Baseball Season Reviews

 

Season Champion Highlights Award Winners
2023 Texas In one of the most improbable matchups in ML history, Texas routs Arizona behind Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

NL MVP - Ronald Acuna

AL MVP - Shohei Ohtani

NL Cy Young - Blake Snell

AL Cy Young - Gerrit Cole

2022 Houston Rookie Jeremy Pena leads the Astros to another World Championship over NL Wild Card Philadelphia.  Aaron Judge smacks an AL-record 62 HRs.

NL MVP - Paul Goldschmidt

AL MVP - Aaron Judge

NL Cy Young - Sandy Alcantara

AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander

2021 Atlanta Newcomers Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario lead the Braves to a title over Houston.  8 no-hitters and nearly 6000 HRs.

NL MVP - Bryce Harper

AL MVP - Shohei Ohtani

NL Cy Young - Corbin Burnes

AL Cy Young - Robbie Ray

2020 Los Angeles Dodgers A shortened season, LA dominated from beginning to end with a .717 winning percentage.  Defeated Tampa Bay in 6. Juan Soto has an amazing 1.185 OPS, and D.J. LeMahieu hits .364.

NL MVP - Freddie Freeman
AL MVP - Jose Abreu
NL Cy Young - Trevor Bauer
AL Cy Young - Shane Bieber
2019 Washington Nationals Nats were a wild card that beat the Astros in 7.  Soto and Rendon each had over 100 RBI; Strasburg, Corbin, and Scherzer were lights out.

NL MVP - Cody Bellinger
AL MVP - Mike Trout
NL Cy Young - Jacob deGroom
AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander
2018 Boston Red Sox Boston defeated Los Angeles in 5 games, completing their season of domination.  The Red Sox finished with an incredible .667 winning percentage on the year, never losing more than 3 games in a row (and doing that only twice all season!)  

