Baseball delivered in a big way in 2024 -- as it always does. It was a season that strengthened the resumes of stars, and introduced impactful rookies who quickly joined those ranks. We witnessed historic firsts, said farewell to fan favorites and were enthralled at every turn. In short, baseball was the best, yet again.

It can’t possibly all be covered in one story, so we also have noted the MLB milestones reached in 2024 and one incredible stat per team.

Here are 24 reasons baseball was the best in 2024.

They love LA

The Dodgers engineered a five-run comeback in World Series Game 5. It was the largest in a World Series-clinching win, surpassing the Pirates' 1925 Game 7, when they trailed by four. This was the 120th World Series, so that’s quite the sample size. The Dodgers had to come back twice, trailing 5-0 and then 6-5. They became the first team in postseason history to fall behind by at least five runs, erase that deficit, fall behind again and still win the game, per STATS. That’s in any postseason game, and the Dodgers did it in a World Series clincher.

Freddie! Freddie!

Freddie Freeman won World Series MVP honors with four homers, 12 RBIs and a .300 average. He became the 12th player to win both MVP and World Series MVP in his career, and to say the list is good company is an understatement. He joined Johnny Bench, Roberto Clemente, Rollie Fingers, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Sandy Koufax, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt and Willie Stargell. That’s 10 Hall of Famers and the all-time hits leader. Freeman's 12 RBIs tied Bobby Richardson (1960) for the most in a single World Series (since RBI became official in 1920). He became the first player to homer in the first four games of a Fall Classic.

A historic matchup

With Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freeman, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, there were five players who had won MVP in their careers taking the field in the Fall Classic, the most former MVPs to appear in a single World Series according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Nine previous World Series had featured four former MVPs, and even that hadn't happened since 1971 with Boog Powell, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson and Roberto Clemente. And our count of five doesn’t even include Clayton Kershaw, who did not appear in this series but was certainly part of the Dodgers’ story this year. Judge hit 58 home runs this season and Ohtani hit 54 of his own, making it the first World Series between two players who each hit at least 50 home runs in that year’s regular season.

Grand times

In Game 4, Anthony Volpe delivered the ninth World Series grand slam in Yankees history, seven more than any other team, and the sixth MLB-wide this postseason, setting a record for a single playoffs. With Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1, this -- the 120th World Series -- was just the fourth with multiple grand slams. It also happened in 1987 (Kent Hrbek and Dan Gladden), 1964 (Ken Boyer and Joe Pepitone) and 1956 (Yogi Berra and Bill Skowron). Only the 2024 and 1964 Fall Classics have seen each team hit one.

Back-to-back

Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit the fifth set of back-to-back homers in Yankees World Series history in Game 5. They joined Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson (1977 Game 5), Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle (1964 Game 6) and Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (1932 Game 3 and 1928 Game 4). The Yankees were the first team in World Series history to hit multiple home runs in the first inning of a game when facing elimination. With the Dodgers' performance in Game 2, this was the first time there were multiple sets of back-to-back home runs in a single World Series.

October G

Stanton reached 18 postseason homers -- two more than any other player in his first 41 postseason games. His seven this October set a record for most in a single postseason in the Yankees’ storied history. Stanton homered in four straight games from ALCS Game 3 through World Series Game 1, becoming the first player in postseason history with multiple streaks of homering in at least four straight games. Stanton is the third to hit at least six home runs in multiple postseasons, joining Corey Seager and Nelson Cruz. He also had a streak of five consecutive hits being home runs, tied with himself in 2020 and Bob Robertson in 1971 for the longest such streak in a single postseason, per Elias.

Soto's homer

We knew he’d make his mark. Juan Soto broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 10th in ALCS Game 5 with a three-run homer in a classic seven-pitch at-bat. It was the second extra-inning home run in a postseason series-clinching win in Yankees history, joining Aaron Boone in the 2003 ALCS Game 7. Soto now has two game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the eighth inning or later of potential postseason clinching games in his career. That’s tied for the most in postseason history, with Johnny Bench, Brian Jordan and Juan Uribe. There were 12 game-tying or go-ahead homers in the eighth or later this postseason MLB-wide, two more than in any other single postseason.

