Sep 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) leaves the field in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The baseball calendar could not have been more precise this season.
A compelling regular season wrapped up on the last day of September, leaving a wide-open postseason to start on the first day of October.
But before turning to the drama of baseball in the fall — as temperatures drop and emotions rise — it’s worth taking a moment to review a history-making regular season. Some incredible history, some incompetent history … but all history nonetheless.
No. 1: Shohei Ohtani becomes first member of the 50-50 club
Once upon a time, it was impossible to fathom anyone joining the 40-40 club, hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in a single season. Jose Canseco changed that in 1988, and only five others have joined him in three-plus decades since then. Ohtani made the 40-40 club look like child’s play this season as he slammed 54 home runs and swiped 59 bases — both career highs. He is on another level.
No. 2: White Sox set modern record with 121 losses
Congratulations, 1962 New York Mets. You no longer will be known as the most hapless team in the modern era. For that, you can thank the Chicago White Sox, who were almost as awful at home (23-58) as they were on the road (18-63). The White Sox scored 507 runs — fewest in baseball — and gave up 813, most in the American League. They lost 21 games in a row during a miserable stretch in July and August. If this were soccer, they would be relegated.
No. 3: Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale win pitching Triple Crowns
A Triple Crown in hitting leads to a lot more headlines, but the pitching version is no easy task. One must lead his league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The last pitcher to accomplish the feat was Shane Bieber in 2020, and before that nobody had done it since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in 2011. This year featured two Triple Crown winners once again, as Skubal won it in the American League with 18 victories, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts for the Tigers, and Sale captured it in the National League with 18 victories, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts with the Braves.
No. 4: Luis Arraez wins third straight batting title with third different team
Nobody will confuse Arraez with Tony Gwynn, but the Padres infielder might be the closest active player to compare with the Hall of Fame hitter. The 27-year-old Arraez won the NL batting title by hitting .314 this season. He finished with 200 hits, including 159 with the Padres after they acquired him from Miami. Arraez also won the batting title with the Minnesota Twins in 2022 and the Marlins in 2023. He is the first player in MLB history to win three batting titles with three separate teams.
No. 5: Aaron Judge posts monster power numbers in year when offense is down
Imagine having a season like Judge just had and somehow getting overshadowed by another hitter’s accomplishments (see: Ohtani, 50-50). But make no mistake, the New York Yankees slugger produced an incredible season at the plate that few others have achieved. He led baseball with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs — the most since Ryan Howard knocked in 146 in 2008. He also became the first player since Barry Bonds in 2004 to tally a .700 slugging percentage. Toward the end of the season, he joined Babe Ruth as the only players to have streaks of five-plus games with a home run and 10-plus games with a walk going on at the same time.
As the calendar flips to October, more history could be in store this postseason.
The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians earned a bye in the AL while four other teams will compete for a chance to make it out of the wild-card round. The Kansas City Royals will visit the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers will visit the Houston Astros in a pair of best-of-three series.
In the NL, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies earned a bye. They will await the winners of best-of-three series between the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, as well as the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.
As for the other 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs? They’re, well, history.
–Field Level Media
