2021 Baseball in a Nutshell
Was it better than 2020?
2020 was weird, to say the least. We had a shortened season, no fans in the ballparks, and piped in crowd noise. Not to mention all the protocols the players had to go through to even get on the field. In my humble opinion, the only good thing to happen in 2020 was the Dodgers winning the World Series. Some would, mockingly, say that the 2020 win doesn’t really count. However, I believe it counts more because of all the restrictions placed on teams and players throughout the season. If any team could win in a shortened season, then… basically… any other team than the Dodgers would have won.
Now Onto 2021…
With 2021, we had a rough start… as fans. Limited capacity in the ballparks, protocols to adhere to (for fans and players), and a general feeling of uncertainty of how the season was going to progress left some fans questioning if it was even worth watching baseball this season. Well…not this fan. I was ecstatic to see the second opening day where ballparks allowed full capacity and to see baseball in full swing (pardon the pun). I was not thrilled about the All-Star game venue change; however, Coors Field is pretty beautiful. So, now onto what has been considered this season’s top ten memorable moments.
Top Ten Most Memorable Moments of 2021
10. Giants Try…But Fail
Throughout the season, the top rivals in baseball battled it out for first place. But like Thunderdome…only one team can win. This was the first season I have ever seen the Giants call a bullpen game, something Roberts is pretty known for doing to the Dodgers. Also, this was the first season I had watched the bickering of umpire calls, from both teams in such hysterics. The Dodgers won the NLCS, but not the overall division. The Giants were sent off early to their postseason to say goodbye to their All-Star catcher, Buster Posey. Baseball is a human sport and to err is human, for both teams. I’ll just leave it at that.
9. Sergio Romo goes bananas…
Those protocols I was referring to include the pitcher spot checks for sticky stuff that was implemented on June 22nd of this year. I don’t think any pitcher had any better reaction to this protocol than Sergio Romo. When initially confronted by the umpire for Sergio’s belt and cap, Sergio dropped his pants and went bananas. He topped Scherzer’s blow out with the umpire. Thus, making the list.
8. Tyler Gilbert and the No-No Year
August 14th and against the Padres, Tyler Gilbert pitched a no hitter with 102 pitches… on his first start. As far as I know, only three other pitchers have accomplished this feat… Bobo Holloman (1953), Bumpus Jones (1892), and Ted Breitenstein (1891). This is worth placing on the list, since his was the eighth no-hitter of the season, setting a record for most no-hitters in a single year. So, hats off to the D-Backs for that accomplishment.
7. OK… It’s Shohei Time
I would be remiss to not include Mr. Ohtani on this list. He is definitely a player to watch. After watching some of his highlights from the season, it made me want to watch him more regularly. Being a Dodgers fan, this would be hard since he is on the Angel’s roster. He’s amazing and I cannot pick one thing to talk about, so I am just going to leave it at that. He’s awesome and any team would be lucky to have him. Congrats to the Angels.
6. Miguel Cabrera and the 500 Club
August 22nd, Mr. Cabrera joins the 500 club by hitting his 500th homerun of his career. Something very much worth noting and deserves a mention on our list.
5. Cardinals Streak Away
September 11th through the 28th the Cardinals, yes the Cardinals, broke a National League record with 17 consecutive wins. This hasn’t happened in the NL since 1935. Nothing of note happened during that timeframe, other than winning. But this gets on the list for sure.
4. Trey Mancini… The Big Return
After a 552-day break from baseball, due to stage III colon cancer… Mr. Mancini returned to baseball making his re-debut at Fenway. April 8th, he returned home to Camden Yards to loving fans. He ended up winning the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year award after playing 147 games, hitting 21 homeruns with 71 RBI’s. A celebration indeed.
3. Braves Take the Win
The Braves battled their way through the Dodgers to make it to the World Series, only to face the Astros (Asterisks). Now, this was bittersweet for Dodger fans; however, the outcome was delicious. The Braves put away the Astros in game six, making the Braves the World Series champions for the first time since 1995. As a Dodgers fan, I am thankful that it was the Braves and not the Giants to make this accomplishment, although I would have rather it been the Dodgers.
2. If You Build It…They Will Come
And they certainly did. The Field of Dreams game was postponed from 2020 to this season. This field has made my baseball park bucket list for sure. This amazing field is adjacent to the original field from the movie, Field of Dreams, in Iowa. This game became the most watched regular season game since 2005 with almost six million viewers, not to mention those who were streaming. The Yankees vs White Sox game was certainly memorable. Also, how cool is it that the homeruns go into a cornfield? I mean…come on. I am looking forward to this game as a regular season experience. No matter who is playing, I know that I will tune in.
1. And they said first base couldn’t be stolen…
This is one of those funny (not funny… ha ha, but funny) situations that just leave you with your head shaking and your mouth gaping open in utter amazement of how ridiculous the entire situation was. For those of you sleeping through the season and didn’t get to watch the video, please do. In one of my previous articles, I write about it in full as an answer to one of Bill’s questions. But… yes… Javier Baez stole first base and then ended up stealing second. Why… or how did this happen? Well, Will Craig forgot to step on first base. This resulted in a couple of bases stolen and a run scored. Let’s just say that I don’t think he will ever let that happen again. If there was an award for Most Bonehead Play, he would definitely get it.
Looking Forward to 2022
Baseball should be pretty interesting this next season. That is if we ever end this lockout. I look forward to seeing how the Giants cope without Posey behind the plate. I am excited to seeing how Shohei does this coming season. I am especially excited to see what Texas does with their half a billion in free agents. So, like always sports fans, go forth and play ball.
Article contributed by Jamye Wagner, Top Fan Rivalry Commentator