There was no scarcity of storylines within the 2024 season, which featured a number of the greatest particular person seasons and performances that baseball has ever seen — we’re taking a look at you Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Choose.
Which single-game performances had been one of the best? We requested every of our 30 beat writers which particular person performances stood out for every membership.
Blue Jays: Bowden Francis flirts with a no-hitter, Aug. 24It looks like no-hitters maintain a good larger stage of mystique in Toronto. Solely Dave Stieb has accomplished it, and it took Stieb a painful string of near-misses earlier than he lastly reached the mountaintop. Francis wasn’t the pitcher anybody would have anticipated to take a run at historical past coming into the season, however his two shut calls with historical past helped set up him as the most effective tales of the season down the stretch. This one, during which Francis struck out 12 Angels batters earlier than permitting a house run to Taylor Ward to open the ninth inning, was probably the most dominant pitching efficiency of the yr for the Blue Jays. Stieb nonetheless stands alone, however ultimately, he’ll have some firm. — Keegan Matheson
Orioles: Kyle Bradish’s near-no-hitter in Chicago, Could 26Bradish’s 2024 season received off to a delayed begin, as he spent the primary month on the injured record because of a proper UCL sprain. He then made solely eight begins earlier than present process Tommy John surgical procedure in mid-June. However a kind of outings ended up being one of the best of the 28-year-old right-hander’s 61-start MLB profession. Bradish struck out a career-high-tying 11 White Sox batters whereas tossing seven hitless innings at Assured Charge Area. The gem ended after 103 pitches, and the Sox broke up the mixed no-hit bid within the eighth on Danny Mendick’s homer off Danny Coulombe. Nonetheless, it was a unprecedented effort by Bradish, who might ultimately throw a no-no sooner or later as soon as wholesome. — Jake Rill
Rays: Jose Siri robs a homer then walks it off, Could 29Sure, the Rays loved two-homer video games by Josh Lowe, Randy Arozarena and even Siri himself. The Rays had some sensible pitching performances, too: Tyler Alexander’s perfect-game bid in Toronto, Shane Baz’s 7 2/3 innings in Oakland, seven-inning/one-hit gems by Taj Bradley and Zack Littell, and two double-digit strikeout begins by Ryan Pepiot. However what Siri did in opposition to the Athletics at Tropicana Area was arguably the Rays’ most memorable feat of the yr. Within the high of the ninth, Siri leaped over Arozarena and reached as much as rob Zack Gelof of a tiebreaking, two-run homer. Within the backside of the ninth, Siri lined a walk-off single to left. It was, as Pepiot stated, “like a storybook ending.” — Adam Berry
Purple Sox: Houck tosses a “Maddux”, April 17It could be onerous to pitch any higher or extra effectively than Tanner Houck did on the evening of April 17 at house in opposition to the Guardians. The righty went the gap in a three-hit shutout during which he walked none and struck out 9 whereas throwing 93 pitches. The sport lasted only one hour and 49 minutes. A Maddux is a complete-game shutout in underneath 100 pitches, and clearly a tribute to Corridor of Famer Greg Maddux who made such performances considerably routine throughout his prime. — Ian Browne
Yankees: Anthony Volpe performs the sport of his life, Oct. 29Given the stage and the stakes, Volpe’s efficiency in Sport 4 of the World Collection offered one of many few recollections that Yankees followers might fondly recall from that showdown in opposition to the Dodgers. With the Bombers going through elimination after dropping the primary three video games to Los Angeles, Volpe grew to become the primary participant in World Collection historical past to register 4 RBIs and two stolen bases in a single sport, slugging a third-inning grand slam off Daniel Hudson that helped propel New York to an 11-4 victory. It was a full-circle second for Volpe, who was born and raised a Yankees fan on New York’s Higher East Facet and in greener elements of New Jersey, and skipped college to attend the parade after the Yanks’ 2009 World Collection win. — Bryan Hoch
