What Was the Highest Point for Every MLB Team in 2020?

At one time or another during the 2020 Major League Baseball season, every team in the league got to experience that moment.

You know, the moment in which life was pretty good.

We endeavored to track down precisely when this moment occurred for each of MLB's 30 teams. Maybe it was the capper of a long winning streak, the high point for a team's record or a dramatic postseason victory. Or, maybe it was simply a brief tease of better things to come.

In any case, we'll proceed in alphabetical order by city.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Nick Ahmed Helps Cap a 6-Game Win Streak

Date: August 18

The Arizona Diamondbacks sputtered out of the gate after the season began July 24, but they eventually found their footing and even went on a six-game win streak in August.

The last of those wins was a 10-1 blowout of the Oakland Athletics at Chase Field. Luke Weaver pitched five innings of one-run ball, while Nick Ahmed homered and drove in five runs.

With that, Arizona improved to 13-11 and boosted its chances of making the playoffs to 62 percent. As manager Torey Lovullo told reporters: "These guys have been working their butts off to make good moments, and we're seeing it play out."

Unfortunately, the good moments didn't play out for much longer. The Snakes promptly lost eight games in a row and 24 of their last 36 overall to end up in last place in the National League West.

Atlanta: Bryse Wilson and the Offense Go off in NLCS Game 4

Date: October 15

After winning back-to-back NL East titles in 2018 and 2019, Atlanta took care of business by capturing the division yet again on September 22.

Yet the real question was whether Atlanta could last in the playoffs after having stalled out in the first round in '18 and '19. The answer proved to be a resounding yes, as Atlanta swept its first two series and took a 3-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Game 4 was a 10-2 blowout paced by Marcell Ozuna (2 HR and 5 RBI) and especially by Bryse Wilson. The young right-hander outdueled Clayton Kershaw with six one-run innings, prompting manager Brian Snitker to say: "Wow, that's about all I can say."

Though things didn't go so well for Atlanta after that, it's no small victory that the club at least made it to the NLCS for the first time since 2001.

Baltimore Orioles: Beating the Defending Champs for a 6-Game Win Streak

Date: August 14

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the early weeks of the 2020 season was that the Baltimore Orioles were...good?

Though the O's had lost a mind-boggling 223 games across 2018 and 2019, there they were with an 11-7 record through their first 18 games. What's more, they were on a six-game winning streak after dispatching the Washington Nationals by a 6-2 final.

This was actually the conclusion of a game that had begun five days earlier, only to be suspended by way of rain and a farcical tarp malfunction. All the same, Baltimore's victory secured its longest win streak in three years.

At this point, the upstart Orioles had better than a 30 percent chance of making the playoffs. Yet they couldn't sustain it, ultimately losing 28 of their last 42 games.

Boston Red Sox: When All Was Well on Opening Day

Date: July 24

This was a year that Boston Red Sox fans would just as soon forget. It began with manager Alex Cora's ouster and the Mookie Betts trade, and eventually culminated in an ugly 24-36 season.

There was one day, however, when the Red Sox were not only over .500 but also working with a nearly 70 percent chance of making the playoffs.

That day was Opening Day. Boston hosted the Orioles at Fenway Park and whupped them 13-2. Nathan Eovaldi fired six one-run innings, and J.D. Martinez, Kevin Pillar, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Jose Peraza each drove in multiple runs.

"For me it's kind of nice that the first one goes like this," said skipper Ron Roenicke, not knowing that he would lose his job following the team's nosedive into last place in the American League East.

Chicago Cubs: Yu Darvish's Pitching Boosts Team to Historic Start

Date: August 13

The Chicago Cubs came into the 2020 season hoping to recapture the magic of their triumphant World Series-winning 2016 campaign. And early on, they did.

Indeed, the Cubs couldn't be stopped as they won 13 of their first 16 games. The last of those came opposite the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field, wherein future NL Cy Young Award runner-up Yu Darvish paced a 4-2 win by striking out 11 over seven one-run innings.

