🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 92 (from laksa158)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa092.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/12/28/top-10-moments-season\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/12/28/top-10-moments-season\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/28\/top-10-moments-season","crawl_time":1775047862,"first_indexed_time":1640708365,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,si!www,\/mlb\/2021\/12\/28\/top-10-moments-season s443","src_root_hash":"2175948727125028692","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Top 10 Moments From the 2021 MLB Season","meta_descriptions":["From Shohei Ohtani’s epic to Will Craig’s blunder, these are the events that defined an unforgettable baseball year."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"It began with a\nhome run in the middle of a snowstorm\nand ended with a celebration at Minute Maid Park as the Braves captured their\nfirst title in 26 years\n. In between, the 2021 season provided us with a treasure trove of truly unforgettable moments.\nNarrowing down this list to just 10 proved to be a challenge. Coming off the abridged 2020 campaign, a full 162-game season was the gift that kept on giving for seven straight months. That bevy of baseball content created an embarrassment of riches from which to choose.\nThere were plenty of omissions left on the cutting room floor that easily could have been included: Francisco Lindor’s\nthree-homer game\nagainst the Yankees; Randy Arozarena’s \nstealing home\nin the playoffs; the\nwild 13th inning of Game 3\nof the ALDS between Boston and Tampa Bay; \nthis catch\nby Billy Hamilton in the pouring rain, among many, many others.\nThe goal of this exercise was to identify 10 moments that, when taken as a whole, could serve as a tapestry of sorts that encapsulates the year that was. Hopefully, the end result is a worthwhile attempt to tell the story of a baseball season in 10 parts. Without further ado—and in chronological order—here are the most indelible moments of 2021.\n1. Trey Mancini comes home (April 8)\nWhen he took the field at Fenway Park on April 2, it had been 552 days since Mancini had played in an MLB game. Stage III colon cancer temporarily robbed him of his dream career, and the\nlong road back\nwas not without seemingly endless challenges. But it was his return to his home park, Camden Yards, six days later where Mancini\nreally\nmade it back to where he belonged.\nA fitting ovation for\n@TreyMancini\n. 🧡🖤\n#BiggerThanBaseball\npic.twitter.com\/ekolHf974c\n— MLB (@MLB)\nApril 8, 2021\n“Even though it was 25% capacity, it felt like a full stadium out there,” Mancini said after the game,\nper MLB.com’s Joe Trezza\n. “It was amazing. It was nothing short of what I expected. We have the best fans in baseball here, and no matter what, they love us. That meant the world to me.”\nMancini ended up playing in 147 games in 2021, hitting 21 homers with 71 RBIs and winning the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year award. There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Orioles fans in recent years, but Mancini’s journey from fighting for his life to getting back to the big leagues was undoubtedly among the most inspirational feats of the season.\n2. Will Craig loses the plot (May 27)\nSome moments on this list showcase players operating at the highest levels possible. Others fall into the “too important to leave off” category. This is neither of those. With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the third inning, shortstop Javier Báez, then with the Cubs, hit a routine grounder to third base. The throw pulled Pirates first baseman Craig off the bag. Then,\nchaos reigned\n, as Craig strayed so far from the proper course of action and created a mess that perfectly summed up what would become a 101-loss campaign for the Pirates:\nJavier Báez.\nEl Mago.\nThe Magician.\npic.twitter.com\/yZX7HgUFCU\n— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs)\nMay 27, 2021\nIt would be easy to deride Craig’s blunder as inept, but the truth is that, at one time or another, we’ve all played the Craig role at some point in our lives. Maybe we’ve made a boneheaded mistake at work, or said the absolute wrong thing in front of the wrong person, or found a way to screw up the most mundane task when doing so would have seemed impossible.\nI’ve viewed this play dozens of times by now, and even though I know what the outcome’s going to be, I make a silent plea with each viewing for Craig to please, just\nplease\n, step on first base. Though he never does, there is comfort to be found in this piece of performance art: Despite his miscue, the world kept spinning, the sun arose the next morning and Craig took the field in Pittsburgh’s next game (a 7–0 win over the Rockies). The lesson here, if there is one to be learned, is that even after our worst days, there will always be chances to have a better one tomorrow.\nSign up to get the Five-Tool Newsletter in your inbox every week during the MLB offseason\n.\n3. MLB cracks down on sticky stuff (June 22)\nThere was a time, before MLB’s decision to systematically monitor the illegal use of grip-enhancing substances by players throughout the game, when the average fan gave absolutely zero thought to the use of what’s now commonly known as “sticky stuff.” By season’s end, the mid-inning checks of pitchers by umpires were routine. But in between, following a\nSports Illustrated\ninvestigation by Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt\n, the league’s abrupt decision to crack down on what was described by one MLB team executive as “the biggest scandal in sports” sent players into a frenzy.\nThe new protocols went into effect June 21, and it took less than 24 hours for pitchers to start losing their minds. Exhibits A and B: Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo. In Scherzer’s start against the Phillies, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi requested umpires check the pitcher for the third time of the night,\nprompting a performance\nfrom the salty righthander that was very on brand. Romo would eventually top Scherzer’s antics,\ndropping his pants\non the field in a move that would make Magic Mike blush.\n— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics)\nJune 23, 2021\nThe new protocols had an\nimmediate and drastic impact\non the game, and one that should have a prolonged effect for years to come.\nMLB got itself into this sticky situation through decades of turning the other cheek\n, then hastily tried to correct that inactivity in the middle of a season.\nBumps in the road were inevitable\nwith this kind of rollout, and fans should be thankful that the end result included theatrics like Scherzer’s and Romo’s tantrums.\n4. If you build it, they will come (Aug. 12)\nThe league sought to create a spectacle by hosting an actual MLB game in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and absolutely nailed it. In addition to becoming the\nmost-watched regular-season game since 2005\n—drawing nearly six million viewers—this game between the Yankees and White Sox provided a dramatic ending that even Hollywood couldn’t have topped.\n— Sports Illustrated (@SInow)\nAugust 13, 2021\nIn a world where we can all agree on so little, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks a walk-off home run into rows of corn isn’t awesome. MLB will host\nanother\nField of Dreams\ngame\n, between the Cubs and Reds, next season. Like all movies, it’ll be tough for the sequel to top the original.\n5. Tyler Gilbert goes the distance (Aug. 14)\nOf all the labels that could be ascribed to this past season, 2021 was undoubtedly the\nYear of the No-Hitter\n. Before taking the mound on Aug. 14, Gilbert had 3 2\/3 big-league innings to his name and zero starts. In 102 pitches, Gilbert joined the\nesteemed company\nof Bobo Holloman (1953), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Ted Breitenstein (1891) to throw a no-hitter in his first start.\nThe final out!\npic.twitter.com\/nUrANdqjhN\n— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks)\nAugust 15, 2021\nGilbert’s no-hitter was the eighth of the season, setting a new record for most in a single year.\nMilwaukee’s Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader would combine for the ninth and final no-hitter\nof the year a month later. By the time\nCorey Kluber notched the sixth no-no of the year before the end of May\n, it was a near certainty that a new record would be established. But no matter how predestined that record seemed, no one could have foreseen a pitcher making his first start being the one to do it.\n6. Shohei Ohtani does it all (Aug. 18)\nA list of the top moments from the 2021 season would be incomplete without featuring Ohtani. But how do you choose a single moment from a year when \nOhtani did something never before seen nearly every night\n? Ohtani didn’t just reach heights not seen since Babe Ruth a century ago—\nhe surpassed them\n. The numbers are cartoonish: 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a 3.18 ERA and 9–2 record across 130 1\/3 innings.\nWhile identifying just one moment from Ohtani’s tour de force is difficult, it’s hard to go wrong picking\nhis performance against the Tigers on Aug. 18\n. That night, he got through eight innings on the mound for the first time in his career, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also crushed his 40th home run of the season deep into the right field stands to give himself an insurance run in the eighth.\nTonight's starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani has 40 HR this season.\npic.twitter.com\/q4kGGVwEHW\n— MLB (@MLB)\nAugust 19, 2021\nThis marked the first and only time Ohtani homered and got the win in the same game. We might never see a full season as\nbreathtakingly dominant as the one he put together in 2021\n, but it’s difficult to envision subsequent year-in-review lists not including Ohtani for the foreseeable future.\n7. Miggy joins the 500 club (Aug. 22)\nInjuries, diminished athleticism and a seven-year playoff drought by the Tigers might have caused casual observers to forget just how dominant Cabrera has been throughout his big league career. Through his first 14 seasons, one of the best hitters of his generation batted .321\/.399\/.562 with 446 home runs and a 155 OPS+. His five-year run from 2011 to ’15 was\namong the most dominant a hitter can be\n: four batting titles, two MVP awards, a 170 OPS+ and the\nfirst Triple Crown in 45 years\n. He might not have resembled his old self in some time, but\njoining the 500 club provided a much-deserved moment of recognition from the game at large\n.\n— Sports Illustrated (@SInow)\nAugust 22, 2021\nSwan songs are difficult to pull off, and at 38 years old with two years left on his contract, Cabrera is still writing his. Whenever and however it’s finished, it will cap one of the greatest individual efforts the modern game has ever seen, with this historic blast just one lasting moment in a career full of them.\n8. The Cards go streaking (Sept. 11–28)\nOn Sept. 10, the Cardinals lost to the Reds to drop their record to 71–69, barely keeping their heads above water in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then, a funny thing happened:\nThey couldn’t stop winning\n.\nSt. Louis ripped off 17 wins in a row, the\nmost in franchise history\nand the longest streak in the National League since 1935. At the start of the streak, FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a meager\n5.0% chance\nto make the postseason. When it ended, the team had clinched a wild-card berth. There’s no single,\nScott Hatteberg–esque moment\nthat stands representative of the\nstreak as a whole\n. But the 18-day stretch when the Cardinals never lost a game will linger in the minds of anybody who checked the out-of-town scoreboard during that run and had the same reaction when their eyes finally found the St. Louis score: “Seriously? They did it again?”\n9. The Giants check out early (Oct. 14)\nFor six months,\nthe Giants painted a Picasso of a regular season that stood tall over all that had come before it in the history of the franchise\n. Then, in the most sudden and cruel way imaginable, it was all over.\nWith two outs and the tying run on first base in the bottom of the ninth, Wilmer Flores appeared to successfully check his swing with an 0–2 count.\nFirst base umpire Gabe Morales\nthought otherwise,\ndeeming Flores to have swung the bat and ended the game\nwith the Dodgers moving on to the NLCS.\nIs it time for robot umpires in MLB? 🤔🤖\n#ResilientSF\npic.twitter.com\/GuKawn15bq\n— Sports Illustrated (@SInow)\nOctober 15, 2021\nThe Giants had the best record in the majors, yet had to play the team with the second-best record in the first round because of the way MLB structured its postseason bracket. To have that series end on a clear-as-day missed call is not the fate that series deserved, and it\nsent San Francisco into a premature offseason\n. The lesson to take away here: Baseball, like life, can be cruel and unfair sometimes.\n10. Soler power (Nov. 2)\nAtlanta’s run to the Fall Classic is among the most improbable in recent history. It took the Braves 111 games to spend a day over .500, which they finally did on Aug. 6. Three months later,\nthey were World Series champions for the first time since 1995\n.\nWhile Atlanta’s road to a title had plenty of standouts, none stood out more than\nJorge Soler’s three-run homer in the third inning of Game 6\n, which gave the Braves all the run support they needed to\nput the Astros away for good\n.\n— Sports Illustrated (@SInow)\nNovember 3, 2021\nAny\nanxieties Atlanta fans had of enduring another postseason collapse were bludgeoned into submission\nwith Soler’s 446-foot shot. It was the most breathtaking blast at Minute Maid Park since\nAlbert Pujols's deafening, game-winning dinger off Brad Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS\n.\nThe Braves cruised to the finish line\nfrom there, with Soler securing World Series MVP honors. It can be debated whether 2021 featured a moment “better” than this one. But few could argue that, of all the swings from last season, Soler’s fateful swat was the loudest of them all.\nMore MLB Coverage\n:\n• \nWhich Surprising Standouts Can Repeat in 2022?\n•\nWhere Is the Hall of Fame Love for Jeff Kent?