Guardians: Joey Cantillo excellent via six innings in Chicago, Sept. 9Cantillo hadn’t discovered his footing but within the Majors. He had solely made six appearances (5 begins) at this level, however the Guardians had been determined for beginning pitching. And with the division on the road, they wanted their rookie to step up. After an look out of the bullpen the week earlier than, one thing clicked. Cantillo dominated the White Sox and have become simply certainly one of seven Cleveland pitchers to be excellent via a minimum of six innings (6 2/3 to be precise) for the reason that final excellent sport in franchise historical past in 1981. He struck out a profession excessive 10 batters earlier than in the end giving up one run on two hits in seven frames within the Guardians’ win. — Mandy Bell
Royals: Considered one of many video games during which Witt flashes all of the instruments, April 11Bobby Witt Jr. had a protracted record of standout video games in 2024, however maybe his greatest was all the way in which again in April in opposition to the Astros. On April 11 at Kauffman Stadium, Witt went 4-for-5 with two house runs, 4 runs scored, 5 RBIs and a stolen base. He powered the Royals to a 13-3 win, their seventh consecutive victory, throughout their early sweep of the eventual AL West champions. It was an early indicator of the Royals’ success and Witt’s wonderful ‘24 marketing campaign. Honorable mentions for this embody Dairon Blanco’s seven-RBI sport on Aug. 17 in opposition to the Reds, Vinnie Pasquantino’s 3-for-3 sport with a double, homer and 5 RBIs in opposition to the Astros on April 10 and Witt’s 4-for-5 evening in opposition to the White Sox that included a go-ahead grand slam on July 29. — Anne Rogers
Tigers: Skubal shuts down Guards in Sport 2 of ALDS, Oct. 7The Tigers had been blessed with a number of excellent pitching performances, however given the circumstances and the stage, Tarik Skubal’s seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in Sport 2 of the AL Division Collection at Cleveland tops the record. The Cy Younger winner retired the Guardians’ first 13 batters so as, induced double performs to finish back-to-back innings and famously yelled at Guardians followers on his manner off the mound. He additionally stored the Tigers in a scoreless duel till Kerry Carpenter’s ninth-inning house run off nearer Emmanuel Clase pushed the Tigers in entrance. — Jason Beck
Twins: Bailey Ober throws a 10-strikeout full sport … on 89 pitches, June 22It can’t damage when your efficiency is certainly one of solely two of its sort on report … and the opposite is David Cone’s excellent sport. That’s what Bailey Ober did on an in any other case nondescript June 22 afternoon in opposition to the Athletics, when he joined Cone as the one pitchers to register double-digit strikeouts in a nine-inning full sport whereas utilizing 90 or fewer pitches. That’s a mouthful that doesn’t do justice to the journey that took Ober from the rookie with the prolonged harm historical past whose workload the Twins fastidiously monitored by pulling him early from begins … to this totally established starter able to this sort of efficiency when every little thing’s clicking. — Do-Hyoung Park
White Sox: Garrett Crochet’s record-tying dominance at Charge Area, Sept. 1There had been six begins the place left-hander Garrett Crochet reached double-digit strikeouts throughout his All-Star debut as a part of the rotation, and two of his greatest efforts got here on the Astros (Aug. 16) and on the Padres (Sept. 20), when he was on a pitch restrict and fell simply in need of double digits. However Crochet’s seven straight strikeouts to start his Sept. 1 begin at house in opposition to the Mets not solely had been overpowering but in addition tied a White Sox and American League report for consecutive strikeouts to open a sport (Carlos Rodon in 2016, Joe Cowley in 1986 and Blake Snell in 2018). His effort started with Francisco Lindor swinging via a 1-2 four-seamer at 98.9 mph and ended when Luis Torrens grounded out for the second out within the third. — Scott Merkin
Angels: Zach Neto makes historical past at Yankee Stadium, Aug. 7Shortstop Zach Neto had a day to recollect within the Bronx on Aug. 7, when he went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, a double and 6 RBIs in an 8-2 win in Sport 2 of a doubleheader. He made historical past, as he grew to become the primary visiting shortstop to have six RBIs in a sport at any iteration of Yankee Stadium. He additionally hit a two-run homer in Sport 1 of the dual invoice and went 3-for-4 within the collection opener. It was certainly one of two video games with six RBIs for Neto, who was the membership’s greatest participant in 2024. — Rhett Bollinger
