Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers closed the 2024 season by winning the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 30, their second championship in five years. 

The 2024 season was incredibly historic for many teams and individual players. Ohtani not only played in the postseason for the first time but also helped his new team take it all home. Ohtani won the 2024 NL MVP and became the first player to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Aaron Judge received his second AL MVP award. Judge helped the Yankees clinch the AL East division during the regular season and ultimately to the World Series. 

Back in January, the Atlanta Braves were able to seal a deal with the “washed” starting pitcher from Boston, Chris Sale. While fans and critics were biased against the aging Sale, not only did he have stellar starts in the 2024 season, but he was awarded his first Cy Young award. The last time the Braves won a Cy Young award was Tom Glavin in 1998. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted LSU starting pitcher Paul Skenes in 2023 as the number one pick. Skenes made his MLB debut on May 11 and was an immediate star. The rookie quickly became a reliable starter, ending the season with an 11-3 record and a 1.96 ERA. Skenes, in no shock, won the NL Rookie of the Year. 

Despite a 55-63 record in August, the Detroit Tigers shocked everyone by slipping into the Postseason, clinching the last Wild Card spot. While offensive players like Riley Greene had sparks of consistency. Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal was a key contributor to the Tigers’ late success. The Tigers swept the Houston Astros in the Wild Card series, snapping their seven year streak of reaching the ALCS. While the Tigers fell behind in the series against the Cleveland Guardians and ultimately was eliminated, Skubal walked away from the 2024 season with his first Cy Young award. 

The MLB announced that the 2024 season would be the last season played at the Oakland Athletics home stadium, The Coliseum. The Athletics organization announced that the team would move to Las Vegas, following NFL team the Las Vegas Raiders, formerly in Oakland. The team will play at Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple-A Rivercats, in Sacramento. The A’s will play at least three years in Sacramento while their Las Vegas stadium is being built. Similar to the A’s not having a home stadium to play at, the Tampa Bay Rays home stadium, Tropicana Field, experienced heavy damage from Hurricane Helene in late September. The Rays will play at the Yankees Spring Training facility in Tampa Bay during the 2025 season. 

Following a World Series, featuring the two most popular teams, the 2025 MLB season is glooming ahead. Despite many injuries and teams without a home stadium, Ohtani hopes to help the Dodgers reach another World Series in his second year and many hope for continued success from star players in 2024. The defending World Series champions will take on the Chicago Cubs to open up the 2025 season in Tokyo on March 18.