Baseball is nothing if not an exciting game; from the moments that have kept fans on the edge of their seats to the post-game analysis that unites friends and families. The last decade, in particular, has seen many stellar performances by a number of players and moments that will go down in MLB history.
Thanks to social media use, these moments can be documented and discussed in real-time among fans from all over the world. Here at some of the best moments from MLB in the last decade that made the game immensely exciting:
1. Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay’s perfect games (2010):
Perfect games are far from common in Baseball or any other sport for that matter. But Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay managed to both deliver the coveted feat in 2010.
Braden’s perfect game was achieved against the Tampa Bay Rays and Halladay achieved the feat against the Marlins. To put this in perspective, this feat has only been achieved three times since then and both took place in 2012. Fans of both players were enthralled when both perfect games took place and there were initially plans to retire Halladay’s jersey on the anniversary of his perfect game but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Howie Kendrick and the National’s First Championship (2019):
This moment was iconic for National’s fans as it marked the first time in the club’s entire history that they would win a world championship. Prior to this game, Hendrick had already solidified himself as a reliable player over the course of his career, but the 3-2 defeat that the Nationals had against the Astros was one for the history books.
This was an iconic moment in MLB history over the last decade not just because it saw a veteran at the top of his game but also because it saw an impressive turnaround for a previously-underrated team.
3. David Freese’s Game 6 and 7 performances (2011):
These two performances are the stuff of baseball movie dreams. The game six was sent into a game seven thanks to Freese’s two-out, two-run triple and a walk-off run. This was the first time since 2002 that this had happened and the resulting game turned out to be every bit as iconic as the former.
In game seven, Freese scored a RBI double, giving not only St. Louis the lead but also giving him an MLB-record 21 RBI in a single postseason. This game has gone on to define not just St. Louis but Freese’s career as a whole.
4. Derek Jeter’s last game (2014):
When Jeter retired in 2014 after 20 years with the Yankees, he did it with style, scoring a walk-off win for the team and showing baseball fans why he was so respected in the game after so many years. Many players dream of having Jeter’s career and with this moment, it’s not hard to see why.
The 2010s gave the baseball world many memorable moments, some of which are above. Here’s to hoping the new decade will bring just as much excitement.
