Baseball Season Reviews
| Season | Champion | Highlights | Award Winners |
| 2023 | Texas | In one of the most improbable matchups in ML history, Texas routs Arizona behind Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. |
NL MVP - Ronald Acuna AL MVP - Shohei Ohtani NL Cy Young - Blake Snell AL Cy Young - Gerrit Cole |
| 2022 | Houston | Rookie Jeremy Pena leads the Astros to another World Championship over NL Wild Card Philadelphia. Aaron Judge smacks an AL-record 62 HRs. |
NL MVP - Paul Goldschmidt AL MVP - Aaron Judge NL Cy Young - Sandy Alcantara AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander |
| 2021 | Atlanta | Newcomers Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario lead the Braves to a title over Houston. 8 no-hitters and nearly 6000 HRs. |
NL MVP - Bryce Harper AL MVP - Shohei Ohtani NL Cy Young - Corbin Burnes AL Cy Young - Robbie Ray |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Dodgers | A shortened season, LA dominated from beginning to end with a .717 winning percentage. Defeated Tampa Bay in 6. Juan Soto has an amazing 1.185 OPS, and D.J. LeMahieu hits .364. |
NL MVP - Freddie Freeman AL MVP - Jose Abreu NL Cy Young - Trevor Bauer AL Cy Young - Shane Bieber |
| 2019 | Washington Nationals | Nats were a wild card that beat the Astros in 7. Soto and Rendon each had over 100 RBI; Strasburg, Corbin, and Scherzer were lights out. |
NL MVP - Cody Bellinger AL MVP - Mike Trout NL Cy Young - Jacob deGroom AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander |
| 2018 | Boston Red Sox | Boston defeated Los Angeles in 5 games, completing their season of domination. The Red Sox finished with an incredible .667 winning percentage on the year, never losing more than 3 games in a row (and doing that only twice all season!) |
NL MVP - Christian Yelich AL MVP - Mookie Betts NL Cy Young - Jacob deGroom AL Cy Young - Blake Snell |
| 2017 | Houston Astros | Houston won its first World Series, defeating Los Angeles in 7 games. The Astros were led by Jose Altuve, who ran away with the batting title and the AL MVP award. For their part, LA won 104 games and were led by NL Rookie of the Year winner, Cody Belinger's 39 HR and Clayton Kershaw's 2.31 ERA. |
NL MVP - Giancarlo Stanton AL MVP - Jose Altuve NL Cy Young - Max Scherzer AL Cy Young - Corey Kluber |
| 2016 | Chicago Cubs | The Cubbies ended 108 years of futility by defeating Cleveland in a 7-game series, winning game 7 in 10-innings. Jose Altuve won his second batting title with a .338 average, while DJ LeMahieu narrowly beat Daniel Murphy for the NL crown, .348 to .347. Jonathan Villar swiped 62 bases, and a plethora of hiters surpassed the 40 HR mark. |
NL MVP - Kris Bryant AL MVP - Mike Trout NL Cy Young - Max Scherzer AL Cy Young - Rick Porcello |
| 2015 | Kansas City Royals | The Royal's second trip to the World Series in as many years resulted in their first championship since 1985. Zack Greinke had a 46-inning scoreless streak, while Max Scherzer threw 2 no-hitters and a 1-hitter. Nolan Arenado had a breakout season, leading the NL with 42 HR while Baltimore's Chris Davis hit 47 in the AL. | NL MVP - Bryce Harper AL MVP - Josh Donaldson NL Cy Young - Jake Arrieta AL Cy Young - Dallas Keuchel |
| 2014 | San Francisco Giants | The Giants won their third World Series this decade, this time defeating Kansas City in game 7 thanks to the stellar, 5-inning relief appearance by Madison Bumgarner. Only one player, Nelson Cruz, hit the 40 HR mark. Clayton Kershaw had an unbelievable 1.77 ERA, assisted by his 42-inning scoreless streak. | NL MVP - Clayton Kershaw AL MVP - Mike Trout NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw AL Cy Young - Corey Kluber |
| 2013 | Boston Red Sox | The Red Sox defeated the Red Birds in 6 games, led by "Big Papi." Jacoby Ellsbury stole 52 bases, including 5 in one game. Miguel Cabrera hit .348 - 44 - 137, narrowly missing out on a second consecutive Triple Crown. Chris Davis hit 53 HR to lead all of baseball. | NL MVP - Andrew McCutchen AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw AL Cy Young - Max Scherzer |
| 2012 | San Francisco Giants | The Giants won another World Series, this time over the Tigers in a sweep. Buster Posey hit .336 and the SF pitching staff led the charge. Miguel Cabrera won the first Triple Crown in baseball since Yaz in 1967. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey won 20 games and the Cy Young over Gio Gonzalez. Ryan Braun hit 41 HR to lead the NL. | NL MVP - Buster Posey AL MVP - MIguel Cabrera NL Cy Young - R.A. Dickey AL Cy Young - David Price |
| 2011 | St. Louis Cardinals | The Cards won their 11th World Series, this time in a riveting 7-game series against Texas. Game 6 was a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing 6 times. Matt Kemp has an outstanding season at .324 - 39 - 126, but was runner-up in NL MVP voting. Justin Verlander had an amazing 24-5, 2.40 season to win both the MVP and Cy Young. | NL MVP - Ryan Braun AL MVP - Justin Verlander NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander |
