The baseball calendar couldn’t be more accurate this season.
The compelling regular season wrapped up on the last day of September, leaving the postseason open to begin on the first day of October.
But before turning to fall baseball — as temperatures drop and emotions run high — it’s worth taking a moment to review the history-making regular season. Some incredible history, some inappropriate history … but all history nonetheless.
Number 1: Shohei Ohtani becomes the first member of the 50-50 club
Once upon a time, it was impossible to understand anyone joining the 40-40 club, hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in one season. Jose Canseco changed that in 1988, and only five others have joined him in the 30s since. Ohtani made the 40-40 club look like child’s play this season as he hit 54 home runs and swiped 59 bases — both career highs. You are on another level.
Number 2: The White Sox set a modern record with 121 losses
Congratulations, 1962 New York Mets. You can no longer be known as the most dangerous team in the modern era. For that, you can thank the Chicago White Sox, who were nearly as bad at home (23-58) as they were on the road (18-63). The White Sox have scored 507 runs — the fewest in baseball — and given up 813, the most in the American League. They lost 21 games in a row while struggling in July and August. If it was football they would be relegated.
Number 3: Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale won the triple crown
The Triple Crown in batting leads to a lot of headlines, but the pitching version is no easy task. One must lead his league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The last pitcher to do this was Shane Bieber in 2020, and before that no one had done it since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in 2011. This year saw the 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 led the National League with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts with the Braves.
Number 4: Luis Arraez wins third straight batting title with third different team
No one will confuse Arraez with Tony Gwynn, but the Padres outfielder may be the closest player to be compared to a 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 a batting title with the Minnesota Twins in 2022 and the Marlins in 2023. He is the first player in MLB history to win three hitting titles with three different teams.
No. 5: Aaron Judge puts up monster power numbers in a year where the offense has been down
Imagine having a season like Judge recently had and somehow being overshadowed by another hitter’s accomplishments (see: Ohtani, 50-50). But make no mistake, the New York Yankees slugger produced a spectacular season at the plate that few others have achieved. He led baseball with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs — the most since Ryan Howard’s 146 in 2008. He also became the first player since Barry Bonds in 2004 to post a .700 slugging percentage. Late in the season, he joined Babe Ruth as the only players to have a streak of five home runs and 10 walks at the same time.
As the calendar turns to October, there’s likely to be more history this postseason.
The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians earned a bye in the AL while the other four teams will compete for a spot in the wild card round. The Kansas City Royals will visit the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers will visit the Houston Astros in a best-of-three series.
In the NL, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies received a bye. They will await the winners of the best-of-three series between the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, as well as the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.
What about the other 18 teams that failed to make the play-offs? They are history, aren’t they.
–Field Level Media