\n•\nBraves Risk Wasting a Ready-Made Repeat Opportunity\n•\nWhy Jimmy Rollins Belongs in the Hall of Fame\n• \nMLB Is Not Even Trying to End the Lockout\nAdd us as a preferred source on\nGoogle\nFollow","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/28\/top-10-moments-season#main)\n\n- [ON SI](https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/)\n- [SI SWIMSUIT](https:\/\/swimsuit.si.com\/)\n- [SI NEWSLETTERS](https:\/\/www.si.com\/newsletters)\n- [SI TICKETS](https:\/\/www.sitickets.com\/category\/sports?utm_source=si&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=main-nav)\n- [SI RESORTS](https:\/\/www.sportsillustratedresorts.com\/)\n- [SI SHOPS](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/sportsillustrated)\n- [MY ACCOUNT](https:\/\/si.com\/myaccount)\n- [SUBSCRIBE NOW](https:\/\/subscribe.si.com\/servlet\/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=SPI&cds_page_id=284392)\n\n- #### [BRACKET CHALLENGE](https:\/\/www.si.com\/college-basketball\/bracket-challenge)\n- #### [MARCH MADNESS](https:\/\/www.si.com\/march-madness)\n- #### [THE MASTERS](https:\/\/www.si.com\/golf\/masters)\n- #### [NFL](http:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl)\n- #### [NBA](http:\/\/www.si.com\/nba)\n- #### [SOCCER](http:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer)\n- #### [FANTASY](http:\/\/www.si.com\/fantasy)\n- #### [VIDEO](https:\/\/www.si.com\/video)\n- #### [NEWSLETTERS](https:\/\/www.si.com\/newsletters)\n- #### MORE SPORTS\n- #### BETTING\n- #### MORE FROM SI\n- #### STORE\n- #### SI NETWORK\n\n[![SI](data:image\/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22utf-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3C!--%20Generator%3A%20Adobe%20Illustrator%2027.0.1%2C%20SVG%20Export%20Plug-In%20.%20SVG%20Version%3A%206.00%20Build%200\\)%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)](https:\/\/www.si.com\/)\n\n- [BRACKET CHALLENGE](https:\/\/www.si.com\/college-basketball\/bracket-challenge)\n- [MARCH MADNESS](https:\/\/www.si.com\/march-madness)\n- [NFL](https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl)\n- [NBA](https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba)\n- [SOCCER](https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer)\n- [MLB](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb)\n- [NCAAF](https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/college-football)\n- [GOLF](https:\/\/www.si.com\/golf)\n- [FANTASY](https:\/\/www.si.com\/fantasy)\n- [BETTING](https:\/\/www.si.com\/betting)\n- [VIDEO](https:\/\/www.si.com\/video)\n- [SI TV](https:\/\/www.si.com\/si-tv)\n\n# Top 10 Moments From the 2021 MLB Season\nFrom Shohei Ohtani’s epic to Will Craig’s blunder, these are the events that defined an unforgettable baseball year.\n\n[Nick Selbe](https:\/\/www.si.com\/author\/nick-selbe)\\|\n\nDec 28, 2021\n\n[![Google Discover](https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg)Add us as a preferred source](https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com)\n\n![Top 10 Moments From the 2021 MLB Season](https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/MTg2MjkzNDUxNjIzNTA3NjUx\/shohei-ohtani.jpg)\n\nTop 10 Moments From the 2021 MLB Season\n\nVideo blocked. You must allow cookies to view this video.\n\nManage Cookies\n\nIt began with a [home run in the middle of a snowstorm](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/04\/01\/miguel-cabrera-opening-day-home-run-snowstorm-video) and ended with a celebration at Minute Maid Park as the Braves captured their [first title in 26 years](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/braves-beat-astros-win-world-series-game-6-freddie-freeman-max-fried-jorge-soler). In between, the 2021 season provided us with a treasure trove of truly unforgettable moments.\n\nNarrowing down this list to just 10 proved to be a challenge. Coming off the abridged 2020 campaign, a full 162-game season was the gift that kept on giving for seven straight months. That bevy of baseball content created an embarrassment of riches from which to choose.\n\nThere were plenty of omissions left on the cutting room floor that easily could have been included: Francisco Lindor’s [three-homer game](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/13\/yankees-mets-benches-clear-giancarlo-stanton-francisco-lindor-sign-stealing) against the Yankees; Randy Arozarena’s [stealing home](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/08\/rays-red-sox-randy-arozarena-steals-home-makes-mlb-postseason-history) in the playoffs; the [wild 13th inning of Game 3](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/11\/rays-red-sox-game-3-ground-rule-double-christian-vazquez-homer) of the ALDS between Boston and Tampa Bay; [this catch](https:\/\/twitter.com\/whitesox\/status\/1412609660763492353) by Billy Hamilton in the pouring rain, among many, many others.\n\nThe goal of this exercise was to identify 10 moments that, when taken as a whole, could serve as a tapestry of sorts that encapsulates the year that was. Hopefully, the end result is a worthwhile attempt to tell the story of a baseball season in 10 parts. Without further ado—and in chronological order—here are the most indelible moments of 2021.\n\n## 1\\. Trey Mancini comes home (April 8)\nWhen he took the field at Fenway Park on April 2, it had been 552 days since Mancini had played in an MLB game. Stage III colon cancer temporarily robbed him of his dream career, and the [long road back](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/04\/01\/trey-mancini-colon-cancer-baltimore-orioles-return) was not without seemingly endless challenges. But it was his return to his home park, Camden Yards, six days later where Mancini *really* made it back to where he belonged.\n\n> A fitting ovation for [@TreyMancini](https:\/\/twitter.com\/TreyMancini?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw). 🧡🖤 [\\#BiggerThanBaseball](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BiggerThanBaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com\/ekolHf974c](https:\/\/t.co\/ekolHf974c)\n> \n> — MLB (@MLB) [April 8, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1380245445881040896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n“Even though it was 25% capacity, it felt like a full stadium out there,” Mancini said after the game, [per MLB.com’s Joe Trezza](https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/trey-mancini-gets-standing-ovation-in-orioles-home-opener). “It was amazing. It was nothing short of what I expected. We have the best fans in baseball here, and no matter what, they love us. That meant the world to me.”\n\nMancini ended up playing in 147 games in 2021, hitting 21 homers with 71 RBIs and winning the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year award. There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Orioles fans in recent years, but Mancini’s journey from fighting for his life to getting back to the big leagues was undoubtedly among the most inspirational feats of the season.\n\n## 2\\. Will Craig loses the plot (May 27)\nSome moments on this list showcase players operating at the highest levels possible. Others fall into the “too important to leave off” category. This is neither of those. With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the third inning, shortstop Javier Báez, then with the Cubs, hit a routine grounder to third base. The throw pulled Pirates first baseman Craig off the bag. Then, [chaos reigned](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/05\/27\/javy-baez-cubs-pirates-baserunning-play), as Craig strayed so far from the proper course of action and created a mess that perfectly summed up what would become a 101-loss campaign for the Pirates:\n\n> Javier Báez.  \n> El Mago.  \n> The Magician. [pic.twitter.com\/yZX7HgUFCU](https:\/\/t.co\/yZX7HgUFCU)\n> \n> — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) [May 27, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cubs\/status\/1397965478027530246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIt would be easy to deride Craig’s blunder as inept, but the truth is that, at one time or another, we’ve all played the Craig role at some point in our lives. Maybe we’ve made a boneheaded mistake at work, or said the absolute wrong thing in front of the wrong person, or found a way to screw up the most mundane task when doing so would have seemed impossible.\n\nI’ve viewed this play dozens of times by now, and even though I know what the outcome’s going to be, I make a silent plea with each viewing for Craig to please, just *please*, step on first base. Though he never does, there is comfort to be found in this piece of performance art: Despite his miscue, the world kept spinning, the sun arose the next morning and Craig took the field in Pittsburgh’s next game (a 7–0 win over the Rockies). The lesson here, if there is one to be learned, is that even after our worst days, there will always be chances to have a better one tomorrow.\n\n**[*Sign up to get the Five-Tool Newsletter in your inbox every week during the MLB offseason**.*](http:\/\/si.com\/newsletters)**\n\n## 3\\. MLB cracks down on sticky stuff (June 22)\nThere was a time, before MLB’s decision to systematically monitor the illegal use of grip-enhancing substances by players throughout the game, when the average fan gave absolutely zero thought to the use of what’s now commonly known as “sticky stuff.” By season’s end, the mid-inning checks of pitchers by umpires were routine. But in between, following a [*Sports Illustrated* investigation by Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/04\/sticky-stuff-is-the-new-steroids-daily-cover), the league’s abrupt decision to crack down on what was described by one MLB team executive as “the biggest scandal in sports” sent players into a frenzy.\n\nThe new protocols went into effect June 21, and it took less than 24 hours for pitchers to start losing their minds. Exhibits A and B: Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo. In Scherzer’s start against the Phillies, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi requested umpires check the pitcher for the third time of the night, [prompting a performance](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/23\/scherzer-girardi-sticky-stuff-the-opener) from the salty righthander that was very on brand. Romo would eventually top Scherzer’s antics, [dropping his pants](https:\/\/www.si.com\/extra-mustard\/2021\/06\/23\/sergio-romo-umpire-sticky-stuff-inspection-pants-video) on the field in a move that would make Magic Mike blush.\n\n> Sergio Romo dropped his pants when the umpire asked to check for foreign substances  \n>   \n> \\[via [@mlb](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) \/ youtube\\] [pic.twitter.com\/DF8Utldo4n](https:\/\/t.co\/DF8Utldo4n)\n> \n> — A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) [June 23, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSAthletics\/status\/1407536722049654784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThe new protocols had an [immediate and drastic impact](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/28\/sticky-stuff-crackdown-is-working-opener) on the game, and one that should have a prolonged effect for years to come. [MLB got itself into this sticky situation through decades of turning the other cheek](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/14\/sticky-stuff-bubba-harkins-speaking-out-daily-cover), then hastily tried to correct that inactivity in the middle of a season. [Bumps in the road were inevitable](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/16\/sticky-stuff-crackdown-consequences-the-opener) with this kind of rollout, and fans should be thankful that the end result included theatrics like Scherzer’s and Romo’s tantrums.\n\n## 4\\. If you build it, they will come (Aug. 12)\nThe league sought to create a spectacle by hosting an actual MLB game in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and absolutely nailed it. In addition to becoming the [most-watched regular-season game since 2005](https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/08\/13\/field-of-dreams-mlb-baseball-game-draws-5point9-million-viewers-for-fox.html)—drawing nearly six million viewers—this game between the Yankees and White Sox provided a dramatic ending that even Hollywood couldn’t have topped.\n\n> 🗣 TIM ANDERSON FTW!!! 🔥🌽  \n>   \n> WHAT. A. GAME. [\\#MLBatFieldofDreams](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MLBatFieldofDreams?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)   \n>   \n> (via [@MLBONFOX](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLBONFOX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)) [pic.twitter.com\/rmu1WFGMqe](https:\/\/t.co\/rmu1WFGMqe)\n> \n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 13, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1426015002243190786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIn a world where we can all agree on so little, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks a walk-off home run into rows of corn isn’t awesome. MLB will host [another *Field of Dreams* game](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/17\/field-of-dreams-game-cubs-reds-2022), between the Cubs and Reds, next season. Like all movies, it’ll be tough for the sequel to top the original.\n\n## 5\\. Tyler Gilbert goes the distance (Aug. 14)\nOf all the labels that could be ascribed to this past season, 2021 was undoubtedly the [Year of the No-Hitter](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/05\/06\/john-means-no-hitters-inevitable). Before taking the mound on Aug. 14, Gilbert had 3 2\/3 big-league innings to his name and zero starts. In 102 pitches, Gilbert joined the [esteemed company](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/15\/tyler-gilbert-no-hitter-first-major-league-start-diamondbacks-padres) of Bobo Holloman (1953), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Ted Breitenstein (1891) to throw a no-hitter in his first start.\n\n> The final out! [pic.twitter.com\/nUrANdqjhN](https:\/\/t.co\/nUrANdqjhN)\n> \n> — Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) [August 15, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dbacks\/status\/1426736388620181505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nGilbert’s no-hitter was the eighth of the season, setting a new record for most in a single year. [Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader would combine for the ninth and final no-hitter](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/12\/corbin-burnes-josh-hader-brewers-no-hitter) of the year a month later. By the time [Corey Kluber notched the sixth no-no of the year before the end of May](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/05\/20\/corey-kluber-no-hitter-comeback-charlie-blackmon-rockies), it was a near certainty that a new record would be established. But no matter how predestined that record seemed, no one could have foreseen a pitcher making his first start being the one to do it.\n\n## 6\\. Shohei Ohtani does it all (Aug. 18)\nA list of the top moments from the 2021 season would be incomplete without featuring Ohtani. But how do you choose a single moment from a year when [Ohtani did something never before seen nearly every night](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/04\/14\/shohei-ohtani-can-do-everything-the-opener)? Ohtani didn’t just reach heights not seen since Babe Ruth a century ago—[he surpassed them](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/07\/05\/shohei-ohtani-is-better-than-babe-ruth-the-opener). The numbers are cartoonish: 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a 3.18 ERA and 9–2 record across 130 1\/3 innings.