The 2010 MLB Season: Ranking the Top 25 Moments
The 2010 MLB season was quite the ride.
We had six no-hitters (well, seven technically), which ties the record set in 1969 and 1990.
There were plenty of midseason transactions that would alter the course of the rest of the season. A few small-market teams proved that sporting a payroll under $100 million doesn't mean your team is automatically out of it.
We had brawls and 20-inning games. We saw a team come back from 10 runs to win a game.
We followed three players that had a chance for the Triple Crown all the way up to the end of August. We watched a few bench-clearing brawls.
We said goodbye to a legendary player and manager.
We watched a team go through bankruptcy, only to find themselves in the World Series a few months later. And we watched a tortured franchise finally be able to call themselves the champs.
Here are the top moments of the season that was in baseball.
25. Carlos Zambrano Blow-Up
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Zambrano's short temper once again got the best of him in a June game against the White Sox.
He got into a heated argument with his own teammates in the dugout.
He was seen shouting something in the direction of Derek Lee, allegedly for not giving 100-percent effort on a ball that was smoked down the first-base line.
Zambrano ended up getting suspended for about two months. But he did recover nicely for the last month or so of the season.
24. Aroldis Chapman Hits 105 mph
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The rookie phenom was signed by the Reds in January for a cool $30M.
Most experts expected him to go to the Yankees or Red Sox. Yet somehow, the small-market Reds won the bidding.
Projected as the "ace" starter of the future, Chapman was moved to the bullpen in AAA by midseason.
September rolled around, and Chapman was called up to the big club. He came up throwing some serious flames.
On Sept. 24, in a game against the Padres, Chapman threw a fastball that was clocked at 105.1.
That is officially the fastest-recorded pitch in the history of baseball.
23. The Home Run King: Jose Bautista
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He had 54 bombs on the season.
The second-most homers in the majors? 42.
Bautista's previous career-high? 16.
For the first six years of his career, Bautista averaged one home run for every 34.5 trips to the plate. In his seventh, he averaged one home run for every 10.5.
Best. Fantasy pick-up. EVER.
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22. Hanley Ramirez Jogs
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The Marlins’ shortstop was killed by the media for not hustling after a ball that got by him.
He causally jogged after the ball while opposing runners were circling the bases.
The Florida manager, Fredi Gonzales, called out Ramirez.
But Ramirez fired back:
“That’s OK. He doesn’t understand that. He never played in the big leagues.”
BAAA-ZING.
21. Phildelphia Phillies Fans Act a Fool
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Two bizarre occurrences for the Phillies faithful in 2010.
First, there was the streaking fan who eventually had to be tasered in left-center field. This led to debates about if he should of been tasered and player's safety.
Then, there was the infamous puking incident. A fan threw up on people sitting next to him (one of them happened to be an off-duty cop).
He ended up having to go to jail.
Stay classy, Philly.
20. Ubaldo Jimenez Kicks Off the Year of the No-Hitter
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Jimenez took the mound against the Braves in your average April outing.
He may have allowed six men to reach base from walks. But after 128 pitches, Jimenez became the first pitcher in the Rockies' 18-year history to pitch a no-hitter.
This was the beginning of a spectacular season for the young ace.
19. Mets and Cardinals Play 20 Innings
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The nationally-televised Saturday matchup between the Mets and the Cardinals turned into a marathon.
The game finally finished almost seven hours later after the two teams completed a 20-inning game that seemingly would never end.
The game saw the Mets outlast the Cards with a 2-1 victory. Closer Francisco Rodriguez got the win, an infielder (Felipe Lopez) received the loss and a starting pitcher (Mike Pelfrey) recorded the save.
Maybe Met and Cardinal fans can blame this April affair for their subpar seasons.
18. Jason Heyward Goes Yard in 1st Plate Apperance
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The 20-year-old phenom was the most hyped rookie outfielder in recent memory.
He didn't wait very long to impress Braves nation. In his very first at-bat as a major leaguer, Heyward went yard.
He ended up hitting .277 with 18 homers and 72 RBIs in his inaugural season. Expect him to get even better in '11.
