First Half of 2010 Season Provides Twists and Turns
Baseball can change so quickly. The first half of this season certainly proved that as some teams took the league by surprise, others stayed the same.
In the first half, we saw two perfect games. Or, was it three? We saw Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics pitch the 19th perfect game in MLB history and we saw Roy Halladay pitch the 20th for the Philadelphia Phillies just 20 days later. We then saw the first 28 out perfect game in the history of baseball.
Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers was down to the last out from a perfect game and he appeared to have had it. The runner was thrown out at first to seal the perfect game but umpire Jim Joyce made perhaps the most errant call in baseball history when he called the runner safe. Replays clearly showed that the runner was out and even the runner looked confused wondering why he was called out.
Galarraga was a class act about it but Bud Selig, the Commissioner of MLB, made an even poorer decision than Joyce when he decided he wouldn’t reverse the call and award Galarraga the perfect game. The incident has called for installment of instant replay in the game and Selig’s stubbornness has come in the way now one too many times.
The season has also seen David Ortiz on the verge of being thrown out of Boston as the clutch hitter hit poorly in the first month of the season. Red Sox fans were calling for his imminent release but Ortiz turned it all around and now has 18 home runs at the break. He is on fire and just recently won the home run derby. His power swing is back and he has made fools out of anyone who thought the Sox should release him.
Former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez also recorded his 550th career home run early in the season.
When it comes to the teams, well the most pleasant surprises of the 2010 season have undoubtedly been the Texas Rangers, who hold the largest lead in baseball at 4.5 games over the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. With many financial issues surrounding the team, they are poised to take the division crown.
The Rangers took a chance and signed Vladimir Guerrero, and the long-time slugger has seen his career shine as he is among the league’s best hitters throughout the season so far.
Recently, Texas also traded for ace pitcher Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners, who are struggling in the very same division and needed to make the move.
The Chicago White Sox have also risen back from the ashes as they went on a tear in the late part of the first half of the season and headed into the All Star break with eight straight wins. They currently hold a slim lead in the AL Central.
The National League’s division leaders have all been surprises as the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and the San Diego Padres all lead their divisions.
The Atlanta Braves are shockingly leading the New York Mets by 4 games and the reigning NL Champions the Philadelphia Phillies by 4.5 games. The Phillies have been a disappointment so far as they have struggled with their bats and have underachieved.
The Cincinnati Reds lead the NL Central by 1 game over St. Louis thanks to Joey Votto’s breakout season. Votto leads the NL in home runs and has the Reds rolling into the second half of the season.
The Padres in the west lead a division featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have underachieved as well for a team who has won the NL West the past two seasons.
The New York Yankees, perhaps less surprisingly, lead the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox hot on their trails.
The first half of the season left us with no shortage of surprises so let’s see how the next half goes. Tides can turn quickly in baseball so don’t close the book on certain players and teams just yet.
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