball: some new, controversial rules being put in play by the MLB. In this article, we will be discussing three rules in particular that might have the baseball community wondering how this will affect the game going forward. Also, I'll be rating each rule out of 10 based on how good I feel it is for baseball. Enjoy!

Universal DH Rule: 9/10

The first rule that will be brought up is one that was a needed change: the universal DH. As far as we know right now, this rule will only be in play for the 2020 season, but don't be surprised if this is a permanent stay. The basic idea of this rule is that there will be a designated hitter in the American League and now the National League as well. This brings more balance to the league, and also gives guys in the National League more chances to prove themselves as everyday players. This could also shake up the standings for National League teams because of more opportunities in that DH spot to win games. Personally, I'm all for this change. My one thing that prevents this rule from getting a perfect ten is the fact that pitchers don't bat anymore. I don't know about you guys, but I loved seeing pitchers take at bats. Seeing a pitcher hit a home run was something special, like Bartolo Colon and others. But on the other hand, pitchers are more exposed to injury risk, so I can deal with this nonetheless.

Three Batter Minimum For Pitchers: 7/10

The second rule proposed for the 2020 season has to do with pitchers. All pitchers that enter a game at any given time must either face three batters or finish the inning they are brought in to pitch. Personally, I used to have a grudge against this rule before I looked into the specifics of it. I still question the necessity of it however. If baseball is aiming toward pace of play related rules, how in any way would this speed up the game in a noticeable way? Sure, there wouldn't be innings where three pitching changes happen, but that never happens anyways. My former problem with this rule arose when I realized you could expose the rule. Since there is now a universal DH, there is no way for the pitcher to be subbed out before facing his minimum of three batters. Also, since the rule states that a pitcher is also allowed to only finish the inning he is brought in for, there is no exposing this rule. I just question why the rule had to be put into baseball in the first place, but it's not too bad.

Second Base Runner In Extra Innings: 3/10

The third and final rule we will be going over is by far the worst idea I have ever heard of for baseball. The rule states that for every inning of an extra inning game, the team that is hitting must place a runner, presumably off the bench, on second base to start the inning. If we were not in a period of a worldwide pandemic, this rule probably would've gotten zero points. This rule makes sense for 2020 because we don't want baseball players on a field for longer than they need to be, with more of a risk of getting the coronavirus. But there is one simple problem with this rule: this is not baseball. This rule ruins every single aspect of tension and meaning in extra inning games. Sure, these don't happen that much, but when they do happen, they make for great, heroic moments. Putting a runner on second base and forcing these moments to happen is an awful idea. Telling your friend about your team hitting a walk-off in the 10th inning, and then explaining that the guy that scored for them was put on second by rule is something that should never take place. This rule is like putting a score limit in overtime games in the NBA; completely unnecessary. Like I said, I would understand if this rule was a one-year thing, but if this rule gets extended, expect a lot of hate going towards the commissioner and the MLB. 

With Opening Day right around the corner, we've been thinking about players that broke through for their respective ball clubs at the beginning of the year. Making an Opening Day roster is quite an accomplishment in the MLB, and really shows that a club is confident in that players ability. But instead of talking about these players, we wanted to be interactive, and test your knowledge on Opening Day staters from certain years. The first five questions will have to do with starters for the 2020 season, and the last five will be about previous years. Enjoy!

1. Who is the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Padres this year?

A. Eric Lauer

B. Matt Strahm

C. Dinelson Lamet

D. Chris Paddack

2. Who is the projected Opening Day starting center fielder for the Orioles this year?

A. Adam Jones

B. Dwight Smith Jr.

C. Austin Hays

D. DJ Stewart

3. Who is the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Braves this year?

A. Mike Soroka

B. Cole Hamels

C. Mike Foltynewicz

D. Max Fried

4. Without Ryan Zimmerman for 2020, who is the Nationals Opening Day starting first baseman projected to be?

A. Howie Kendrick

B. Eric Thames

C. Matt Adams

D. Carter Kieboom

5. With such a stacked lineup for 2020, who is the projected Opening Day starting left fielder for the Dodgers?

A. Kike Hernandez

B. Joc Pederson

C. Chris Taylor

D. Cody Bellinger

6. Who was the Mets Opening Day starting right fielder in 2015?

A. Michael Conforto

B. Yoenis Cespedes

C. Curtis Granderson

D. Juan Lagares

7. True or False: Roy Halladay was the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Blue Jays in 2004. 

A. True

B. False

8. Who was the Opening Day starting catcher for the Dodgers in 1998?

A. Jason Kendall

B. Joe Girardi

C. Ivan Rodriguez

D. Mike Piazza

9. Who was the Opening Day starting pitcher for the White Sox in 2010?

A. Jared Weaver

B. Mark Buehrle

C. Zack Greinke

D. James Shields

10. Who was the Opening Day starting second baseman for the Royals in 2018?

A. Mike Moustakas

B. Alcides Escobar

C. Whit Merrifield

D. Adalberto Mondesi

Answers:

1. D

2. C

3. A

4. B

5. B

6. C

7. A

8. D

9. B

10. C

Didn't watch any baseball today? Need to know what happened? You've come to the right place. This article keeps track of the best moments from every day of baseball in 2020. From crazy plays, to no-hitters, to walk-off home runs, we've got it here. Enjoy!

Thursday, July 23rd (Opening Day): 

The Battle of the Aces

Two aces went at it in Washington D.C; and they did not disappoint. Max Scherzer went strikeout crazy, sitting down eleven Yankee batters, while Gerrit Cole struck out five. Although Scherzer would get the loss, he had great command the whole game with all of his pitches. He let up four runs, and a two-run home run to Giancarlo Stanton. Cole looked sharp as well, only letting up one hit, which was a solo home run by Adam Eaton. The Yankees would end up with the win after an unfortunate rain delay prevented the game from going all nine innings. 

Kike's Monster Night

All Dodger fans watching Opening Day against the Giants were expecting a lot of runs from their squad. I don't think anyone expected a breakout game from Kike Hernandez at all. His slash line for the game included four hits, a home run, and five RBIs. He drove in over half the runs that the Dodgers would end up scoring that game. A very impressive performance from a team expected to have World Series ambitions this year.  

Friday, July 24th:

The Return of the Lion King

The Mets and Braves game today treated us to some quality pitching, a home run robbery, and a very special moment for Yoenis Cespedes. He had gone over 700 days without playing in a major league game, and in his third at bat, he took Chris Martin deep for a solo home run. This would be the only Mets run to score, and make the difference for New York as they beat the Braves 1-0 in their Opening Day game.

The Moose is Loose in Cincinnati

Mike Moustakas is one of many new additions to the Reds that they are hoping can produce for them this year; he certainly delivered on Opening Day. The Reds second baseman ended his day with a very impressive slash line of three hits, a 421-foot home run, and four RBIs. Cincinnati would go on to beat the Tigers 7-1 behind a strong pitching performance by Sonny Gray as well.

Anthony Rizzo: A Man of the People

Anthony Rizzo proves once again why it is impossible to hate him. After Orlando Arcia singled to left, Rizzo came prepared for the Brewers shortstop. During a time where a pandemic still exists, sanitizing is always important, whether you're an athlete or not. Rizzo treated Arcia to a bottle of hand sanitizer as a friendly gesture, and for a great moment in Chicago. Oh, and he also went deep in the 8th inning as well. The Cubs would go on to beat the Brewers 3-0 behind a fantastic three-hit shutout by Kyle Hendricks.

Bieber's Big Night

Shane Bieber had himself quite the Opening Day. His stat line included six innings, four hits, and one walk. Oh, I forgot to mention that he struck out fourteen Royals as well. He averaged a little over two strikeouts per inning. Bieber became the fifth starter since 1900 to strike out fourteen batters on Opening Day, and was one short of the record set by Camilo Pascual in 1960. A great start for the Indians and for Shane Bieber, who is only getting better.

Olson's Historic Slam

It has been proven on this site that we hate the new extra innings rule with a runner on second. But on the other hand, it allowed a moment of history to happen on Opening Day. The Angels and Athletics were knotted up at three heading into the 10th inning. This was the first time ever that the new rule would be put in place. After the Angels failed to score in the top half, the Athletics loaded the bases for Matt Olson. He would belt the first pitch not only for the first walk-off in 2020, but the first walk-off with the rule set in stone. And with an awkward celebration at home plate, of course.

Saturday, July 25th:

Offensive Explosion in Chicago

The White Sox rebounded in a big way against the Twins. After dropping Opening Day 10-5, the offense exploded against the Twins bullpen. Chicago hit five homers against them, one coming from Edwin Encarnacion, one from James McCann, one from Eloy Jimenez, and two from Leury Garcia, who also drove in four runs on the day. The first win of 2020 was a big one, with a strong pitching performance by Dallas Keuchel as well.

Wheeler's Impressive Debut

Zack Wheeler made his debut with the Phillies, and looked very sharp. His final line was seven innings, five hits, one earned run, two walks, and four strikeouts. What was most impressive was how many double plays he turned: that number was four. That allowed him to go seven innings and keep his pitch count relatively low. The Phillies would go on to beat the Marlins by a score of 7-1 behind a strong offensive rebound. 

Daniel Bard's Return

Daniel Bard appeared in his first game in the big leagues since April 27, 2013. He had been a solid pitcher, but massive issues with control caused him to lose opportunities in the majors. He made a comeback in this spring and made the roster for the Colorado Rockies in 2020. He got to make his first appearance against the Texas Rangers, and the control look brilliant; 20 of his 25 pitches were strikes. It's a great story, and an example of what hard work and persistence does in the long run. The Rockies would go on to win 3-2 over Texas, with Bard earning the win in the game as well.

Robles Rakes

The Nationals had an offensive onslaught against the Yankees, and their center fielder was a big part of that. Robles had a big offensive night, slashing three hits, including a home run and a double. He was a triple away from the cycle, and drove in four RBIs. The Nationals would go on to win a nice bounce back game by a score of 9-2 after dropping Opening Day to New York.

