13 Moments From 2010 That Remind Us Why Baseball is Wonderful: Part One

2010 was a pretty magical baseball season. From it being the year of the pitcher, to the exciting rookies who quickly made their mark; to the unexpected pennant winners; there was plenty to look back on with warm and fuzzy thoughts. Sure, Ken Griffey’s Jr’s retirement dampened spirits, and perhaps your team failed in their umpteenth rebuilding year, but let’s not think of that. It’s time to be joyful and so here are the thirteen amazing, humorous, or odd moments that reminded us why baseball is such a wonderful game and why we spend so much time watching, writing, and thinking about it.

Part One features moments 13-7, with Part Two coming tomorrow.

UPDATE: Part Two available here.

13. Creative Facial Hair

From last December when the American Mustache Institute awarded Clay Zavada their highest honor, creative and fantastic facial hair ruled the Majors. Most baseball players make terrible facial fashion choices (see Matt Garza’s supernaturally powered chin growth), but 2010 saw a facial hair gone unseen since the mid 80s. The Pirates energized their fan base by briefly growing matching mustaches with Ronny Cedeno painting one on:

Joe Mauer’s sideburns were joined by Carl Pavano’s mustache, Brendan Ryan’s gorgeous socks were matched by a gorgeous ‘stache while trying to end a slump, the Blue Jays wore fake mustaches to honor Cito Gaston, and the San Francisco Giants taught people to “Fear the Beard.” It was a special time for face fuzz.

12. Troy Tulowitzki’s Bonkers September

Try this on for size: .322/.376/.800 15 HR, 40 RBI, 30 R. That was Troy Tulowitzki’s September. His BABIP was only .276 suggesting that he was possibly unlucky during the month. September alone counted for over half of his home runs, 42% of his runs, and somehow Tulo was only intentionally walked once during the month. The 40 RBI were the most in one month since 1920, and let’s not forget that he had four two homer games during the moon’s cycle. It’s a shame that the Rockies only went 14-14 during Tulowitzki’s hot streak to fall out of the playoff race. Tulowitzki’s September had a lot to do with his silver slugger award and contract extension that will take him through the next decade.

11. Roy Oswalt Plays Left

This was one of those moments that will be forgotten in two years time, but it is also one of the most amusing from 2010. During the August 24th game between the Astros and Phillies, the game was tied at 2 when Ryan Howard was ejected following a strikeout in the 14th inning. With no position players left, Charlie Manuel trotted out his third ace to play the field against his former club. All he did was make a putout and remind people that baseball can be pretty damn fun.

(Photo via Big Lead Sports)

10. Unexpected Braves Homers

The Braves were an unstoppable force when it came to big time home runs. Jason Heyward, already a one-man hype machine, went 2-5 with a three-run home run on Opening Day to establish himself as a legitimate big league player. This was followed by Nate Mclouth seemingly coming out of a never ending slump with a walk-off home run against the Phillies where the team gave him the cold shoulder until he arrived in the clubhouse (Mclouth, of course, never did get out of his slump). Before Brooks Conrad became the postseason goat with a three error game against the Giants, he was known as the blue collar, fan favorite, utility player who capped off an amazing seven run comeback against the Red with a walk-off Grand Slam. And it would be a terrible error on my part to leave out Rick Ankiel’s 11th inning game-winning home run against the Giants in the playoffs. The Braves may have only been 20th in the Majors in home runs, but they made up for it with an overwhelming amount of crucial ones.

9. Li’l Ron Washington

When Liam Roybal dressed up as Ron Washington for Halloween, it led to the cutest moment in or around baseball. Possibly ever. The Rangers displayed a shrewd PR staff by having the two meet before a game, but Roybal’s outfit was also a symptom of the Rangers capturing the hearts and minds of their fanbase during their 2010 run to the World Series.

(Photo by Rich Durrett)

8. Comeback Pitchers

While most people were focused on Roy Halladay dominating the NL, Ubaldo Jimenez throwing the best pitch ever, or Cliff Lee having pinpoint control, Colby Lewis and RA Dickey may have been even more inspiring. Sure, their numbers couldn’t possibly compare, but when considering their pasts, it was incredibly gratifying to see them succeed at the Major League level.

Colby Lewis was a former first round pick for the Rangers who had a 6.71 ERA for three different teams between 2002-2007. Lewis then went to Japan and enjoyed massive success while learning more about the art of pitching. His return stateside was met with minimal fanfare, but he became an integral part of the 2010 AL Champs rotation while posting a 3.72 ERA and giving up less than one home run per nine innings.

In the Senior Circuit, RA Dickey was one of the few bright spots during an otherwise depressing Mets season. Dickey throws a hard knuckleball, that alone making him more exciting than 90% of Major League pitchers. But 2010 also saw him get his first taste of Major League success at the ripe old age of 35. It was enough to make the Mets front office discuss a multi-year deal for a pitcher most expected to continue shuttlng between AAA and the big leagues. As if that was not enough, Dickey makes one of the most hilarious pitch faces leading to a viral baseball meme like this one:

7. Jose Bautista’s 54 Home Runs

Jose Bautista, 2004-2009: 5 teams, .238/.329/.400, 59 HR, 2038 PA

Jose Bautista, 2010: 1 team, .260/.378/.617, 54 HR, 683 PA

Omar Infante may have been an unlikely All-Star, but Jose Bautista quite possibly had the greatest season for a former utility player of all time. Bautista had never hit more than 16 home runs in a season, and in 2010 he couldn’t stop hitting them. Unlike other players who get off to hot starts before pitchers adjust, Bautista actually got better as the season progressed. He hit 11, 12, and 11 home runs across the season’s last three months to cap his season. He probably won’t hit 50 again, but that would be an unreasonable expectation given that Albert Pujols has yet to cross that threshold and Prince Fielder has managed it only once. Unless this is Brady Anderson Part Deux, Joey Bats should be counted on for a few seasons of low average, high walk, 30 homer years.

He does love left field like no other, but if Bautista decided to become a switch hitter next season and blast another 50 out to right field it could not be more shocking than his 2010 season: