Here’s a recap of a very memorable and exciting season.
Before the 2025 season fades into the record books, here’s a look at some of the records that were set, as well as some impressive stats and achievements by teams and individual players, some of which made headlines and plenty of them that didn’t. And, of course, some of the World Series games, records and highlights that are still vivid in our minds.
Raleigh’s impressive season.
No catcher may ever have the kind of season that Seattle’s Cal Raleigh had in 2025—even Cal Raleigh himself. Here’s a look:
· He led the Majors with 60 home runs, only the third American League player to hit at least 60
· He hit the most home runs ever by a switch-hitter, surpassing the great Mickey Mantle
· He hit the most home runs ever by a catcher, exceeding the records of Salvador Perez, Johnny Bench and others
· He eclipsed Ken Griffey Jr.’s Mariners record of 56 homers in a season
· Raleigh hit more home runs (38) by any player before the All-Star Game and also took home the Home Run Derby crown
Because of (and despite) his impressive season, Raleigh was the runner-up for the AL Most Valuable Player.
Ohtani’s new, one-member 50-50 club…and other milestones.
In 2024, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers became the first player ever to steal at least 50 bases (59) and hit at least 50 home runs (54) in a season, but he didn’t pitch. In 2025, he hit 55 home runs and appeared in 15 games on the mound, during which he struck out 62 batters. That made him the first member of his second 50/50 club—50 home runs and 50 strikeouts off the mound. Oh, and he was the NLCS MVP and was on a World Series–winning team for the second straight year.
Ohtani was named the National League MVP, becoming the first player in history to have won multiple MVP awards in both the American and National Leagues. Plus, he was voted MVP unanimously for the fourth time—he’s the only player to have more than one unanimous MVP.
Aaron Judge outdoes himself…again.
Judge won the AL MVP for the second consecutive year and the third time in his career, with one of the best seasons a batter could have. In fact, it took an incredible season to edge Cal Raleigh in the MVP voting: Judge garnered 355 points, Raleigh 335. Judge joins fellow Yankee Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra on the list of three-time MVPs. Judge had 53 home runs, 114 RBIs and led the Majors with a .331 average. He was the American League’s leader in runs, walks, extra-base hits and total bases. He also led the Majors in nearly all statistical categories, including slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
And in this day and age of statistics on everything, Judge became the tallest player in MLB history to win a batting title, and his 53 home runs were the most ever by a batting-average champion in a season. He was intentionally walked more times (36) than any other player in American League history. Of course, Judge would trade all the records and achievements for another “first”: his first World Series ring. In 2025, the Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the Division Series.
The first-ever “swing-off” in an All-Star Game.
Instead of going into extra innings after regulation play, the 2025 All-Star Game featured the first-ever swing-off to decide the game’s winner. NL Manager Dave Roberts and AL Manager Aaron Boone each selected three players who’d take three swings, and whichever side had the most dingers would win. The National League won, 4-3. The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber became the first All-Star to win the MVP award without collecting a hit during the game. He did it by hitting three consecutive “home runs” as the second NL player in the swing-off.
“No no-no’s.”
There wasn’t a single no-hitter thrown in 2025, the first time that’s happened in 20 years. Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers was one out away from a no-no in September but gave up a home run. He was pulled, and the Dodgers’ bullpen blew the lead and the game. Yamamoto would go on to take home the World Series MVP trophy.
Two ninth-inning dingers.
In May, the Tigers’ Riley Green became the first player in MLB history to hit two home runs in the ninth inning of a game. They defeated the Angels, 9-1.
Four home runs in a game…by a rookie!
In July against Houston, Nick Kurtz of the Athletics became the first rookie in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game. He went four-for-four and collected eight RBIs and 19 total bases. Kurtz would go on to win the AL Rookie of the Year—his final stats included 36 home runs, 86 RBIs and a .290 batting average.
That’s 21 hits per game!
The average number of hits per nine-inning game by a team is around nine. So, over a three-game series, you’d expect a team to get about 27 hits. In a three-game series in August against the Rockies, the Blue Jays collected 63 hits—more than twice the average.
The first female umpire in the Majors.
Jen Pawol, a 48-year-old New Jersey native, made MLB history on August 10th this season when she became the first female ever to umpire in an MLB series. As is often the case with rookies, she was sent back to the Minors after the series.
A World Series to remember.
Many writers and announcers have called the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays the best ever, and for good reason. The final game alone had more highlights in the last innings than the rest of the Series, and plenty of milestones were set:
· The Dodgers became the first team to repeat since the 1999-2000 Yankees, and the first NL team to repeat since the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds in the mid-’70s
· Game 3 tied for the longest World Series ever by innings (18) and the second longest by time—six hours and 39 minutes
· Freddie Freeman ended Game 3 with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th, becoming the first player in World Series history with two walk-off home runs
· Also in Game 3, Ohtani reached base nine times, setting a new postseason/World Series record, with four consecutive hits (two home runs and two doubles) followed by five base-on-balls, including four intentional
· Will Smith set a record by catching the most innings, 73, in a seven-game World Series
· Will Smith’s home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 was the first winning extra-inning home run in a winner-take-all game
· Miguel Rojas, the unlikely hero of Game 7, hit the first ninth-inning game-tying home run in Series history
Parting World Series thoughts.
The Blue Jays came within inches of being the World Series champs for the first time in 32 years. But as the Brooklyn Dodgers fans learned to say decades ago before their team won its first World Series after losing seven times, “Wait till next year!”
Resources: Mlb.com.2025_world-series; youtube.com/watch/world_series; wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Major_League_Baseball_season; baseball-reference.com; TikTok.com/330sportsreport; Instagram.com/brandon_schaer_lets_go_yankees.