\n\nWhile identifying just one moment from Ohtani’s tour de force is difficult, it’s hard to go wrong picking [his performance against the Tigers on Aug. 18](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/19\/shohei-ohtani-40th-home-run-angels-beat-tigers). That night, he got through eight innings on the mound for the first time in his career, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also crushed his 40th home run of the season deep into the right field stands to give himself an insurance run in the eighth.\n\n> Tonight's starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani has 40 HR this season. [pic.twitter.com\/q4kGGVwEHW](https:\/\/t.co\/q4kGGVwEHW)\n> \n> — MLB (@MLB) [August 19, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1428167022215536646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThis marked the first and only time Ohtani homered and got the win in the same game. We might never see a full season as [breathtakingly dominant as the one he put together in 2021](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/14\/shohei-ohtani-daily-cover), but it’s difficult to envision subsequent year-in-review lists not including Ohtani for the foreseeable future.\n\n## 7\\. Miggy joins the 500 club (Aug. 22)\nInjuries, diminished athleticism and a seven-year playoff drought by the Tigers might have caused casual observers to forget just how dominant Cabrera has been throughout his big league career. Through his first 14 seasons, one of the best hitters of his generation batted .321\/.399\/.562 with 446 home runs and a 155 OPS+. His five-year run from 2011 to ’15 was [among the most dominant a hitter can be](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2015\/05\/16\/miguel-cabrera-tigers-400th-career-home-run): four batting titles, two MVP awards, a 170 OPS+ and the [first Triple Crown in 45 years](https:\/\/www.si.com\/more-sports\/2012\/09\/26\/miguel-cabrera-triple-crown). He might not have resembled his old self in some time, but [joining the 500 club provided a much-deserved moment of recognition from the game at large](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/22\/miguel-cabrera-500-home-run-club).\n\n> What a moment for one of the greatest hitters EVER  \n>   \n> (via [@MLB](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw))[pic.twitter.com\/L1HJqhefhg](https:\/\/t.co\/L1HJqhefhg)\n> \n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 22, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1429518845493055490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nSwan songs are difficult to pull off, and at 38 years old with two years left on his contract, Cabrera is still writing his. Whenever and however it’s finished, it will cap one of the greatest individual efforts the modern game has ever seen, with this historic blast just one lasting moment in a career full of them.\n\n## 8\\. The Cards go streaking (Sept. 11–28)\nOn Sept. 10, the Cardinals lost to the Reds to drop their record to 71–69, barely keeping their heads above water in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then, a funny thing happened: [They couldn’t stop winning](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/24\/cardinals-12-game-win-streak-paul-goldschmidt-wild-card-playoffs).\n\nSt. Louis ripped off 17 wins in a row, the [most in franchise history](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/25\/cardinals-win-streak-15-games-franchise-record) and the longest streak in the National League since 1935. At the start of the streak, FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a meager [5\\.0% chance](https:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/standings\/playoff-odds-graphs) to make the postseason. When it ended, the team had clinched a wild-card berth. There’s no single, [Scott Hatteberg–esque moment](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nP29Ig9nPNs) that stands representative of the [streak as a whole](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/27\/cardinals-does-momentum-impact-playoffs-the-opener). But the 18-day stretch when the Cardinals never lost a game will linger in the minds of anybody who checked the out-of-town scoreboard during that run and had the same reaction when their eyes finally found the St. Louis score: “Seriously? They did it again?”\n\n## 9\\. The Giants check out early (Oct. 14)\nFor six months, [the Giants painted a Picasso of a regular season that stood tall over all that had come before it in the history of the franchise](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/09\/giants-dodgers-nlds-g1). Then, in the most sudden and cruel way imaginable, it was all over.\n\nWith two outs and the tying run on first base in the bottom of the ninth, Wilmer Flores appeared to successfully check his swing with an 0–2 count. [First base umpire Gabe Morales](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/15\/umpire-explains-controversial-strike-call-wilmer-flores-dodgers-giants-playoffs) thought otherwise, [deeming Flores to have swung the bat and ended the game](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/15\/dodgers-giants-controversial-check-swing-ends-series-los-angeles-nlcs-bound) with the Dodgers moving on to the NLCS.\n\n> Is it time for robot umpires in MLB? 🤔🤖 [\\#ResilientSF](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ResilientSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com\/GuKawn15bq](https:\/\/t.co\/GuKawn15bq)\n> \n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [October 15, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1448871698963390466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThe Giants had the best record in the majors, yet had to play the team with the second-best record in the first round because of the way MLB structured its postseason bracket. To have that series end on a clear-as-day missed call is not the fate that series deserved, and it [sent San Francisco into a premature offseason](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/15\/dodgers-giants-epic-series-five-tool-newsletter). The lesson to take away here: Baseball, like life, can be cruel and unfair sometimes.\n\n## 10\\. Soler power (Nov. 2)\nAtlanta’s run to the Fall Classic is among the most improbable in recent history. It took the Braves 111 games to spend a day over .500, which they finally did on Aug. 6. Three months later, [they were World Series champions for the first time since 1995](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/braves-world-series-daily-cover).\n\nWhile Atlanta’s road to a title had plenty of standouts, none stood out more than [Jorge Soler’s three-run homer in the third inning of Game 6](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/jorge-soler-home-run-out-minute-maid-park-game-6-world-series), which gave the Braves all the run support they needed to [put the Astros away for good](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/world-series-astros-carlos-correa-couldnt-silence-naysayers).\n\n> 💪🏾 SOLER POWER!!! 💪🏾  \n>   \n> Braves take a 3-0 lead [\\#ForTheA](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [\\#WorldSeries](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WorldSeries?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)   \n>   \n> (via [@MLB](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)) [pic.twitter.com\/1CjJrgpqGx](https:\/\/t.co\/1CjJrgpqGx)\n> \n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [November 3, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1455702699324805122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nAny [anxieties Atlanta fans had of enduring another postseason collapse were bludgeoned into submission](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/05\/braves-win-world-series-atlanta-sports-curse-no-more) with Soler’s 446-foot shot. It was the most breathtaking blast at Minute Maid Park since [Albert Pujols's deafening, game-winning dinger off Brad Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lsEuTYbDRwE&ab_channel=MLB).\n\n[The Braves cruised to the finish line](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/braves-win-world-series-five-tool-newsletter) from there, with Soler securing World Series MVP honors. It can be debated whether 2021 featured a moment “better” than this one. But few could argue that, of all the swings from last season, Soler’s fateful swat was the loudest of them all.\n\n**[More MLB Coverage](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story):** **• [Which Surprising Standouts Can Repeat in 2022?](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/23\/surprising-stars-can-they-repeat?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story) • [Where Is the Hall of Fame Love for Jeff Kent?](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/22\/jeff-kent-hall-of-fame-case?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)** **• [Braves Risk Wasting a Ready-Made Repeat Opportunity](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/08\/atlanta-braves-could-waste-world-series-repeat-opportunity?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)** **• [Why Jimmy Rollins Belongs in the Hall of Fame](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/17\/jimmy-rollins-five-tool-newsletter?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)** **• [MLB Is Not Even Trying to End the Lockout](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/16\/mlb-not-trying-to-end-lockout?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)**\n\n![](https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg)Add us as a preferred source on Google\n\n[Follow](https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com)\n\n***\n## Today's best reads\n\n[![Elite Eight Recap: UConn Advances to Final Four on Braylon Mullins’s Game-Winning Three](https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/c_fill,w_128,ar_1:1,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01kmxys4tqsd600cx49r) Elite Eight Recap: UConn Advances to Final Four on Braylon Mullins’s Game-Winning Three Published by on Invalid Date](https:\/\/www.si.com\/college-basketball\/mens-march-madness-elite-eight-live-scores-updates-michigan-tennessee-uconn-duke?page_source=v_recirc)\n\n[![Jesse Marsch ‘Not Worried’ About Problem That Could Ruin Canada’s 2026 World Cup](https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/c_fill,w_128,ar_1:1,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/mmsport\/si\/01kmym565rxm20xb2sgr) Jesse Marsch ‘Not Worried’ About Problem That Could Ruin Canada’s 2026 World Cup Published by on Invalid Date](https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/jesse-marsch-not-worried-problem-could-ruin-canada-2026-world-cup?page_source=v_recirc)\n\n[![Supercomputer Predicts Tottenham’s Relegation Chances After Igor Tudor Departure](https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/c_fill,w_128,ar_1:1,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/mmsport\/si\/01kmywf7j8rrwdhvyeva) Supercomputer Predicts Tottenham’s Relegation Chances After Igor Tudor Departure Published by on Invalid Date](https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/supercomputer-tottenham-relegation-chances-igor-tudor-departure?page_source=v_recirc)\n\n[![Is Luka Doncic Playing Tonight? 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Before joining SI in March 2020 as a Breaking and Trending News writer, he worked for the Orange County Register, MLB Advanced Media, Graphiq and Bleacher Report. Selbe received a bachelor’s in communication from the University of Southern California.\n***\n\n[Home](https:\/\/www.si.com\/)\/[MLB](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb)\n\n[![SI](data:image\/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22utf-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3C!--%20Generator%3A%20Adobe%20Illustrator%2027.0.1%2C%20SVG%20Export%20Plug-In%20.%20SVG%20Version%3A%206.00%20Build%200\\)%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)](https:\/\/www.si.com\/)\n\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.minutemedia.com\/policies\/privacy-policy)\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/www.minutemedia.com\/policies\/cookie-policy)\n- [Takedown Policy](https:\/\/www.minutemedia.com\/policies\/si-takedown-policy)\n- [Terms and Conditions](https:\/\/www.minutemedia.com\/policies\/terms-and-conditions-si)\n- [SI Accessibility Statement](https:\/\/www.minutemedia.com\/policies\/si-accessibility-statement)\n- [Sitemap](https:\/\/www.si.com\/sitemap)\n- [A-Z Index](https:\/\/www.si.com\/index)\n- [FAQ](https:\/\/www.si.com\/faq)\n- Cookie Settings\n\n© 2026  ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.","attrs_readable_markdown":"It began with a [home run in the middle of a snowstorm](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/04\/01\/miguel-cabrera-opening-day-home-run-snowstorm-video) and ended with a celebration at Minute Maid Park as the Braves captured their [first title in 26 years](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/braves-beat-astros-win-world-series-game-6-freddie-freeman-max-fried-jorge-soler). In between, the 2021 season provided us with a treasure trove of truly unforgettable moments.\n\nNarrowing down this list to just 10 proved to be a challenge. Coming off the abridged 2020 campaign, a full 162-game season was the gift that kept on giving for seven straight months. That bevy of baseball content created an embarrassment of riches from which to choose.\n\nThere were plenty of omissions left on the cutting room floor that easily could have been included: Francisco Lindor’s [three-homer game](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/13\/yankees-mets-benches-clear-giancarlo-stanton-francisco-lindor-sign-stealing) against the Yankees; Randy Arozarena’s [stealing home](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/08\/rays-red-sox-randy-arozarena-steals-home-makes-mlb-postseason-history) in the playoffs; the [wild 13th inning of Game 3](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/11\/rays-red-sox-game-3-ground-rule-double-christian-vazquez-homer) of the ALDS between Boston and Tampa Bay; [this catch](https:\/\/twitter.com\/whitesox\/status\/1412609660763492353) by Billy Hamilton in the pouring rain, among many, many others.\n\nThe goal of this exercise was to identify 10 moments that, when taken as a whole, could serve as a tapestry of sorts that encapsulates the year that was. Hopefully, the end result is a worthwhile attempt to tell the story of a baseball season in 10 parts. Without further ado—and in chronological order—here are the most indelible moments of 2021.