Sunday, July 26th:

The First Social Distance Ejection

The first managerial ejection of 2020 happened: and it was much different than what we are used to. Pirates manager Derek Shelton was not pleased with the strike zone, and was eventually ejected by home plate umpire Jordan Baker. Before letting Baker know how he felt, Shelton had to make sure to put on his mask, and stay six feet apart. Shelton definitely got his word in, and also even went to the effort of taking off the mask to get his point across. It was funny to watch, but also the right thing to do considering the safety protocols for 2020.

40 Years Old and Still Raking

Say what you want about him in the past and PED use, but Nelson Cruz is truly a rare talent. He is in his 40 year old season, and can still swing the bat with the best of them. His slash line against the White Sox was incredible. Cruz went 4-5, with two doubles and two homers, driving in seven RBIs. He has been a huge piece to the Twins ever since coming over last year, and they are hoping his bat won't slow down. The Twins would go on to beat the White Sox by a dominant score of 14-2.

Monday July 27th:

The First Coronavirus Outbreak

This is not the first day that any player in the MLB has gotten the coronavirus. But, this is the first day where a team has affected other games from being played. Fourteen Marlins players, including guys like Garrett Cooper, Jose Urena, and staff members contracted the disease following their series finale with the Phillies. As a result of this, the Marlins had to cancel their home opener against the Orioles, and the Phillies had to cancel their home game against the Yankees. Citizens Bank Park is in the middle of a deep clean up to prevent this from spreading. We can only hope this doesn't get worse and affect the outcome of the season.

Tuesday, July 28th:

Everyone's New Favorite Pitcher

The game that everyone wanted to see happened today; Dodgers versus Astros. For the few who don't know the backstory, the Dodgers were essentially robbed of a World Series title by the Astros back in 2017. Houston had a sign-stealing scandal throughout the whole year, and took it into the playoffs, including the World Series. Everyone wanted to see how the Dodgers would react after this horrible scandal was revealed. Joe Kelly came in relief in the 6th inning, and let's just say he had things on his mind. First, he threw behind Alex Bregman's head with a 96 MPH fastball on a 3-0 count. Then, he threw an off-speed pitch at 87 near Carlos Correa's head, which could be assumed to be unintentional. But after a big strikeout of Correa to get out of a jam, Kelly had some things to say. He said "Nice swing, *****" to Correa, and made faces with some other comments as well. This caused the benches to clear and a 'brawl' to happen, even though no fight broke out as a result. The punishments for this was an eight-game suspension for Kelly, one game for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, and a fine of Astros manager Dusty Baker for comments towards Kelly. Personally, I loved what Kelly did. I'm not a fan of throwing at the heads of other players however, but I feel like this is how the Astros should be treated by the league. I'm not saying they should get taunted and hit every time, but they brought this on themselves. Lance McCullers of the Astros said that Joe Kelly's actions were "unprofessional". Stealing signs and ruining the integrity of the game seems pretty unprofessional too, doesn't it Lance?

Rendon Is Back

Anthony Rendon has been sidelined for the start of the 2020 season with nagging injury problems in his oblique; he came back with a bang. In the 8th inning, Rendon launched a two-run homer to left for his first hit as a Los Angeles Angel. With Trout in an uncharacteristic slump to start the year, the Angels are hoping that Rendon's return could provide their All-Star centerfielder with some protection. The Angels would go on to win against the Mariners 10-2 behind an offensive explosion and impressive pitching all around.

Wednesday, July 29th:

The New Guys Getting it Done

The Reds went on another offensive explosion against the Cubs. Notable hitters from this game include Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos, and Nick Senzel. Moustakas crushed a homer in his second at-bat back from a shirt stint on the IL due to sickness. His two-run shot would give the Reds the lead in the fourth. Castellanos crushed a grand slam in the fifth to blow the game open for Cincinnati. Senzel also hit a home run in his third at-bat back from sickness. The Reds are further proving why their offense needs to be respected around the league. Cincinnati would go on to beat the Cubs 12-7 behind another excellent start from Sonny Gray.

Woodruff's Dominant Night

Brandon Woodruff had a night to remember against the Pirates. His dominant performance included six and a third innings pitched, one hit, no runs, no walks, and ten strikeouts. A very impressive outing for a young starter in the Brewers rotation. Milwaukee would end up winning 3-0 behind two homers by Ben Gamel and Kesten Hiura.

Mad Max Being Mad Max

Stop me if you've heard this before; Max Scherzer pitched well today. Except, it was more than well; it was very good. Scherzer's final line included seven and a third innings, three hits, three walks, and ten strikeouts. Scherzer continues to dominant with consistency, and has shown no signs of slowing down any time soon. The Nationals would go on to beat the Blue Jays in extra innings by a score of 4-0.

Pearson's Impressive Debut

Although the Blue Jays did not come out on top over the Nationals, their young stud impressed for sure. Nate Pearson made his first MLB start, and did not disappoint. He went five innings, allowed two hits and two walks, and struck out five batters. He also topped out his fastball at 99 MPH. The Blue Jays would end up losing 4-0 in the tenth inning, but have a lot to look forward to with Nate Pearson.

The First Triple Play of 2020

Kris Bryant turned the first triple play of the 2020 season. The bases were loaded in the 7th for the Reds. Shogo Akiyama lined out to Bryant, who then stepped on third to get the force out there, and threw to first to get another force out, and complete the triple play. The Cubs would lose to the Reds 12-7, but not without checking off another first for the 2020 season. 

Upton's Milestone

Justin Upton has had a solid 14-year MLB career. He hit an impressive milestone today by reaching 300 career home runs. He joins a list of around 160 players to do so, and proves how he is still one of the most underrated players in the league.

Yastrzemski's Splash-Down Walk-Off

Mike Yastrzemski had himself quite the night in San Francisco against the Padres. Not only did he hit a game-tying solo home run in the 3rd, but also a walk-off home run in the 9th to win it. Yastrzemski has been on a torrid pace to start the year, and it has helped the Giants so far into the 2020 season.

Thursday, July 30th:

You Better Beliebe It

Oh, you thought Shan Bieber's first outing was a fluke? Think again. Bieber followed up his 13 strikeout performance against the Royals with a 14 strikeout performance against the Twins. That means Bieber has struck out 27 batters in just his first two outings. This ties the record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. Bieber has been unbelievable to start the year, and the Indians are hoping their stellar starting pitching continues into the season.

And The Verdict Is; A Clutch Homer

Aaron Judge entered the ninth inning with a walk and three strikeouts. One swing would change that night for the Yankees right fielder. Judge would pummel a huge three-run homer to give the Yankees the lead back after losing it in the 8th. It was Judge's third career go-ahead homer in the ninth inning or later, and it was a big one. The Yankees would go on to win 8-6 over the Orioles behind this clutch blast, and a grand slam by Luke Voit.   . 

Friday, July 31st:

Vengeance in Queens

What I'm about to explain is the most typical Mets game you'll ever see; comedy. First off, Braves catcher Travis D'Arnaud had himself quite the offensive night against his old team. He had three hits, including two singles, a double, and five RBIs. Not bad for someone who has rebounded his career ever since leaving New York. Next up, we have a tale of the Mets bullpen imploding; stop me if you've heard that before. New York had a convincing 10-6 lead going into the bottom of the 8th. That would all change. Dellin Betances came in and let up as follows; single, walk, strikeout, RBI single, stolen base, walk, wild pitch RBI. Not a good outing to say the least. Seth Lugo came in and let up a walk, fly out, and then a three-run double to give the Braves the lead. The Mets dropped a game that would've given them a .500 record, but instead drop them to 3-5 on the year.

Saturday, August 1st:

Case Extended

Aaron Judge has been on fire to start the season. Not only being a clutch player and getting on base, but he also hit a milestone that he had never hit previously in his young career. Judge has now gone four games in a row where he has gone deep for a homer. This has helped out the Yankees offense tremendously so far, as they are now 6-1 with their most recent win over Boston.

Springer's Big Dinger

Nowadays, I don't really like focusing on the Astros' stories, but I'll share this one since they lost anyways. George Springer came up with the tying run on first and two outs in the top of the 9th. Reddick had previously homered in the inning to give Houston light, but Springer unloaded on a fastball for a go-ahead two-run homer. The Astros would have a 4-3 lead over the Angels until Jason Castro hit a game-tying double in the bottom half of the inning. The Astros would eventually lose in the 10th inning on a walk-off sacrifice fly. Joy to everyone.

Sunday, August 2nd:

Cespedes Disappears

The Mets had an interesting situation to deal with. Yoenis Cespedes was nowhere to be found prior to the Mets game against the Braves. He did not show up to the field, and did not answer any calls made by the club. A staff member was told to check on him, and when they got to his hotel room, it was cleaned out. Shortly after, Cespedes made it known that he is opting out of the season. He stated it had to do with coronavirus, but there is some speculation that it could relate to other reasons. This most likely ends any sort of good relationship Cespedes had with the Mets, and could mean the end of his career. Who knows what could happen, but retirement is likely considering the amount of injuries Cespedes has dealt with the past few years.  

Alexander's Strikeout Parade

Has anyone ever heard of a pitcher named Tyler Alexander? Unless you're a hardcore Tigers fan, probably not. This kid made a name for himself in the first game of a doubleheader against the Reds. Alexander came in relief in the third inning, and proceeded to strikeout nine batters in a row. NINE. His final line would be three and two-third innings, no hits, no runs, one walk, and ten strikeouts. That also means out of all eleven outs he recorded, ten of them were strikeouts. Alexander tied Doug Fister for most strikeouts in a row in the American League, and was one short of tying the record set by Tom Seaver with ten. Not too bad I'd say.

A Complete Game Shutout... In Seven?

Today marked another chapter in baseball history; the seven-inning doubleheader debut. The Tigers and Reds faced off, and it came with a great pitching performance by Trevor Bauer. In game two, Bauer pitched a two-hit shutout, but had two innings less to get it done. His final line also included seven strikeouts and only two walks. Behind this, the Reds swept the Tigers in the doubleheader and improve closer to an even record at 4-5.

Kershaw's Return

Clayton Kershaw returned to the Dodgers, and had a sharp season debut. He had been dealing with a nagging back injury, but silenced the Diamondback bats in his return. He pitched five and two-third innings, only letting up three hits, no runs, no walks, and six strikeouts. This was a needed addition for the Dodgers, who have been fighting for the lead in the NL West, with a strong record at 7-3.

