The primary half of the MLB season didn’t disappoint.
Cal Raleigh made residence run historical past, Aaron Decide flirted with .400 and Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited return to the mound.
However that is the place the actual enjoyable begins.
Baseball’s stretch run begins Friday when all 30 groups kick off the season’s second half.
Three of the six MLB division leaders are clinging to a bonus of two video games or fewer, whereas just one first-place group has a lead higher than 5.5 video games.
The wild-card races are equally tight, with 15 groups both holding a wild-card spot or inside 4.5 video games of 1.
With the All-Star festivities formally over, listed below are the most important MLB storylines the remainder of the way in which.
CAL’S CHASE
Raleigh’s 38 residence runs had been the second most ever earlier than an All-Star break, trailing solely Barry Bonds’ 39 in 2001.
Bonds went on to hit an MLB-record 73 homers that yr, and whereas that complete is probably going out of attain, a couple of others might be in Raleigh’s future.
The Seattle slugger is on tempo for 64 residence runs, which might most notably break Decide’s American League single-season report of 62, which he set in 2022.
Raleigh can be on observe to interrupt Salvador Perez’s report for residence runs by a main catcher (48) and Mickey Mantle’s excessive mark for homers by a switch-hitter (54).
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
Regardless of his historic first half, Raleigh isn’t thought-about the favourite for AL MVP.
That’s as a result of Decide is within the midst of an unimaginable season of his personal.
The Yankees captain leads the majors with a .355 common, whereas his 35 residence runs and 81 RBI rank second solely to Raleigh’s 38 and 82.
Which means Decide might be on his solution to a Triple Crown — and never only for the AL, however for the complete MLB.
Decide would change into the primary participant since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 to steer his respective league in common, residence runs and RBI. He can be the eleventh participant to take action — and would account for the thirteenth Triple Crown season — within the live-ball period.
Whether or not he wins a Triple Crown or not, Decide may change into the thirteenth participant to win three MVP Awards, and the fourth (together with Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mantle) to earn all of them as a Yankee.
Decide is on tempo for 59 residence runs, so one other run at his personal AL homer report is inside attain, too.
Yankees star slugger Aaron Decide is chasing after one other MVP.
WILD ACES
Decide isn’t the one MLB star who may pursue a Triple Crown.
Detroit ace Tarik Skubal has positioned himself for a run at a second consecutive pitching Triple Crown, whereas Boston’s Garrett Crochet has an opportunity at his first.
Skubal and Crochet are tied for the AL’s greatest ERA at 2.23, whereas their 10 wins are tied for second. Crochet leads the league with 160 strikeouts, whereas Skubal is true behind him at 153.
Solely 22 pitchers have achieved a Triple Crown — for a mixed 31 situations — since 1913, when ERA turned an official stat.
Skubal would change into the fifth pitcher to do it in back-to-back seasons, becoming a member of Grover Alexander, Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax and Roger Clemens.
DEADLINE DILEMMA
We might have already seen the most important in-season commerce of the yr, as San Francisco’s surprising acquisition of Rafael Devers from Boston final month will likely be exhausting to high.
However there must be many extra offers between now and the July 31 commerce deadline, even when the expanded playoffs have made fringe groups extra reluctant to promote in current seasons.
Arizona (47-50) is among the many groups that would outline the market, with potential commerce chips in third baseman Eugenio Suarez and beginning pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly all set totally free company this winter.
Minnesota (47-49), too, might want to determine whether or not to purchase or promote, with high-leverage relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax certain to command quite a few suitors.
Different big-name gamers to look out for are Miami ace Sandy Alcantara and Cleveland nearer Emmanuel Clase, who each have a number of years of management remaining however may fetch a haul for his or her lower-budget golf equipment.
Alcantara, nevertheless, has struggled in his return from elbow surgical procedure, going 4-9 with a 7.22 ERA within the first half.
Additionally value monitoring are the San Diego Padres, who’re within the thick of rivalry at 52-44 however have a historical past of buying and selling gamers earlier than they hit free company, as starters Dylan Stop and Michael King are poised to do.
MR. MET
Within the coming weeks, Pete Alonso may set up himself because the Mets’ all-time residence run king.
He’s 5 homers away from tying — and 6 away from breaking — Darryl Strawberry’s franchise report of 252.
The Mets start the second half with a six-game homestand, giving Alonso an outdoor likelihood to make historical past at Citi Subject quickly.
Alonso, who has 21 residence runs this season, hit 5 homers in 5 video games throughout a sizzling streak final month.
Pete Alonso is poised to change into the Mets’ all-time residence run chief within the second half.
ROCKY ROAD
In what can be a lot, a lot much less glamorous historical past, the Colorado Rockies stay on observe to set the MLB report for losses in a season.
At 22-74, the Rockies are on tempo to complete with 125 losses.
That might imply the Chicago Whites Sox’s doubtful report of 121 losses final yr would have lasted just one season.
Final month, the Rockies heated up with a season-best four-game profitable streak, solely to right away observe that with a 5-17 stoop to finish their brutal first half.
Making issues worse is that the Rockies have the second-hardest remaining power of schedule, in line with Tankathon. Their savage slate consists of seven extra video games in opposition to the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
DODGERS DOWNFALL?
Though, dealing with the Dodgers sounds rather less scary lately than it did a couple of weeks in the past.
Ravaged by pitching accidents, the deep-pocketed Dodgers have come again to Earth, shedding seven consecutive video games earlier this month.
Tyler Glasnow not too long ago returned from damage, whereas Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki are anticipated again finally, all of which ought to bolster a rotation that additionally plans to get an increasing number of innings out of Ohtani.
However the Dodgers (58-39), who lead the NL West by 5.5 video games, seem extra susceptible than to begin the yr, when some speculated they might problem for MLB’s single-season win report.
