25 reasons baseball was the BEST in 2025

Baseball was a joy to watch in 2025 -- as it always is. We watched seasoned veteran stars continue to awe while new names joined ranks with the best in the game. We said goodbye to fan favorites and witnessed historic firsts. We spent time on the edges of our seats, locked in on the drama. In short, baseball was the best, yet again.

It can’t possibly all be covered in one story, so we also have the MLB milestones reached in 2025 and will have one incredible stat per team coming out on New Year’s Eve.

Here are 25 reasons baseball was the best in 2025.

They love LA

Just like in 2024, the Dodgers engineered a comeback to clinch the World Series, this time in Game 7. There have now been 10 teams to come back from at least three runs down in a World Series clincher, with the largest comeback being the Dodgers’ five-run rally in Game 5 of the 2024 Fall Classic. Three runs this year tied the third-largest comeback win to clinch a World Series. Before the Dodgers in Game 5 in 2024, no team had come back from at least three runs in a World Series clincher since the Mets in 1986. Now, it has happened in back-to-back seasons by the same team.

The legend of Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto won World Series MVP by throwing a complete game in Game 2, six innings in Game 6 and the final 2 2/3 innings of Game 7. He became the first pitcher to win three games in a single World Series since Randy Johnson in 2001. All three of Yamamoto’s wins came on the road, making him the first pitcher with three road wins in a single World Series. Yamamoto became the fourth pitcher to win both Games 6 and 7 in a World Series, joining Johnson (2001), Harry Brecheen (1946) and Ray Kremer (1925). Yamamoto was the first one to win both on the road.

Playoff Vlad and playoff Ernie

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit .397 and slugged .795 for the AL pennant-winning Blue Jays this postseason. He hit eight home runs in October, tied for the second-most in a single postseason behind Randy Arozarena’s 10 in 2020. Guerrero’s eight career postseason home runs, all of which came this year, are two more than any other Blue Jays player in a career. His 29 hits tied Arozarena for second-most in a postseason run. Teammate Ernie Clement set the record with 30 hits during Toronto’s run. His 10 multihit games also set a record, with Guerrero again tying for second-most, with nine.

Tre(y’)s magnifique

Trey Yesavage made his MLB debut on Sept. 15, getting the nod just three times during the regular season. Then the calendar flipped to October and he went on to make five starts and a relief appearance in the playoffs for the AL champs. Yesavage struck out 11 batters in his playoff debut in ALDS Game 2, then struck out 12 in World Series Game 5. He’s the only rookie in MLB history with multiple postseason games with at least 10 strikeouts. Yesavage became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to start multiple World Series games within his first eight career appearances, including regular season and postseason.

The Ohtani game

Shohei Ohtani has had plenty of impressive games in his career, but he set the bar higher with his performance in Game 4 of the NLCS. Ohtani led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, becoming the first pitcher to hit a leadoff homer in any MLB game -- regular season or postseason. But he didn’t stop there. Ohtani went on to hit another homer in the fourth inning before clubbing a third in the seventh. He is the first pitcher with multiple home runs in a postseason game. Meanwhile on the mound, Ohtani went six-plus scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and striking out 10 batters. He’s the first player in MLB to strike out even five batters in a game where he hit three homers -- and he struck out 10. And that’s in any game, regular season or postseason.

You can absolutely call it a comeback

The Guardians engineered the ultimate comeback to win the AL Central. Cleveland was as many as 15 1/2 games behind in the division in early July. That is the largest deficit overcome to win a division (1969-on) or league (1900-‘68), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Their 11-game September deficit is the largest September deficit overcome to win in that same span.

Divisional uncertainty

It wasn’t just the AL Central. This was the first season since the split to six divisions (1994) where at least one team from all six divisions had a lead in the division of at least 5.5 games, and at some point later in the season fell out of first place after that lead, per Elias. Congrats to the Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners, Phillies, Brewers and Dodgers for emerging as division champs.