\n\n## 1\\. Trey Mancini comes home (April 8)\nWhen he took the field at Fenway Park on April 2, it had been 552 days since Mancini had played in an MLB game. Stage III colon cancer temporarily robbed him of his dream career, and the [long road back](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/04\/01\/trey-mancini-colon-cancer-baltimore-orioles-return) was not without seemingly endless challenges. But it was his return to his home park, Camden Yards, six days later where Mancini *really* made it back to where he belonged.\n\n> A fitting ovation for [@TreyMancini](https:\/\/twitter.com\/TreyMancini?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw). 🧡🖤 [\\#BiggerThanBaseball](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BiggerThanBaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com\/ekolHf974c](https:\/\/t.co\/ekolHf974c)\n> \n> — MLB (@MLB) [April 8, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1380245445881040896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n“Even though it was 25% capacity, it felt like a full stadium out there,” Mancini said after the game, [per MLB.com’s Joe Trezza](https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/trey-mancini-gets-standing-ovation-in-orioles-home-opener). “It was amazing. It was nothing short of what I expected. We have the best fans in baseball here, and no matter what, they love us. That meant the world to me.”\n\nMancini ended up playing in 147 games in 2021, hitting 21 homers with 71 RBIs and winning the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year award. There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Orioles fans in recent years, but Mancini’s journey from fighting for his life to getting back to the big leagues was undoubtedly among the most inspirational feats of the season.\n\n## 2\\. Will Craig loses the plot (May 27)\nSome moments on this list showcase players operating at the highest levels possible. Others fall into the “too important to leave off” category. This is neither of those. With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the third inning, shortstop Javier Báez, then with the Cubs, hit a routine grounder to third base. The throw pulled Pirates first baseman Craig off the bag. Then, [chaos reigned](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/05\/27\/javy-baez-cubs-pirates-baserunning-play), as Craig strayed so far from the proper course of action and created a mess that perfectly summed up what would become a 101-loss campaign for the Pirates:\n\n> Javier Báez.  \n> El Mago.  \n> The Magician. [pic.twitter.com\/yZX7HgUFCU](https:\/\/t.co\/yZX7HgUFCU)\n> \n> — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) [May 27, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cubs\/status\/1397965478027530246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIt would be easy to deride Craig’s blunder as inept, but the truth is that, at one time or another, we’ve all played the Craig role at some point in our lives. Maybe we’ve made a boneheaded mistake at work, or said the absolute wrong thing in front of the wrong person, or found a way to screw up the most mundane task when doing so would have seemed impossible.\n\nI’ve viewed this play dozens of times by now, and even though I know what the outcome’s going to be, I make a silent plea with each viewing for Craig to please, just *please*, step on first base. Though he never does, there is comfort to be found in this piece of performance art: Despite his miscue, the world kept spinning, the sun arose the next morning and Craig took the field in Pittsburgh’s next game (a 7–0 win over the Rockies). The lesson here, if there is one to be learned, is that even after our worst days, there will always be chances to have a better one tomorrow.\n\n**[*Sign up to get the Five-Tool Newsletter in your inbox every week during the MLB offseason**.*](http:\/\/si.com\/newsletters)**\n\n## 3\\. MLB cracks down on sticky stuff (June 22)\nThere was a time, before MLB’s decision to systematically monitor the illegal use of grip-enhancing substances by players throughout the game, when the average fan gave absolutely zero thought to the use of what’s now commonly known as “sticky stuff.” By season’s end, the mid-inning checks of pitchers by umpires were routine. But in between, following a [*Sports Illustrated* investigation by Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/04\/sticky-stuff-is-the-new-steroids-daily-cover), the league’s abrupt decision to crack down on what was described by one MLB team executive as “the biggest scandal in sports” sent players into a frenzy.\n\nThe new protocols went into effect June 21, and it took less than 24 hours for pitchers to start losing their minds. Exhibits A and B: Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo. In Scherzer’s start against the Phillies, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi requested umpires check the pitcher for the third time of the night, [prompting a performance](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/23\/scherzer-girardi-sticky-stuff-the-opener) from the salty righthander that was very on brand. Romo would eventually top Scherzer’s antics, [dropping his pants](https:\/\/www.si.com\/extra-mustard\/2021\/06\/23\/sergio-romo-umpire-sticky-stuff-inspection-pants-video) on the field in a move that would make Magic Mike blush.\n\n> — A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) [June 23, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSAthletics\/status\/1407536722049654784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThe new protocols had an [immediate and drastic impact](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/28\/sticky-stuff-crackdown-is-working-opener) on the game, and one that should have a prolonged effect for years to come. [MLB got itself into this sticky situation through decades of turning the other cheek](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/14\/sticky-stuff-bubba-harkins-speaking-out-daily-cover), then hastily tried to correct that inactivity in the middle of a season. [Bumps in the road were inevitable](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/06\/16\/sticky-stuff-crackdown-consequences-the-opener) with this kind of rollout, and fans should be thankful that the end result included theatrics like Scherzer’s and Romo’s tantrums.\n\n## 4\\. If you build it, they will come (Aug. 12)\nThe league sought to create a spectacle by hosting an actual MLB game in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and absolutely nailed it. In addition to becoming the [most-watched regular-season game since 2005](https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/08\/13\/field-of-dreams-mlb-baseball-game-draws-5point9-million-viewers-for-fox.html)—drawing nearly six million viewers—this game between the Yankees and White Sox provided a dramatic ending that even Hollywood couldn’t have topped.\n\n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 13, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1426015002243190786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIn a world where we can all agree on so little, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks a walk-off home run into rows of corn isn’t awesome. MLB will host [another *Field of Dreams* game](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/17\/field-of-dreams-game-cubs-reds-2022), between the Cubs and Reds, next season. Like all movies, it’ll be tough for the sequel to top the original.\n\n## 5\\. Tyler Gilbert goes the distance (Aug. 14)\nOf all the labels that could be ascribed to this past season, 2021 was undoubtedly the [Year of the No-Hitter](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/05\/06\/john-means-no-hitters-inevitable). Before taking the mound on Aug. 14, Gilbert had 3 2\/3 big-league innings to his name and zero starts. In 102 pitches, Gilbert joined the [esteemed company](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/15\/tyler-gilbert-no-hitter-first-major-league-start-diamondbacks-padres) of Bobo Holloman (1953), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Ted Breitenstein (1891) to throw a no-hitter in his first start.\n\n> The final out! [pic.twitter.com\/nUrANdqjhN](https:\/\/t.co\/nUrANdqjhN)\n> \n> — Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) [August 15, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dbacks\/status\/1426736388620181505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nGilbert’s no-hitter was the eighth of the season, setting a new record for most in a single year. [Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader would combine for the ninth and final no-hitter](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/12\/corbin-burnes-josh-hader-brewers-no-hitter) of the year a month later. By the time [Corey Kluber notched the sixth no-no of the year before the end of May](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/05\/20\/corey-kluber-no-hitter-comeback-charlie-blackmon-rockies), it was a near certainty that a new record would be established. But no matter how predestined that record seemed, no one could have foreseen a pitcher making his first start being the one to do it.\n\n## 6\\. Shohei Ohtani does it all (Aug. 18)\nA list of the top moments from the 2021 season would be incomplete without featuring Ohtani. But how do you choose a single moment from a year when [Ohtani did something never before seen nearly every night](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/04\/14\/shohei-ohtani-can-do-everything-the-opener)? Ohtani didn’t just reach heights not seen since Babe Ruth a century ago—[he surpassed them](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/07\/05\/shohei-ohtani-is-better-than-babe-ruth-the-opener). The numbers are cartoonish: 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a 3.18 ERA and 9–2 record across 130 1\/3 innings.\n\nWhile identifying just one moment from Ohtani’s tour de force is difficult, it’s hard to go wrong picking [his performance against the Tigers on Aug. 18](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/19\/shohei-ohtani-40th-home-run-angels-beat-tigers). That night, he got through eight innings on the mound for the first time in his career, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also crushed his 40th home run of the season deep into the right field stands to give himself an insurance run in the eighth.\n\n> Tonight's starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani has 40 HR this season. [pic.twitter.com\/q4kGGVwEHW](https:\/\/t.co\/q4kGGVwEHW)\n> \n> — MLB (@MLB) [August 19, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1428167022215536646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThis marked the first and only time Ohtani homered and got the win in the same game. We might never see a full season as [breathtakingly dominant as the one he put together in 2021](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/14\/shohei-ohtani-daily-cover), but it’s difficult to envision subsequent year-in-review lists not including Ohtani for the foreseeable future.\n\n## 7\\. Miggy joins the 500 club (Aug. 22)\nInjuries, diminished athleticism and a seven-year playoff drought by the Tigers might have caused casual observers to forget just how dominant Cabrera has been throughout his big league career. Through his first 14 seasons, one of the best hitters of his generation batted .321\/.399\/.562 with 446 home runs and a 155 OPS+. His five-year run from 2011 to ’15 was [among the most dominant a hitter can be](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2015\/05\/16\/miguel-cabrera-tigers-400th-career-home-run): four batting titles, two MVP awards, a 170 OPS+ and the [first Triple Crown in 45 years](https:\/\/www.si.com\/more-sports\/2012\/09\/26\/miguel-cabrera-triple-crown). He might not have resembled his old self in some time, but [joining the 500 club provided a much-deserved moment of recognition from the game at large](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/08\/22\/miguel-cabrera-500-home-run-club).\n\n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 22, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1429518845493055490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nSwan songs are difficult to pull off, and at 38 years old with two years left on his contract, Cabrera is still writing his. Whenever and however it’s finished, it will cap one of the greatest individual efforts the modern game has ever seen, with this historic blast just one lasting moment in a career full of them.\n\n## 8\\. The Cards go streaking (Sept. 11–28)\nOn Sept. 10, the Cardinals lost to the Reds to drop their record to 71–69, barely keeping their heads above water in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then, a funny thing happened: [They couldn’t stop winning](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/24\/cardinals-12-game-win-streak-paul-goldschmidt-wild-card-playoffs).\n\nSt. Louis ripped off 17 wins in a row, the [most in franchise history](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/25\/cardinals-win-streak-15-games-franchise-record) and the longest streak in the National League since 1935. At the start of the streak, FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a meager [5\\.0% chance](https:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/standings\/playoff-odds-graphs) to make the postseason. When it ended, the team had clinched a wild-card berth. There’s no single, [Scott Hatteberg–esque moment](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nP29Ig9nPNs) that stands representative of the [streak as a whole](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/09\/27\/cardinals-does-momentum-impact-playoffs-the-opener). But the 18-day stretch when the Cardinals never lost a game will linger in the minds of anybody who checked the out-of-town scoreboard during that run and had the same reaction when their eyes finally found the St. Louis score: “Seriously? They did it again?”\n\n## 9\\. The Giants check out early (Oct. 14)\nFor six months, [the Giants painted a Picasso of a regular season that stood tall over all that had come before it in the history of the franchise](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/09\/giants-dodgers-nlds-g1). Then, in the most sudden and cruel way imaginable, it was all over.\n\nWith two outs and the tying run on first base in the bottom of the ninth, Wilmer Flores appeared to successfully check his swing with an 0–2 count. [First base umpire Gabe Morales](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/15\/umpire-explains-controversial-strike-call-wilmer-flores-dodgers-giants-playoffs) thought otherwise, [deeming Flores to have swung the bat and ended the game](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/15\/dodgers-giants-controversial-check-swing-ends-series-los-angeles-nlcs-bound) with the Dodgers moving on to the NLCS.\n\n> Is it time for robot umpires in MLB? 