"It makes my job easy," first-year skipper David Ross said, "because we've got really good players."

By then, the Cubs had a 13 percent chance of getting back to the World Series. But those odds began to sag as the club went 21-23 the rest of the way and then died altogether in a sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card Round.

Chicago White Sox: Beating the Twins and Tasting the AL Central Title

Date: September 15

Exactly when the Chicago White Sox peaked in 2020 is debatable.

It might have been when Lucas Giolito pitched a no-hitter on August 25. Or, perhaps it was when he and eventual AL MVP Jose Abreu spearheaded a 4-1 victory over the A's in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.

And yet we cast our vote for when the White Sox beat the Twins 6-2 in the 48th game of their season. It not only capped a six-game win streak but also made it 22 wins in the club's last 27 games overall. And with a three-game lead in their hands, the White Sox seemed to have the AL Central title all but secured.

Instead, the White Sox ran out of gas. They ended up in second place after losing nine out of their last 12 games and eventually lost to the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card Series.

Cincinnati Reds: Mike Moustakas Powers Clinching Win

Date: September 25

After loading up during the 2019-20 offseason, the Cincinnati Reds spent much of the 2020 season careening toward an embarrassing flop.

It wasn't until the middle of September that the Reds finally found their stride with 11 wins in their last 14 games. The most crucial of those was a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field that clinched the club's first playoff berth since 2013.

Mike Moustakas cranked out two home runs, and the Reds bullpen sealed the deal with 3.1 scoreless innings. Afterward, veteran first baseman Joey Votto warned all potential opponents to fear the Reds in October: "I think we're a [freaking] nightmare, and I think everybody knows that."

As it turned out, the real nightmare was Cincinnati's offense failing to score even one run in a sweep by Atlanta in the Wild Card Series.

Cleveland: Jose Ramirez Walks It Off, Clinches a Playoff Spot

Date: September 22

The most impressive individual performance of Cleveland's 2020 season came courtesy of AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, who dominated the Minnesota Twins in a 14-strikeout gem July 30.

Unless, of course, one favors when Jose Ramirez clinched a playoff spot and put an exclamation mark on his MVP case with a single swing.

After falling into a 3-1 hole to the Chicago White Sox in the top of the 10th inning at Progressive Field, Cleveland got a run back in the bottom half and had two men on with two men out for Ramirez. On a 2-2 count, he sent a 98 mph fastball from Jose Ruiz into the seats for a game-winning, playoff-clinching homer.

Though Cleveland's season eventually ended in a sweep by the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series, Ramirez's 17th and final homer of the season helped propel him to second place in the AL MVP voting.

Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon's AVG Reaches .500 in Barnburner

Date: August 11

On the heels of their 91-loss effort in 2019, not much was expected of the Colorado Rockies at the outset of 2020. But they—and Charlie Blackmon, specifically—had a surprise in store.

The Rockies went 11-3 through August 8, largely because of Blackmon and his .446 average. And he didn't turn back there, as he got his average up to a staggering .500 just three days later.

That involved him going 3-for-4 opposite the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field, with an RBI double during the Rockies' six-run eighth. Arizona responded with five runs in the ninth, but Colorado finished off an 8-7 win.

In so doing, the Rockies pushed their NL West lead to 1.5 games and their playoff chances to roughly 70 percent. But that was pretty much that. The remainder of the season saw Blackmon hit just .216 as the Rockies lost 29 of their last 43 games.

Detroit Tigers: Victor Reyes Keeps the Team in the Playoff Hunt

Date: September 1

On the whole, the Detroit Tigers' 2020 season doesn't look like much to brag about. They went 23-35 and finished in last place in the AL Central for the third time in four years.

Yet the Tigers were actually competitive for the majority of 2020, notably starting strongly and pushing their record north of .500 as late as the first of September.