17. Kendry Morales: Happy to Sad in about 10 Seconds
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With the Angels and Mariners tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Kendry Morales crushed a walk-off grand slam to give the Angels a 5-1 victory.
But that sweet taste of victory didn't last more than 20 seconds.
Morales threw his helmet as he made his way to home and leaped up in the air and landed on home plate, engulfed by his teammates. As he landed on the plate, he fell to the dirt in pain.
Turns out he had broken his leg in the celebration. It was his last at-bat of the season.
16. Junior's Farewell
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The player of the 90's had a rough '10.
He was hitting around .230 and was accused of falling asleep in the clubhouse during a game.
It turned into a huge controversy in Seattle, and it forced the rest of the team to deal with the uncomfortable situation.
So Junior decided to make it easier on his teammates and ride off into the sunset.
It's just a shame that one of the greatest players of all time had to go out on a sour note like that.
But don't be mistaken, Griffey had one of the most storied careers in MLB history. A first ballot Hall of Famer, no doubt.
15. George Steinbrenner Passes Away
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The day of the 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game, "The Boss" George Steinbrenner died, nine days after his 80th birthday.
Steinbrenner owned the Yankees since 1973, and will forever be remembered for his win-at-all-costs attitude.
As well as building the greatest franchise in baseball history.
He was the most famous owner in professional sports.
14. Matt Garza Throws 1st No-Hitter in Rays History
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The 26-year-old right-hander faced the minimum 27 batters in his 106th career start, only allowing a second-inning walk that would be erased by a double play.
Garza threw the first Rays no-hitter after his team had already been no-hit twice in the season.
It’s was the third time in major league history that a team had been involved in three no-hitters during one season. The 1917 St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox were involved in three—all against each other.
13. Stephen Strasburg Arrives
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Stephen Strasburg was so hyped that ESPN had a countdown to his first pitch the entire day he was scheduled to debut.
And the 22-year-old didn't disappoint.
He struck out 14 hitters over seven effective innings and earned a win over the Pirates.
Strasburg was 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 53 K's in six starts before he hurt his shoulder and had to get the dreaded Tommy John surgery.
12. Sweet Lou Calls It a Career
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Amid another woeful season for the Cubs, their legendary manager decided to call it quits to attend to his ailing mother on Aug. 22.
After almost 24 years as a manager, Piniella had planned on finishing out the season. But family matters trump the game.
He leaves the diamond with a career mark of 1,835-1,713 and a World Series title as the manager of the 1990 Reds.
The Hall of Fame is a strong possibility for "Sweet" Lou.
11. Bizzaro No No
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Edwin Jackson no-hit the Rays in June.
But the real story was how he accomplished it.
He allowed eight walks and had to throw 149 pitches to complete the feat.
Jackson was later traded to the White Sox and goes down in history as the only pitcher to throw a no-no and then be traded later in the season.
10. Jay Bruce Walk-Off Sends Reds into Postseason in Style
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It was the last week of the season, and clinching the N.L. Central was all but a formality for the Reds.
In the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie ballgame, Jay Bruce blasted a shot that sailed over the fence and put the Reds in the postseason for the first time since '95.
His teammates greeted him at home, and the party began. Champagne and beer was everywhere, and the small-market Reds had officially held off the big bad Cardinals.
9. Cliff Lee Traded to the Rangers
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The Rangers were already in the driver's seat in a weak A.L. West.
But they knew they needed another piece to compete for the World Series.
So in July, the Rangers received Lee and Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners for rookie phenom Justin Smoak and minor leaguers Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Matthew Lawson.
Lee went on to dominate the A.L. and helped propel the Rangers in the World Series by beating the Yankees twice in the ALCS.
Meanwhile, Smoak struggled mightily for the Mariners throughout the second half of the season.
8. Mark Buehrle Gets Web Gem of the Year on Opening Day
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The best play of the year just so happened to be on the first day of the season.
Lou Marson hit a grounder toward the mound. Buehrle stuck out his foot trying to stop the ground ball, only to have it hit off his leg and roll toward the first-base line.
Buehrle raced after the into foul territory and grabbed the ball with his glove.