🤔🤖 [\\#ResilientSF](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ResilientSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com\/GuKawn15bq](https:\/\/t.co\/GuKawn15bq)\n> \n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [October 15, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1448871698963390466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThe Giants had the best record in the majors, yet had to play the team with the second-best record in the first round because of the way MLB structured its postseason bracket. To have that series end on a clear-as-day missed call is not the fate that series deserved, and it [sent San Francisco into a premature offseason](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/10\/15\/dodgers-giants-epic-series-five-tool-newsletter). The lesson to take away here: Baseball, like life, can be cruel and unfair sometimes.\n\n## 10\\. Soler power (Nov. 2)\nAtlanta’s run to the Fall Classic is among the most improbable in recent history. It took the Braves 111 games to spend a day over .500, which they finally did on Aug. 6. Three months later, [they were World Series champions for the first time since 1995](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/braves-world-series-daily-cover).\n\nWhile Atlanta’s road to a title had plenty of standouts, none stood out more than [Jorge Soler’s three-run homer in the third inning of Game 6](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/jorge-soler-home-run-out-minute-maid-park-game-6-world-series), which gave the Braves all the run support they needed to [put the Astros away for good](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/world-series-astros-carlos-correa-couldnt-silence-naysayers).\n\n> — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [November 3, 2021](https:\/\/twitter.com\/SInow\/status\/1455702699324805122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nAny [anxieties Atlanta fans had of enduring another postseason collapse were bludgeoned into submission](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/05\/braves-win-world-series-atlanta-sports-curse-no-more) with Soler’s 446-foot shot. It was the most breathtaking blast at Minute Maid Park since [Albert Pujols's deafening, game-winning dinger off Brad Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lsEuTYbDRwE&ab_channel=MLB).\n\n[The Braves cruised to the finish line](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/11\/03\/braves-win-world-series-five-tool-newsletter) from there, with Soler securing World Series MVP honors. It can be debated whether 2021 featured a moment “better” than this one. But few could argue that, of all the swings from last season, Soler’s fateful swat was the loudest of them all.\n\n**[More MLB Coverage](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story):** **• [Which Surprising Standouts Can Repeat in 2022?](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/23\/surprising-stars-can-they-repeat?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story) • [Where Is the Hall of Fame Love for Jeff Kent?](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/22\/jeff-kent-hall-of-fame-case?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)** **• [Braves Risk Wasting a Ready-Made Repeat Opportunity](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/08\/atlanta-braves-could-waste-world-series-repeat-opportunity?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)** **• [Why Jimmy Rollins Belongs in the Hall of Fame](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/17\/jimmy-rollins-five-tool-newsletter?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)** **• [MLB Is Not Even Trying to End the Lockout](https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/2021\/12\/16\/mlb-not-trying-to-end-lockout?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story)**\n\n![](https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg)Add us as a preferred source on Google\n\n[Follow](https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com)","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Description	From Shohei Ohtani’s epic to Will Craig’s blunder, these are the events that defined an unforgettable baseball year.
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Boilerpipe Text	It began with a home run in the middle of a snowstorm and ended with a celebration at Minute Maid Park as the Braves captured their first title in 26 years . In between, the 2021 season provided us with a treasure trove of truly unforgettable moments. Narrowing down this list to just 10 proved to be a challenge. Coming off the abridged 2020 campaign, a full 162-game season was the gift that kept on giving for seven straight months. That bevy of baseball content created an embarrassment of riches from which to choose. There were plenty of omissions left on the cutting room floor that easily could have been included: Francisco Lindor’s three-homer game against the Yankees; Randy Arozarena’s stealing home in the playoffs; the wild 13th inning of Game 3 of the ALDS between Boston and Tampa Bay; this catch by Billy Hamilton in the pouring rain, among many, many others. The goal of this exercise was to identify 10 moments that, when taken as a whole, could serve as a tapestry of sorts that encapsulates the year that was. Hopefully, the end result is a worthwhile attempt to tell the story of a baseball season in 10 parts. Without further ado—and in chronological order—here are the most indelible moments of 2021. 1. Trey Mancini comes home (April 8) When he took the field at Fenway Park on April 2, it had been 552 days since Mancini had played in an MLB game. Stage III colon cancer temporarily robbed him of his dream career, and the long road back was not without seemingly endless challenges. But it was his return to his home park, Camden Yards, six days later where Mancini really made it back to where he belonged. A fitting ovation for @TreyMancini . 🧡🖤 #BiggerThanBaseball pic.twitter.com/ekolHf974c — MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2021 “Even though it was 25% capacity, it felt like a full stadium out there,” Mancini said after the game, per MLB.com’s Joe Trezza . “It was amazing. It was nothing short of what I expected. We have the best fans in baseball here, and no matter what, they love us. That meant the world to me.” Mancini ended up playing in 147 games in 2021, hitting 21 homers with 71 RBIs and winning the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year award. There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Orioles fans in recent years, but Mancini’s journey from fighting for his life to getting back to the big leagues was undoubtedly among the most inspirational feats of the season. 2. Will Craig loses the plot (May 27) Some moments on this list showcase players operating at the highest levels possible. Others fall into the “too important to leave off” category. This is neither of those. With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the third inning, shortstop Javier Báez, then with the Cubs, hit a routine grounder to third base. The throw pulled Pirates first baseman Craig off the bag. Then, chaos reigned , as Craig strayed so far from the proper course of action and created a mess that perfectly summed up what would become a 101-loss campaign for the Pirates: Javier Báez. El Mago. The Magician. pic.twitter.com/yZX7HgUFCU — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 27, 2021 It would be easy to deride Craig’s blunder as inept, but the truth is that, at one time or another, we’ve all played the Craig role at some point in our lives. Maybe we’ve made a boneheaded mistake at work, or said the absolute wrong thing in front of the wrong person, or found a way to screw up the most mundane task when doing so would have seemed impossible. I’ve viewed this play dozens of times by now, and even though I know what the outcome’s going to be, I make a silent plea with each viewing for Craig to please, just please , step on first base. Though he never does, there is comfort to be found in this piece of performance art: Despite his miscue, the world kept spinning, the sun arose the next morning and Craig took the field in Pittsburgh’s next game (a 7–0 win over the Rockies). The lesson here, if there is one to be learned, is that even after our worst days, there will always be chances to have a better one tomorrow. Sign up to get the Five-Tool Newsletter in your inbox every week during the MLB offseason . 3. MLB cracks down on sticky stuff (June 22) There was a time, before MLB’s decision to systematically monitor the illegal use of grip-enhancing substances by players throughout the game, when the average fan gave absolutely zero thought to the use of what’s now commonly known as “sticky stuff.” By season’s end, the mid-inning checks of pitchers by umpires were routine. But in between, following a Sports Illustrated investigation by Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt , the league’s abrupt decision to crack down on what was described by one MLB team executive as “the biggest scandal in sports” sent players into a frenzy. The new protocols went into effect June 21, and it took less than 24 hours for pitchers to start losing their minds. Exhibits A and B: Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo. In Scherzer’s start against the Phillies, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi requested umpires check the pitcher for the third time of the night, prompting a performance from the salty righthander that was very on brand. Romo would eventually top Scherzer’s antics, dropping his pants on the field in a move that would make Magic Mike blush. — A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 23, 2021 The new protocols had an immediate and drastic impact on the game, and one that should have a prolonged effect for years to come. MLB got itself into this sticky situation through decades of turning the other cheek , then hastily tried to correct that inactivity in the middle of a season. Bumps in the road were inevitable with this kind of rollout, and fans should be thankful that the end result included theatrics like Scherzer’s and Romo’s tantrums. 4. If you build it, they will come (Aug. 12) The league sought to create a spectacle by hosting an actual MLB game in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and absolutely nailed it. In addition to becoming the most-watched regular-season game since 2005 —drawing nearly six million viewers—this game between the Yankees and White Sox provided a dramatic ending that even Hollywood couldn’t have topped. — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 13, 2021 In a world where we can all agree on so little, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks a walk-off home run into rows of corn isn’t awesome. MLB will host another Field of Dreams game , between the Cubs and Reds, next season. Like all movies, it’ll be tough for the sequel to top the original. 5. Tyler Gilbert goes the distance (Aug. 14) Of all the labels that could be ascribed to this past season, 2021 was undoubtedly the Year of the No-Hitter . Before taking the mound on Aug. 14, Gilbert had 3 2/3 big-league innings to his name and zero starts. In 102 pitches, Gilbert joined the esteemed company of Bobo Holloman (1953), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Ted Breitenstein (1891) to throw a no-hitter in his first start. The final out! pic.twitter.com/nUrANdqjhN — Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 15, 2021 Gilbert’s no-hitter was the eighth of the season, setting a new record for most in a single year. Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader would combine for the ninth and final no-hitter of the year a month later. By the time Corey Kluber notched the sixth no-no of the year before the end of May , it was a near certainty that a new record would be established. But no matter how predestined that record seemed, no one could have foreseen a pitcher making his first start being the one to do it. 6. Shohei Ohtani does it all (Aug. 18) A list of the top moments from the 2021 season would be incomplete without featuring Ohtani. But how do you choose a single moment from a year when Ohtani did something never before seen nearly every night ? Ohtani didn’t just reach heights not seen since Babe Ruth a century ago— he surpassed them . The numbers are cartoonish: 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a 3.18 ERA and 9–2 record across 130 1/3 innings. While identifying just one moment from Ohtani’s tour de force is difficult, it’s hard to go wrong picking his performance against the Tigers on Aug. 18 . That night, he got through eight innings on the mound for the first time in his career, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also crushed his 40th home run of the season deep into the right field stands to give himself an insurance run in the eighth. Tonight's starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani has 40 HR this season. pic.twitter.com/q4kGGVwEHW — MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2021 This marked the first and only time Ohtani homered and got the win in the same game. We might never see a full season as breathtakingly dominant as the one he put together in 2021 , but it’s difficult to envision subsequent year-in-review lists not including Ohtani for the foreseeable future. 7. Miggy joins the 500 club (Aug. 22) Injuries, diminished athleticism and a seven-year playoff drought by the Tigers might have caused casual observers to forget just how dominant Cabrera has been throughout his big league career. Through his first 14 seasons, one of the best hitters of his generation batted .321/.399/.562 with 446 home runs and a 155 OPS+. His five-year run from 2011 to ’15 was among the most dominant a hitter can be : four batting titles, two MVP awards, a 170 OPS+ and the first Triple Crown in 45 years . He might not have resembled his old self in some time, but joining the 500 club provided a much-deserved moment of recognition from the game at large . — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 22, 2021 Swan songs are difficult to pull off, and at 38 years old with two years left on his contract, Cabrera is still writing his. Whenever and however it’s finished, it will cap one of the greatest individual efforts the modern game has ever seen, with this historic blast just one lasting moment in a career full of them. 8. The Cards go streaking (Sept. 11–28) On Sept. 10, the Cardinals lost to the Reds to drop their record to 71–69, barely keeping their heads above water in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then, a funny thing happened: They couldn’t stop winning . St. Louis ripped off 17 wins in a row, the most in franchise history and the longest streak in the National League since 1935. At the start of the streak, FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a meager 5.0% chance to make the postseason. When it ended, the team had clinched a wild-card berth. There’s no single, Scott Hatteberg–esque moment that stands representative of the streak as a whole . But the 18-day stretch when the Cardinals never lost a game will linger in the minds of anybody who checked the out-of-town scoreboard during that run and had the same reaction when their eyes finally found the St. Louis score: “Seriously? They did it again?” 