Astros: Ronel Blanco throws a no-hitter in his first season of ‘24, April 1Ronel Blanco — a former infielder who switched to pitching at 18 years outdated and visited a number of academies within the Dominican Republic earlier than the Astros ultimately signed him for $5,000 — threw the seventeenth no-hitter in franchise historical past in a 10-0 win over the Blue Jays on April 1. Blanco, making solely his eighth Main League begin, walked the primary batter he confronted earlier than sending down 26 Blue Jays in a row. Blanco received Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to floor out to second base on his a hundred and fifth pitch to shine off the primary no-hitter of the 2024 season. — Brian McTaggart
Athletics: Lawrence Butler’s second three-homer sport places him in really elite firm, Aug. 29After bashing three homers in opposition to the Reds, his second three-homer sport in as many months, Lawrence Butler joined Corridor of Famer Ralph Kiner and famous person Mookie Betts as simply the third participant in MLB historical past with a number of three-homer video games in a season at age 24 or youthful. Butler completed that three-game collection at Cincinnati by going 7-for-14 with 5 house runs and eight RBIs. — Martín Gallegos
Mariners: Logan Gilbert throws eight shutout innings vs. Rangers, June 16For a workforce constructed on pitching, there have been numerous gems all year long value of consideration, and that was much more true for Gilbert, who threw eight shutout innings three completely different instances. However one of the best of that bunch was an outing at vs. the defending World Collection champs in mid-June, when he surrendered simply two hits, walked none and struck out 9 — catapulting the Mariners to a weekend sweep and an 8 1/2-game lead atop the AL West. That outing helped solidify his first All-Star Sport choice a couple of weeks later. — Daniel Kramer
Rangers: Wyatt Langford hits for the cycle, June 30The Rangers’ 22-year-old rookie had a sluggish begin to his MLB profession, nevertheless it all got here collectively in the course of the summer time, particularly on a Sunday evening in Baltimore, when he hit for the eleventh cycle in Rangers historical past. It was Texas’ first since Carlos Gómez on April 29, 2017 in opposition to the Angels. Langford is the tenth participant in Rangers historical past to perform the feat (Adrian Beltré did it twice). — Kennedi Landry
Braves: Travis d’Arnaud highlights three-homer sport with a grand slam, April 19d’Arnaud hit solo homers within the second and fifth innings after which propelled the Braves to an 8-3 win over the Rangers with a go-ahead grand slam within the sixth. This was his second career-three homer sport, nevertheless it marked the primary for a Braves catcher since Dale Murphy tallied one in 1979. The one different Braves gamers to hit a grand slam throughout a three-homer sport had been Adam Duvall (2020) and Orlando Cepeda (1970). However the significance of this nice sport was really realized when d’Arnaud received house, referred to as his father and was reminded he had accomplished this on his late grandfather’s birthday. — Mark Bowman
Marlins: Braxton Garrett tosses a ‘Maddux,’ Could 12Garrett, whose season did not begin till Could 12 due to a left shoulder impingement, had by no means thrown greater than 7 1/3 innings in a begin throughout his skilled profession. Tasked with dueling 2023 NL Cy Younger finalist Zac Gallen and going through the Majors’ high offense in opposition to lefties, all Garrett did was report the second shutout on fewer than 100 pitches by a southpaw in franchise historical past. Honorable mentions go to Xavier Edwards, who recorded the Marlins’ second cycle in membership historical past on July 28 and tallied three triples on Sept. 27. — Christina De Nicola