'He did it, he did it'

The Brewers entered the ninth up, 2-0, in Wild Card Series Game 3. After a Francisco Lindor walk and Brandon Nimmo single, Pete Alonso came to the plate with two on and one out. Alonso proceeded to hit a go-ahead three-run home run to give the Mets a lead they would not relinquish. It was the 10th go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later of a winner-take-all game in postseason history. Incredibly, it was the first of those to come with the player’s team trailing. It was the second of four straight games for the Mets where the team trailing entering the eighth won the game, the longest streak in a single postseason. No other team had even done three straight, per Elias.

Turnarounds abound

The Astros won the AL West, capping off a turnaround from early in the season after they started the year 12-24. The only other teams to make the playoffs after losing at least 24 of their first 36 decisions are the 1914 Boston Braves (11-25), 1989 Blue Jays (12-24) and 1981 Royals (12-24; split season, finished first in division in second half).

The Mets, meanwhile, reached the playoffs after starting 0-5. They became the fourth team to start 0-5 or worse and make the playoffs, joining the 2011 Rays, 1995 Reds and 1974 Pirates, all of whom started 0-6. Not to be outdone, the Royals executed a full-season turnaround, making the playoffs after losing 106 games in 2023. They’re just the second team to make the playoffs in a full season after losing 100 games in the year prior, joining the 2017 Twins.

Eye of the Tiger

Speaking of turnarounds, we have to talk about the Tigers. They were eight games under .500 through 118 games, only to become the second team to make the postseason after being that many games under after 115 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They joined the 1973 Mets, who were eight games under through their 138th game. The Tigers were also 10 games back of a postseason spot through that 118th game. They became the fifth team to make the playoffs after being at least 10 games out of a playoff spot after 115 or more games, joining the 2011 Cardinals, 1964 Cardinals, 1951 Giants and 1930 Cardinals.

First time’s the charm

Rookie managers Stephen Vogt (Guardians) and Joe Espada (Astros) each led teams to division titles this year. That’s tied for the most rookie managers to win their divisions in a season (divisions began in 1969), per Elias, with 2014 -- Brad Ausmus (DET) and Matt Williams (WSH) -- and 1981 -- Jim Fanning (MON) and Gene Michael (NYY). Add in the Mets’ Carlos Mendoza, and this was the second year that three rookie managers reached the playoffs, joining 2022. (Note: Pat Murphy was SD interim in ‘15, so he is not officially a rookie.)

Shotime

Ohtani was incredible yet again, establishing the 50-50 club and pushing it to 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. He became the third player in MLB history to finish a season in the top-two in MLB in both home runs and stolen bases, joining 1909 Ty Cobb and 1908 Honus Wagner. Ohtani really turned it up after the All-Star break, when he led the Majors with 25 home runs and 36 stolen bases. He became the second player to lead MLB in both home runs and stolen bases in a second half (since the first All-Star Game in 1933), joining 1955 Willie Mays, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

All Rise

Judge continued to wow us, hitting 58 home runs with a .322 batting average. He finished with a .701 slugging percentage, the first qualified player to slug at least .700 in a season since Barry Bonds in 2004 (.812). He was the first Yankee to do so since Mickey Mantle slugged .705 in 1956. Judge’s 218 wRC+ was tied for the seventh-highest in a season, minimum 500 plate appearances, but it was the highest by a right-handed batter, surpassing Rogers Hornsby’s 214 in 1924. With his 206 mark in 2022, Judge now has two of the top-three seasons by wRC+ by a right-handed batter in MLB history. The only other batters with multiple seasons of at least 205, minimum 500 plate appearances, are Barry Bonds, Ted Williams and Babe Ruth.

Crown them

Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale each won the pitching Triple Crown -- and Cy Young Award -- in their respective leagues this season. It was just the fourth time since earned runs became official in 1913 that each league featured a pitching Triple Crown winner, joining 2011 with Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander, 1924 with Dazzy Vance and Walter Johnson and 1918 with Hippo Vaughn and Johnson. Skubal became the third Tigers pitcher to win a Triple Crown (2011 Verlander, 1945 Hal Newhouser). The Tigers are the second team to have three different pitchers win Triple Crowns, joining the Dodgers’ 2011 Kershaw, Sandy Koufax (three times) and 1924 Vance. Sale has now led his league in strikeouts with the Braves, Red Sox and White Sox. He joined Nolan Ryan (CAL, HOU, TEX) as the only pitchers to lead their league in strikeouts with three different teams.