9. The Giants check out early (Oct. 14) For six months, the Giants painted a Picasso of a regular season that stood tall over all that had come before it in the history of the franchise . Then, in the most sudden and cruel way imaginable, it was all over. With two outs and the tying run on first base in the bottom of the ninth, Wilmer Flores appeared to successfully check his swing with an 0–2 count. First base umpire Gabe Morales thought otherwise, deeming Flores to have swung the bat and ended the game with the Dodgers moving on to the NLCS. Is it time for robot umpires in MLB? 🤔🤖 #ResilientSF pic.twitter.com/GuKawn15bq — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 15, 2021 The Giants had the best record in the majors, yet had to play the team with the second-best record in the first round because of the way MLB structured its postseason bracket. To have that series end on a clear-as-day missed call is not the fate that series deserved, and it sent San Francisco into a premature offseason . The lesson to take away here: Baseball, like life, can be cruel and unfair sometimes. 10. Soler power (Nov. 2) Atlanta’s run to the Fall Classic is among the most improbable in recent history. It took the Braves 111 games to spend a day over .500, which they finally did on Aug. 6. Three months later, they were World Series champions for the first time since 1995 . While Atlanta’s road to a title had plenty of standouts, none stood out more than Jorge Soler’s three-run homer in the third inning of Game 6 , which gave the Braves all the run support they needed to put the Astros away for good . — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 3, 2021 Any anxieties Atlanta fans had of enduring another postseason collapse were bludgeoned into submission with Soler’s 446-foot shot. It was the most breathtaking blast at Minute Maid Park since Albert Pujols's deafening, game-winning dinger off Brad Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS . The Braves cruised to the finish line from there, with Soler securing World Series MVP honors. It can be debated whether 2021 featured a moment “better” than this one. But few could argue that, of all the swings from last season, Soler’s fateful swat was the loudest of them all. More MLB Coverage : • Which Surprising Standouts Can Repeat in 2022? • Where Is the Hall of Fame Love for Jeff Kent? • Braves Risk Wasting a Ready-Made Repeat Opportunity • Why Jimmy Rollins Belongs in the Hall of Fame • MLB Is Not Even Trying to End the Lockout Add us as a preferred source on Google Follow
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[Nick Selbe](https://www.si.com/author/nick-selbe)\\| Dec 28, 2021 [![Google Discover](https://assets.minutemediacdn.com/platform/google_discover_icon.svg)Add us as a preferred source](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com) ![Top 10 Moments From the 2021 MLB Season](https://www.si.com/.image/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/MTg2MjkzNDUxNjIzNTA3NjUx/shohei-ohtani.jpg) Top 10 Moments From the 2021 MLB Season Video blocked. You must allow cookies to view this video. Manage Cookies It began with a [home run in the middle of a snowstorm](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/01/miguel-cabrera-opening-day-home-run-snowstorm-video) and ended with a celebration at Minute Maid Park as the Braves captured their [first title in 26 years](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/braves-beat-astros-win-world-series-game-6-freddie-freeman-max-fried-jorge-soler). In between, the 2021 season provided us with a treasure trove of truly unforgettable moments. Narrowing down this list to just 10 proved to be a challenge. Coming off the abridged 2020 campaign, a full 162-game season was the gift that kept on giving for seven straight months. That bevy of baseball content created an embarrassment of riches from which to choose. There were plenty of omissions left on the cutting room floor that easily could have been included: Francisco Lindor’s [three-homer game](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/13/yankees-mets-benches-clear-giancarlo-stanton-francisco-lindor-sign-stealing) against the Yankees; Randy Arozarena’s [stealing home](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/08/rays-red-sox-randy-arozarena-steals-home-makes-mlb-postseason-history) in the playoffs; the [wild 13th inning of Game 3](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/11/rays-red-sox-game-3-ground-rule-double-christian-vazquez-homer) of the ALDS between Boston and Tampa Bay; [this catch](https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1412609660763492353) by Billy Hamilton in the pouring rain, among many, many others. The goal of this exercise was to identify 10 moments that, when taken as a whole, could serve as a tapestry of sorts that encapsulates the year that was. Hopefully, the end result is a worthwhile attempt to tell the story of a baseball season in 10 parts. Without further ado—and in chronological order—here are the most indelible moments of 2021. ## 1\. Trey Mancini comes home (April 8) When he took the field at Fenway Park on April 2, it had been 552 days since Mancini had played in an MLB game. Stage III colon cancer temporarily robbed him of his dream career, and the [long road back](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/01/trey-mancini-colon-cancer-baltimore-orioles-return) was not without seemingly endless challenges. But it was his return to his home park, Camden Yards, six days later where Mancini really made it back to where he belonged. > A fitting ovation for [@TreyMancini](https://twitter.com/TreyMancini?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw). 🧡🖤 [\#BiggerThanBaseball](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BiggerThanBaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/ekolHf974c](https://t.co/ekolHf974c) > > — MLB (@MLB) [April 8, 2021](https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1380245445881040896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) “Even though it was 25% capacity, it felt like a full stadium out there,” Mancini said after the game, [per MLB.com’s Joe Trezza](https://www.mlb.com/news/trey-mancini-gets-standing-ovation-in-orioles-home-opener). “It was amazing. It was nothing short of what I expected. We have the best fans in baseball here, and no matter what, they love us. That meant the world to me.” Mancini ended up playing in 147 games in 2021, hitting 21 homers with 71 RBIs and winning the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year award. There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Orioles fans in recent years, but Mancini’s journey from fighting for his life to getting back to the big leagues was undoubtedly among the most inspirational feats of the season. ## 2\. Will Craig loses the plot (May 27) Some moments on this list showcase players operating at the highest levels possible. Others fall into the “too important to leave off” category. This is neither of those. With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the third inning, shortstop Javier Báez, then with the Cubs, hit a routine grounder to third base. The throw pulled Pirates first baseman Craig off the bag. Then, [chaos reigned](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/javy-baez-cubs-pirates-baserunning-play), as Craig strayed so far from the proper course of action and created a mess that perfectly summed up what would become a 101-loss campaign for the Pirates: > Javier Báez. > El Mago. > The Magician. [pic.twitter.com/yZX7HgUFCU](https://t.co/yZX7HgUFCU) > > — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) [May 27, 2021](https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1397965478027530246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) It would be easy to deride Craig’s blunder as inept, but the truth is that, at one time or another, we’ve all played the Craig role at some point in our lives. Maybe we’ve made a boneheaded mistake at work, or said the absolute wrong thing in front of the wrong person, or found a way to screw up the most mundane task when doing so would have seemed impossible. I’ve viewed this play dozens of times by now, and even though I know what the outcome’s going to be, I make a silent plea with each viewing for Craig to please, just please, step on first base. Though he never does, there is comfort to be found in this piece of performance art: Despite his miscue, the world kept spinning, the sun arose the next morning and Craig took the field in Pittsburgh’s next game (a 7–0 win over the Rockies). The lesson here, if there is one to be learned, is that even after our worst days, there will always be chances to have a better one tomorrow. *[Sign up to get the Five-Tool Newsletter in your inbox every week during the MLB offseason*.](http://si.com/newsletters)** ## 3\. MLB cracks down on sticky stuff (June 22) There was a time, before MLB’s decision to systematically monitor the illegal use of grip-enhancing substances by players throughout the game, when the average fan gave absolutely zero thought to the use of what’s now commonly known as “sticky stuff.” By season’s end, the mid-inning checks of pitchers by umpires were routine. But in between, following a [Sports Illustrated investigation by Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/04/sticky-stuff-is-the-new-steroids-daily-cover), the league’s abrupt decision to crack down on what was described by one MLB team executive as “the biggest scandal in sports” sent players into a frenzy. The new protocols went into effect June 21, and it took less than 24 hours for pitchers to start losing their minds. Exhibits A and B: Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo. In Scherzer’s start against the Phillies, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi requested umpires check the pitcher for the third time of the night, [prompting a performance](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/23/scherzer-girardi-sticky-stuff-the-opener) from the salty righthander that was very on brand. Romo would eventually top Scherzer’s antics, [dropping his pants](https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/06/23/sergio-romo-umpire-sticky-stuff-inspection-pants-video) on the field in a move that would make Magic Mike blush. > Sergio Romo dropped his pants when the umpire asked to check for foreign substances > > \[via [@mlb](https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) / youtube\] [pic.twitter.com/DF8Utldo4n](https://t.co/DF8Utldo4n) > > — A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) [June 23, 2021](https://twitter.com/NBCSAthletics/status/1407536722049654784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The new protocols had an [immediate and drastic impact](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/28/sticky-stuff-crackdown-is-working-opener) on the game, and one that should have a prolonged effect for years to come. [MLB got itself into this sticky situation through decades of turning the other cheek](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/14/sticky-stuff-bubba-harkins-speaking-out-daily-cover), then hastily tried to correct that inactivity in the middle of a season. [Bumps in the road were inevitable](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/16/sticky-stuff-crackdown-consequences-the-opener) with this kind of rollout, and fans should be thankful that the end result included theatrics like Scherzer’s and Romo’s tantrums. ## 4\. If you build it, they will come (Aug. 12) The league sought to create a spectacle by hosting an actual MLB game in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and absolutely nailed it. In addition to becoming the [most-watched regular-season game since 2005](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/13/field-of-dreams-mlb-baseball-game-draws-5point9-million-viewers-for-fox.html)—drawing nearly six million viewers—this game between the Yankees and White Sox provided a dramatic ending that even Hollywood couldn’t have topped. > 🗣 TIM ANDERSON FTW!!! 🔥🌽 > > WHAT. A. GAME. [\#MLBatFieldofDreams](https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBatFieldofDreams?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > (via [@MLBONFOX](https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)) [pic.twitter.com/rmu1WFGMqe](https://t.co/rmu1WFGMqe) > > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 13, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1426015002243190786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) In a world where we can all agree on so little, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks a walk-off home run into rows of corn isn’t awesome. MLB will host [another Field of Dreams game](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/17/field-of-dreams-game-cubs-reds-2022), between the Cubs and Reds, next season. Like all movies, it’ll be tough for the sequel to top the original. ## 5\. Tyler Gilbert goes the distance (Aug. 14) Of all the labels that could be ascribed to this past season, 2021 was undoubtedly the [Year of the No-Hitter](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/06/john-means-no-hitters-inevitable). Before taking the mound on Aug. 14, Gilbert had 3 2/3 big-league innings to his name and zero starts. In 102 pitches, Gilbert joined the [esteemed company](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/15/tyler-gilbert-no-hitter-first-major-league-start-diamondbacks-padres) of Bobo Holloman (1953), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Ted Breitenstein (1891) to throw a no-hitter in his first start. > The final out! [pic.twitter.com/nUrANdqjhN](https://t.co/nUrANdqjhN) > > — Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) [August 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/1426736388620181505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Gilbert’s no-hitter was the eighth of the season, setting a new record for most in a single year. [Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader would combine for the ninth and final no-hitter](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/12/corbin-burnes-josh-hader-brewers-no-hitter) of the year a month later. By the time [Corey Kluber notched the sixth no-no of the year before the end of May](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/20/corey-kluber-no-hitter-comeback-charlie-blackmon-rockies), it was a near certainty that a new record would be established. But no matter how