Madrigal's Hit Parade

The White Sox have a lot of young talent that is starting to emerge for their franchise. Nick Madrigal could be that next piece. The highly touted prospect finally got his shot against the Royals, and did not disappoint. Madrigal went 4-5 with four singles, two runs, and one RBI, including getting his first major league hit in his first at bat. The White Sox would go on to win 9-2 and hope that their young talent will continue to emerge for Chicago.

Monday, August 3rd:

Huge Loss in Atlanta

The Braves finally lost to the Mets by a score of 7-2 after beating them five times in a row. But, this was not the biggest loss the Braves had tonight. Mike Soroka dealt a ground ball to J.D Davis, and while going over to cover first base, he tore his right achilles tendon. Soroka is now out for the year, which is a huge blow to the Braves' pitching staff. They have struggled to maintain a consistent rotation, and will now be without their 23 year-old ace for the 2020 season.

Tuesday, August 4th:

The Athletics' Magic Continues

Matt Olson made history early on in the year by hitting the first walk-off hit with the new rule. It just so happened to be a walk-off grand slam as well. Guess what? They did it again. In the bottom of the ninth against the Rangers, Stephen Piscotty roped another walk-off grand slam for Oakland. This is their second walk-off grand slam in eleven games, and they have improved to 7-4 on the year.

Drone Delay in Minnesota

A moment that could only happen in 2020 happened during the Twins and Pirates game. Things were going smoothly in the game until a drone flew over the stadium in the fifth inning. The game was delayed for five minutes as a result. Some bullpen pitchers tried throwing baseballs at it to knock it down, but they couldn't do it. The drone would eventually leave, and would lead to the Twins fifth win in a row over the Pirates.

Wednesday, August 5th:

Mad Max Exits Early

The Nationals had a strange situation today. Max Scherzer exited the game after just one inning with an apparent leg injury. His command and power was missing the whole game, and something was wrong. Apparently, Scherzer had 'tweaked his hammy' before the game, and that was to thank for him not being his usual self. Just like when Scherzer pitched with a black eye, Mad Max will always try to stay in the game and do his job no matter what gets thrown in his way. That's what we call guts. 

The Childish Bambino Returns

Washington was missing their star player in Juan Soto for the first eight games of the season, and he came back with a bang. In his first at bat back, he roped an RBI double to give the Nats an early lead. He also made an outstanding diving play as well, and added another hit in the fourth. Soto is one of the big cogs that keep the offensive machine running for the Nationals, and he could be a big piece to their success this season as well. 

Thursday, August 6th:

Newman Ends The Struggles

The Pirates entered this game against the Twins desperately needing a win. They had been on a seven-game losing streak and needed to turn the tide in some way. After rallying for one run in  the eighth, the Pirates were down 5-4 entering the ninth. Kevin Newman would win it for Pittsburgh with a big  pinch-hit two-run single  to beat the red-hot Twins to end the misery.

Bundy's Gem

Dylan Bundy had a game to remember against the Athletics today. His final line included a complete game, allowing four hits, one run, no walks, and ten strikeouts. This was a great performance for a pitcher trying to turn his career around from his days in Baltimore. 

Power Surge in Cleveland

The Indians had an offensive onslaught today against the Reds. They had eleven hits and thirteen runs, led by two homers by Jose Ramirez. This is the second time already this year he's done that, and the second time he's hit two homers from both sides of the plate in a single game. 

Markakis Returns In Style

Nick Markakis had originally opted out of the 2020 season. He didn't want to play after hearing how the coronavirus affected his teammate Freddie Freeman while he was infected. But now that he is healthy and back on the field, Markakis decided to make a return to the Braves. How did he return? By hitting a walk-off homer against the Blue Jays in his first game back. Not too shabby to say the least.

Friday, August 7th:

Another Birthday Homer For Trout 

Mike Trout has so many impressive stats in his amazing career that it would take me hours to tell you about them. But, I'll tell you one stat about him; Trout now has five home runs on his birthday. He just added to this total today on his 29th birthday. Even though. this homer wasn't enough to beat the Rangers, it's still amazing nonetheless.

Hit Parade For Baltimore

The Orioles have been fairly competitive so far based on what everyone expected of them, and they continued their impressive run today against Washington. The Orioles poured it on, collecting nineteen hits and eleven runs against the World Series champs. They now improve to a respectable 6-7 on the season.

Slugfest In Pittsburgh

The Tigers and the Pirates had quite the offensive days today. Both team combined for thirty runs and thirty two hits in eleven innings. There were also five lead changes in the game as well. The Tigers would end up beating Pittsburgh by a score of 17-13 thanks to a four-run eleventh inning, and now improve to 6-5 on the year.

Saturday, August 8th:

Tatis Stays On A Tear

Fernando Tatis Jr. hasn't skipped a beat so far since coming off an excellent rookie season. Tonight, he hit two homers against the Diamondbacks to jolt him up to the National League lead in that category with seven already. Even though his production wasn't enough to get the win, Tatis's emergence could be a game changer for the Padres to finally start competing again.

Pence's Epic Fail

Johnny Cueto was throwing a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Dodgers before Hunter Pence decided to end it in humiliating fashion. Kike Hernandez hit a fly ball to Pence in left field that he completely lost sight of. He lost it in the lights, and it turned into a triple and the first hit of the game for Los Angeles. The Giants would still win 5-4, but this moment was funny to see nonetheless. 

Sunday, August 9th:

Division Rivals Go At It

Things were getting feisty in the Athletics and Astros game today. Ramon Laureano got hit by Humberto Castellanos, who had previously hit him earlier in the season. On top of this, Laureano already got hit by another pitcher in this game earlier, so as a player, this would probably get really annoying after getting plunked again. When Laureano got to first, the Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron had words with him. It was reported in Laureano's own words that Cintron said something not too nice about his mother. This fired up Ramon, especially coming from a team who has been brought to light as cheaters in the same division as his own team. Cintron kept motioning to Laureano to come over to him, and let's just say he did. Laureano tried to charge at Cintron, before being blocked by three Astros players. This caused the benches, and even the stands to empty to break up the fight. Thankfully, this brawl didn't stop the Athletics from beating the Astros 7-2, and winning their ninth straight game. 

Monday, August 10th:

The Big Three In Anaheim

The Angels got great production at the plate today from their three best hitters. Mike Trout did his typical thing, going 4-5 with two clutch homers and three RBIs. Anthony Rendon had a homer, two hits, and two RBIs. Shohei Ohtani also had a homer, two hits, and two RBIs. These three combined to go 10-12 with four homers, and seven RBIs to beat the Athletics 10-9, and snap their winning streak. 

Tuesday, August 11th:

The Buffalo Debut

The Blue Jays had their first home game in Buffalo today, and won in walk-off fashion. For the few who don't know, the Blue Jays can't play in Canada due to the coronavirus, but reached a deal to have their home games played on a minor league field in Buffalo. Even though Toronto blew the lead in the ninth with a game-tying three-run home-run from Francisco Cervelli, they walked it off in the tenth thanks to a single by Travis Shaw. Not too bad for their first game there.

Turner's Milestone

Justin Turner reached a respectable milestone today against the Padres. In the first inning, Turner roped a double off the left field wall for his 1,000th career hit. IT's a great milestone for a guy who completely turned his career around after going to the Dodgers. He was a good player on the Orioles and Mets, but never reached his full potential. Now he has become a cornerstone for Los Angeles, and this milestone proves just how good he's been over the last few years.

Wednesday, August 12th:

Blackmon's Surge

Charlie Blackmon has quietly been putting up insane offensive numbers to start this season. Blackmon is now 34 for 72, which puts him at a league leading .472 batting average, has 20 RBIs which is tied for 1st, and a crazy 1.187 OPS. For the non-stat nerds out there, those are very good numbers. Although he went hitless today and dropped under a .500 average for the first time in a while, it's about time this man gets some attention for his outstanding hitting.

Kelly Wins His Appeal

Joe Kelly reached an agreement with MLB, and has shortened his suspension time for his actions against the Astros. Kelly's suspension has been reduced from eight games to five games instead. This makes a lot more sense, considering Kelly never tried to fight anyone, and really only tried hitting one batter. This also makes me look like an idiot, since I made an article down below talking about how the eight game suspension was ridiculous and that they should change it. Oops.

Thursday, August 13th: 

Betts Makes History

Mookie Betts made history tonight against the Padres. He slugged three homers in a game for the sixth time in his career, matching the record set by Sammy Sosa and Johnny Mize. Here's what makes this much more impressive. Betts accomplished this in only 813 career games; Sosa needed 2,364 games, and Mize needed 1,884. So Betts is now the record-holder for the fastest to get to six career three-homer games. Quite the record I'd say.

Friday, August 14th:

He Just Can't Stop Winning

Gerrit Cole had another strong start, going seven strong innings against Boston to improve to 4-0. On another note, Cole has now won 20 straight regular season games, making him the sixth pitcher to ever reach that mark. Cole has been on a role lately, as he looks to help the Yankees make a push for the playoffs.

The Slowest Tag In History

The Mets lost in one of the most embarrassing ways possible. They were tied with the Phillies in the ninth, and Seth Lugo was on the mound. Hoping to get into extras, Lugo proceeded to give up hits to Roman Quinn and Andrew McCutchen.This set up a first and second situation for Bryce Harper. He roped a single to right, and Quinn was on his way home to score the winning run. Michale Conforto in right field threw a perfect throw to Wilson Ramos at the plate. Ramos proceeded to miss the tag on Quinn, who was out by a mile, and his hand snuck it to win it for the Phillies. Just your typical Mets loss right there.

A New Ace In Texas

Lance Lynn has quietly been dominating on the mound ever since coming to the Texas Rangers. Tonight, he threw a complete game against the Rockies in Coors Field, giving up two hits total and striking out six. Lynn has now improved to 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA, and overall dominating numbers to help a strong looking Rangers team.