They did so in style that day with a 12-1 romp over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Victor Reyes starred offensively, homering and driving in five runs. The win put Detroit just 3.5 games out of first place, with better than a 30 percent chance of making the playoffs.

The Tigers' win was, however, of the Pyrrhic variety because of JaCoby Jones' broken hand. That proved to be a bad omen as they finished the season with losses in 19 of their last 25 games.

Houston Astros: Going to the ALCS with a Chip on Their Shoulder

Date: October 8

Though the Houston Astros nearly pulled off an 0-3 comeback in the American League Championship Series, their backs were never not against the wall in that series. Of course, they also lost it in Game 7.

So, we've opted for the moment when the Astros looked like they might actually be unstoppable: Game 4 of the American League Division Series.

Though the Oakland Athletics took a 3-0 lead in that one, a five-run fourth inning charged by home runs from Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa shifted the momentum in Houston's favor. It never shifted back as the Astros poured on to win 11-6.

Despite their 29-31 record in the regular season and as-yet-unknown fate in the ALCS, it looked then like the Astros didn't actually need to steal signs in order to secure their third World Series trip in four years.

Kansas City Royals: Brady Singer Flirts with a No-No in Star-Making Performance

Date: September 10

The Kansas City Royals were never over the .500 threshold throughout 2020, so whether their season ever had a true high point is subject to debate.

The Royals did, however, enjoy a six-game win streak in September that was highlighted by a tantalizing taste of Brady Singer's potential future as a No. 1 starter.

Opposite Cleveland at Progressive Field, Singer took the mound and paced Kansas City to an 11-1 blowout with eight shutout innings in which he walked two and allowed only one hit. Moreover, that one hit came with two outs in the seventh inning.

The 24-year-old righty kept up the good work after that, ultimately finishing his rookie year with a 1.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts over his last four starts.

Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout Shows off His Dad Strength

Date: August 4

Like the Royals, the Los Angeles Angels could never delight at having a winning record at any point during the 2020 season. Even when they won 14 of their last 20 games, it was far too little, far too late.

But as per usual, the Angels did experience some fun Mike Trout moments along the way. 

Arguably the best was when the three-time AL MVP returned from a brief absence in which he and his wife, Jessica, welcomed their son, Beckham. In his first at-bat back against Seattle Mariners right-hander Justin Dunn at T-Mobile Park, Trout promptly celebrated Beckham's birth with a blast.

Cue Mariners skipper Scott Servais for the line of the day: "I was hoping now that Trout was a dad, the dad bod might have snuck up on him, but that wasn't the case."

Los Angeles Dodgers: Finally Champions

Date: October 27

Well, duh.

To be fair, we can have an honest discussion about precisely when the Los Angeles Dodgers' championship season truly peaked. Maybe it wasn't actually when Julio Urias fired strike three past Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy Adames for the final out of Game 6 of the World Series.

The key moment might have happened in the eighth inning, when Mookie Betts rocketed a solo homer to stretch the Dodgers' lead over the Rays from 2-1 to 3-1. Or, maybe it was when Clayton Kershaw finally got to hoist the commissioner's trophy after years and years of trying and failing to get his hands on one.

Whatever the case, it obviously doesn't get any better than the Dodgers being able to call themselves World Series champions for the first time since 1988.

Miami Marlins: Garrett Cooper Powers an Upset in Wild Card Series

Date: October 2

After losing 105 games in 2019, the Miami Marlins were supposed to be among MLB's bottom feeders as they continued their rebuild in 2020. 

Things didn't exactly get better for them after the season started. The club only made it through one series before going through a coronavirus outbreak, and it was hardly back at full strength even upon its return to the field August 4.

And yet the Marlins went on to have a winning season and even upset the Chicago Cubs with a sweep in the Wild Card Series. The latter of the two games was won on dominant pitching from Sixto Sanchez and others, plus a two-run seventh that began with Garrett Cooper's go-ahead homer off Yu Darvish.

