The 162-game marathon that is the MLB regular season has almost finished. Few teams are playing for anything at this point, with the majority just waiting for a break and several already locked into their playoff spots.
The nature of baseball, though, means that, however irrelevant the individual game, there will still be performances worth acknowledging.
Performance of the Week
Not many players hit for the cycle. Christian Yelich has done it twice this season alone. This time round, Yelich did it at Miller Park against the Reds, including the fastest home-to-third time by a Brewer this season.
The Milwaukee outfielder has built himself a special case to be National League MVP. Hitting the headlines again can’t harm that.
Start of the Week
Mike Foltynewicz carried a no-hitter into the seventh as he led the Atlanta Braves to clinch the National League East over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Folty has been immense this season, this was a fitting end to the Braves’ push. The right-hander has a big role to play in the postseason. The manner of the loss just about summed up Philadelphia’s last month or so.
Defensive Play of the Week
Kike Hernandez’s versatility has made him a key player for the Dodgers. Playing in centre field at Dodger Stadium this week, Hernandez pulled off one of the catches of the year.
Shaded slightly to left-centre, Hernandez sprinted over 70 feet to track a ball down in right-centre and dived at full length to make the catch.
Nightmare of the Week
Okay, it might not quite be a nightmare, but the Tampa Bay Rays have a case to the most unlucky side in MLB. Winning 90 games is meant to mean meaningful baseball at this time of year.
So are we ready to call the Rays the unluckiest team in baseball the last few years?
This is a list of 90 win teams to miss out on a postseason spot since the 2012 expansion to the wildcard.@TBRaysUK @JoelFourBases @batflips_nerds @UKMLB pic.twitter.com/hQogHd1XGr
— Church (@RChurchill26) September 24, 2018
Tampa Bay, though, are nowhere near the playoffs despite an immense second half of the season. They are one of the sport’s most interesting teams. It’s a shame that they won’t be tackling the big boys in October.