Maybe you weren’t personally rooting for the Dodgers or Yankees in the 2024 World Series, but all baseball fans should be happy about what the 2024 Fall Classic did to boost baseball. To say it was good for the game is an understatement.
For a long time, people said baseball had lost its luster and was losing fans. But thanks to recent rule changes, the game has turned around, and the 2024 season proved as exciting as ever, with record-setting moments and a thrilling World Series. In fact, more fans tuned in to the game than ever before.
Here are some of the records set in the ’24 season.
MLB’s World Series viewership sets records globally.
The Fall Classic featured a dream matchup between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. The two teams hadn’t met in the World Series in 43 years. Also, the Dodgers had Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on their roster…so the whole world was watching…literally. Average global viewership exceeded 30 million viewers, including fans in Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and the Dominican Republic. The World Series reached more than 200 countries and was broadcast in 16 languages.
In Japan alone, the World Series produced the two most-watched Postseason games of all time. Game 1 drew 14.4 million viewers, followed by 15.9 million for Game 2. In the end, the World Series viewership averaged 12.1 million. Across North America and Asia, the Fall Classic attracted more than 30 million.
Record sale of World Series merchandise.
Merchandise sales at Dodger Stadium for Game 1 and at Yankee Stadium for Game 3 set all-time records: the two highest World Series game-day sales. The MLB flagship store in New York City also set an all-time sales record. And within 24 hours of the Dodgers winning the World Series in five games, the sports platform Fanatics, MLB’s official online commerce partner, reported record sales, the most ever across all professional sports.
The first member of the 50-50 club.
Shohei Ohtani finished the 2024 season with 52 home runs and 58 stolen bases, becoming the first player to reach 50 in both categories. He led his new team, the Dodgers, to the World Series title in his first playoffs.
How Ohtani reached the 40-40 club was also historic. On August 23rd in Miami, he went 6-for-6, with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and four runs scored, leading L.A. to a 20-4 rout of the Marlins. Many baseball experts consider that performance one of the greatest in a single game. Also, when Ohtani joined the 40-40 club (only the sixth player ever), his 40th home run was a walk-off grand slam. Historic indeed.
121 losses.
The Chicago White Sox lost more games than any other team in modern MLB history. A poll was taken when they broke their franchise record for losses, and 81% of White Sox fans were rooting for their team to break the record. See more here.
28 complete games.
The 2024 season also saw the all-time lowest number of complete games by starting pitchers for all MLB teams for, 28, which was even one less than the 29 complete games thrown in the shortened 2020 season. It was also the first season with only three pitchers having two complete games.
Rookie hurler Skenes makes his mark.
Paul Skenes of the Pittsburg Pirates set multiple marks for a rookie pitcher. He became the first pitcher to record an ERA under 2.00, with over 150 strikeouts in 22 starts. Skenes won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and started the All-Star Game. He finished 11-3 and was third in Cy Young Award voting.
Super utility man gets around.
Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins set a record while redefining what it means to be a utility man when he played at least 25 games at five different positions in one season by one player. He also took the mound twice!
The steals and strikeout record setter.
Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds was an NL All-Star in his second season, but he also set a dubious record: He became the first player to lead the Majors in stolen bases and strikeouts. He swiped 67 bags and whiffed 218 times.
Six grand slams in the playoffs.
The 2024 postseason saw six grand slams, the most in playoffs history. There were two grand slams in the World Series, one for each team.
Playoff home run heroics.
There were at least a dozen game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the eighth inning or later in the 2025 postseason. That set the record for most in a single postseason, which had previously belonged to 2014.
For the record: Saying goodbye to some MLB stars.
The list of baseball players who passed away in 2024 is surprisingly long and includes several Hall of Famers and otherwise memorable names. Here are some names from the list that most long-time baseball fans and historians will remember:
- Bud Harrelson, January 10
- Carl Erskine, April 16
- Jerry Grote, April 7
- Whitey Herzog, April 15
- Willie Mays, June 18
- Orlando Cepeda, June 28
- Ed Kranepool, September 8
- Pete Rose, September 30
- Luis Tiant, October 8
- Fernando Valenzuela, October 26
(Click this link to see a list of all former MLB players who passed away in 2024.)
Resources: baseball-almanac.com/players/baseball_deaths; secretlosangeles.com/dodgers-freeman-world-series-records-2024; foxsports.com/stories/mlb/2024-world-series-look-dodgers-win-over-yankees; linkedin.com/pulse/2024-world-series-sets-viewership-records; mlb.com/press-release/press-release-2024-world-series-drives-global-viewership-; mlb.com/news/incredible-2024-stats; espn.com/mlb/storychicago-white-sox-121-losses