Wheelz up

Zack Wheeler was an ace yet again for the Phillies. He finished his season with 11 straight starts of at least six innings, allowing two or fewer runs. That’s the longest such streak by a Phillies pitcher since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893, per Elias. Since joining the Phillies in 2020, Wheeler leads all pitchers in WAR, per FanGraphs, at 24.7, well ahead of Corbin Burnes’ 21.7.

Skenes Day

Paul Skenes made his MLB debut less than a year after he was drafted, and was exactly as advertised. He finished the year with a 1.96 ERA, the second-lowest in a season by a rookie to make at least 20 starts since earned runs became official. The only pitcher with a lower such ERA was Reb Russell in 1913 at 1.90 -- in what was known as baseball’s dead-ball era. He started the All-Star Game after making just 11 career starts, the fewest games by any All-Star at the time of the Midsummer Classic he was on the roster for -- and he was the NL starting pitcher. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.

Jackson Prime

Speaking of impactful rookies, nobody was more clutch than Jackson Merrill this season. He had five game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning or later this season, two more than anyone else in MLB. He is 21 years old. His five such home runs were also the most by a player at age 21 or younger in a season, passing 1929 Mel Ott, per Elias. If we expand it to include the eighth inning, he had six, tied with 1956 Frank Robinson for the most by a 21-year-old or younger.

Action Jackson

Jackson Chourio finished the season with 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases. He became the first player in MLB history with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season at age 20 or younger. Two of those home runs were grand slams. At 20 years and 175 days, Chourio became the second-youngest player at the time of his second career grand slam, older than only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 20 years and 136 days old on July 30, 2019.

Just keep hitting

Luis Arraez was traded early in the year from the Marlins to the Padres and continued to be exactly what we expect. In leading the NL in batting average, he became the first player to win a batting title in three consecutive seasons with three different teams (2023 Marlins, 2022 Twins). Only one other player in MLB history has won a batting title for three teams at any point, and it happened long before the modern era of baseball. He joined Dan Brouthers (1892 Brooklyn Grooms, 1889 Boston Beaneaters, 1883 Buffalo Bisons, 1882 Bisons), per Elias. Arraez is only the fourth player to win a batting title in a season where he played for multiple teams in that league, joining 2021 Trea Turner, 1947 Harry Walker and 1932 Dale Alexander.

Spectacular bullpen

Emmanuel Clase put together a season for the ages, finishing with a microscopic 0.61 ERA. Only two pitchers have had a lower mark in a season since earned runs became official, minimum 50 innings: 2016 Zack Britton (0.54) and 2012 Fernando Rodney (0.60). While he led the way, the Cleveland relief corps was outstanding as a whole, compiling a 2.57 ERA. That’s the fourth-lowest by a team’s bullpen in the Wild Card era, behind only 2003 Dodgers (2.46), 2013 Braves (2.46) and 2013 Royals (2.55).

Bobby baseball

The electric Bobby Witt Jr. registered the seventh 30-homer, 30-SB season by a shortstop in MLB history. He also did so last season, making him the first shortstop to do so twice. And he was just 24 years old. Witt is the first player with multiple 30-30 seasons through his age-24 season -- at any position. He also won the AL batting title, the fifth in Royals’ history. Witt joined George Brett (1990, '80 and '76) and Willie Wilson (1982).

The Generational

With the Yankees making the playoffs, Soto became the first player in MLB history to appear in a postseason game for three different teams before turning 27 years old. He was just 25, and was the youngest to do this by more than a year. He passed Jason Heyward (27 years, 59 days) on Oct 7, 2016 for the Cubs (previously ATL, STL), per Elias. It was a banner first year in New York for Soto, who hit a career-high 41 home runs. He and Judge became the first teammates in MLB history with at least 40 home runs and 120 walks in the same season.

Schwarbs

Kyle Schwarber set a single-season MLB record with 15 leadoff home runs, two more than the prior mark of 13 by Alfonso Soriano in 2003. He finished with 104 RBIs, all out of the leadoff spot. That’s the third-most RBI out of the leadoff spot in a season since RBIs became official in 1920, behind only Mookie Betts (107) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (106), both set in 2023. His 38 home runs out of the leadoff spot were tied for the fifth-most in a season, a mark he also reached in 2022.

Tony Taters

Anthony Santander had a great year for the Orioles, crushing 44 home runs. That was the fifth-most by a switch-hitter in a season, behind Mickey Mantle (54 in 1961 and 52 in 1956), Lance Berkman (45 in 2006) and Chipper Jones (45 in 1999).