As closer Brandon Kintzler said afterward: "We're still here. You can't get rid of us. I don't care if we're bottom feeders."

Milwaukee Brewers: Brandon Woodruff Puts the Postseason Within Reach

Date: September 26

The Milwaukee Brewers didn't last long in the playoffs, as the Los Angeles Dodgers swept them out of the Wild Card Series. And even when they clinched their spot, it was during a loss.

The Crew should nonetheless be commended for getting to the playoffs in a year marked by Christian Yelich's struggles and Lorenzo Cain's opt out. And while they may have backed into the postseason, they put themselves on the doorstep with an impressive 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in their penultimate game.

Ryan Braun and Daniel Vogelbach both homered, yet it was staff ace Brandon Woodruff who stole the show in throwing eight shutout innings with two hits, one walk and 10 strikeouts.

In the words of skipper Craig Counsell: "To deliver right there and not only deliver but to help us tomorrow, it can't be understated what he did."

Minnesota Twins: When They Finally Claimed 1st Place for Good

Date: September 23

After winning 101 games in 2019, the Minnesota Twins came into 2020 as the favorites to repeat as AL Central champions. But even as late as September 19, they were three games out of first place.

That was also, however, the day that the Twins began a four-game win streak that propelled them into first place. And for good, as it turned out.

As he was on his way to finishing second in the AL Cy Young Award voting, it was all too appropriate that Kenta Maeda paced the fourth of those wins—a 7-6 decision over Detroit at Target Field—with six solid innings. Jake Cave homered twice, and Eddie Rosario went deep as well.

Though the Twins hung on to first place after that, their momentum didn't last as they lost two of their last three and then got swept by the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series.

New York Mets: Amed Rosario Walks If Off...at Yankee Stadium

Date: August 28

The New York Mets won on Opening Day and were over .500 through July 28, but at no point after that would they have a winning record en route to a fourth-place finish.

The Mets thus had to find whatever enjoyment they could throughout much of 2020. Toward the end of August, they found quite a rare sort with a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees.

The game was originally slated to be played at Citi Field but had to be moved to Yankee Stadium as a result of positive coronavirus tests. After winning the first game of a double-header by a 6-4 final, the Mets also won the second on Amed Rosario's walk-off homer off Aroldis Chapman in the seventh inning.

A game-ending home run for a team that was technically playing on the road? It had happened before Rosario's blast, but not since 1899.

New York Yankees: Lighting Up Shane Bieber in WC Game 1

Date: September 29

In the regular season, at least, the New York Yankees hit their peak with a 10-game win streak in September. Specifically, with a three-game series opposite the Toronto Blue Jays in which they scored 43 runs.

But it was during the Yankees' sweep of Cleveland in the Wild Card Series that they looked most dangerous, and actually more so in Game 1 than in Game 2.

In that game, the Yankees offense was tasked with overcoming eventual AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. But before anyone could say "That's a tall order," Aaron Judge cranked a two-run homer in the first, and the Yankees were on their way to a 12-3 rout.

Gerrit Cole also did his part in striking out 13 batters over seven innings. As he said afterward, "We kept our foot relatively on the gas the whole night."

Oakland Athletics: Coming Back in WC Game 3 for a Rare Postseason Triumph

Date: October 1

After finishing in second place despite winning 97 games in both 2018 and 2019, the Oakland Athletics finally got to call themselves AL West champions in 2020.

Their playoff quest, however, got off to a rocky start when they lost Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the White Sox. They had to bounce back with a 5-3 win in Game 2 to set up a do-or-die Game 3.

The A's then had to bounce back yet again after falling in an early 3-0 hole and eventually did so with six runs across the fourth and fifth innings. The bullpen took it from there, nailing down a 6-4 win by putting up goose eggs in the final four innings.

Though the A's went on to lose to the Houston Astros in the ALDS, it's not for nothing that they escaped 2020 with at least one postseason series victory. It was their first since 2006.

