12 fantastic second-half performances
The fashionable adage states the baseball season is a marathon, not a dash. But because the season leaves the All-Star Game within the mud and the pennant chase heats up with the climate, the race for the postseason takes on a special tempo. And some gamers choose up their tempo with it.
Dozens of gamers all through baseball historical past have all however carried their groups to October on the again of an distinctive second half. Here are 12 of probably the most notable performances after the All-Star break — going again to the primary Midsummer Classic in 1933 — that led to a postseason berth.
Aaron Judge, OF, 2022 Yankees
The file books will present that the Yanks gained the AL East in 2022 by a snug seven-game margin. But it is honest to surprise the place they might have been if not for Judge’s unimaginable second half. As the Yankees have been besieged by accidents and noticed their 15 1/2-game lead dwindle to three 1/2 by early September, Judge did the whole lot he may to maintain the Bronx Bombers atop the standings. Even as New York’s lineup crumbled round him, Judge slashed an outrageous .349/.502/.785 following the All-Star break. He led all gamers in on-base share, slugging share, runs, RBIs, walks, extra-base hits, and trailed solely the eventual batting champion Jeff McNeil in batting common. The file books may even present that Judge hit his record-setting 62nd dinger of the 12 months towards the Rangers in his closing recreation of the season. Twenty-nine of these 62 occurred within the second half.
Jack Flaherty, SP, 2019 Cardinals
On June 25, 2019, Flaherty allowed seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings towards the A’s. That matched the full variety of earned runs he proceeded to permit that August and September. Flaherty’s star flip was sudden, as he entered the All-Star break with a 4.64 ERA and a .744 opponent OPS. In the second half, these numbers plummeted to a scant 0.91 and .424, respectively. His .142 opponent batting common and 0.71 WHIP throughout the second half are every second-best in AL or NL historical past. And Flaherty’s rise mirrored his crew’s. The Cardinals have been 44-44 on the break after which went 47-27 the remainder of the way in which, leading to an NL Central title. Appropriately, Flaherty threw seven scoreless innings for the win within the clinching recreation on the common season’s closing day.
Christian Yelich, OF, 2018 Brewers
There was nothing flawed with Yelich’s first half; a 292 common with an .823 OPS are completely strong. But Yelich remodeled into the NL MVP winner on the power of a second half through which he recorded a .367 common and a 1.219 OPS. He hit for the cycle towards the Reds on Aug. 29 and Sept. 17, changing into the fifth participant in AL or NL historical past to realize that feat a number of instances throughout a season — and the one one to do it towards the identical crew. Yelich crushed 25 homers after the break, and 5 of these blasts got here throughout an eight-game, season-ending successful streak that boosted the Brewers previous the Cubs for the division crown.
Jake Arrieta, SP, 2015 Cubs
You could make an argument that Arrieta authored the perfect post-All-Star break efficiency from any beginning pitcher in AL or NL historical past. No one has posted a decrease second-half ERA (0.75) or opponent OPS (.431) than Arrieta. He gave up two earned runs in 9 begins to shut the common season and simply two residence runs in 107 1/3 innings. This dominant run was underscored by Arrieta’s 12-strikeout no-hitter at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 30. Arrieta’s brilliance earned him the NL Cy Young Award and was sufficient for the Cubs to seize the second NL Wild Card spot. Their ace delivered within the win-or-go-home Wild Card Game as nicely, tossing a shutout towards the Pirates.
Manny Ramirez, OF, 2008 Dodgers
On the entire, Ramirez’s second half in 2002 appears incredible. He turned in a .388/.485/.723 slash line with 61 RBIs in 63 video games. But the magic did not actually begin till July 31, when Ramirez was traded from the Red Sox to the Dodgers, who have been 54-54 and two video games again within the NL West. Ramirez rapidly turned Los Angeles into “Mannywood,” as he recorded a number of hits in every of his first 5 video games. Through his 53-game stint to the tip of the common season, Ramirez posted a 1.232 OPS and lifted the Dodgers, who went 16-8 in September, to an NL West title.