Saturday, August 15th:

The Comeback Kids Are Back At It

Not only can the Athletics not stop winning, but they can't stop being incredibly clutch. Tonight against the Giants, they were down 6-3 entering the ninth. A solo home run by Sean Murphy gave them hope, and set up the stage for Mark Canha. After a double by Tony Kemp and a walk by Matt Olson, Mark canha stepped up to the plate with two outs in the inning. He roped a clutch go ahead three-run homer off Trevor Gott to give the Athletics the lead, and eventually seal with game for Oakland. This was the second night in a row they came back from a three-run deficit in the ninth inning, and they are now at a strong 15-6 record with the lead in the AL West division.

Sunday, August 16th:

Homer After Homer In Chicago

The White Sox made history with the long ball today against the Cardinals. They hit four home runs in a row in the fifth inning, which is the 10th time this has ever happened in the MLB. The only unfortunate thing about this was the reliever they hit them off of. Roel Ramirez was a rookie making his major league debut when this happened. The homers came from Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez, all in that order.  Chicago would go on to beat the Cardinals 7-2 and improve to 11-11 on the year.

Monday, August 17th:

Fernando Tatis Jr: The New Home Run King

Fernando Tatis Jr. has been on a tear to begin the season, and he has not shown any signs of slowing down. His two homers today against the Rangers just gave him the lead at eleven round-trippers on the year. His offensive performance also helped the Padres to beat the Rangers 14-4 and improve to 12-12 and snap a 5-game losing streak.

The Unwritten Rules Return

The grand slam by Fernando Tatis Jr caused a lot of controversy in the baseball league. The Padres entered the eighth inning up by a score of 10-4, presumably in blowout game-territory. Tatis got ahead in a 3-0 count, and swung at the next pitch to belt a grand slam to extend an already sizable league. This would cause both managers to be upset by this. Chris Woodworth, manager of Texas, was quoted saying that the norms of the game are being challenged. Jase Tingler was happy for him, but also said that he missed a take sign on that pitch. For Tingler, this is an understandable thing to be upset at, but for Woodworth, there is no sense in this. The fact that an unwritten rule in baseball is that a batter is not allowed to swing in a count that they are the farthest ahead. If a pitcher or manager doesn't want guys swinging on 3-0 counts, throw strikes to make them fall behind. It's that simple. Also, just cause a team has have a big lead in a game doesn't mean they should stop trying. It's always nice to have more insurance runs no matter what the lead is, and if you get into a situation where you know you're getting a good pitch to hit, swing away. Tatis shouldn't have to apologize for doing well in a game, the pitcher should apologize for throwing that meatball to a top-tier batter, and falling behind to a 3-0 count.

Like Brother Like Brother

The Mariners played the Dodgers today. More importantly, Kyle Seager played against his brother, Corey, for the first time today. And they both went deep. In the second, Corey blasted a three-run homer to extend the Dodgers lead. In the third, Kyle responded with a solo homer to make it a one run game. The two brothers couldn't help but smile at each other as they traded places rounding the bases. Corey would be smiling a little more after the Dodgers would go on to win the game 11-9 against the Mariners.

Tuesday, August 18th:

Maeda's Stellar Night

Kenta Maeda was three outs away from a no-hitter against the Brewers: before he lost it to Eric Sogard's single of course. Regardless of that, this was the biggest game for the veteran, who threw more pitches in one game than he ever has before. His final line included eight outstanding innings, one hit, two walks, and eleven strikeouts. The Twins would hold on to beat the Brewers in twelve innings by a score of 4-3 behind Maeda's fantastic performance. 

Wednesday, August 19th:

Civale's Gem

Even without Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac, the Indians' pitching keeps rolling. Aaron Civale pitched an outstanding game against the Pirates to keep Cleveland in the win column. His final line included a complete game, allowing five hits, no walks, one run, and six strikeouts. Civale's dominant game over the Pirates improves Cleveland to a 16-9 record, and a good position to take over the AL Central lead from the Twins.

Machado Ends It In Style

Manny Machado ended the Padres night with a bang. Against Rafael Montero in the tenth, Machado blasted a walk-off grand slam to put an end to the Rangers. This would be Machado's sixth career walk-off hit, and his first since 2017. More importantly, this would be the third night in a row that the Padres would hit a grand slam, tying the major league record for that mark.

Thursday, August 20th:

Hosmer's Historic Slam

Eric Hosmer made history for the Padres tonight against the Rangers. He blasted a grand slam, capping off a major league record of four straight games with a grand slam for a single team. This historic blast would help the Padres beat Texas 8-7 and continue their impressive streak.

Friday, August 21st:

20 Wins In Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team in the league to reach 20 wins on the season tonight. They have a dominating 20-8 record, and lead the NL West by a wide margin. The Dodgers' depth, hot bats, and impressive pitching have been the reason for their success so far, and it doesn't look to stop any time soon.

Longoria's Milestone

Evan Longoria hit an impressive milestone tonight against the Diamondbacks. He reached his 300th career homer, propelling San Francisco to a 6-2 win over Arizona. Even though. Longoria. isn't anywhere near the player he was when he was in Tampa Bay, it is still an impressive milestone to reach for a respectable career.

Saturday, August 22nd:

The 23-Year-Old Can Pitch

Triston McKenzie made his major league debut against the Tigers, and looked great throughout the whole game. His final line included six innings pitched, two hits, one run, one walk, and ten strikeouts. His only mistake was a solo home run to Willi Castro in the fourth. His performance helped the Indians to a 6-1 win over Detroit, and continued the trend of dominant starting pitching from the ball club this year.

Abreu's Power Surge

Jose Abreu has had a trend with the long-ball recently; and it continued tonight against the Cubs. Abreu went 4-4, driving in four RBIs, and blasting three homers against Chicago pitching. He. did this after coming off a two-homer game the night before in a 10-1 victory. His home run streak has helped the White Sox to win seven straight games, and improve their record to 17-11.

Slam Diego Rolls On

The Padres can't stop making history. recently, in particular with grand slams. But tonight, the offense all around was quite impressive. San Diego launched six homers against the Astros, three of them coming from Trent Grisham in a 4-5 day at the plate. Another one came from a new face in Jake Cronenworth, launching the Padres' fifth grand slam in six games, marking the major league record once again. The other two blasts came from Manny Machado and Wil Myers. The Padres have been baseball's team to watch recently, as they try to claw their way up to the division lead in the NL West.

Sunday, August 23rd:

Abreu Continues To Rake

Jose Abreu made history against the Cubs with the long ball. He matched the major league record by homering in four straight at-bats, continuing off of his three-homer day the night before. Abreu's homer was unfortunately the only run produced by the White Sox, as they ended their win streak in a loss to. the Cubs in the series finale.

Magic In Los Angeles

The Dodgers looked like magicians today against the Rockies. On what would've been Kobe Bryant's 42nd birthday, the team performed admirably for their cities most beloved athlete. The dodgers belted seven homers in the game, one of them being Cody Bellinger's eighth on the year, and 24th hit as well (both of Bryant's former numbers). The Dodgers also ended up winning by eight runs, a score of 11-3. It is simply impossible to make this stuff up.

Monday, August 24th:

11,000 Ws For The Cubs

The Cubs beat the Tigers by a score of 9-3, marking the franchise's 11,000 win in its history. Chicago became the second team to ever reach this milestone, right behind the Giants. Their first victory dates as far back as 1876, and they now possess an impressive 11,000-10,414 record in total.

Tuesday, August 25th:

The First No-Hitter of 2020

Lucas Giolito became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the 2020 season. After Kenta Maeda was only three outs away a few days back, Giolito got the job done against the Pirates. He allowed one walk and struck out thirteen in a masterful performance, which helped the White Sox improve to 18-12 and inch closer to the division lead.

Solano Strikes Again

Donovan Solano has surprised everyone throughout baseball, and has not shown any signs of slowing down. Tonight against the Dodgers, he erased an 0-5 night by crushing a walk-off two run homer in the eleventh to win it for San Francisco. This would continue an impressive win streak for the Giants and helps Solano improve on an already impressive season.

Wednesday, August 26th:

Cole's Streak Finally Ends

Gerrit Cole had an impressive 20-game regular season win streak on the line; the Braves had other plans. Cole allowed three homers in the first five innings of the opening game in a doubleheader against Atlanta. The only loss Cole had suffered before this game was in the 2019 World Series, where he took the loss against Washington in Game One. The Yankees would drop both games of the doubleheader against the Braves in their return from a coronavirus outbreak of the Mets. 

Thursday, August 27th:

Slam Diego Rolls On

Surprisingly no grand slams today for the Padres, but they still have a thing for the long ball. San Diego launched four homers, including two by Manny Machado, and a walk-off by Wil Mayers to beat Seattle. This improved their record to 19-13, as they try to claw their way to the division lead held by the Dodgers.

Friday, August 28th:

Redemption in Chicago

Yasmani Grandal almost lost the game for the White Sox, but then won it half an inning later. In the top of the ninth, Chicago had a 5-4 lead over the Royals, before a weird rundown play allowed the ball to go through Grandal's legs and allow the tying run from third to score. In the bottom half of the inning, Grandal crushed a walk-off homer off Ian Kennedy to win it for Chicago. This puts the White Sox in a tie for first place in the AL Central with the Twins.

Saturday, August 29th:

Paying Dividends To His Old Team

The Yankees were looking to stop their awful skid of losing against the Mets, and let's just say they got some help from the other team. Dellin Betances came into the ninth inning hoping to send the game into extra innings. With a runner on third and Eric Kratz squaring around to bunt, Betances launched 91 MPH fastball to the screen over Wilson Ramos and allowed Clint Frazier to score the winning run. This ended the Yankees' losing streak, as they try to claw their way back to first place in the AL East.

Rizzo's Big Night

Anthony Rizzo had Trevor Bauer's number in the first game of the doubleheader in Cincinnati. He crushed two homers off the right handers, accounting for two of the three runs he'd give up in the game. Rizzo's power surge would help the Cubs take the first game of the doubleheader, along with yet another. impressive pitching outing by Yu Darvish.

Sunday, August 30th:

Drama Ahoy In The Subway Series

Today's doubleheader between the Yankees and Mets was absolutely insane. The first game featured an insane comeback by the Yankees, with the Mets' bullpen blowing a five run lead, capped off by a game-tying two-run homer by Aaron Hicks. The second game was just as drama-filled. Gary Sanchez pinch-hit for Eric Kratz in the eighth with the bases loaded and the game tied at 1-1. Sanchez looked to put his struggles throughout the whole season aside, and delivered huge for the Yankees. He hit the franchises first pinch-hit grand slam in extra innings. This doubleheader sweep would help the Yankees win must-needed games to make a run at the AL East.