Philadelphia Phillies: Alec Bohm, Walk-Off Machine

Date: September 8

The Philadelphia Phillies initially stumbled with losses in nine of their first 14 games but then won 16 of their next 24 to climb into the race for the NL East title.

Helping to keep the party going was rookie third baseman Alec Bohm, whose clutch gene was on full display in September.

After he had walked off the Washington Nationals on September 3, the Phillies were ready for more heroics from Bohm five days later when they trailed the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in the seventh inning of the first game of a double-header. As pitcher Zach Eflin said: "We knew if Bohmer is getting up, he was getting the job done."

He did, delivering a two-run single that pushed the Phillies to within 1.5 games of first. Though they would go on to lose 15 of their last 22, at that moment they had a roughly 90 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Ke'Bryan Hayes Makes His Debut Count

Date: September 1

The Pittsburgh Pirates were never really in the race this year, ultimately finding themselves at the bottom of the entire league with a 19-41 record.

It was during one of those 41 losses, though, that the Pirates first knew they were in for a treat after calling up Ke'Bryan Hayes.

He made his major league debut opposite the Cubs at PNC Park and instantly looked like a star on both sides of the ball. Notably, he made very loud noises with his bat on a 108.5 mph double and a 101.5 mph home run.

Hayes went on to finish with a stellar .376/.444/.682 batting line and 1.9 rWAR in 24 games. But as he said upon making his debut: "I only want to get better. I want to win one up here."

San Diego Padres: 'Johnny Wholestaff' Leads the Way to the NLDS

Date: October 2

Opinions on the peak of the San Diego Padres' 2020 season may vary. You might prefer their grand slam binge, or perhaps when they officially clinched their first postseason berth in 14 years.

But because it had been even longer since the Padres had won a playoff series, we simply had to go with their 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.

Deprived of injured aces Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet, the Padres used "Johnny Wholestaff"—i.e., nine different pitchers—to hold the Cardinals to just four hits and no runs. What scoring the Padres did was bookended by Eric Hosmer's RBI double and Jake Cronenworth's solo homer.

Thus did San Diego win its first postseason series since the 1998 NLCS, prompting Hosmer to say, "It took every guy on this roster to get it done."

San Francisco Giants: Mike Yastrzemski Powers Them to Their Pinnacle

Date: September 9

The San Francisco Giants seemed to be out of it after losing 16 of their first 24 games, but then they won 15 of their next 20 to climb two games over .500.

The last of those W's was a 10-1 romp over the Seattle Mariners that also capped a five-game win streak. Tyler Anderson pitched six shutout innings, while Mike Yastrzemski's three-run homer paced San Francisco's offensive onslaught.

Yastrzemski's homer was his ninth of the season and his 30th in 151 games as a Giant. If the season had ended right then and there, they would have been a playoff team and he would have been a leading MVP candidate.

Alas, the season continued and the Giants failed to even tread water in going 6-10. Though they finished with the same record as the Brewers, it was the latter who got to play in October.

Seattle Mariners: Kyle Lewis Puts His Stamp on a Double-Header

Date: September 14

The Seattle Mariners never had a winning record at any point in 2020, yet their youth movement allowed them to have some fun nonetheless.

Nobody had as good a time as rookie center fielder Kyle Lewis, who was never better than he was in a double-header against the A's at T-Mobile Park in mid-September. He led a 6-5 win in the first game with a homer and three runs batted in and started the second by robbing a grand slam in the first inning.

"When you have that type of talent and it's playing out on the big stage, it's awesome to see," Scott Servais said. "I'm excited to continue to watch him grow over the next few years."

As it is, Lewis maintained well enough to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. If Seattle's youth movement continues to bear fruit in the coming years, he stands to become the face of a powerhouse contender.

