Jun 18, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; The American flag is hung over the center field wall prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
It may be the second-half of the season, but we want to take a look back and check out the first-half and all it’s glory with the MLB’s top moments from Opening Day to the All-Star break.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
The All-Star break is concluding, and the second-half of the season will officially be under way tonight. All 30 teams will be in action as the stretch for October begins.
It was a memorable first-half for some, and forgettable for others. So far this season we’ve seen records broken, incredible pitching performances, and a 40-year-old man look like he was playing in his prime.
Some of the forgettable moments have been a shelved-panda (see:Pablo Sandoval), a disappointing half from baseball’s hottest Winter team (see: Arizona Diamondbacks), and a player suing the league for “corrupt mob-like activity” (see: Jenrry Mejia).
So far we’ve seen young teams (see: Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs) crush their competition, and there have even been some surprising teams (see: Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners) that have managed to stay alive in their respective division race.
The American League has produced 11 teams who find themselves at least .500 or better, a statistic that brings up the debate of whether or not the AL is full of more talent than the NL. Thankfully, we played an All-Star game to solve that question.
In the National League, it’s an even year which means the San Francisco Giants should probably be on top of the division. The first-half kept good on that theory as they sit 6.5 games in front of the Dodgers.
The 2016 season has been full of things to remember, so we’ll break down the top moments and things that you and your co-workers were talking about when you were supposed to be listening in that sales meeting.
If you don’t like Bartolo Colon, you must absolutely hate baseball. This once Cy-Young stud who turned into an out-of shape pitcher has actually been pretty good since joining the Mets in 2014. The 43-year-old goes by the name of “Big Sexy” now, and the MLB and its fans cannot get enough of him.
Between his uncomfortable-looking swing and lackadaisical trot down the first-base line, Bartolo is as entertaining to watch as the Golden State Warriors. He may literally be the most un-athletic player in the game today.
So when on May 7th, Bartolo Colon hit a 356-foot blast and then took 30.6 seconds to round the bases (according to Statcast), he broke the internet. Within minutes, Bartolo was trending and there were videos, memes, vines, and gif’s that circulated the Twitter world. MLB fans everywhere, including myself, could not get enough of the glorious long ball.
One fan even went as far to make a mock “30 for 30” that has over 100,000 views on Youtube, you can check it out here. The video is now my favorite on the web, and if you don’t give it a look you’re missing out.
Even though playing on the road, Petco Park was so loud after the home run it sounded like the Padres had just clinched a playoff spot. Colon is a career .093 hitter; in other words, he is terrible at hitting a baseball. But on May 7th, he was able to put the strikeouts and unbalanced swings to rest, and be remembered as the Met with the greatest home run ever.
Next: #5 Ichiro Suzuki passes Pete Rose for most professional hits
No, Ichiro Suzuki is not the hit king of the MLB. However, he did set an impressive mark by becoming the hit king of all professional baseball. On June 15th, Ichiro doubled in the ninth inning of a game against the Padres to raise his combined hit total to 4,257. Ichiro passed Pete Rose who held the record for most hits professionally. However, Rose still holds the record for most hits in an MLB career.
Ichiro collected 1,278 hits with the Orix over eight years in the Japanese Pacific League. He collected the rest in the MLB while playing for the Mariners, Yankees, and now Marlins. This isn’t the first time that Ichiro broke a hit-record. Back in 2004, Ichiro collected 262 for the season, passing George Sisler for most all-time.
What Ichiro did was so legendary that Guinness World Records recognized him as professional baseball’s base hit king. The fans on hand at Petco Park loved the moment, and gave him a long, well-deserved standing ovation. Ichiro’s days are certainly numbered, making this a very fitting choice for this list. The future Hall-of-Famer deserves all the applause he can get as he’s been one of the class-acts in the MLB for over 15 years.