Chicago's Power Outfield

Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, and Ian Happ made history tonight against the Reds. The trio became the first set of outfielders to have two homers each in a single game. This mark in baseball history helped the Cubs to sweep the Reds in the doubleheader, and further distance them in the division lead.

Wainwright Still Dealing

Adam Wainwright, who is now 39 years old, threw a complete game against the Cleveland Indians in an impressive win. He allowed two runs, but only four hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts. This was his 23rd career complete game, and it was done with the catcher he's worked with for 15 years, Yadier Molina. This just so happened to be Yadi's 2,000th career game as well. How fitting.

A Wild Win In Philadelphia

The Braves won one of the craziest games played so far this season by any team. First off, the Braves scored ten runs in the second inning against Jake Arrieta and David Hale on the Phillies. Signs of an easy win, right? The Phillies slowly clawed their way back, and got to within two runs of the lead in the fourth. By the eighth inning, the Braves were leading by a score of 11-10. Joe Girardi ended up getting thrown out of the game after arguing a foul ball call in the ninth as well. The Braves somehow hung on and beat Philadelphia 12-10 on one of the craziest slugfests of the year.  

Monday, August 31st:

Gonzales Continues to Impress

Marco Gonzales continued to impress as the ace of the Mariners' pitching staff. He threw a complete game against the Angels, giving up four hits, one run, walking one, and striking out eight. His impressive outing also included retiring 21 straight Angels batters going into the ninth inning. A homer from Jose Marmolegos in the sixth also helped the Mariners to a 2-1 win over Los Angeles. 

Tuesday, September 1st:

Marte's Debut in Miami

Starling Marte made his debut with the Marlins after being traded there at the deadline against the Blue Jays. He had a. big moment when he broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth with a 438-foot solo homer to left center. This bomb would solidify an impressive debut, and lead Miami to a 3-2 win over Toronto.

Ozuna's Power Surge

Marcell Ozuna had a career night at Fenway Park, blasting three homers for the first time in his career. He would finish the night with six RBIs, and provided six of Atlanta's 10 runs against Boston. His big night would help the Braves route the Red Sox on their way to a 10-3 victory.

No, This Is Not Football

 The San Francisco Giants put up crazy offensive numbers in Coors Field tonight against the Rockies. They had five players with at least three hits (Dickerson, Belt, Solano, Crawford, and Bart), Alex Dickerson blasted three homers, and every Colorado pitcher gave up at least two runs (besides a position player), with two arms giving up seven runs each. This insane offensive surge would help San Francisco win by a score of 23-5 - yes, you read that right.

Chapman's Controversial Brush Back

The Yankees won a much needed game against the Rays, ending a six-game losing streak against them. But the game ended on a strange note, with the benches emptying after Aroldis Chapman threw at the head of Michael Brosseau before striking him out to end the game. This would cause Rays' manager Kevin Cash to respond in an angry way, saying that he's tired of the Yankees throwing at his players. Personally, I don't think Chapman meant to throw at Brosseau, considering there was no prior history, and these games mean a lot to New York to get back into the division race. Either way, Chapman was handed a short suspension, which he will appeal very soon.

Wednesday, September 2nd:

Brosseau's Revenge

Just a day after being thrown at the head by Aroldis Chapman, Michael Brosseau bounced back in a big way for the Rays. He blasted two homers, giving him three RBIs on the day, including a blast in his first at bat back after the incident. His big night would lead the Rays to a 5-2 win over New York, and extending their division lead even further.

Duvall's Power Surge

One day after his teammate Marcell Ozuna blasted three homers against the Red Sox, Adam Duvall did the same. His three blasts gave him five RBIs on the night, and gave the Braves five of the seven total runs they would score off of Boston. Atlanta would complete the sweep of the series, and improve to 22-14 on the season.

Thursday, September 3rd:

A Tribute To Tom Seaver

After Tom Seaver's death was announced the day before, the Mets came into this game against the Yankees with a chip on their shoulders. After a back and forth fight for the entire game including a game-tying homer of Chapman by J.D Davis in the 9th, Pete Alonso walked it off in the 10th inning. He hit a two-run homer off Albert Abreu to win a thriller, and to honor one of the all time greats in baseball history.

Kershaw's Pair of Milestones

One of the greatest pitchers of this generation reached two milestones to further cement a Hall of Fame career. Clayton Kershaw reached 2,500 career strikeouts when he fanned Nick Ahmed, making him the 39th pitcher in MLB history to reach that milestone. Three strikeouts later, he would pass Christy Matthewson for the 38th most strikeouts of all time with 2,503. Kershaw finished the night with six strong innings, eight strikeouts, and further proving his case for ending up in Cooperstown. 

Calling all Yankee fans, this article is for you. Every game of the 2020 season, I will be choosing a player who performed the best, and who ultimately led the Yankees to a victory. This could be from a nice day at the plate, a clutch pitching performance, a great play in the field, and much more. Enjoy!

Game 1 Player of the Game: Gerrit Cole

A great Opening Day start with five strikeouts silenced the Nationals bats, and led the Yankees to a 4-1 victory. 

Game 2 Player of the Game: Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton hit the second hardest home run ever recorded by statcast at 121 MPH, which just so happened to be behind his own record approaching 122 MPH off the bat. The home run also reached 481 feet as the projected distance. Despite a 9-2 loss, Stanton's homer was very impressive.

Game 3 Player of the Game: Gleyber Torres  

Torres started the first two games hitless, going 0-5 against  National pitching. He bounced back in a big way during the rubber match, going 3-4 with a big home run and a go-ahead single in the 8th. Even though his error almost lost the game for the Yankees in the 9th, Gleyber's bat proved to be the difference maker. 

Game 4 Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu

LeMahieu went on an offensive onslaught against the Orioles. His slash line was 4-5 with a home run, two singles, and a double. He also drove in two RBIs and homered on the first pitch of the game. The Yankees would go on to beat the Orioles 9-3 behind a strong outing from Gerrit Cole as well.

Game 5 Player of the Game: Aaron Judge

Luke Voit might've had a big grand slam this game, but Judge's huge go-ahead three-run homer in the 9th was the pivotal moment in this game. Judge had a rough night overall leading up to the ninth, having three strikeouts and a walk beforehand. But this clutch homer proved to be the biggest hit of the game for the Yankees, who now improve to a record of 4-1.

Game 6 Player of the Game: Brett Gardner

Gardner came into this game in a hideous slump; he had been 0-11 with one walk and seven strikeouts beforehand. This game would change all that. Not only did he walk twice and not strike out at all this game, but he also hit a game-sealing two-run home run in the 8th inning. Gardner's blast was a good sign for the veteran outfielder, as he had started the year very slow until this win against Boston.

Game 7 Player of the Game: Gio Urshela

Gio had been relatively quiet heading into this game. Against the Yankees' rival in Boston, Gio had a big game. He hit a big game-sealing grand-slam, made some nice plays at third, and stole a bag as well to lead the Yankees to another win against the Red Sox.

Game 8 Player of the Game: Aaron Judge

This was pretty obvious. Judge has now homered in five straight games, has six in those five games, and all of his homers have either given the Yankees the lead or tied the game. Pretty clutch if you asked me. Judge's power surge has been crucial to this team's success, and helped to complete a  sweep of the Red Sox. He is the first Yankee to homer in five straight games and have six homers in the first eight games of the season since Alex Rodriguez in 2007. 

Game 9 Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu

I could just be boring and say the whole team was the player of the game. Everyone contributed on offense, the pitching was all around solid, and the team improved to 8-1 to start the year for the third time in franchise history. Nonetheless, I had to pick someone, and it was "The Machine". LeMahieu's lead-off homer in the first inning set the tone against the Phillies, and sparked the Yankees to a 6-3 win.

Game 10 Player of the Game: Brett Gardner

Despite a really embarrassing 11-7 loss thanks to awful pitching by the likes of J.A Happ and Nike Nelson, it's good to see Gardner returning to form. After a relatively sluggish start to the year, Gardner has been returning to the power department with three home runs in his last five games.

Game 11 Player of the Game: Mike Tauchman

The name of the game in this one was timely hitting; Tauchman delivered on this promise. With a tie score of 1-1 in the seventh, Tauchman roped a go-ahead RBI double to give the Yankees a permanent lead, and win the game 3-1. New York would end up splitting the doubleheader with the Phillies and improve to a commanding 9-2 record on the year.

Game 12 Player of the Game: Gary Sanchez

Even though nothing was wowing in this game, it felt good to finally see Gary Sanchez hit a home run. He has been in a slump for the start of the season, and this could very well be a good sign for future games to come. Although the Yankees lost to the Phillies thanks to a rough start by Jordan Montgomery, Sanchez's homer was good to see.

Game 13 Player of the Game: Masahiro Tanaka

The Yankees lost this game to the Rays 1-0, but Tanaka had a solid start. Starting pitching on the Yankees has been a huge issue (besides Gerrit Cole), but it felt good to finally see a starter go more than four innings. Tanaka let up one hit in five innings of work, and held the Rays scoreless until then as well. Even though the offense was quiet for the whole game, Tanaka kept New York in the game for the time he was out there.

Game 14 Player of the Game: Mike Ford

Although guys like Judge, Stanton, and Urshela came up big for the Yankees in the offensive category, Mike Ford gets our honors for player of the game. Ford hit a towering two-run homer in the third off Tyler Glasnow to put New York in front early against the Rays. Even though the offense overall was great, Mike Ford took full advantage of his playing time in the first game of this doubleheader in Tampa Bay.

Game 15 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

This one was tough since it was a disappointing loss, but Voit came up clutch nonetheless. In the fourth inning, Voit hit a game-tying single to help the struggles of Michael King early on. Even though New York lost 5-3, Voit's single helped to keep them in the game. The Yankees now pass through a quarter of the season with a respectable 10-5 record.