Mets: The Francisco Lindor Flu Sport, Could 2It could be straightforward to shout out Lindor’s Sport 161 homer or Pete Alonso’s Wild Card Collection blast, however these had been iconic moments — not full-game performances. Then once more, maybe there’s a little bit of irony in the truth that Lindor didn’t play a full sport on Could 2, both. Sidelined by the flu and informed to remain house so long as attainable, Lindor ultimately made his strategy to Citi Area, entered as a pinch-hitter within the sixth inning and instantly hit a two-run double. 5 innings later, with the Mets trailing by a run in extras, Lindor hit one other two-run double to stroll off the Cubs. He completed 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs in a sport he gained’t neglect anytime quickly. — Anthony DiComo
Nationals: Welcome to the Majors, Mitchell Parker, April 15The rookie southpaw was confronted with the tall activity of creating his Main League debut in opposition to the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Jackie Robinson Day on April 15. Parker easily navigated the eventual 2024 World Collection champions. He started his outing by hanging out leadoff batter Mookie Betts, and he delivered a 1-2-3 third inning in opposition to Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. Parker grew to become the primary Nats starter to earn a win in his massive league debut since Stephen Strasburg in 2010. Such a efficiency exemplified the event of the Nationals younger basis. — Jessica Camerato
Phillies: Schwarber homers 3 times in wild win in Toronto, Sept. 3The Phillies had been in a 6-1 gap after the primary inning at Rogers Centre, however Kyle Schwarber’s three homers propelled them to a wildly enjoyable and unbelievable 10-9 victory over the Blue Jays. Schwarber’s three-run homer within the ninth gave the Phillies the lead. Schwarber joined Mike Schmidt as the one gamers in franchise historical past to have 5 hits and three homers in a sport. Schmidt did it as a part of his record-tying four-homer sport on April 17, 1976. — Todd Zolecki
Brewers: Chourio’s two tying homers in NL Wild Card Collection G2, Oct. 2Down a run and right down to the ultimate six outs of their season in Sport 2 of the NL Wild Card Collection in opposition to the Mets, the Brewers in opposition to the considered one other first-round postseason exit. Their 20-year-old rookie wasn’t fairly able to go house. Chourio had already delivered one tying house run within the first inning and now he hit one other, bringing American Household Area to life earlier than Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead shot in a Brewers victory that pressured a decisive Sport 3. Chourio grew to become the second-youngest participant in MLB historical past to have a multihomer sport within the postseason (Andruw Jones was the youngest) and have become solely the second rookie in MLB historical past with a game-tying house run within the eighth inning or later of a postseason sport. Derek Jeter did it in Sport 1 of the 1996 ALCS on the evening a 12-year-old fan named Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and have become a part of baseball lore. — Adam McCalvy
Cardinals: RF Jordan Walker’s five-hit day in opposition to the Yankees, Sept. 1Despite struggles in 2023 and 2024 that led to him being demoted to Triple-A Memphis, Jordan Walker continues to be held with excessive esteem within the Cardinals group – largely due to performances like he had on Sept. 1 at Yankees Stadium. That day, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Walker bashed Yankees pitch to the tune of 5-for-5 with a house run, three RBI, 4 runs scored and a stolen base. That efficiency allowed the 22-year-old Walker to turn out to be the youngest Cardinal with a five-hit day since Corridor of Famer Rogers Hornsby did it as a 21-year-old in 1916, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. — John Denton
Cubs: Ian Happ’s Fourth of July fireworks, July 4In a 10-2 rout of the Phillies on July 4, Happ produced not solely the most effective video games of his profession, however in Cubs historical past. The left fielder completed the day 4-for-4 with a pair of three-run homers, accounting for his six RBIs, together with a double and 11 whole bases. He joined Derrek Lee (April 27, 2005) and Ed Bailey (July 22, 1965) as the one Cubs batters since a minimum of 1901 to have 4 hits with a minimum of two homers and 6 RBIs in not more than 4 plate appearances in a sport. Happ’s displaying additionally helped spark Chicago, which went 44-31 from July 4 via the tip of the season. — Jordan Bastian