Johan Santana, SP, 2004 Twins
Say what you’ll concerning the worth of the pitcher win, however any time somebody goes 13-0 over a 15-start span, that appears fairly noteworthy. That’s what Santana achieved after the break in ’04. His second-half ERA (1.21), WHIP (0.75), opponent batting common (.155) and OPS (.443) all rank among the many prime 10 in AL or NL historical past. And take a gander at what he did throughout 4 begins from Sept. 3-19: 39 innings, no runs, two walks, 41 strikeouts. Santana gained his first of two Cy Young Awards, and his efforts helped the Twins blow by the White Sox to take the AL Central.
Barry Bonds, OF, 2002 Giants
It’s frankly troublesome to grasp Bonds’ second-half stats in 2002. They are the epitome of “video game numbers.” Thanks to his absurd 19-to-89 strikeout-to-walk ratio — together with 30 intentional passes — Bonds’ .608 on-base share after the All-Star break is the perfect in AL or NL historical past. No one since has topped his 1.432 OPS or 256 wRC+. That OPS practically matched what he produced throughout the second half of 2001, when he broke the single-season residence run file. Bonds took residence his first batting title and his fifth NL MVP earlier than guiding the Giants to the 2002 World Series.
Albert Belle, OF, 1995 Indians
Belle bashed 50 homers and drove in 126 runs throughout the strike-shortened 1995 season because the Indians clinched their first pennant and 100-win season in 41 years. Most of Belle’s manufacturing got here throughout the second half, which included 17 September residence runs, tying Babe Ruth for the AL or NL file. Belle’s 61 extra-base hits after the break are probably the most all-time, and his 36 homers rank second. Belle additionally accounted for the 2 highest second-half slugging percentages between 1958-1998. His .787 in ’95 was bested solely by his .816 mark for an also-ran White Sox crew three years later.
George Brett, 3B, 1980 Royals
On June 10 that 12 months, Brett tore a ligament in his left foot, inflicting him to overlook a month of motion. When he returned on July 10, the primary day of the season’s second half, Brett set off on a prodigious sizzling streak. Over the following 46 video games, he batted .470 and raised his common to a season-best .407 following a five-hit efficiency on Aug. 26. Although the 1980 AL MVP would finally fall wanting the illustrious .400 mark, his second-half slash line remains to be one thing to marvel at: .421/.482/.696. That’s the third-best batting common after the All-Star break in AL or NL historical past. The Royals went on to the World Series, with Brett posting a .343 common and a 1.178 OPS throughout the postseason.
Sandy Koufax, SP, 1965 Dodgers
Koufax struck out 187 batters throughout the second half of this season, probably the most in AL or NL historical past. His 0.77 WHIP and .460 opponent OPS rank among the many prime 10. He recorded 4 shutouts in his closing eight begins, highlighted by his good recreation towards the Cubs on Sept. 9. But the legendary Koufax, who was the MLB Cy Young winner (there was just one award then) and NL MVP runner-up, was otherworldly over his final three outings. During that stretch, he allowed one run throughout 27 innings and struck out 38, all whereas battling persistent ache in his throwing arm. His complete-game victory over the Milwaukee Braves on Oct. 2 locked up the pennant for the Dodgers, who triumphed over the Twins within the World Series.
Lou Brock, OF, 1964 Cardinals
The deal to amass Brock in June 1964 paid off for the Cardinals as rapidly as Brock himself may run. When he was despatched from Chicago to St. Louis as a part of a six-player commerce, the Cards have been two video games underneath .500 and sitting in eighth place within the National League. Brock was hitting simply .251 on the time, however he went on to hit .348 for the remainder of the season and registered a .350/.392/.540 slash line with an MLB-best 118 hits throughout the season half. As Brock surged, so did the Cards, who gained 65 % of their video games after the break en path to defeating the Yankees within the Fall Classic.
Joe DiMaggio, OF, 1937 Yankees
There was no scarcity of stars who put up eye-popping numbers within the second half of the 1937 marketing campaign. Hank Greenberg drove in 110 runs for the second-place Tigers, and DiMaggio’s teammate Lou Gehrig posted a 1.110 OPS after the break. But the Yankee Clipper outshined the Iron Horse for the ’37 champions as DiMaggio scored probably the most runs (89) and tallied probably the most complete bases (248) after the All-Star Game in historical past. He additionally ranks third in second-half extra-base hits (59) and tied for third in RBIs (99). DiMaggio set the tone for his second half in his first recreation out of the break as he turned simply the second AL or NL participant to file a two-homer cycle