Game 16 Player of the Game: James Paxton

This was a good thing to see out of the big lefty. Paxton's first few starts had been very rough, but this one showed promise. Paxton was nearly untouchable for the first six innings against the Rays, and despite giving up back to back homers in the seventh to tie the game, his final line was still very good. In seven innings, Paxton allowed four hits, three runs, one walk, and eleven strikeouts. If Paxton can build off of this start, he could give Gerrit Cole some help in the rotation for sure.

Game 17 Player of the Game: Mike Ford

I know that Judge and Voit supplied the power, but Mike Ford is making the most of his playing time still. The way he goes about his at bats is something very underrated, as he always gets to a good count and hits the ball very hard. Tonight he went 2-4 with two doubles and three RBIs against the Braves. These were both in big spots too, and the balls were smashed off his bat.

Game 18 Player of the Game: Clint Frazier

Wanna talk about making a statement? Enter Clint Frazier. The young phenom finally got his shot this year after Giancarlo Stanton went down with yet another injury. In his first at bat of the season, Frazier hit a 410-foot bomb to go back to back with Gary Sanchez. He'd proceed to have a 3-4 night, and nearly hitting for the cycle, missing out on a triple. If he doesn't stay in the lineup for at least a few more games, the Yankees are flat out being unfair to this kid. He has a lot of potential, and is doing all he can to prove to New York that he is here to stay.

Game 19 Player of the Game: Gerrit Cole

Cole's 20th straight regular season victory, on top of a dominant seven inning performance tonight, led the Yankees to a dominant win over the Boston Red Sox.

Game 20 Player of the Game: Clint Frazier

All I can say is, this man better stay in the lineup. Frazier has been putting up amazing numbers, and tonight he added onto that. He went 3-3 with a walk, a double, two singles, and five RBIs. His dominant offense helped the Yankees to once again beat the Boston Red Sox, who have now lost to New York eight straight times, the longest streak since 1985.

Game 21 Player of the Game: Mike Ford

The Princeton alumni keeps on making the most of his playing time. Ford went 2-4, with an RBI single in the first, followed by a 421-foot home run in the third, giving him three RBIs on the day. This would help the Yankees to beat Boston 4-2, and extend their winning streak over them to nine straight games.

Game 22 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

Voit continued his red-hot streak today by pelting two homers to help the Yankees beat the Red Sox for the tenth straight time, the best streak against them since 1953.

Game 23 Player of the Game: Gary Sanchez

Sanchez hit a towering, 419-foot blast to left, but it was not enough to beat the Rays in the home opener of this big series.

Game 24 Player of the Game: Gerrit Cole

Cole had a solid night against the Rays, despite getting a no decision in the end. His line included six and two-third innings, six hits, two runs on two solo homers, one walk, and eleven strikeouts. He did everything he could, but the Yankee offense could not support him enough. The good thing is, his winning streak is still alive thanks to not receiving a loss for this game. 

Game 25 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

Voit did all he could for the Yankees offense, going 3-5 with a towering homer in the first, but it was not enough. The Rays completed a three game sweep of New York, and are now in first place in the AL East.

Game 26 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

Seems like Voit has been carrying the offense lately for the Yankees, and the player of the game awards as well. Voit drove in the lone run against the Braves, crushing a solo homer to end Ian Anderson's no-hit bid in his major league debut. This was not enough for a win however, as Atlanta rattled Gerrit Cole with three homers, ending his regular season win streak.

Game 27 Player of the Game: Masahiro Tanaka

Tanaka pitched a solid game in Game Two of the doubleheader in Atlanta. He went five innings, giving up three hits, no walks or runs, and striking out four. The decision to take him out early will always be debated, but even though Chad Green let up the go-ahead homer to Freddie Freeman that would ultimately lose the game, Tanaka's performance should still be applauded.

Game 28 Player of the Game: Estevan Florial

Florial has been a highly ranked prospect for years in the Yankees system. Injury problems have delayed his chance at getting his shot at the big leagues, but he finally got his chance against the Mets. After two rough strikeouts on changeups, Florial adjusted and poked a single into centerfield on that same pitch for his first major league hit. The 22 year old has potential, and despite his team not getting the win for him in his debut, his first hit was great to see.

Game 29 Player of the Game: Jordy Mercer

Mercer was picked up by the Yankees mid-season to increase their depth at shortstop with Gleyber Torres being on the IL. In his third at bat as a Yankee, he picked up his first hit with the ball club. The offense for the Yankees other than that was uninspiring, only putting up three runs against the Mets, and blowing a 3-2 lead in the ninth with a walk-off two-run homer by Amed Rosario off Aroldis Chapman.

Game 30 Player of the Game: J.A. Happ

Yes, I really wanted to make Dellin Betances the player of the game, but we can't make fun of him that badly. Instead, I went with the impressive pitching performance from Happ. This seems like the first time he's pitched well this season. His final line included seven and two-thirds innings, letting up three hits, no walks or runs, and striking out five. Even though he didn't get the win thanks to the bullpen blowing the lead for him, he kept the Yankees in the game, and helped them to ultimately beat the Mets to end their losing streak.

Game 31 Player of the Game: Gio Urshela

Urshela spent some time off the lineup due to injury, but he came back with a bang. Urshela capped off a six-run comeback over the Mets in the eighth by hitting a walk-off single off Edwin Diaz, who had allowed the Yankees to tie the game in the seventh as well. This was an incredible comeback, and Urshela put the finishing touch on the game for the win.

Game 32 Player of the Game: Deivi Garcia

I know Gary Sanchez redeemed himself in a big way with a pinch-hit grand-slam n the eighth, but we need to give credit to Garcia. The 21 year old made his major league debut, and did not disappoint. His final line included six innings, allowing four hits, one unearned run, no walks, and six strikeouts. Garcia looked unfazed throughout the whole game, and got some help from Eric Kratz, who caught for him a lot in Triple-A. Even though he didn't get the deserved win, Garcia impressed many Yankee fans with his impressive performance.

Game 33 Player of the Game: Miguel Yajure

Tampa Bay is really starting to annoy me. If there was anything positive about this game, it was Luke Voit hitting another homer, but also Miguel Yajure eating up the last three innings for our tired bullpen. Even though Gerrit Cole got rocked in the beginning of the game, Yajure looked sharp and gave the Yankees a fighting chance against the Rays, who are now 7-1 against New York this season. Fun times.

Game 34 Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu

This was a tough choice between LeMahieu's two homers and Masahiro Tanaka having a much-needed solid outing, but DJ set the tone right away. This snapped a six-game losing streak against Tampa, gave us a much needed win, and started bad blood between the two teams with Chapman going head-hunting in the ninth. More on that in the stories of the day article. 

Game 35 Player of the Game: Clint Frazier

There was absolutely nothing redeeming about this game. The offense was silent, Montgomery got shelled and pulled after two outs, and Mike Brosseau got his revenge for nearly being killed in the game previous. I'll just show love to Clint Frazier hitting a homer and move on from this.

Game 36 Player of the Game: Gio Urshela

I can't even be mad at this game since I'm glad the Mets won on the day that they payed tribute to Tom Seaver, but this was absolutely winnable. Gio was the only one with more than one hit and got on base four times, so I think he deserves a bit of credit here. The pitching overall was a completely different story.

Game 37 Player of the Game: Miguel Andujar

Andujar had one chance to come up clutch, and he came through when we needed it. Andujar broke a tie game in the ninth inning with a single to ultimately beat Baltimore. Why must every game against this terrible team be so close all the time?

Game 38 Player of the Game: Erik Kratz

This game relied on young pitchers to step up; it did not work out that way. The offense went flat again, allowing a winless pitcher to get his first of the year, and Deivi did not look on point. I'll give Kratz some love for his two hits and giving us the only lead of the game.

Game 39 Player of the Game: Clint Frazier

What has been happening with Gerrit Cole lately? I know he's not all to blame because the offense has been strangely quiet lately, but he hasn't been at his best. Thanks to two homers by DJ Stewart, New York dropped another game to Baltimore. At least Frazier had two hits and a bomb.

Game 40 Player of the Game: Nick Nelson

That was embarrassing. Not only dropping three of four against the Orioles, but only putting up one run against another winless pitcher. Nelson at least for once looked decent out of the bullpen, so he'll get the honors for this game. Otherwise, nothing worth noting here.

Game 41 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

This game, and more importantly, that sixth inning would be better left forgotten. I was really tempted to put Chad Green or Adam Ottavino at this position for basically giving the Blue Jays the win, but I'll give credit to Voit for a first inning homer to set the tone. That tone went down a garbage shoot in the sixth inning.

Game 42 Player of the Game: J.A. Happ

I know he got the loss, but aside from a Jonathan Davis homer in the second, Happ pitched a solid six plus innings. The offense unfortunately did not have his back. This is now five straight losses and 15 of 20 losses for the Yankees. Something needs to change soon, because the playoff race isn't getting any easier.

Game 43 Player of the Game: Deivi Garcia

I cannot emphasize how much the Yankees needed a game like this. The bats finally woke up, and the pitching had equal support. In particular, Deivi Garcia pitched excellent in seven strong innings against a tough Toronto offense, and earned his first MLB win. Hopefully this sparks the end of New York's recent struggles.

Game 44 Player of the Game: Gerrit Cole

Cole pitched fantastic this game, getting a mini-revenge against Baltimore for the last time they faced him, and a two-hitter in the process. This is how a good team should play against teams like the Orioles, so good to see for once.

Game 45 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

I can commend Tanaka for having a solid outing, but Luke Voit had a monster game. Two homers, six RBIs, complete mastery of the Orioles. The entire offense feasted this game, but Voit was by far the most notable.

Game 46 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

I guess Voit felt bad for how badly he embarrassed Baltimore last game, so he chose death by game-winning sacrifice fly this game. Not as brutal, but still a smart move on his part.

Game 47 Player of the Game: Gleyber Torres

Torres drove in a clutch two-run double in the eighth to give the Yankees yet another win. They've been getting used to this recently, but I hope they'll be ready for Toronto. They've got unfinished business to take care of with them.

Game 48 Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu

Realistically, the entire offense could've gotten player of the game but DJs performance was very god to say the least. Luke Voit had an impressive game too but DJ edged him out by one hit in an absolute beating of Toronto.

