A final glimpse of a momentous regular season
The baseball schedule could not have been more precise this year.
An intriguing regular season concluded on the final day of September, leaving an open postseason to begin on October 1st.
But before diving into the excitement of fall baseball - as temperatures drop and emotions rise - it's worth taking a moment to reflect on a record-breaking regular season. Some remarkable history, some inept history... but all history nonetheless.
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No. 1: Shohei Ohtani becomes the first member of the 50-50 club
Once upon a time, it seemed impossible for anyone to join 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 accomplished this feat in the past three decades. Ohtani made the 40-40 club look like child's play this season as he smashed 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 are no longer known as the most hapless team in the modern era. For that, you can thank the Chicago White Sox, who were nearly as dreadful at home (23-58) as they were on the road (18-63). The White Sox scored the fewest runs in baseball (507) and gave up the most in the American League (813). They endured a miserable stretch in July and August, losing 21 consecutive games. If this were soccer, they would be relegated.
No. 3: Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale win pitching Triple Crowns
A Triple Crown in hitting garners more attention, but the pitching version is no easy task. One must lead their league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. The last pitcher to achieve this feat was Shane Bieber in 2020, and before that, it hadn't been done since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in 2011. This year, two pitchers once again won the Triple Crown, with Skubal taking it in the American League with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA, and 228 strikeouts for the Tigers, and Sale capturing it in the National League with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA, and 225 strikeouts with the Braves.
No. 4: Luis Arraez wins his third consecutive batting title with his third different team
Nobody will mistake Arraez for 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 being acquired 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 different teams.
No. 5: Aaron Judge posts monstrous power numbers in a year when offense is down
Imagine having a season like Judge just had and somehow being overshadowed by another hitter's accomplishments (see: Ohtani, 50-50). But make no mistake, the New York Yankees slugger had 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 October begins, more history could be made 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 advance past 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 also 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
