Baseball in 2013 was filled with some amazing moments. From Opening Day and Bryce Harper’s two homer performance to the 'plus-one' play-in game to determine the last Wild Card team, it was non-stop fun.
Crave replayed the whole season and came up with its list of Best Moments in Baseball.
Honorable Mentions
– Gomes Gets His Beard Pulled After WS Homer
– Billy Hamilton Steals His 4th Base Before He Even has an At-Bat
– Ichiro Hits 4,000
– Homer Bailey Gets His Second No-No
– Tim Lincecum Gets a No-No
– Todd Helton Says Good-bye to His Rocky Mountain Home
– Bryce Harper’s two homer Opening Day
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
2013 Best Moments In Baseball
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10. ARod Claims He Is A Witch -- The “Aroid” Signs To Go With It
Alex Rodriguez spent more time this season wearing a suit than a uniform. There were more pictures of him walking out courthouses than batting boxes. Not understanding the phrase at all, ARod proclaimed MLB and Bud Selig were out to get him as part of a “witch hunt”. Despite previously admitting to steroid use on multiple occasions and evidence arising out of the BioGenesis investigation, Rodriguez somehow was able to get an appeal successful long enough for him to get in 44 games. Rodriguez became the poster child of the BioGenesis suspension that hit in 2013. Ryan Braun, Jesus Montero, Nelson Cruz, Everth Cabrera, and Jhonny Peralta all (mostly) quietly took their suspensions while the rest of us got daily images of A-Rod in a suit until his return. Then we got to see fans get creative with signs.
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9. Henderson Alverez’s No Hitter
Best way to end an season? Tied wild cards. Best way to steal the thunder from tied wild cards? Throw a no-hitter. Against the Detroit Tigers no less.
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8. Matt Harvey's Bloody Nose Game
Harvey won his first four games giving up less than ten hits (first pitcher ever to do so). He almost had a no-hitter against the White Sox in April. He became the new face of New York baseball even if no one could recognize him on the street. He was so dominant in the first half, he was handed the starting nod in the All-Star Game hosted by the Mets. For me, nothing sums up his season quite like the ‘bloody nose’ game on May 8. Undaunted by a bloody nose, Harvey came out like an old-school pro. He ended up tossing 9 innings of one-hit ball (with 12 ks) for a no-decision… which sums up his and the Mets’ season.
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7. Vin Scully’s Call Of The Year
Vin Scully is a living legend. Anyone who doesn’t believe it doesn’t understand baseball history (or is a Giants fan). However, he has gotten lethargic in the past couple of seasons. Four simple words, can sum up the Dodger season as Vin’s call of Yasiel Puig’s homer in his fourth game: “I don’t believe it.” It was after his debut with the throw to double up a runner. It was after the two homer game. It was well before the fights; before the calls of disrespect; before the claims of LA arrogance. In that instance, not only did Vin Scully wake up, but all of Los Angeles started paying attention to the Dodgers -- and in a town whose industry is manufacturing distractions, that is unbelievable.
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6. Dodgers Climb Into The D'backs Pool
Arrogant. Brass. Rude.
Charming. Intense. Fun.
Two sides of the same team.
As much as Yasiel Puig’s first week ignited a lagging team into first place, their fun-loving ways were seen by most as disrespectful. They were part of brawls with every division rival (except surprisingly the Giants). Things were especially ugly with the Diamondbacks. Things go back a couple years based on a slow walk homer, but boiled over when Puig had his nose hit by a pitch. By the time LA clinched their playoff spot, it is easy to imagine them wanting to stick it to the Diamondbacks one more time. Not everyone had left the park like they thought, and photos came out of the Blue Crew having a pool party inside the Diamondbacks’ stadium. It sounds like a story of teens using an out-of-town neighbor’s house for a party, only the teens find themselves charming. The incident will be talked about for a long time as the feud continues. -
5. Pirates Get A Winning Season
Sure, it was more important for the Pirates to win a playoff round. And, sure, it was more important to clinch a playoff spot. But, the look of the Buc fans as they clinched was awing. If I could, I would list every game the month leading up to them clinching. PNC park was a crazy Pirate-themed party every night that Jimmy Buffett wished he could bottle and sell. September 23, 2013. A good day to raise the Jolly Roger back in Pittsburgh. It almost erased the 21 years of losing.
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4. Mariano Rivera’s All-Star Good-Bye
I can’t remember who won the game. Couldn’t even name the majority of starters from memory. However, who doesn’t forget the tribute from both dugouts for Mariano Rivera? It was the gem of a long season of good-byes for Mo. Stories of Mo giving presents to random employees of opposing teams was heart-felt each time. The fact he won the MVP of his final All-Star game was incredibly fitting.
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3. Boston Strong Response
Boston was shook physically and emotionally after the marathon bombing. When the Red Sox started the season back up, it was a symbol for the whole city. Before the game, the team recognized the victims and the heroes of the tragedy. David Ortiz provided the speech of the year. “This jersey that we wear today, it doesn’t say Red Sox. It says Boston. … This is our f’***ng city, and nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay Strong.” The FCC recognized the moment and didn’t even bother to censor Ortiz. He had it f’ing right to cuss at that moment. That morning, Neil Diamond flew from Los Angeles and showed up unannounced. He asked the team if he could sing his “Sweet Caroline,” which was a Fenway staple for years. The crowd and the rest of the nation was left in tears after his 8th inning performance.
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2. Will Middlebrooks’ Interference In The World Series
No moment from the playoffs was more talked about than Middlebrooks' accidental (?) tripping of Allen Craig to end Game 3 of the World Series. If the series went to seven games or if the incident happened later, it would rank as high as the ’75 and ’78 World Series for controversy (Reggie blocked that ball, I tell ya!). Even the most mild of Cardinal fans started to lose their cool on social media in response to screams from Red Sox Nation. Of course, Boston went on to win the Series handedly in six games. While watching Kolten Wong get picked off and Koji Uehera close out another game is noteworthy, nothing beats the Craig run for best moment of the World Series. For that matter, no moment for the Cardinals’ run is more enduring than The Trip.
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1. Officer Steve Horgan, The Red Sox Bullpen Cop
A million fathers in Red Sox Nation will one day tell bedtime stories that involve the jubilation of the cop in the bullpen. Picture it. David Ortiz… Big Papi himself … and future winner of the World Series MVP and Massachusetts Governor for Life hits a towering grand slam. Rival Torii Hunter crashes into the short wall and upends onto the other side at the feet of Boston police officer Steve Horgan. Ortiz's grand slam ties the game. He propels the team to win the World Series. And, standing in for all of us good Sox fans was Officer Horgan doing what any of us would do as the ball would land near us -- we threw our arms in celebration. Of course, it tied the ALCS and not the World Series, but that hardly matters. In time, the most iconic fan of 2013 will cap nighttime stories of how the season ended.
