As the celebration of the Kansas City Royals quiets down and the buzz surrounding the 2015 season’s awards heats up, there are additional honors (or dishonors) that we can’t forget about.
They may not have the tangible qualities of a World Series trophy or a Most Valuable Player plaque, but all were integral in forming the story of a memorable baseball season.
Best pitching performance
On Oct. 3, Max Scherzer ended his first year with Washington fully defiant and totally untouchable. The New York Mets had no hits, no walks and were fanned 17 times. A sixth inning error by Yunel Escobar is all that separated Max from perfection, and only a weak pop-up by Curtis Granderson kept him from finishing the no-no with a record-tying tenth consecutive strikeout. Nevertheless, he became the first since Nolan Ryan in 1973 to compile two no-hitters in a single season.
Best hitting performance
When John Farrell filled out his lineup card for an Aug. 15 game against the Mariners, the Red Sox skipper had slotted Jackie Bradley, Jr. – who had all of two home runs up to this point – in the No. 9 spot. Little did he know how much production would come from the bottom of the order that day. In a 22-run, 26-hit Boston barrage, Bradley slugged two homers, three doubles and drove in seven. The five extra-base hits set a franchise record.
Best defensive play
Some might confuse Kevin Pillar with Peter Parker’s alter ego after watching this insane fence-climbing web gem. In a year filled with sparkling defensive plays, this was his shining moment. Pillar scaled Rogers Centre’s 10-foot-high left field wall, as if there were steps on it, to amazingly rob Tampa’s Tim Beckham of a home run on April 15.
Best comeback
It’s one thing to mount a four-run ninth inning rally in an ordinary June contest. It’s another to do it when a loss means elimination from playoff contention. That’s just what the Los Angeles Angels did in Game No. 161. With the Texas Rangers eyeing a division crown, up 10-6 and three outs left to get, Erick Aybar and Kole Calhoun led off with consecutive homers. The Angels would then string together four straigh two-out singles. The final one, by Johnny Giavotella, put L.A. on top and left the Globe Life Park in Arlington crowd stunned. Ultimately though, the Rangers’ celebration would simply be a day delayed – as they clinched the AL West in the season finale, and subsequently kept the valiant Angels out of the postseason picture.
Best fight/physical altercation
Jonathan Papelbon was acquired from Philadelphia to help restore order to a skittish bullpen. Instead, he created mayhem in the dugout. Soon after Bryce Harper flied out in the eighth inning of a Sept. 27 contest, he was confronted by the veteran closer – unhappy with the 22-year-old’s hustle down the first base line. Harper chirped back. Then, Papelbon had the prized phenom by the neck. The scuffle was broken up quickly, but was no less bizarre. As shocking as the hands-to-throat combat tactic was, more bewildering was oblivious Matt Williams sending Papelbon to the mound to pitch the top of the ninth. He allowed a career-high five runs.
Worst managerial decision
There’s a reason why Matt Williams won’t be in the Nationals’ dugout next year. Well, make that several reasons (for one, see above). The robotic and less-than-personable approach didn’t endear himself to those in the clubhouse. His penchant to make choices by the book instead of adapting to the specific situation at hand made fans’ heads spin in frustration. It’s impossible to narrow down to one most egregious error. His entire season was a giant collective mistake.
Most disappointing team
There’s never such a thing as a sure-fire prediction. Most had the Washington Nationals pinned to dominate the National League East. Many slotted them into the World Series. Instead, they watched the postseason from home after 83 wins – seven games behind first place. Bryce Harper – who’ll win the NL MVP in spite of underachievement all around him – asked in Spring Training, “where’s my ring?” My guess is that it got lost in the team’s self-imposed dumpster fire.
Most surprising team
Almost opposite of the Nationals on the pre-season expectations meter was the Texas Rangers – a team with some young talent and even more inexperience at manager. Any hopes of even a winning campaign sunk greatly when ace Yu Darvish was lost with an injury. But the Rangers, under first-year skipper Jeff Banister, went 38-22 from August 1 forward to capture the AL West thanks to a combination of flourishing youth and steady veterans – Comeback Player of the Year Prince Fielder and late-season acquisition Cole Hamels.
Best storyline
Fair or not, the inability to properly inform Wilmer Flores of a pending trade to Milwaukee in a July 29 deal that included Carlos Gomez left the 23-year-old sobbing at his position and upheld the Mets’ recent reputation of ineptitude. As the legend goes, the deal never went through. Flores became a cult hero in Queens. Two nights later, the only tears shed were of joy. Hours after the team regrouped to acquire Yoenis Cespedes just before the trade deadline, Flores made sure to let all know that his staying put was the better move. A walk-off, 12th inning home run to beat Washington helped ignite the Mets’ surge to a division title and the NL pennant.
Best moment
Joe Carter may forever have the greatest home run in Toronto Blue Jays history, but the long ball from Jose Bautista in Game 5 of the American League Division Series against Texas was not without its share of drama and context.
Providing the climax to the wildest seventh inning in recent memory – which included a protest, three Ranger fielding errors and unruly fan behavior – the aptly-named “Joey Bats” launched one over the left-center field fence (and hurled his lumber halfway to Ottawa) to provide the difference in a win that sent Toronto to the ALCS for the first time since the 1993 championship season.