Familiar participants

The Yankees made their 60th postseason appearance in 2025, by far the most of any team. The Dodgers at 39 appearances are the next closest team. Speaking of the Dodgers, 2025 marked their 13th consecutive playoff appearance, tying the 1995-2007 Yankees for the second-longest such streak in postseason history. Only the 1991-2005 Braves had a longer streak -- at 14. The Dodgers’ NL West title was their 23rd, tying the Braves for the most since divisions began in 1969.

How the West was won

Dan Wilson played for the Mariners when they last won the AL West in 2001 -- now he manages them. He became the third individual to play for and then manage sequential division titles for a team, joining Craig Counsell with the Brewers (2011 player, ‘18 manager) and Bruce Bochy with the Padres (1984, ‘96), per Elias.

Shotime

Unanimous NL MVP Shohei Ohtani had another unprecedented season, establishing yet another 50-50 club. This time, it was at least 50 home runs as a hitter and 50 strikeouts as a pitcher. The only other player with any strikeouts as a pitcher in a 50-homer season is Babe Ruth, with three strikeouts in 1921. Ohtani’s 55 home runs set a Dodgers franchise record for a single season, breaking his mark from 2024. Of his 55 home runs, 51 were out of the leadoff spot. That’s 10 more than any other player out of the leadoff spot in a season in MLB history.

All Rise

Speaking of being spectacular yet again, there’s AL MVP Aaron Judge, who won the AL batting title, leading the Majors at a .331 mark. He also hit 53 homers. That’s the most home runs that season by a player who won the batting title. The only other players to win a batting title in a 50-homer season are Mickey Mantle (52 HR in 1956) and Jimmie Foxx (50 in 1938). Judge hit 20 homers in the first inning this season, two more than any other player in any single inning in a season in MLB history.

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Big Dumper

Cal Raleigh had a season for the ages, hitting 60 home runs to establish single-season records for both switch-hitters and primary catchers (min. 50% of games at catcher). Raleigh became the seventh individual in MLB history with at least 60 home runs in a season. He joined Judge, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Roger Maris and Ruth. Raleigh had 11 multihomer games this season, tying the MLB single-season record, also held by Judge (2022), Sosa (1998) and Hank Greenberg (1938).

Schwarbs

Kyle Schwarber was one of four players with at least 50 home runs this season along with the three noted above. That tied the all-time record for 50-homer hitters in a season, also done in 1998 and 2001. Schwarber has crushed 187 home runs during his four years with the Phillies, which is the third-most homers by a player in his first four seasons with a club, behind McGwire with the Cardinals (191) and Ruth with the Yankees (189).

First year in Flushing

Juan Soto hit a career-high 43 home runs and notched a career-high 38 stolen bases in his first season with the Mets. Soto became the first player with a 40-homer season for both the Yankees and Mets. He’s also the second player (Bonds, 1996-97) with at least 40 home runs, 35 stolen bases and 100 walks in at least one season.

This is 30

Soto was one of a record seven players with a 30-30 season in 2025, breaking the previous mark of four. Soto and Francisco Lindor became the third pair of teammates to have 30-30 in the same year. Julio Rodríguez became the first Mariners player with multiple 30-30 seasons. Jazz Chisholm Jr. became the third Yankees player to go 30-30. José Ramírez has three such seasons; all other Guardians players have combined for two. Pete Crow-Armstrong joined Sosa as the only Cubs with a 30-30 season.

Corbin Barrels

Corbin Carroll became the first Diamondback with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season. But that’s not all. Add in his triples and he was just the third player with at least 30 homers, 15 triples and 30 stolen bases in a season, joining Jimmy Rollins (2007) and Willie Mays (1957).

Skenes Day

Following up on a great first season in 2024, Paul Skenes finished his second year in the Majors with a microscopic 1.97 ERA en route to a unanimous NL Cy Young Award. He became the first qualified pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA in his age-23 season or younger since Dwight Gooden (1.53) in 1985. He was also the first qualified Pirates pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA in the Live Ball Era (1920). At 23 years and 122 days, Skenes became the fourth-youngest pitcher to lead MLB qualifiers in ERA (since at least 1913) by age at the end of the season, older than only Dwight Gooden in 1985 (20 years, 324 days), Mark Fidrych in 1976 (22 years, 50 days) and Dutch Leonard in 1914 (22 years, 177 days), per Elias.