St. Louis Cardinals: Pulling a Fast One on the Padres in WC Game 1

Date: September 30

It's to the St. Louis Cardinals' credit that they made the playoffs after a coronavirus outbreak forced them into a two-week break early in the season.

Yet they didn't exactly foster high expectations along the way. Beyond playing only 58 games and fewer innings than any other team, they only outscored the competition by 11 runs in going 30-28. 

And yet the Cardinals started their postseason off right by dispatching the heavily favored San Diego Padres by a 7-4 final in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Paul Goldschmidt got the scoring started with a two-run homer in the first, and four relievers combined for four shutout innings to close it out.

Though the Cardinals went on to lose the series, their win in Game 1 was arguably the first time all season that they looked like an actual threat to play deep into October.

Tampa Bay Rays: Randy Arozarena, Charlie Morton Lead the Way to the World Series

Date: October 17

For a moment there, it looked like the 2020 Tampa Bay Rays were going to live in baseball infamy.

After taking a 3-0 lead on the Houston Astros in the ALCS, the Rays lost the next three games of the series. Had they also lost Game 7, they would have joined the 2004 New York Yankees as the only teams to blow a 3-0 advantage in a best-of-seven series.

That didn't happen, though, because Randy Arozarena and Charlie Morton came to the rescue in a 4-2 win in Game 7. The former opened the scoring with a two-run homer—his seventh of the playoffs to that point—in the first, while the latter came through with 5.2 scoreless innings.

Thus did the Rays clinch a trip to the World Series. Though that didn't go so well for them, getting there for only the second time in their history qualifies their 2020 season as an enormous success.

Texas Rangers: Newcomer Derek Dietrich Keeps the Good Times Rolling

Date: August 15

After coming reasonably close to contention with a 78-84 effort in 2019, the Texas Rangers went into 2020 looking to actually punch their ticket to October.

They didn't start well in losing eight of their first 11 contests, but they recovered by winning seven of their next eight to climb over the .500 mark. 

The last of those seven wins was a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, wherein free-agent signee Kyle Gibson got the ball rolling with 6.1 innings of two-run ball. Derek Dietrich, who the Rangers had signed just days earlier, hit a clutch three-run homer in the eighth inning.

Though a 12-29 slide throughout the rest of the season ultimately led them to the worst record in the American League, at that point the Rangers were in second place in the AL West with a 36 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Toronto Blue Jays: Hyun-Jin Ryu and the Kids Clinch a Playoff Spot

Date: September 24

As if the Toronto Blue Jays weren't a big enough underdog at the outset of 2020, they had to play their first 13 games on the road before they finally went "home" to Buffalo, New York.

That event proved to be the turn of the tide. After dropping eight of their first 13 games, the Jays earned a spot in the playoffs by going 27-20 the rest of the way.

Their playoff clincher was a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees at Sahlen Field. Appropriately, future AL Cy Young Award finalist Hyun-Jin Ryu put October within reach by firing seven shutout innings. Equally appropriately, youngsters Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Alejandro Kirk provided the offense.

The Jays' playoff run was ultimately short-lived, as the Tampa Bay Rays swept them in the Wild Card Series. Yet everyone can rest assured that more trips to the postseason are in their future.

Washington Nationals: Juan Soto Sets 'Em Up, Yadiel Hernandez Knocks 'Em Down

Date: September 22

The Washington Nationals received a bad omen when Juan Soto tested positive for the coronavirus on the eve of Opening Day.

Though Soto eventually returned, the momentum that led the Nats to a World Series title in 2019 never did. They're yet another team that never had a winning record at any point during 2020, ultimately finishing just 26-34.

Perhaps the one time that things were looking up was when the Nats won four games in a row in September. The last of those was an 8-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a double-header at Nationals Park, highlighted by Soto's three-run homer and Yadiel Hernandez's walk-off blast.

Hernandez's shot was the first homer of his career, which even he didn't see coming: "I just didn't foresee it happening in that moment, where it ended the game on a walk-off home run like that."

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.