Buehrle then flipped the ball with his glove between his legs in time to get Marson out.
ESPN's Web Gems had the "Buehrle Meter" that judged each day's top plays against Buehrle's.
No play even came close.
7. Aug. 25: The Day of the 9-Run Comeback
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The Braves were killing the Rockies 10-1 by the third inning.
Then the Rockies' bats woke up.
Hit after hit ensued. Singles, doubles and triples abound.
To tie the game, Carlos Gonzalez hit a single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. Troy Tulowitzki gave the Rockies the lead with a single, and then Todd Helton added an insurance run with another single in the eighth.
In the top of the ninth, with the Braves threatening, Cargo made a spectacular, over-the-shoulder diving catch to end the epic game.
Final: Rockies 12, Braves 10.
At the exact same time, the Giants stormed back from a nine-run deficit to take an 11-10 lead over the Reds in the eighth inning. It took a Reds comeback of their own to tie the game before they won the game in the 11th, 12-11.
Two nine-run leads erased on the same day at the same time.
6. Dallas Braden Tosses Perfect Game
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Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in major league history against the Rays.
It was the second perfect game in the history of the Oakland A's.
It was a dominant performance that allowed people to remember him for more than just A-Rod.
Before the perfect game, Braden was best known for his enraged reaction to Alex Rodriguez walking across the mound.
Still angry after the game, he told the slugger "to go do laps in the bullpen" if he wanted to traipse across a mound.
Now he is in the record books.
5. Cody Ross Emerges as Hero in Playoffs
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A Marlin for the majority of the year, the Giants made a claim on Ross just so the Padres couldn't scoop him up.
Five postseason home runs and 10 RBIs later, Ross is now a household name in San Francisco.
Ross was named the Most Valuable Player in the NLCS against the Phillies.
Quite possibly, Ross is the best post July pick-up of all time.
"He's been a great garbage find for us," joked teammate Aubrey Huff.
4. Roy Halladay Throws Perfect Game and No No
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In his first year with the Phillies, Halladay didn't disappoint.
He threw a perfect game against the Marlins in the end of May. It was the 20th of all time, and the 20-day turnaround between perfect games (Braden) was the second shortest in history.
He then proceeded to no-hit the No. 1 offense in the N.L. (Reds) in his first ever postseason start. His ability to pitch in the pressure of a playoff game was put to bed quite quickly.
He had an amazing year in his first season with the Phillies.
3. Armando Galarraga and Jim Joyce
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Armando Galarraga was one out away from a perfect game.
The Tigers led the Cleveland Indians, 3-0, with two out in the ninth inning when Jason Donald hit a grounder to first base. Replays showed that Galarraga, covering at first, got the throw from Miguel Cabrera and touched the base a stride ahead of Donald.
But Joyce inexplicably called Donald safe.
"I just cost that kid a perfect game," Joyce said. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay."
The two ended up meeting each other after the game for a heartfelt moment that shows the human side of sports.
But this will forever be known as the "28 out perfect game."
2. Rangers Make 1st Ever World Series Apperance
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Who would have thought that a team that filed for bankruptcy MIDSEASON would be in the Fall Classic?
But that's exactly what the Rangers did.
With a MVP-like performance from Josh Hamilton and a huge boost in the acquisition of Cliff Lee, it was a perfect storm in running through the Rays and Yankees to reach their first-ever World Series appearance.
Michael Young finally made the postseason after spending his entire career in the lost decade of the Rangers.
Before the 2010 postseason, the Rangers hadn't even won a playoff game since '99.
It was a great story that was only surpassed by one...
1. The Giants Win 1st World Series in San Francisco
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After 56 years without being called the champs, with the ghosts of 1962, 1989 and 2002 still haunting the San Fran fans, the Giants finally won the big prize in 2010.
They beat the Rangers 4-1.
Behind dominating performances from the likes of Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and the rookie phenom Buster Posey, the Giants only got better as the postseason rolled along.
But they also had huge contributions from unsung heroes such as Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross and World Series MVP Edgar Renteria.
This is the team that had to beat the Padres on the last day of the regular season just to make the playoffs.
Now they are the World Series champions.
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