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The year in sport 2018: Major League Baseball

It has been a year of emotions and milestones for Major League Baseball, so let’s take a look at what happened between Spring Training and the 2018 World Series.

Retired Jerseys

In August, Barry Bonds’ number 25 jersey was retired in AT&T Park. The left-fielder for the San Francisco Giants is known for his home run record of 762 home runs.

In 1986, Bonds started out his Major League Baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming a Giant in 1993.

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Throughout his career he has won several awards, including ESPY Award for ‘Male Athlete of the Year’ in 1994, as well as 12 Silver Slugger Awards and is a 14-time All-Star.

Back in 2017, Roy Halladay died in a plane crash off the coast of Florida.

The eight-time All-Star spent most of his career with the Blue Jays and ended his career on the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 2010, the pitcher threw a perfect game and a no-hitter only months apart from each other. The number 32 jersey was retired on the opening day for the Blue Jays against the Yankees.

Boston Red Sox

While the Giants and the Blue Jays honored players, the Boston Red Sox celebrated their ninth World Series title.

Each season only one team can be the World Series Champions, and this year it was the Red Sox.

They started out their season by being the first team to win 100 games in the regular season. After winning the pennant, they made it to the 2018 World Series. Boston won the first two games until the Dodgers bounced back in game three.

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After seven hours and 20 minutes, game three of the 2018 World Series became the longest in World Series history.

The 18-inning game ended with the Dodgers beating the Red Sox three to two. The Red Sox went on to win the next two games and take the 2018 title.

Looking Forward

With only a few days before the end of 2018, MLB made history. On December 20th, MLB struck an agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation to give Cuban baseball players a legal pathway to sign with a MLB team.

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Due to the history between the United States and it’s neighbor, Cuba, this controversial decision could not only impact the relationship between the United States and Cuba, but the 2019 MLB season.

Featured photograph/Flickr/Slgckgc

Author

  • Rachael Mathewson

    Rachael's diverse background in sports comes from her experience as an athlete and a journalist. She was born in Miami and grew up in Key West, Florida where her love of basketball and Taekwondo began in elementary school. As a varsity basketball player and Third Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo Rachael combined her love of sport with her love of writing on the Middlebury Union High School newspaper. This passion continued into her university life, getting her Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications from the University of Florida. Rachael has gained experience reporting through diverse mediums such as radio, TV and social media working with organizations such as Florida Keys Media, ESPN Gainesville WRUF, SEC Network, CBS Sports and Gator Vision TV. Her sport focus lies in College Sports, Track and Field, NBA, NFL, MLB and Alpine Skiing. While currently getting her Master's degree in International Sports Journalism, she is taking one step closer to her goal of becoming a content producer in the NBA.

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