As the All-Star Break finally approaches for Major League Baseball, it’s time to reflect on the first half of the season. After many surprises throughout the 2023 season, the beginning of 2024 has followed with a bang.
Although questions are looming for many teams regarding trades and their spots in the Postseason, the downtime of the break allows time for reflection on the best moments of the first half. While there were so many great moments, here are five of the biggest storylines from the first half of the season.
St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field
This game between the Cardinals and the Giants at Rickwood Field was arguably the most important game of the season so far. Only two days after the passing of Giants legend Willie Mays, the team made the return to where he started his career in the Negro Leagues.
While the matchup was between two teams out of their division races, the history behind the stadium they played at carried the weight. The return to Rickwood Field marked the first time any MLB teams competed there and was the first professional game held since the Double-A Birmingham Barons moved stadiums in 1988.
Choosing Rickwood Field to represent this year's “Field of Dreams” series allowed former players to speak out about racism they have encountered while playing baseball. The most powerful remarks came from former player Reggie Jackson, who discussed the racism he endured while playing in the 1960s. Although this game did not end dramatically with the Cardinals winning 6-5, it was a great way for former players to raise their voices and honor history.
The New York Mets “Grimace Run”
While many teams cling on to something unique as their rally cry, like a squirrel or a cat, it was super unlikely that the Mets would choose the McDonald’s character Grimace as theirs. After the mascot came to Citi Field to throw out the first pitch in early June, the Mets went on to win seven games in a row. Many fans went on to embrace the “Grimace Run," wearing costumes to games and posting their love for Grimace on social media.
After the first pitch, the Mets went from 10 games under .500 to above .500 by the end of the month and solidified themselves as a contender in the National League Wild Card race. While the relationship between the Mets and Grimace was unexpected, fans have welcomed the chaos ever since.
Historic Months for Aaron Judge
After a less-than-perfect first month of the season for Judge, fans wondered if the captain of the New York Yankees would return to form after his toe injury last year. Since Judge was thrown out of the May 4 game by the home plate umpire, he has batted .395 with 24 home runs and 62 RBIs.
Judge’s numbers in May led more than just the 2024 leaderboards. With his 14 home runs and 12 doubles, Judge broke the Yankee record for doubles and home runs in a month, which was set by Lou Gehrig in July of 1930. In addition to Yankee records, Judge broke MLB records; before him, no one had ever recorded 12 doubles and 11 home runs in a 20-game span. While Judge started the year slowly, he is again in the conversation for AL MVP.
Injuries
While injuries are often the main storyline during the MLB season, this year brought an early influx. During Spring Training, pitching injuries mounted, leading many teams to losing their Cy Young Award candidates. Pitchers like Eury Perez, Shane Bieber, and Spencer Strider lost their seasons in the blink of an eye, while Gerrit Cole and Kodai Senga knew they would miss extended time.
Once the season started, injuries began to pile up for hitters as well. Perennial MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL in May, and the clear NL MVP of this season, Mookie Betts, is out until after the All-Star break following his hit to the hand in June. Other important pieces, like Kris Bryant, Kyle Tucker, Mike Trout, and Tyler Glasnow are also on the injured list.
The Dominance of Paul Skenes
When Skenes was drafted first overall in the 2023 MLB draft, he was already a star at LSU. After playing less than a year in the minor leagues, Skenes made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11. Since then, he has put up a 2.12 ERA with 78 strikeouts. Skenes has also become only the second pitcher since 1901 to have more than 45 strikeouts and six or fewer walks in his first six career games.
At just 22 years old, Skenes is establishing himself as one of the best players in the league. He has already gotten selected to his first All-Star Game, even after only making 10 starts thus far. While many might have seen this coming, Skenes is blowing any expectations out of the water and setting himself up as one of the most dominating pitchers in 2024 and beyond.
Edited by Emma Habel
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