NL MVP - Christian Yelich
AL MVP - Mookie Betts
NL Cy Young - Jacob deGroom
AL Cy Young - Blake Snell
2017 Houston Astros Houston won its first World Series, defeating Los Angeles in 7 games.  The Astros were led by Jose Altuve, who ran away with the batting title and the AL MVP award.  For their part, LA won 104 games and were led by NL Rookie of the Year winner, Cody Belinger's 39 HR and Clayton Kershaw's 2.31 ERA.
NL MVP - Giancarlo Stanton
AL MVP - Jose Altuve
NL Cy Young - Max Scherzer
AL Cy Young - Corey Kluber
2016 Chicago Cubs The Cubbies ended 108 years of futility by defeating Cleveland in a 7-game series, winning game 7 in 10-innings.  Jose Altuve won his second batting title with a .338 average, while DJ LeMahieu narrowly beat Daniel Murphy for the NL crown, .348 to .347.  Jonathan Villar swiped 62 bases, and a plethora of hiters surpassed the 40 HR mark.
NL MVP - Kris Bryant
AL MVP - Mike Trout
NL Cy Young - Max Scherzer
AL Cy Young - Rick Porcello
2015 Kansas City Royals The Royal's second trip to the World Series in as many years resulted in their first championship since 1985.  Zack Greinke had a 46-inning scoreless streak, while Max Scherzer threw 2 no-hitters and a 1-hitter.  Nolan Arenado had a breakout season, leading the NL with 42 HR while Baltimore's Chris Davis hit 47 in the AL. NL MVP - Bryce Harper
AL MVP - Josh Donaldson
NL Cy Young - Jake Arrieta
AL Cy Young - Dallas Keuchel
2014 San Francisco Giants The Giants won their third World Series this decade, this time defeating Kansas City in game 7 thanks to the stellar, 5-inning relief appearance by Madison Bumgarner.  Only one player, Nelson Cruz, hit the 40 HR mark. Clayton Kershaw had an unbelievable 1.77 ERA, assisted by his 42-inning scoreless streak. NL MVP - Clayton Kershaw
AL MVP - Mike Trout
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw
AL Cy Young - Corey Kluber
2013 Boston Red Sox The Red Sox defeated the Red Birds in 6 games, led by "Big Papi."  Jacoby Ellsbury stole 52 bases, including 5 in one game.  Miguel Cabrera hit .348 - 44 - 137, narrowly missing out on a second consecutive Triple Crown.  Chris Davis hit 53 HR to lead all of baseball. NL MVP - Andrew McCutchen
AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw
AL Cy Young - Max Scherzer
2012 San Francisco Giants The Giants won another World Series, this time over the Tigers in a sweep.  Buster Posey hit .336 and the SF pitching staff led the charge.  Miguel Cabrera won the first Triple Crown in baseball since Yaz in 1967.  Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey won 20 games and the Cy Young over Gio Gonzalez.  Ryan Braun hit 41 HR to lead the NL. NL MVP - Buster Posey
AL MVP - MIguel Cabrera
NL Cy Young - R.A. Dickey
AL Cy Young - David Price
2011 St. Louis Cardinals The Cards won their 11th World Series, this time in a riveting 7-game series against Texas.  Game 6 was a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing 6 times.  Matt Kemp has an outstanding season at .324 - 39 - 126, but was runner-up in NL MVP voting.  Justin Verlander had an amazing 24-5, 2.40 season to win both the MVP and Cy Young. NL MVP - Ryan Braun
AL MVP - Justin Verlander
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw
AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander
2010 San Francisco Giants The Giants won their first World Series in San Francisco by defeating the Rangers in 5 games.  Albert Pujols hit 42 HR, and Carlos Gonzalez was on practically every offensive leader board in the NL.  Jose Bautista hit 54 HR, surpassing his previous high of 16.  Josh Hamilton hit .359, while 3 pitchers reached the 20-win plateau. NL MVP - Joey Votto
AL MVP - Josh Hamilton
NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay
AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez
Season Champion Highlights Award Winners
2009 New York Yankees
The Yankees stymied the Phil's run at winning 2 World Series in a row, 4 games to 2.  Hanley Ramirez won the batting title with a .342 mark for the Marlins, while Joe Mauer won the last of his titles for the Twins, hitting an astounding .365 as a full-time catcher.  Albert Pujol's 42 HR far oudistanced the second-place finisher in the NL, who had 22.
NL MVP - Albert Pujols
AL MVP - Joe Mauer
NL Cy Young - Tim LIncecum
AL Cy Young - Zack Greinke
2008 Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies beat the Rays in 5 games to win their second championship, and first since 1980.  Chipper Jones hit .364 in Atlanta, While Joe Mauer won his second batting title with a .328 mark in Minnesota.  There were four 20-game winners, led by Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb with 22 apiece.
NL MVP - Albert Pujols
AL MVP - Dustin Pedroia
NL Cy Young - Tim Lincecum
AL Cy Young - Cliff Lee
2007 Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox won the World Series for the second time in 4 years, sweeping the Rockies.  At the start of the Series, the Rockies had won 21 of 22 games.  Cecil Fielder hit 50 HR for Milwaukee, while A-Rod blasted 54 in New York.  Magglio Ordonez hit .363 in Detroit, while Matt Holiday hit .340 for Colorado.  
NL MVP - Jimmy Rollins
AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
NL Cy Young - Jake Peavy
AL Cy Young - C.C. Sabathia
2006 St. Louis Cardinals
Despite only winning 83 games in the regular season, the Cards won the World Series in 5 games over the Tigers gaining the distrinction of the "worst team" to win it all.  Ryan Howard was a beast, hitting .313 - 58 - 149 for the Phillies. David Ortiz clobbered 54 HR, while Joe Mauer his first batting championship with a .347 mark. NL MVP - Ryan Howard