predestined that record seemed, no one could have foreseen a pitcher making his first start being the one to do it. ## 6\. Shohei Ohtani does it all (Aug. 18) A list of the top moments from the 2021 season would be incomplete without featuring Ohtani. But how do you choose a single moment from a year when [Ohtani did something never before seen nearly every night](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/14/shohei-ohtani-can-do-everything-the-opener)? Ohtani didn’t just reach heights not seen since Babe Ruth a century ago—[he surpassed them](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/07/05/shohei-ohtani-is-better-than-babe-ruth-the-opener). The numbers are cartoonish: 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a 3.18 ERA and 9–2 record across 130 1/3 innings. While identifying just one moment from Ohtani’s tour de force is difficult, it’s hard to go wrong picking [his performance against the Tigers on Aug. 18](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/19/shohei-ohtani-40th-home-run-angels-beat-tigers). That night, he got through eight innings on the mound for the first time in his career, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also crushed his 40th home run of the season deep into the right field stands to give himself an insurance run in the eighth. > Tonight's starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani has 40 HR this season. [pic.twitter.com/q4kGGVwEHW](https://t.co/q4kGGVwEHW) > > — MLB (@MLB) [August 19, 2021](https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1428167022215536646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) This marked the first and only time Ohtani homered and got the win in the same game. We might never see a full season as [breathtakingly dominant as the one he put together in 2021](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/14/shohei-ohtani-daily-cover), but it’s difficult to envision subsequent year-in-review lists not including Ohtani for the foreseeable future. ## 7\. Miggy joins the 500 club (Aug. 22) Injuries, diminished athleticism and a seven-year playoff drought by the Tigers might have caused casual observers to forget just how dominant Cabrera has been throughout his big league career. Through his first 14 seasons, one of the best hitters of his generation batted .321/.399/.562 with 446 home runs and a 155 OPS+. His five-year run from 2011 to ’15 was [among the most dominant a hitter can be](https://www.si.com/mlb/2015/05/16/miguel-cabrera-tigers-400th-career-home-run): four batting titles, two MVP awards, a 170 OPS+ and the [first Triple Crown in 45 years](https://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/09/26/miguel-cabrera-triple-crown). He might not have resembled his old self in some time, but [joining the 500 club provided a much-deserved moment of recognition from the game at large](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/22/miguel-cabrera-500-home-run-club). > What a moment for one of the greatest hitters EVER > > (via [@MLB](https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw))[pic.twitter.com/L1HJqhefhg](https://t.co/L1HJqhefhg) > > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 22, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1429518845493055490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Swan songs are difficult to pull off, and at 38 years old with two years left on his contract, Cabrera is still writing his. Whenever and however it’s finished, it will cap one of the greatest individual efforts the modern game has ever seen, with this historic blast just one lasting moment in a career full of them. ## 8\. The Cards go streaking (Sept. 11–28) On Sept. 10, the Cardinals lost to the Reds to drop their record to 71–69, barely keeping their heads above water in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then, a funny thing happened: [They couldn’t stop winning](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/24/cardinals-12-game-win-streak-paul-goldschmidt-wild-card-playoffs). St. Louis ripped off 17 wins in a row, the [most in franchise history](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/25/cardinals-win-streak-15-games-franchise-record) and the longest streak in the National League since 1935. At the start of the streak, FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a meager [5\.0% chance](https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds-graphs) to make the postseason. When it ended, the team had clinched a wild-card berth. There’s no single, [Scott Hatteberg–esque moment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP29Ig9nPNs) that stands representative of the [streak as a whole](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/27/cardinals-does-momentum-impact-playoffs-the-opener). But the 18-day stretch when the Cardinals never lost a game will linger in the minds of anybody who checked the out-of-town scoreboard during that run and had the same reaction when their eyes finally found the St. Louis score: “Seriously? They did it again?” ## 9\. The Giants check out early (Oct. 14) For six months, [the Giants painted a Picasso of a regular season that stood tall over all that had come before it in the history of the franchise](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/09/giants-dodgers-nlds-g1). Then, in the most sudden and cruel way imaginable, it was all over. With two outs and the tying run on first base in the bottom of the ninth, Wilmer Flores appeared to successfully check his swing with an 0–2 count. [First base umpire Gabe Morales](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/15/umpire-explains-controversial-strike-call-wilmer-flores-dodgers-giants-playoffs) thought otherwise, [deeming Flores to have swung the bat and ended the game](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/15/dodgers-giants-controversial-check-swing-ends-series-los-angeles-nlcs-bound) with the Dodgers moving on to the NLCS. > Is it time for robot umpires in MLB? 🤔🤖 [\#ResilientSF](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ResilientSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/GuKawn15bq](https://t.co/GuKawn15bq) > > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [October 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1448871698963390466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The Giants had the best record in the majors, yet had to play the team with the second-best record in the first round because of the way MLB structured its postseason bracket. To have that series end on a clear-as-day missed call is not the fate that series deserved, and it [sent San Francisco into a premature offseason](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/15/dodgers-giants-epic-series-five-tool-newsletter). The lesson to take away here: Baseball, like life, can be cruel and unfair sometimes. ## 10\. Soler power (Nov. 2) Atlanta’s run to the Fall Classic is among the most improbable in recent history. It took the Braves 111 games to spend a day over .500, which they finally did on Aug. 6. Three months later, [they were World Series champions for the first time since 1995](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/braves-world-series-daily-cover). While Atlanta’s road to a title had plenty of standouts, none stood out more than [Jorge Soler’s three-run homer in the third inning of Game 6](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/jorge-soler-home-run-out-minute-maid-park-game-6-world-series), which gave the Braves all the run support they needed to [put the Astros away for good](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/world-series-astros-carlos-correa-couldnt-silence-naysayers). > 💪🏾 SOLER POWER!!! 💪🏾 > > Braves take a 3-0 lead [\#ForTheA](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [\#WorldSeries](https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldSeries?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > (via [@MLB](https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)) [pic.twitter.com/1CjJrgpqGx](https://t.co/1CjJrgpqGx) > > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [November 3, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1455702699324805122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Any [anxieties Atlanta fans had of enduring another postseason collapse were bludgeoned into submission](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/05/braves-win-world-series-atlanta-sports-curse-no-more) with Soler’s 446-foot shot. It was the most breathtaking blast at Minute Maid Park since [Albert Pujols's deafening, game-winning dinger off Brad Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsEuTYbDRwE&ab_channel=MLB). [The Braves cruised to the finish line](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/braves-win-world-series-five-tool-newsletter) from there, with Soler securing World Series MVP honors. It can be debated whether 2021 featured a moment “better” than this one. But few could argue that, of all the swings from last season, Soler’s fateful swat was the loudest of them all. 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Readable Markdown	It began with a [home run in the middle of a snowstorm](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/01/miguel-cabrera-opening-day-home-run-snowstorm-video) and ended with a celebration at Minute Maid Park as the Braves captured their [first title in 26 years](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/braves-beat-astros-win-world-series-game-6-freddie-freeman-max-fried-jorge-soler). In between, the 2021 season provided us with a treasure trove of truly unforgettable moments. Narrowing down this list to just 10 proved to be a challenge. Coming off the abridged 2020 campaign, a full 162-game season was the gift that kept on giving for seven straight months. That bevy of baseball content created an embarrassment of riches from which to choose. There were plenty of omissions left on the cutting room floor that easily could have been included: Francisco Lindor’s [three-homer game](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/13/yankees-mets-benches-clear-giancarlo-stanton-francisco-lindor-sign-stealing) against the Yankees; Randy Arozarena’s [stealing home](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/08/rays-red-sox-randy-arozarena-steals-home-makes-mlb-postseason-history) in the playoffs; the [wild 13th inning of Game 3](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/11/rays-red-sox-game-3-ground-rule-double-christian-vazquez-homer) of the ALDS between Boston and Tampa Bay; [this catch](https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1412609660763492353) by Billy Hamilton in the pouring rain, among many, many others. The goal of this exercise was to identify 10 moments that, when taken as a whole, could serve as a tapestry of sorts that encapsulates the year that was. Hopefully, the end result is a worthwhile attempt to tell the story of a baseball season in 10 parts. Without further ado—and in chronological order—here are the most indelible moments of 2021. ## 1\. Trey Mancini comes home (April 8) When he took the field at Fenway Park on April 2, it had been 552 days since Mancini had played in an MLB game. Stage III colon cancer temporarily robbed him of his dream career, and the [long road back](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/01/trey-mancini-colon-cancer-baltimore-orioles-return) was not without seemingly endless challenges. But it was his return to his home park, Camden Yards, six days later where Mancini really made it back to where he belonged. > A fitting ovation for [@TreyMancini](https://twitter.com/TreyMancini?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw). 🧡🖤 [\#BiggerThanBaseball](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BiggerThanBaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/ekolHf974c](https://t.co/ekolHf974c) > > — MLB (@MLB) [April 8, 2021](https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1380245445881040896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) “Even though it was 25% capacity, it felt like a full stadium out there,” Mancini said after the game, [per MLB.com’s Joe Trezza](https://www.mlb.com/news/trey-mancini-gets-standing-ovation-in-orioles-home-opener). “It was amazing. It was nothing short of what I expected. We have the best fans in baseball here, and no matter what, they love us. That meant the world to me.” Mancini ended up playing in 147 games in 2021, hitting 21 homers with 71 RBIs and winning the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year award. There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Orioles fans in recent years, but Mancini’s journey from fighting for his life to getting back to the big leagues was undoubtedly among the most inspirational feats of the season. ## 2\. Will Craig loses the plot (May 27) Some moments on this list showcase players operating at the highest levels possible. Others fall into the “too important to leave off” category. This is neither of those. With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the third inning, shortstop Javier Báez, then with the Cubs, hit a routine grounder to third base. The throw pulled Pirates first baseman Craig off the bag. Then, [chaos reigned](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/javy-baez-cubs-pirates-baserunning-play), as Craig strayed so far from the proper course of action and created a mess that perfectly summed up what would become a 101-loss campaign for the Pirates: > Javier Báez. > El Mago. > The Magician. [pic.twitter.com/yZX7HgUFCU](https://t.co/yZX7HgUFCU) > > — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) [May 27, 2021](https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1397965478027530246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) It would be easy to deride Craig’s blunder as inept, but the truth is that, at one time or another, we’ve all played the Craig role at some point in our lives. Maybe we’ve made a boneheaded mistake at work, or said the absolute wrong thing in front of the wrong person, or found a way to screw up the most mundane task when doing so would have seemed impossible. I’ve viewed this play dozens of times by now, and even though I know what the outcome’s going to be, I make a silent plea with each viewing for Craig to please, just please, step on first base. Though he never does, there is comfort to be found in this piece of performance art: Despite his miscue, the world kept spinning, the sun arose the next morning and Craig took the field in Pittsburgh’s next game (a 7–0 win over the Rockies). The lesson here, if there is one to be learned, is that even after our worst days, there will always be chances to have a better one tomorrow. *[Sign up to get the Five-Tool Newsletter in your inbox every week during the MLB offseason*.](http://si.com/newsletters)** ## 3\. MLB cracks down on sticky stuff (June 22) There was a time, before