Crochet-ing

In his first season in Boston, Garrett Crochet led MLB with 255 strikeouts. It’s the fourth time a Red Sox pitcher finished with at least a share of the MLB lead in strikeouts, joining Chris Sale (2017) and Roger Clemens (1988 and '91). Crochet became the fourth pitcher with at least 250 strikeouts and fewer than 65 runs allowed in his first 32 outings with a team, along with Justin Verlander (2017-18 with Astros), Clemens (1997 with Blue Jays) and Nolan Ryan (1972 with Angels).

Skuuuuub

Tarik Skubal followed up his 2024 Cy Young season with another stellar campaign and another Cy Young. He had 12 scoreless starts of at least six innings this season, tying Adam Wainwright (2014) for the most by a pitcher in a season since the mound was lowered entering 1969. The only pitchers with more such starts in a season in the Live Ball Era (1920) are Bob Gibson (1968) and Dean Chance (1964), with 13 each. Skubal also had seven starts with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks, tying Gerrit Cole (2019) for the most in a season in at least the last 125 years.

Young Junior

On the heels of an epic home run in Game 7 of the LIDOM Championship Series for Leones del Escogido last winter, Junior Caminero kept slugging in his first full MLB season, finishing the year with 45 homers. He became the second-youngest player with a 45-homer season, based on age on the final day of the season, according to Elias. Caminero was 22 years and 85 days old on the last day. Only Eddie Mathews in 1953 (21 years, 349 days) was younger, when he hit 47 home runs.

Brew Crew

The Brewers won a franchise-record 97 games, surpassing the 96 they won in 2018 and 2011. Those wins included two separate long win streaks -- one of 14 games and another of 11. They became the 14th team with multiple win streaks of at least 11 games in a season since 1900. The only other teams to do so in the last 90 seasons are the 2015 Blue Jays, 1954 Cleveland and 1946 Red Sox.

30 by the Bay

Willy Adames hit his 30th home run of the season in the Giants’ final game, ending a notable franchise drought. Adames became the first player with at least 30 homers in a season for the Giants since Bonds in 2004. That was the longest active drought for a team entering the year. In fact, entering 2025, every other team had at least six individual 30-homer seasons since the start of 2005 and at least one each since 2019.

Stay fair!

Unanimous AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz hit 36 homers, tied for the eighth-most by a rookie in a season. The most notable was a 493-foot home run, the longest of the 2025 regular season. That was the longest home run in the Majors since Shohei Ohtani on June 30, 2023 (also 493 feet). It was the A’s longest home run under Statcast (2015) as well as the longest grand slam by anyone in that span. The only rookie with a longer home run than Kurtz under Statcast was Judge, twice in 2017.

Four, four and four

Kurtz was also one of three players with a four-homer game this season, the most such performances in a single season in MLB. Kurtz’s was not only the first four-homer game in A’s franchise history, but the first by a rookie as well. Eugenio Suárez’s was the second four-homer game in Diamondbacks history. The D-backs became the fourth franchise with multiple individual four-homer games, joining the Phillies, Braves and Dodgers, The latter three teams began playing before 1900, but Arizona began in just 1998. And in Kyle Schwarber's four-homer game, he became the fourth player to have a shot at a fifth home run in a game -- meaning he had at least one plate appearance after hitting his fourth. He joined Bobby Lowe (1894) -- the first four-homer game in MLB history -- Lou Gehrig (1932) and Mike Cameron (2002) with a chance at five homers. So far, a five-homer game has remained elusive.

Welcome back, Tito

With the Reds making the playoffs, it was the third time Terry Francona made the postseason in his first year with a team (2004 Boston and 2013 Cleveland). He became the third manager to make the postseason in his first season with a team at least three times, per Elias, joining Dusty Baker (2003 Cubs, 2016 Nationals, 2020 Astros) and Joe Torre (1982 Braves, 1996 Yankees, 2008 Dodgers).