| 2010 | San Francisco Giants | The Giants won their first World Series in San Francisco by defeating the Rangers in 5 games. Albert Pujols hit 42 HR, and Carlos Gonzalez was on practically every offensive leader board in the NL. Jose Bautista hit 54 HR, surpassing his previous high of 16. Josh Hamilton hit .359, while 3 pitchers reached the 20-win plateau. | NL MVP - Joey Votto AL MVP - Josh Hamilton NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez |
| Season | Champion | Highlights | Award Winners |
| 2009 | New York Yankees |
The Yankees stymied the Phil's run at winning 2 World Series in a row, 4 games to 2. Hanley Ramirez won the batting title with a .342 mark for the Marlins, while Joe Mauer won the last of his titles for the Twins, hitting an astounding .365 as a full-time catcher. Albert Pujol's 42 HR far oudistanced the second-place finisher in the NL, who had 22. |
NL MVP - Albert Pujols AL MVP - Joe Mauer NL Cy Young - Tim LIncecum AL Cy Young - Zack Greinke |
| 2008 | Philadelphia Phillies |
The Phillies beat the Rays in 5 games to win their second championship, and first since 1980. Chipper Jones hit .364 in Atlanta, While Joe Mauer won his second batting title with a .328 mark in Minnesota. There were four 20-game winners, led by Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb with 22 apiece. |
NL MVP - Albert Pujols AL MVP - Dustin Pedroia NL Cy Young - Tim Lincecum AL Cy Young - Cliff Lee |
| 2007 | Boston Red Sox |
The Red Sox won the World Series for the second time in 4 years, sweeping the Rockies. At the start of the Series, the Rockies had won 21 of 22 games. Cecil Fielder hit 50 HR for Milwaukee, while A-Rod blasted 54 in New York. Magglio Ordonez hit .363 in Detroit, while Matt Holiday hit .340 for Colorado. |
NL MVP - Jimmy Rollins AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez NL Cy Young - Jake Peavy AL Cy Young - C.C. Sabathia |
| 2006 | St. Louis Cardinals |
Despite only winning 83 games in the regular season, the Cards won the World Series in 5 games over the Tigers gaining the distrinction of the "worst team" to win it all. Ryan Howard was a beast, hitting .313 - 58 - 149 for the Phillies. David Ortiz clobbered 54 HR, while Joe Mauer his first batting championship with a .347 mark. | NL MVP - Ryan Howard AL MVP - Justin Morneau NL Cy Young - Brandon Webb AL Cy Young - Johan Santana |
| 2005 | Chicago White Sox |
The White Sox swept the Astros to win their first World Series since 1917. Andruw Jones slugged 51 HR for Atlanta. Michael Young hit .331 to win the AL batting title, while Derrek Lee hit .335 with 46 HR in the NL. Dontrelle Willis spun 5 shutouts while winning 22 games in the NL, and Bartolo Colon won 21 in the NL with the Angels. | NL MVP - Albert Pujols AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez NL Cy Young - Roger Clemens AL Cy Young - Johan Santana |
| 2004 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 2003 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 2002 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 2001 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 2000 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
| Season | Champion | Highlights | Award Winners |
| 1999 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1998 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1997 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1996 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1995 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1994 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1993 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1992 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1991 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1990 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
| Season | Champion | Highlights | Award Winners |
| 1989 | Oakland | The A's sweep San Francisco in a series interrupted by a magnitude 7.1 earth quake for 10 days. Kirby Puckett led the majors with a .339 average, and Tony Gwynn paced the NL at .336. NL MVP Kevin Mitchell slugged 47 HRs for the NL Champion Giants. | NL MVP - Kevin Mitchell AL MVP - Robin Yount NL Cy Young - Mark Davis AL Cy Young - Bret Saberhagen |
| 1988 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1987 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1986 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1985 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1984 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1983 | Baltimore | The O's defeat Philadelphia's "Wheeze Kids" in 5 games for a World Series title. Darryl Strawberry and Ron Kittle win the Rookie of the Year awards. | NL MVP - Dale Murphy AL MVP - Cal Ripken NL Cy Young - John Denny AL Cy Young - LaMarr Hoyt |
| 1982 | St. Louis |