Next: #4 Trevor Story makes headlines in first week
I’m sorry, that’s the last Trevor Story pun I’ll use. This guy absolutely took the league by storm in his first week in the bigs, authoring home runs in every direction. (Ok, I’m truly sorry, that’s the last one I’ll use)
He started on Opening Day when he took Diamondback’s ace Zack Greinke yard in his first at-bat and second at-bat. On the next night, he homered off Shelby Miller for his third hit of the year. He followed this up by taking Patrick Corbin deep the next day with a two-run home run in the first. That’s 11 at-bats with four hits all going for home runs.
He didn’t stop there, Story ended up hitting seven home runs within the first six games of the season. He set an MLB record for home runs in a team’s first six games, passing Larry Walker, Mike Schmidt, and Willie Mays.
If you’re not familiar with those names, just realize Story is in good company.He tore it up in his first week, and made himself the hottest name in baseball. His power wasn’t just a fluke either. Coming into the All-Star break he had hit 21 dingers. He could compete with Mark McGwire’s rookie home run record which is set at 49.
The story of David Ortiz and his buddy Maverick tugged at the hearts of MLB fans everywhere. If you don’t know him, Maverick is a 6-year-old who’s had to undergo numerous heart surgeries. He also happens to be a huge Red Sox fan and a David Ortiz mega fan.
So with the help of Kevin Millar and the Children’s Miracle Network, Maverick was able to get the attention of Ortiz to let him know what a huge fan he was. In return, Ortiz sent this message to Maverick on April 29th, shortly before opening up a series at Fenway against their rivals, the New York Yankees.
In typical Big Papi fashion, he didn’t disappoint. As he stepped into the box against Dellin Betances in the eighth inning, Ortiz sent one over the monster to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead which would ultimately be the game-winning run. With Maverick watching in amazement, an extremely close bond was forced.
Weeks later, after a promise from Maverick to come out to Boston, he was taking batting practice with the Sox, meeting all the players, and even got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The full story on Maverick, can be checked out here. Warning: It is a tear jerker.
It’s a pretty cool day in Major League Baseball when somebody does something that only three others had ever done before.
Scherzer took on his old team, the Detroit Tigers, and absolutely dominated. He struck out 20 batters over a nine inning complete game. He joined Roger Clemens (who did it twice), Kerry Wood, and Randy Johnson as the only pitchers to ever strikeout 20 batters in a game.
He admitted that he didn’t even realize how many strikeouts he had until the eighth inning when the scoreboard had 18 k’s on it, and he realized he was going for the record.
He even had a great post-game quote, saying, “Tonight, at the end of the night, was a special night. Because I mean, the strikeouts are sexy. And to be able to punch out 20 – it’s sexy.”
Not only is what he did impressive, but it was even cooler that he did it to his former club, one that refused to pay him what the Nationals ended up agreeing to. Although the GM who denied him the money is no longer in Detroit, Scherzer certainly sent a message to the Tigers’ owners with his performance. Payback is best served with a K.
Who knew that a bat flip heard around the world last October would result in a Muhammad Ali-like punch in the eight inning of a baseball game in the month of May. After being hit by a pitch by Matt Bush, Jose Bautista retaliated by sliding in hard at second base where Rougned Odor was attempting to turn a double-play. The end-result was Odor landing a nasty right hook to the jaw of Bautista (who I give major props to for staying up).
Both benches cleared, and Odor kept fighting as he landed a punch on MVP Josh Donaldson. The two teams had to be separated and major suspensions were handed out.
The last time we saw punches being thrown like this was when Nolan Ryan took Robin Ventura to town with a wicked head lock. It’s the first time in a couple of years that we’ve seen a major fight in the majors and represents something even larger.
As the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry continues to cool off, a new household rivalry is needed. Although the two teams will only play each other twice a year, not including playoffs, it’s pretty clear that things are unsettled and there will be more action.
The once great rivalry of the majors has turned into a happy affair. The last time tempers flared was in 2013 when Ryan Dempster drilled A-rod with a pitch after throwing a couple of bean balls at him and missing.
The MLB needed another great rivalry. They needed two teams that have young talent and a whole lot of resentment for each other. When Odor landed that punch, it’s exactly what the MLB got.