MLB’s decision to systematically monitor the illegal use of grip-enhancing substances by players throughout the game, when the average fan gave absolutely zero thought to the use of what’s now commonly known as “sticky stuff.” By season’s end, the mid-inning checks of pitchers by umpires were routine. But in between, following a [Sports Illustrated investigation by Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/04/sticky-stuff-is-the-new-steroids-daily-cover), the league’s abrupt decision to crack down on what was described by one MLB team executive as “the biggest scandal in sports” sent players into a frenzy. The new protocols went into effect June 21, and it took less than 24 hours for pitchers to start losing their minds. Exhibits A and B: Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo. In Scherzer’s start against the Phillies, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi requested umpires check the pitcher for the third time of the night, [prompting a performance](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/23/scherzer-girardi-sticky-stuff-the-opener) from the salty righthander that was very on brand. Romo would eventually top Scherzer’s antics, [dropping his pants](https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/06/23/sergio-romo-umpire-sticky-stuff-inspection-pants-video) on the field in a move that would make Magic Mike blush. > — A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) [June 23, 2021](https://twitter.com/NBCSAthletics/status/1407536722049654784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The new protocols had an [immediate and drastic impact](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/28/sticky-stuff-crackdown-is-working-opener) on the game, and one that should have a prolonged effect for years to come. [MLB got itself into this sticky situation through decades of turning the other cheek](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/14/sticky-stuff-bubba-harkins-speaking-out-daily-cover), then hastily tried to correct that inactivity in the middle of a season. [Bumps in the road were inevitable](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/16/sticky-stuff-crackdown-consequences-the-opener) with this kind of rollout, and fans should be thankful that the end result included theatrics like Scherzer’s and Romo’s tantrums. ## 4\. If you build it, they will come (Aug. 12) The league sought to create a spectacle by hosting an actual MLB game in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and absolutely nailed it. In addition to becoming the [most-watched regular-season game since 2005](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/13/field-of-dreams-mlb-baseball-game-draws-5point9-million-viewers-for-fox.html)—drawing nearly six million viewers—this game between the Yankees and White Sox provided a dramatic ending that even Hollywood couldn’t have topped. > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 13, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1426015002243190786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) In a world where we can all agree on so little, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks a walk-off home run into rows of corn isn’t awesome. MLB will host [another Field of Dreams game](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/17/field-of-dreams-game-cubs-reds-2022), between the Cubs and Reds, next season. Like all movies, it’ll be tough for the sequel to top the original. ## 5\. Tyler Gilbert goes the distance (Aug. 14) Of all the labels that could be ascribed to this past season, 2021 was undoubtedly the [Year of the No-Hitter](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/06/john-means-no-hitters-inevitable). Before taking the mound on Aug. 14, Gilbert had 3 2/3 big-league innings to his name and zero starts. In 102 pitches, Gilbert joined the [esteemed company](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/15/tyler-gilbert-no-hitter-first-major-league-start-diamondbacks-padres) of Bobo Holloman (1953), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Ted Breitenstein (1891) to throw a no-hitter in his first start. > The final out! [pic.twitter.com/nUrANdqjhN](https://t.co/nUrANdqjhN) > > — Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) [August 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/1426736388620181505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Gilbert’s no-hitter was the eighth of the season, setting a new record for most in a single year. [Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader would combine for the ninth and final no-hitter](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/12/corbin-burnes-josh-hader-brewers-no-hitter) of the year a month later. By the time [Corey Kluber notched the sixth no-no of the year before the end of May](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/20/corey-kluber-no-hitter-comeback-charlie-blackmon-rockies), it was a near certainty that a new record would be established. But no matter how predestined that record seemed, no one could have foreseen a pitcher making his first start being the one to do it. ## 6\. Shohei Ohtani does it all (Aug. 18) A list of the top moments from the 2021 season would be incomplete without featuring Ohtani. But how do you choose a single moment from a year when [Ohtani did something never before seen nearly every night](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/14/shohei-ohtani-can-do-everything-the-opener)? Ohtani didn’t just reach heights not seen since Babe Ruth a century ago—[he surpassed them](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/07/05/shohei-ohtani-is-better-than-babe-ruth-the-opener). The numbers are cartoonish: 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a 3.18 ERA and 9–2 record across 130 1/3 innings. While identifying just one moment from Ohtani’s tour de force is difficult, it’s hard to go wrong picking [his performance against the Tigers on Aug. 18](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/19/shohei-ohtani-40th-home-run-angels-beat-tigers). That night, he got through eight innings on the mound for the first time in his career, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also crushed his 40th home run of the season deep into the right field stands to give himself an insurance run in the eighth. > Tonight's starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani has 40 HR this season. [pic.twitter.com/q4kGGVwEHW](https://t.co/q4kGGVwEHW) > > — MLB (@MLB) [August 19, 2021](https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1428167022215536646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) This marked the first and only time Ohtani homered and got the win in the same game. We might never see a full season as [breathtakingly dominant as the one he put together in 2021](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/14/shohei-ohtani-daily-cover), but it’s difficult to envision subsequent year-in-review lists not including Ohtani for the foreseeable future. ## 7\. Miggy joins the 500 club (Aug. 22) Injuries, diminished athleticism and a seven-year playoff drought by the Tigers might have caused casual observers to forget just how dominant Cabrera has been throughout his big league career. Through his first 14 seasons, one of the best hitters of his generation batted .321/.399/.562 with 446 home runs and a 155 OPS+. His five-year run from 2011 to ’15 was [among the most dominant a hitter can be](https://www.si.com/mlb/2015/05/16/miguel-cabrera-tigers-400th-career-home-run): four batting titles, two MVP awards, a 170 OPS+ and the [first Triple Crown in 45 years](https://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/09/26/miguel-cabrera-triple-crown). He might not have resembled his old self in some time, but [joining the 500 club provided a much-deserved moment of recognition from the game at large](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/22/miguel-cabrera-500-home-run-club). > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [August 22, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1429518845493055490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Swan songs are difficult to pull off, and at 38 years old with two years left on his contract, Cabrera is still writing his. Whenever and however it’s finished, it will cap one of the greatest individual efforts the modern game has ever seen, with this historic blast just one lasting moment in a career full of them. ## 8\. The Cards go streaking (Sept. 11–28) On Sept. 10, the Cardinals lost to the Reds to drop their record to 71–69, barely keeping their heads above water in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then, a funny thing happened: [They couldn’t stop winning](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/24/cardinals-12-game-win-streak-paul-goldschmidt-wild-card-playoffs). St. Louis ripped off 17 wins in a row, the [most in franchise history](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/25/cardinals-win-streak-15-games-franchise-record) and the longest streak in the National League since 1935. At the start of the streak, FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a meager [5\.0% chance](https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds-graphs) to make the postseason. When it ended, the team had clinched a wild-card berth. There’s no single, [Scott Hatteberg–esque moment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP29Ig9nPNs) that stands representative of the [streak as a whole](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/27/cardinals-does-momentum-impact-playoffs-the-opener). But the 18-day stretch when the Cardinals never lost a game will linger in the minds of anybody who checked the out-of-town scoreboard during that run and had the same reaction when their eyes finally found the St. Louis score: “Seriously? They did it again?” ## 9\. The Giants check out early (Oct. 14) For six months, [the Giants painted a Picasso of a regular season that stood tall over all that had come before it in the history of the franchise](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/09/giants-dodgers-nlds-g1). Then, in the most sudden and cruel way imaginable, it was all over. With two outs and the tying run on first base in the bottom of the ninth, Wilmer Flores appeared to successfully check his swing with an 0–2 count. [First base umpire Gabe Morales](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/15/umpire-explains-controversial-strike-call-wilmer-flores-dodgers-giants-playoffs) thought otherwise, [deeming Flores to have swung the bat and ended the game](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/15/dodgers-giants-controversial-check-swing-ends-series-los-angeles-nlcs-bound) with the Dodgers moving on to the NLCS. > Is it time for robot umpires in MLB? 🤔🤖 [\#ResilientSF](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ResilientSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/GuKawn15bq](https://t.co/GuKawn15bq) > > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [October 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1448871698963390466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The Giants had the best record in the majors, yet had to play the team with the second-best record in the first round because of the way MLB structured its postseason bracket. To have that series end on a clear-as-day missed call is not the fate that series deserved, and it [sent San Francisco into a premature offseason](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/10/15/dodgers-giants-epic-series-five-tool-newsletter). The lesson to take away here: Baseball, like life, can be cruel and unfair sometimes. ## 10\. Soler power (Nov. 2) Atlanta’s run to the Fall Classic is among the most improbable in recent history. It took the Braves 111 games to spend a day over .500, which they finally did on Aug. 6. Three months later, [they were World Series champions for the first time since 1995](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/braves-world-series-daily-cover). While Atlanta’s road to a title had plenty of standouts, none stood out more than [Jorge Soler’s three-run homer in the third inning of Game 6](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/jorge-soler-home-run-out-minute-maid-park-game-6-world-series), which gave the Braves all the run support they needed to [put the Astros away for good](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/world-series-astros-carlos-correa-couldnt-silence-naysayers). > — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) [November 3, 2021](https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1455702699324805122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Any [anxieties Atlanta fans had of enduring another postseason collapse were bludgeoned into submission](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/05/braves-win-world-series-atlanta-sports-curse-no-more) with Soler’s 446-foot shot. It was the most breathtaking blast at Minute Maid Park since [Albert Pujols's deafening, game-winning dinger off Brad Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsEuTYbDRwE&ab_channel=MLB). [The Braves cruised to the finish line](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/11/03/braves-win-world-series-five-tool-newsletter) from there, with Soler securing World Series MVP honors. It can be debated whether 2021 featured a moment “better” than this one. But few could argue that, of all the swings from last season, Soler’s fateful swat was the loudest of them all. [More MLB Coverage](https://www.si.com/mlb?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story): • [Which Surprising Standouts Can Repeat in 2022?](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/12/23/surprising-stars-can-they-repeat?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story) • [Where Is the Hall of Fame Love for Jeff Kent?](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/12/22/jeff-kent-hall-of-fame-case?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story) • [Braves Risk Wasting a Ready-Made Repeat Opportunity](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/12/08/atlanta-braves-could-waste-world-series-repeat-opportunity?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story) • [Why Jimmy Rollins Belongs in the Hall of Fame](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/12/17/jimmy-rollins-five-tool-newsletter?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story) • [MLB Is Not Even Trying to End the Lockout](https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/12/16/mlb-not-trying-to-end-lockout?utm_source=recommendations&utm_medium=in-article&utm_campaign=end-of-story) ![](https://assets.minutemediacdn.com/platform/google_discover_icon.svg)Add us as a preferred source on Google [Follow](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com)
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