September 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) walks off the field during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images This season’s baseball calendar couldn’t be more accurate.
The impressive regular season ends on the last day of September and the playoffs begin on the first day of October.
But before turning to fall baseball — as temperatures drop and emotions rise — it’s worth taking a moment to look back at a history-making regular season. Some incredible history, some incompetent history…but still all history.
First place: Shohei Ohtani becomes the first member of the 50-50 Club
Once upon a time, it was unimaginable that someone would join the 40-40 club and hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. In 1988, Jose Canseco changed that, and in the more than three decades since, only five others have joined him. Ohtani hit 54 home runs and drove in 59 runs this season — both career highs — and made the 40-40 club look like a kid. He's on another level.
No. 2: White Sox set modern record with 121 losses
Congratulations, 1962 New York Mets. You will no longer be known as the most unlucky team of the modern era. For that, you can thank the Chicago White Sox, who were nearly as bad at home (23-58) as on the road (18-63). The White Sox scored 507 runs, the fewest in baseball, and allowed 813 runs, the most in the American League. They lost 21 games in a row during a miserable stretch in July and August. If this was football they would be relegated.
No. 3: Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale pitchers win Triple Crown
The batting Triple Crown attracts more headlines, but the pitching version is no easy feat. One has to lead the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The last pitcher to accomplish the feat was Shane Bieber in 2020, and before that, since 2011 Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw Since then, no one has been able to do this. at 228, while Sale accomplished that in the National League with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA, and 225 strikeouts with the Braves.
No. 4: Luis Arraez wins third consecutive batting title with third different team
No one would confuse Araze with Tony Gwynn, but the Padres infielder might be the closest active player to a Hall of Fame hitter. Alaez, 27, won the NL batting title this season with a .314 batting average. He finished with 200 hits, including 159 after the Padres acquired him from Miami. Alas also won batting titles with the Minnesota Twins in 2022 and the Marlins in 2023.
No. 5: Aaron Judge posts monster power numbers in year of offensive decline
Imagine a season like the one Judge just had, somehow overshadowed by another hitter's accomplishments (see: Ohtani, 50-50). But there's no doubt that the New York Yankees slugger is having an incredible season at the plate, something that few can do. He leads baseball with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs, the most since Ryan Howard had 146 RBIs in 2008. ) to have a .700 slugging percentage. At the end of the season, he joined Babe Ruth as the only players to hit home runs in more than five consecutive games and hit base in more than ten consecutive games.
As the calendar flips to October, more history may be in store this postseason.
The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians received byes in the American League, while four other teams will compete for a chance to advance to the wild-card round. The Kansas City Royals will travel to the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers will travel to the Houston Astros in a best-of-three series.
In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have byes. They will await the winner of the best-of-three series between the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.
As for the other 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs? They are, well, history.
–Scene-level media