Game 49 Player of the Game: Kyle Higashioka

Higgy had himself a career game, hitting three home runs in another route of the Blue Jays. This now marks seven consecutive victories for the Bronx Bombers, as they continue to surge ahead of Toronto for the last playoff spot in the AL.

Game 50 Player of the Game: Giancarlo Stanton

In yet another offensive explosion, Stanton had the most notable performance with four hits and was part of a five home run inning in the fourth. This now marks three games in a row with 10 or more runs, and keeps the win streak alive.

Game 51 Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu

LeMahieu had a clutch go-ahead double in the twelfth, helping to beat Boston for the 11th straight time. Also have to give a shoutout to the bullpen for locking down the second half of the game after Montgomery had a shaky start.

Game 52 Player of the Game: J.A. Happ

Happ had another excellent start, posting eight shutout innings against New York's hated rival. The win streak once again stays alive, as well as respect from the rest of the league at the right time.

Game 53 Player of the Game: Erik Kratz

Literally since nothing else was redeeming about this game, Kratz gets player of the game simply for saving an inning of work for the bullpen on the mound. I knew we had to lose eventually but this was much worse than expected. Back to reality we go.

Game 54 Player of the Game: Mike Tauchman

Tauchman had a three-run double in the ninth to keep the game within reach, but the Yankees finally lost to Toronto after a previous sweep of them the series beforehand. Michael King struggled and the bullpen wasn't much better. I hope we didn't run out of magic too soon.

Game 55 Player of the Game: Gerrit Cole

Cole had a strong outing to prepare for the playoffs, going seven strong and only allowing five hits and one run. This was once again a route of the Blue Jays, who the Yankees now lead by a very wide margin.

Game 56 Player of the Game: Erik Kratz

In another throw-away game, Kratz saved the Yankees having to use an extra bullpen guy. Funny how we either get blown out by Toronto or stomp all over them. Lets hope this isn't the case in the playoffs.

Game 57 Player of the Game: Gio Urshela

Since he was the only one with an RBI, and one of two players with two hits, Urshela gets the honors here. Montgomery looked iffy again, and the pitching is becoming a bit of a concern with the playoffs right around the corner.

Game 58 Player of the Game: Aaron Hicks

Hicks had a two-run double to keep New York in the game, but when the Marlins celebrate a playoff berth on your field, it's best to forget about this game. Although a bit too many games have been like that lately, so hopefully that changes.

Game 59 Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu

DJ had an outstanding offensive game once again, getting four hits in a statement win against Miami. LeMahieu continues his quest for the batting title as the Yankees try to close out the regular season on a high note

Game 60 Player of the Game: Brett Gardner

Gardner collected three hits in a shutout from the Marlins in our final game. Not the best way to close out a regular season, but the focus now shifts towards embarrassing the red-hot Indians in the postseason once again.

Wild Card Series Game 1 Player of the Game: Gerrit Cole

What. A. Game. You could make the argument for about five different guys for this honor but Cole pitched like a true ace this game. Aside from about two mistakes, Cole shut down the high-flying Indians offense for a much needed win in the first game of this Wild Card Series. Also not to mention the offense absolutely obliterating Shane Bieber right from the start.

Wild Card Series Game 2 Player of the Game: Gio Urshela

Yankee fans, you are permitted to breath now. I know LeMahieu had the game winning hit but Urshela's moment was the most symbolic and memorable. Hitting a go-ahead grand slam against his former team felt so bittersweet, and it was great to see him break out in a huge way. New York escapes with a series win to play their kryptonite: the Rays.

ALDS Game 1 Player of the Game: Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton hit a game-sealing grand slam in the ninth to conclude a game one victory over the Rays. It was a very back-and-fourth game, but the bats handled Snell very well, and got the timely hits they needed. Let's hope this continues.

ALDS Game 2 Player of the Game: Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton added two more homers to his impressive streak, one of which hasn't landed yet. Otherwise, the pitching deployments were very questionable, with Deivi Garcia being pulled after one inning, and J.A. Happ completely imploding in relief. This unnecessary questionable move allowed the Rays to even up the series at a game a piece.

ALDS Game 3 Player of the Game: Giancarlo Stanton

Can anyone else besides this guy hit? Stanton extended his home run streak in the playoffs to a five-game streak, and no help from the pitching helped the Rays to take the series lead over New York. If only someone besides Gerrit Cole could be reliable in this series.

ALDS Game 4 Player of the Game: Luke Voit

Voit set the table in a must win game with a bomb in the second, and the Yankees overall were able to break through the deadly Rays bullpen. Next game is do or die. Let's hope they choose the doing part.

ALDS Game 5 Player of the Game: Aaron Judge

Judge drove in the only run of this heartbreaker to put an end to the Yankees season. His home run ended up being the only way the Yankees could score against Tampa, and Mike Brosseau ended up getting his real revenge against Aroldis Chapman. A very disappointing end to the year, but the Rays were flat out better than us. Hopefully much needed moves in free agency and a coaching change are around the corner for this franchise.

If you made it this far, you are a legend. This Yankees season was nothing short of insane, with many highs and lows throughout. With all 67 games covered, let's see who got the most mentions in the 2020 season: 

1) Luke Voit: 8

2) DJ LeMahieu: 6

3) Gerrit Cole: 6

4) Giancarlo Stanton: 5

5) Gio Urshela: 5

Going into the 2020 season, all baseball fans knew that there would be drama with the Houston Astros. Before the coronavirus hit, fans were eager to boo a cheating franchise, and the teams that got in the way of their "glory" could show them how they feel. Unfortunately, the coronavirus was a best-case scenario for Houston. Without fans, no booing could be directed at Astros players, and with a 60-game season, certain teams can't retaliate either. Luckily, the Dodgers had a two-game series against the Astros in late July to give them an opportunity to get revenge. Who was their resounding hero? Joe Kelly. This man stepped up in a big way for the baseball world, but the situation was not handled properly. In this article, we go in depth as to what happened, what the punishment was for all sides, and how the MLB could've done a better job with this whole incident. Enjoy!  

Let's start off by talking about what happened in the opening game. The Dodgers had a 5-2 lead going into the sixth inning. Nothing had happened yet between the teams, they seemed to just be playing to win. This would all change once Joe Kelly was put in relief. For the fans who don't know, Kelly does have a history of throwing behind batter's heads in previous years. For example, former Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin was thrown at near the head by Kelly for sliding hard at second base, resulting in a spike of Brock Holt. Kelly drilled him as a result, and this lead to a benches-clearing brawl. To sum it up, Joe Kelly stands for what he believes is and isn't right; even if it means to go headhunting mid-game. Anyways, Kelly got Altuve to pop up for his first batter in the sixth. Then he got to a 3-0 count on Bregman. It was at this point where Kelly came up and in with a fastball that was nowhere near the strike zone. Obviously intentional, but Bregman was not hit by the pitch. With a man on first, Kelly got Brantley to ground into a fielder's choice, and then walked Gurriel. The at-bat against Carlos Correa was where things got really interesting. Kelly threw a wild pitch which advanced the runners to second and third, and then threw an off-speed pitch at Correa's head. Probably not intentional, as no pitcher in their right mind would want to drill a batter with one of their softer pitches. Kelly would eventually strike out Correa, and he had a lot to say afterwards. Kelly mocked Correa's swing, made faces at him, and taunted him the whole time he was walking back to the dugout. This caused the benches to clear, but no fights broke out or anything like that.

So now, let's get into the punishments for this. Dave Roberts was suspended a game for allowing this to happen, even though this was completely out of his control. Dusty Baker of the Astros got fined for making comments directed at Kelly during the game. Finally, the most important, is Joe Kelly getting suspended eight games for intentionally throwing at the head of Bregman and taunting Correa. Major League Baseball also noted that the history of Kelly throwing at other players' heads factored into this decision.

I don't have a problem with the punishments the managers received in this case. What I do take issue with is how the MLB handled the punishment for Joe Kelly. Personally, I feel like if Kelly receives a suspension for his actions, why didn't he get a warning or an ejection in the game? I found it very bizarre that they waited until after the game to discipline Kelly. I also feel like Kelly should've been suspended less games because he never actually hit anyone. His only intentional pitch was at Bregman, and the one at Correa was a changeup. Also, taunting players happens a lot in the game of baseball. Look at what happened with Tim Anderson last year. He hit a home run, threw the bat away, and then got drilled in his next at bat. Anderson ended up getting thrown out of the game, along with the pitcher, for causing a benches clearing brawl between the two teams that escalated a lot more than in Houston. Keller also got a five-game suspension for drilling Anderson. Think about it like this; Keller got a shorter suspension for hitting someone who didn't deserve to get hit, and Kelly got a longer suspension for missing a batter that deserved to get drilled. Doesn't make much sense right? This is also further proving the fact that baseball is not handing out punishments for the right reasons. Players who cheated their way to a World Series don't get any suspensions, while a guy who treated cheaters with disrespect has to sit out eight games for a contending team. Terrible stuff.

Joe Kelly's actions was what every baseball fan wanted to see. The Astros have become the most hated team in baseball, and it was only a matter of time before someone showed their players how they feel. The Dodgers were in a perfect situation for this, and Joe Kelly captured the love of all fans around the world. Even if the coronavirus prevented fans from being a part of it and more teams being able to retaliate, this was a great moment for fans everywhere around the sport.       

Even though it's already been surprising that this season is still alive, players have broken out throughout the baseball landscape. In this article, we decided to highlight one player from each team performing over their expectation levels throughout the year. Enjoy!

New York Yankees: Luke Voit

We all knew about how good Voit was with the Yankees in seasons past, but I don't think many people expected him to be atop of the elite hitters on this team. Voit is currently leading the team in homers, batting average at .303, RBIs at 24, and an impressive OPS at 1.064. Voit also went on an impressive streak of homering six times in five games, and has been a key part to the Yankees' success.

Boston Red Sox: Kevin Pillar

Pillar was someone that no one thought they'd be talking about as one of the better offensive pieces on the Red Sox. With guys like J.D Martinez, Rafael Devers, and Xander Bogaerts in company, it's hard to blame them. Pillar hit .274 with the Red Sox before being traded to the Colorado Rockies at the deadline. He was always a solid presence at the top of their order, and kept the offense in check for a struggling Boston team.

