Every baseball season is filled with memorable moments, and with the close of 2010 it’s time to look back at some of the finest of this past season.
10) Trevor Hoffman records 600th career save:
It was a difficult year for Trevor Hoffman, as he lost the closers job to John Axford in Milwaukee after struggling heavily in April and May. Hoffman did rebound in the second half however and on September 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals, Hoffman earned his 600th save in a 4-2 victory. Hoffman is one of the very few closers who have been consistent throughout their whole career, as Hoffman holds the record for the most saves ever in Major League history.
9) Jay Bruce hits walk-off homerun to clinch the NL Central for the Reds:
On September 28 in the bottom of the ninth inning in a 2-2 game against the Houston Astros, Bruce hit a walk-off home run off of right-hander Tim Byrdak to clinch a playoff berth for the Cincinnati Reds. The walk-off home run into the postseason is a rarity. Bruce’s walk-off shot was just the fifth game-ending home run to send a team to the postseason in Major League history. The others were Bobby Thompson with his legendary “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” Hank Aaron, Alfonso Soriano and Steve Finley.
8) Ichiro becomes 1st player ever with 10 straight 200 hit seasons:
It has been remarkable what Ichiro Suzuki has accomplished throughout his major league career. Ichiro had another strong year in 2010 batting .315 and recording 214 hits with 42 stolen bases. On September 23 against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Center, Ichiro became the first player ever to record 10 straight 200 hit seasons. Ichiro will look to extend his streak in 2011 and to beat Pete Rose for the most 200 hit seasons all time. Ichiro is arguably the best pure hitter in baseball, as he’s always a threat to get a hit every time he steps up to the plate.
7) Brandon Morrow 17 strikeout performance:
Morrow was truly remarkable on August 8 against the Rays. Morrow was one out away from a no-hitter until Evan Longoria hit an infield single. Morrow finished the one-hitter for his first complete game, while also striking out 17 batters. According to Bill James’ metric “Game Score,” which is a metric to determine how good a pitcher performed in any particular baseball game, Morrow’s performance, which got a score of 100, was tied for the fourth best single-game pitching performance since 1920.
6) End of Bobby Cox Successful Managerial Career:
2010 was the final year Bobby Cox would manage a Major League team after managing 4,508 games. Cox managed the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981 and 1990 to 2010, and managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. Cox was named Manager of the Year four times in his career and is ranked fourth all-time with 2,504 managerial wins.
5) Year of the Pitcher:
2010 was the Year of the Pitcher in baseball. Five no-hitters and two perfect games all in the same calendar year are just remarkable. It began with Ubaldo Jimenez throwing a no-hitter against the Braves on April 17. Afterwards, Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history on May 9; Roy Halladay tossed the 20th perfect game in MLB history on May 29 against the Florida Marlins; Edwin Jackson tossed a no-hitter against the Rays on June 25 even though he issued 8 walks; and Matt Garza no-hit the Tigers on July 26.
4) Roy Halladay throws a no-hitter in his postseason debut:
The 2010 postseason started off with a bang. Roy Halladay, who started Game 1 of the NLDS, tossed the second no-hitter in postseason history in a 4-0 Phillies victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Halladay was also making his postseason debut, after spending 12 seasons with Toronto.
3) Armando Galarraga tossed the perfect game that never was:
In what was the most controversial moment in 2010, Umpire Jim Joyce’s blown call cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game. Cleveland’s Jason Donald was called safe at first base with two outs after replays clearly showed that Galarraga beat him to bag. It was one of the worst blown calls in Major League history, as it prevented Galarraga from being the 21st pitcher to throw a perfect game and the third perfect game of the 2010 season. Galarraga retired the next Cleveland batter for what basically was a 28-out perfect game. After the game two remarkable things happened, as Jim Joyce apologized and humbly admitted his costly mistake and Galarraga didn’t lose his temper and accepted Jim Joyce’s apology. Things could have got heated as Joyce could never have admitted the mistake, and Galarraga could have lost his temper, though none of that followed. Lessons could be learned from this situation, as both Joyce and Galarraga handled it in a professional manner.
2) Strasburg makes his MLB Debut
One of the most anticipated and hyped up debuts in baseball history, Strasburg made his Major League debut in front of a sold out crowd at Nationals Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 8. Drafted first overall in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, Strasburg lived up to the hype in a 5-2 Nationals win, by pitching 7 strong innings, allowing only 2 earned runs, and striking out 14 batters! Strasburg was outstanding as his fastball was touching 100 mph and his curveball was impossible to hit.
1) Giants win the Worlds Series:
It was torture in October, though in the end it was well worth it as the Giants brought the first World Series title to San Francisco by defeating the Texas Rangers in five games. The Giants considered underdogs at the beginning of the postseason defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS and then upset the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. The Giants were not a team of superstars, though they proved to everyone that anyone could win a championship if you get into the postseason. Their lineup was filled with veterans and scrapheap players such as Edgar Renteria, Juan Uribe, Pat Burrell and Cody Ross. They heavily relied on a rookie catcher – Buster Posey did a magnificent job handling the adversity as a rookie on both sides of the spectrum with his bat and with his work behind the plate. The Giants strength was their pitching. A starting rotation which featured Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner was lethal. Also, the bullpen was lights out, led by “fear the beard” closer Brian Wilson.
Honourable Mentions:
A-Rod hits 600th career home run.
Bengie Molina hits for the cycle against the Boston Red Sox on July 16th.
Jason Heyward’s debut on Opening Day
NL defeated the AL in the 2010 All-Star Game – first time since 1996.
A big surprise: Cliff Lee turns down the New York Yankees and signs with the Philadelphia Phillies, which now has the best rotation on paper with Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels.