Pirates: Paul Skenes ends the primary half with an exclamation level, July 11Skenes had otherworldly expectations coming into 2024, however few might have anticipated him to dominate the way in which he did out of the gate, incomes an All-Star nod after simply 10 Main League begins. His eleventh begin made it clear that he was already one of many sport’s greatest, hanging out 11 over seven innings of no-hit ball. Skenes walked and hit a batter within the second, his lone blemishes as he would go on to retire the final 16 Brewers he confronted. The Pirates would go on to win, 1-0, and Skenes was named the Nationwide League’s beginning pitcher the following day. — Alex Stumpf
Reds – De La Cruz has massive evening vs. the Dodgers, Could 16Dodgers followers waited for hours for his or her first Shohei Ohtani bobblehead evening, which introduced added environment nevertheless it was Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz who stole the present. In a 7-2 Cincinnati win, De La Cruz went 4-for-4 with a stroll, 4 stolen bases and three runs scored. He grew to become the primary Purple with 4 steals in a sport since Billy Hamilton in 2016. — Mark Sheldon
D-backs: Pavin Smith rocks Astros for 3 HRs, Sept. 8Pavin Smith homered in his first at-bat of the sport off future Corridor of Famer Justin Verlander at Minute Maid Park. It was an indication of issues to come back for Smith, who had an evening that etched him into Diamondbacks lore. In his subsequent at-bat in opposition to Verlander, Smith hit a grand slam and in his third at-bat, yep, one other homer, this one a solo shot off Kaleb Ort. Smith had two extra plate appearances to attempt for a fourth homer, however he struck out within the seventh and drew a stroll within the ninth off nearer Josh Hader. In all, Smith was 3-for-4 with three homers and eight RBIs. — Steve Gilbert
Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani took his abilities to South Seaside, Sept. 19Ohtani produced numerous memorable moments throughout his first season with the Dodgers, however nothing in comparison with his historic evening in Miami. The Japanese famous person delivered the most effective particular person performances in baseball historical past, going 6-for-6 with three homers, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases. Ohtani got here inside a pair toes of hitting for the cycle. Oh, and in the course of doing all of that, Ohtani grew to become the primary participant in Main League historical past to affix the 50-50 membership in a single season. Not dangerous. — Sonja Chen
Giants: Blake Snell’s no-hitter, Aug. 2Snell had by no means thrown a whole sport earlier than taking the mound in opposition to the Reds on Aug. 2, however the two-time Cy Younger winner lastly managed to go the gap in a dominant efficiency at Nice American Ball Park. Snell struck out 11 and walked three whereas turning into the primary Giants pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Chris Heston in 2015. — Maria Guardado
Padres: Dylan Stop’s no-hitter, July 25For a few month in the course of the 2024 season, Stop was as dominant as any pitcher in baseball. Heck, as dominant as any pitcher in baseball historical past. The exclamation level on that dominance was his no-hitter in opposition to the Nationals on July 25 — simply the second in Padres historical past. Stop authored a nine-strikeout gem in opposition to Washington, and within the course of grew to become the primary pitcher since a minimum of 1901 with 30-plus strikeouts and two or fewer hits allowed in a three-outing span. — AJ Cassavell
Rockies: Michael Toglia’s house run trifecta, July 14The switch-hitting Toglia entered the July 14 sport at Citi Area with a .183 batting common, however issues had been wanting up. He’d homered 3 times within the earlier 5 video games, however within the Sunday afternoon finale in opposition to the Mets he actually confirmed his swing had arrived. The sport was already notable. Earlier within the sport, pitcher Germán Márquez – in his solely begin of the season – achieved his 686th strikeout with the Rockies to eclipse Jorge De La Rosa for the membership report. Then Toglia went deep within the fifth and sixth innings in opposition to lefty starter Jose Quintana, then switched to the left aspect and homered within the eighth in opposition to Adrian Houser. It was a homer bonanza; Ezequiel Tovar homered twice and Brenton Doyle additionally homered. The Rockies’ 12 homers in opposition to the Mets marked a membership report in a three-game highway collection. — Thomas Harding