Tampa Bay Rays: Brandon Lowe

Lowe had an incredible start to his sophomore season in the big leagues. Coming off his Rookie of the Year-calibre season, Lowe got hot right away. He kept his batting average right around .300 until the end of August, and despite his recent struggles, his early surge has helped the Rays to rise to the top of the AL East.

Toronto Blue Jays: Teoscar Hernandez

Hernandez has always been an impressive power hitter for Toronto in years past, but it seems like he's putting it all together in 2020. He has been in contention for the most home runs in the league consistently throughout the year, and his batting average has greatly improved. Strikeouts  have also always been an issue for Hernandez at the plate, but he seems like he's been cutting down on them overall. The Blue Jays are in a surprising playoff run, and they will need Teoscar to continue at the pace he's at to give them their best shot at making it in.

Baltimore Orioles: Hanser Alberto

Alberto turned some heads last year when he posted a solid season in Baltimore. He had been a hitter compared to Vladimir Guerrero, with his aggressive "swing at anything that's close" approach. This year, he's building off that impressive 2019 season to mold into a quality player. His average is lingering around .300, and despite the lack of strong power numbers, he is getting on base consistently and becoming an everyday player for the Orioles. 

Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert

Robert has been worth the hype so far with a fantastic rookie season. He has already hit eleven homers, is playing outstanding defense in centerfield, and has an impressive .839 OPS. Robert is one of many White Sox players having fantastic years, and even with all the hype surrounding him, it's still surprising to see how much of an impact he's made this year.

Cleveland Indians: Shane Bieber

Bieber has basically ran away with the AL Cy Young award, as he is putting up numbers unheard of thus far. It is a much needed jolt for the Indians, who are trying to reclaim their AL Central throne from Minnesota. Bieber is certainly helping out with that. 

Minnesota Twins: Kenta Maeda

Maeda was the forgotten piece of the Mookie Betts trade, going from the Dodgers to Minnesota in a salary dump. I'd imagine the Dodgers are having a bit of regret giving him away, as he is having a surprising career season with the Twins. Nearly throwing a no-hitter against Milwaukee is the cherry on top of his fantastic season.

Kansas City Royals: Brad Keller

Keller emerged as a solid starter in 2020, pitching to a 2.47 ERA in a little over 54 innings pitched. This is much needed for the Royals, who need some kind of start-up for their rebuild to go in the right direction.

Detroit Tigers: Jeimer Candelario

The Tigers are also deep in a rebuild, and are relying on the youth to take strides forward. Candelario looks like a solid piece for the future, and a good player to build around for their reemergence.

Houston Astros: Kyle Tucker

Tucker has been a key contributor in his small sample size, and has helped a surprisingly weak Astro squad. It's almost like not cheating makes your team worse. Who knew.

Los Angeles Angels: Dylan Bundy

In the distance you will see Orioles fans punching the air at this discovery. Bundy is pitching like the guy Baltimore expected him to be, and it has helped an underperforming Angels team at least stay mediocre. At least Mike Trout is still here right.

Oakland Athletics: Sean Murphy

Murphy has emerged as a potential catcher of the future for the A's. He hasn't put up insane numbers, but has been solid enough to help a playoff-contending team stay in the race. Hopefully they can beat out the Astros this year for the division, for obvious reasons.

Seattle Mariners: Kyle Lewis

This is a potential future star in the making. Lewis has proven himself as a solid player in the field and at the plate. Even if the Mariners are terrible again, it's a good sign for the future, and with Haniger coming back next year, that outfield could be special.

Texas Rangers: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Kiner-Falefa is a bright young spot for an otherwise forgettable team overall. Wiith solid contact at the plate and a gold glove at multiple positions, he could turn into a good trade piece for the future if they choose to trade him.

Everyone knew that the San Diego Padres would be contenders this year. They had a great offseason, and young talent break out the year before. Even then, they have still been a surprisingly good team this year. Their rotation has been strong, the bullpen has been steady, and the hitters can't stop bashing homers. The big story this season turned from being Slam Diego to absolutely dominating the trade deadline this year. Padres' ownership has proven that they want to make noise this year. In this article, I will be going over every major move they made at the trade deadline, what they. gave up to get their return, and if overall the move was good for the franchise. Enjoy!

The Rosenthal Deal

The Padres started off their haul of deals by trading Edward Olivares and a player to be named later (PTBNL) for Royals closer Trevor Rosenthal on August 29th. Rosenthal has been beaten down by injuries,  but has surprised people around baseball by returning to form with Kanas City. He already has seven saves on the year, and pitching to a respectful 3.29 ERA. Rosenthal will definitely help the bullpen for the Padres, who need more help due to injuries to players like Kirby Yates. Edward Olivares was originally drafted by the Blue Jays, and was traded to the Padres along with another prospect for Yangervis Solarte. For what San Diego gave up to get Rosenthal, this was a good trade. Olivares hasn't done much so far at the major league level yet, and the PTBNL so far has not been identified. Grabbing a good reliever for that price was very rewarding for San Diego.

The Jason Castro Deal

A day after getting Rosenthal, August 30th was a big day for the Padres. Their first move including getting a solid catcher in Jason Castro for a pitcher in Gerardo Reyes. Reyes pitched a decent amount in. 2019, going 4-0 with a 7.62 ERA. In my opinion, this move is risky for San Diego. They got a solid catcher, but he is going int his age 33 season, and they gave up a pitcher who could have promise in the future. But overall, they needed more depth at catcher, so I like this move for sure.

The Austin Nola Deal

On the same day as the Castro move, the Padres went for more catcher and bullpen help. They made a trade with the Mariners involving seven players in total. The Padres gave up Taylor Trammell, Luis Torrens, Ty France, and Andres Munoz to get Austin Nola, Dan Altavilla, and Austin Adams from Seattle. Before I give my opinion on this trade, lets get the backgrounds of these guys. Taylor Trammell has been a high prospect in baseball for a couple of years. He was the Reds top prospect before he was traded to San Diego in the Trevor Bauer deal. Luis Torrens has been a lifetime backup catcher for the Padres and hasn't made much of an impact at the major league level yet. Ty France has always been a depth piece for San Diego, performing serviceably at times they needed him. Andres Munoz was a pitcher with a lot of promise. His average velocity on his sinker was the best in baseball, clocking at 101 MPH. From the Mariners side, Austin Nola is having a career season, hitting .306, and can play other positions besides catcher. Dan Altavilla has been a major league pitcher since 2016, can throw hard, and has put up serviceable numbers. Austin Adams has been a journeyman for the most part, but put up a 3.77 ERA in 29 games for the Mariners. In my opinion, I feel like the Padres traded to much away for these players. Taylor Trammell has been a high ranked prospect for years, and he was the big piece that the Padres got in the Bauer trade. He could have an impact soon at the major league level. I thought giving up Munoz was a little questionable because of his outstanding velocity and potential. I feel like the return package for San Diego wasn't as much as they gave up, but I get the reasoning for the players they got. Overall, this was decent move for San Diego as well.

The Mitch Moreland Deal

The final move of the August 30th did not disappoint. The Padres traded for Red Sox first-baseman Mitch Moreland in exchange for Jeisson Rosario and Hudson Potts. Moreland has been a sturdy first baseman for years now, having great seasons with the Rangers and Red Sox, and always being a reliable lefty power hitter. Jeisson Rosario has been a highly ranked prospect in the Padres system for years, and is known for his incredible athleticism and speed. Hudson Putts is a power hitting third baseman, who has made it farther in the minors than Rosario, and also shows promise. Overall, this was a good move for the Padres. This allows Wil Myers to move back to the outfield, and opens up rotations at first base and DH for Moreland and Eric Hosmer. This move further bolstered an already impressive lineup for San Diego.

The Non-Clevinger Deal

The Padres made a smaller move the next day before the biggest deal of the deadline. San Diego traded starting pitcher Matt Brash to the Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Taylor Williams. Matt Brash had upside in the Padres system, with excellent velocity and tilt to his fastball. He has yet to play a game above Single A so far in his minor league career. Taylor Williams has put up a 5.34 ERA in 86 major league games so far with the Brewers and Mariners. Overall, this move is a little risky, but good for the goal of this year. Adding Williams will hopefully add depth to their bullpen for their playoff push throughout the rest of the season.

The Clevinger Deal

This was the best move San Diego made at the deadline by far. In a nine player deal, the Padres traded Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias, Joey Cantillo, Austin Hedges, and Owen Miller to get Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and a PTBNL. Let's go over everyone involved in this trade first. Quantrill was solid in the minors, and pitched well in the short time he was in the majors with the Padres. Josh Naylor has been in the majors for two years, and has played well in the outfield for the time he's been up. Gabriel Arias is a developing shortstop who hasn't played above Single A yet in the minors. Joey Cantillo is a developing pitcher in Single A as well, who has pitched solidly so far. Austin Hedges has been the Padres main catcher for the last three years, and has always been known for his defensive skills behind the plate. Lastly, Owen Miller is a shortstop that has shown promise, having a very good season in Double AA in 2019. Now let's talk about the huge return for the Padres. As we all know, Mike Clevinger has been a top tier starting pitcher since 2017 with the Indians. Every year he puts up very good numbers, and has solidified himself as an underrated and very talented pitcher in the major leagues. He is also super excited to be a part of San Diego as well. Greg Allen is an underrated piece in this trade as well. He has played with the Indians throughout the last few years in a platoon roll, but has a lot of speed and can play the outfield very well. Getting a PTBNL also could be beneficial for San Diego, depending on who it turns out to be. Overall, I love this move made by the Padres. Sure, they gave up a lot of players to mainly get Clevinger, but they barely put a dent in their farm system by trading guys that haven't made it very far in the minor leagues. Also the guys they traded who have had regular roles with the club (Hedges and Naylor) didn't perform to the best of their ability, and they got the pieces in other trades to replace them.

I don't think anyone saw this trade deadline onslaught coming from the Padres. A.J Preller and the rest of ownership has shown how much they want to win. They had a great offseason leading up to the 2020 season, and with a hot run halfway into the season, the Padres are going all in for a playoff push. This is a risky move for San Diego, considering how much of their future they gave up in some trades to get some players. But the Padres are going all in this year to finally make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.