AL MVP - Justin Morneau
NL Cy Young - Brandon Webb
AL Cy Young - Johan Santana
2005 Chicago White Sox
The White Sox swept the Astros to win their first World Series since 1917.  Andruw Jones slugged 51 HR for Atlanta.  Michael Young hit .331 to win the AL batting title, while  Derrek Lee hit .335 with 46 HR in the NL.  Dontrelle Willis spun 5 shutouts while winning 22 games in the NL, and Bartolo Colon won 21 in the NL with the Angels. NL MVP - Albert Pujols
AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
NL Cy Young - Roger Clemens
AL Cy Young - Johan Santana
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Season Champion Highlights Award Winners
1989  Oakland  The A's sweep San Francisco in a series interrupted by a magnitude 7.1 earth quake for 10 days.  Kirby Puckett led the majors with a .339 average, and Tony Gwynn paced the NL at .336.  NL MVP Kevin Mitchell slugged 47 HRs for the NL Champion Giants. NL MVP - Kevin Mitchell
AL MVP - Robin Yount
NL Cy Young - Mark Davis
AL Cy Young - Bret Saberhagen
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1983  Baltimore The O's defeat Philadelphia's "Wheeze Kids" in 5 games for a World Series title.  Darryl Strawberry and Ron Kittle win the Rookie of the Year awards. NL MVP - Dale Murphy
AL MVP - Cal Ripken
NL Cy Young - John Denny
AL Cy Young - LaMarr Hoyt
1982 St. Louis
The Cards win an exciting, 7-game series against "Harvey's Wallbangers" from Milwaukee.  The Brewers took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th, but Joaquin Andujar and Bruce Sutter nailed down the win after the Cards came back.  Gorman Thomas and Reggie Jackson tied for the AL HR lead with 39, and "Kong" Kingman hit 37 for the Mets. NL MVP - Dale Murphy
AL MVP - Robin Yount
NL Cy Young - Steve Carlton
AL Cy Young - Pete Vuckovich
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1977  New York Yankees  Reggie Jackson slugs 5 HRs in the World Series...3 in the deciding game 6...to help New York win against the Dodgers.  Rod Carew hit .388 for the Twins, while George Foster smashed 52 HRs for the Reds, both winning their respective MVP awards.  Tom Seaver went 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA, splitting his time between the Mets and Reds, while Nolan Ryan fanned 341 batters, posting a stellar 2.77 ERA. NL MVP - George Foster
AL MVP - Rod Carew
NL Cy Young - Steve Carlton
AL Cy Young - Sparky Lyle
1976 Cincinnati
The "Big Red Machine" wins back-to-back World Series Championships, led by Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench, sweeping the Yankees in a rout.  Mike Schmidt hit 4 HR in a game and 38 for the season to pace the NL, while Graig Nettles' 32 led the AL.  Randy Jones and Jim Palmer each won 22, and each threw 315 innings.   NL MVP - Joe Morgan
AL MVP - Thurman Munson
NL Cy Young - Randy Jones
AL Cy Young - Jim Palmer
1975 Cincinnati
It looked like the Red Sox were going to break "the curse," leading 3-0 in game 7, only to end up losing in the top of the 9th.  Joe Morgan had an incredible .466 OBP to go along with his 67 SB and stellar defense.  Bill Madlock won the NL batting crown with a .354 average, while Rod Carew hit .359 in the AL.  There were seven 20-game winners. NL MVP - 
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1965  Los Angeles N LHP Sandy Koufax dominated the Twins in their first-ever World Series, 4 games to 3.  Willie Mays hit a career-high 52 HR and had a 1.043 OPS.  Tony Oliva paced the AL with a .321 average while Roberto Clemente led the NL with a .329.  Tony Conigliaro hit 32 HRs to top the AL.  Koufax won 26 games, threw 335.2 innings, had 382 SO and a 2.04 ERA.  Juan Marichal threw 10 shutouts! NL MVP - Willie Mays
AL MVP - Zoilo Versalles
Cy Young - Sandy Koufax
1964  St. Louis Bob Gibson led the Cards to a 7-game series win over the Yankees, pitching in games 2, 5, and 7.  Willie Mays paced the NL with 47 HRs, while Harmon Killebrew crushed 49 to lead all of baseball.  Sandy Koufax tossed 7 shutouts while leading the NL with 1.74 ERA, while Dean Chance of the Angels threw an amazing 11 shutouts with a 1.64 ERA! NL MVP - Ken Boyer
AL MVP - Brooks Robinson
Cy Young - Dean Chance
1963 Los Angeles
The Dodgers sweep New York in the World Series, led by Sandy Koufax's 25-5, 1.88 ERA, 11-shutout season.  Henry Aaron and Willie McCovey tie for the NL HR title with 44.  Carl Yastrzemski bats .321 and Harmon Killebrew slugs 45 HR to pace the AL. NL MVP - Sandy Koufax
AL MVP - Elston Howard
Cy Young - Sandy Koufax
1962 New York
The Yankees defeat the Giants in 7 games with a 1-0 shutout thrown by Ralph Terry.  Maury Wills steals 104 bases while Tommy Davis hits .346 to lead the NL.  Harmon Killebrew belts 48 HR, while Tom Cheney records 21 strikeouts in a game for Washington in a 16-inning complete game against Baltimore. NL MVP - Maury Wills
AL MVP - Mickey Mantle
Cy Young - Don Drysdale
1961 New York
The Yanks pummel Cincinnati in 5 games for the World Series title.  Roger Maris hits 61 in '61.    Roberto Clemente hits .351, Orlando Cepeda mashes 46 HR in the NL.  Norm Cash hits .361, and Jim Gentile ties Maris with 141 RBI in the AL. NL MVP - Frank Robinson
AL MVP - Roger Maris
Cy Young - Whitey Ford
1960 Pittsburgh Bill Mazeroski hit a game 7, walk-off HR in the bottom of the 9th after New York tied the score in their half of the inning.  Ernie Banks hit 41 HR to lead the NL, while Mickey Mantle hit 40 to pace the AL.  Luis Aparicio (51) and Maury Wills (50) lead their respective leagues in stolen bases. NL MVP - Dick Groat
AL MVP - Roger Maris
Cy Young - Vern Law