The Cards win an exciting, 7-game series against "Harvey's Wallbangers" from Milwaukee. The Brewers took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th, but Joaquin Andujar and Bruce Sutter nailed down the win after the Cards came back. Gorman Thomas and Reggie Jackson tied for the AL HR lead with 39, and "Kong" Kingman hit 37 for the Mets. | NL MVP - Dale Murphy AL MVP - Robin Yount NL Cy Young - Steve Carlton AL Cy Young - Pete Vuckovich |
| 1981 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1980 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
| Season | Champion | Highlights | Award Winners |
| 1979 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1978 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1977 | New York Yankees | Reggie Jackson slugs 5 HRs in the World Series...3 in the deciding game 6...to help New York win against the Dodgers. Rod Carew hit .388 for the Twins, while George Foster smashed 52 HRs for the Reds, both winning their respective MVP awards. Tom Seaver went 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA, splitting his time between the Mets and Reds, while Nolan Ryan fanned 341 batters, posting a stellar 2.77 ERA. | NL MVP - George Foster AL MVP - Rod Carew NL Cy Young - Steve Carlton AL Cy Young - Sparky Lyle |
| 1976 | Cincinnati |
The "Big Red Machine" wins back-to-back World Series Championships, led by Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench, sweeping the Yankees in a rout. Mike Schmidt hit 4 HR in a game and 38 for the season to pace the NL, while Graig Nettles' 32 led the AL. Randy Jones and Jim Palmer each won 22, and each threw 315 innings. | NL MVP - Joe Morgan AL MVP - Thurman Munson NL Cy Young - Randy Jones AL Cy Young - Jim Palmer |
| 1975 | Cincinnati |
It looked like the Red Sox were going to break "the curse," leading 3-0 in game 7, only to end up losing in the top of the 9th. Joe Morgan had an incredible .466 OBP to go along with his 67 SB and stellar defense. Bill Madlock won the NL batting crown with a .354 average, while Rod Carew hit .359 in the AL. There were seven 20-game winners. | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
| 1974 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1973 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1972 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1971 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1970 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
| Season | Champion | Highlights | Award Winners |
| 1969 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1968 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1967 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1966 | NL MVP - AL MVP - NL Cy Young - AL Cy Young - |
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| 1965 | Los Angeles N | LHP Sandy Koufax dominated the Twins in their first-ever World Series, 4 games to 3. Willie Mays hit a career-high 52 HR and had a 1.043 OPS. Tony Oliva paced the AL with a .321 average while Roberto Clemente led the NL with a .329. Tony Conigliaro hit 32 HRs to top the AL. Koufax won 26 games, threw 335.2 innings, had 382 SO and a 2.04 ERA. Juan Marichal threw 10 shutouts! | NL MVP - Willie Mays AL MVP - Zoilo Versalles Cy Young - Sandy Koufax |
| 1964 | St. Louis | Bob Gibson led the Cards to a 7-game series win over the Yankees, pitching in games 2, 5, and 7. Willie Mays paced the NL with 47 HRs, while Harmon Killebrew crushed 49 to lead all of baseball. Sandy Koufax tossed 7 shutouts while leading the NL with 1.74 ERA, while Dean Chance of the Angels threw an amazing 11 shutouts with a 1.64 ERA! | NL MVP - Ken Boyer AL MVP - Brooks Robinson Cy Young - Dean Chance |
| 1963 | Los Angeles |
The Dodgers sweep New York in the World Series, led by Sandy Koufax's 25-5, 1.88 ERA, 11-shutout season. Henry Aaron and Willie McCovey tie for the NL HR title with 44. Carl Yastrzemski bats .321 and Harmon Killebrew slugs 45 HR to pace the AL. | NL MVP - Sandy Koufax AL MVP - Elston Howard Cy Young - Sandy Koufax |
| 1962 | New York |
The Yankees defeat the Giants in 7 games with a 1-0 shutout thrown by Ralph Terry. Maury Wills steals 104 bases while Tommy Davis hits .346 to lead the NL. Harmon Killebrew belts 48 HR, while Tom Cheney records 21 strikeouts in a game for Washington in a 16-inning complete game against Baltimore. | NL MVP - Maury Wills AL MVP - Mickey Mantle Cy Young - Don Drysdale |
| 1961 | New York |
The Yanks pummel Cincinnati in 5 games for the World Series title. Roger Maris hits 61 in '61. Roberto Clemente hits .351, Orlando Cepeda mashes 46 HR in the NL. Norm Cash hits .361, and Jim Gentile ties Maris with 141 RBI in the AL. | NL MVP - Frank Robinson AL MVP - Roger Maris Cy Young - Whitey Ford |
| 1960 | Pittsburgh | Bill Mazeroski hit a game 7, walk-off HR in the bottom of the 9th after New York tied the score in their half of the inning. Ernie Banks hit 41 HR to lead the NL, while Mickey Mantle hit 40 to pace the AL. Luis Aparicio (51) and Maury Wills (50) lead their respective leagues in stolen bases. | NL MVP - Dick Groat AL MVP - Roger Maris Cy Young - Vern Law |