A mega box of 2024 Topps Holiday

The 2024 Topps Holiday was released in mid-November. Not so long after this product was released, I decided to order a mega box of the 2024 Topps Holiday.

Called strike?

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a post on Thread. It showed that some players saw a lot of strikes over the last few seasons. However, those strikes were actually out of the strike zone.

Snell to the Dodgers

In late November, 2-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell and the Dodgers agreed to a 5-year deal. The Dodgers just won the World Series title in late October and it seems that they are not going to stop.

Topps 206

It was in November. I ordered some lucky bags from an online sports card shop. A week later, those lucky bags arrived. After opening a bag, I found a card that I had never thought of before.

2024 Topps stadium club

In early November, the 2024 Topps Stadium Club was released. A couple of weeks after this product was released, I ordered some hobby packs, trying to see if I could get some hits or cool rookie cards.

Down 5-0

Recently, I browsed X (Twitter) and suddenly, “algorithms” showed a video. It’s a video that happened in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.

Royals and Reds reached a deal

In late November, the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a trade. In the trade, the Royals acquired infielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer. At the same time, the Reds got pitcher Brady Singer.

2010~2024, the best teams?

A couple of weeks ago, I was just browsing X and there was a tweet, which was very interesting. It showed the teams with the top winning percentage since 2010. At the top of the leaderboard, there are some teams that baseball fans won’t be surprised by.

2024 Allen and Ginter

The 2024 Topps Allen and Ginter was available in late October. In late November, I went to a sports recreational venue. My friend and I went there to play some baseball. In the venue, I saw that there was a value box of the 2024 Topps Allen and Ginter available. Well, I looked at that value box for a while before making a decision.

Classic in the Fall Classic

Just a couple of days ago, I browsed X(Twitter). A tweet truly drew my attention and it was about a pitcher’s performance in the postseason. That pitcher surely dominated on the mound this postseason, in particular, he did a great job in the World Series.

100+ mph, can you hit?

A few weeks ago, I watched some highlights on YouTube. Interestingly, I saw a batter see several pitches that reached 100 mph in a game. Nowadays, it’s not rare to see pitchers throw pitches that are triple digits. However, it’s fun to watch how batters react to those pitches.

30 degrees?

In the top of the 9th of the World Series game 2, bases loaded, 2 outs, Jose Trevino swung at the first pitch and it was a flyout to center. However, when he hit that ball, a friend sent a message in a chat group and thought that it was a grand slam.

A year later…

It’s been a month since the last pitch of the 2024 season was thrown. Walker Buehler struck out Alex Verdugo to help the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series. The Dodgers are the world champions and it’s a well-deserved championship.

30 years young

It’s the offseason and in the offseason, a key thing that baseball fans watch is probably the free agent market. There are several great players on the market now. And a few days ago, I watched a video on YouTube. A host indicated that a player is certainly worthwhile to sign for some teams.

2024 Topps Update Value box, good value?

In early November, I went to a sports card shop. My plan was to buy a magnetic cardholder. I entered the card shop and said hello to the shop owner. Interestingly, a friend from Canada was there. We haven’t met for a while. It was so great to see him again.

Walker Buehler likes to pitch in the postseason

It’s been almost one month since the 2024 World Series came to an end. Walker Buehler struck out Alex Verdugo to get the last out of the 2024 season and the Dodgers won the title. On the mound, Walker Buehler’s performance was super impressive. However, before the postseason started, there were actually some concerns about Walker Buehler because his performance wasn’t good during the regular season.

Future Hall of Famer?

As a Dodgers fan, the 2024 season is an unforgettable one. There were ups and downs during the regular season. In particular, the team had to deal with several key players’ injuries. Nonetheless, the team didn’t give up and played great October baseball.

Changeups in the postseason

It was super exciting to watch postseason games. Last month, I watched a lot of baseball games. When I watched a game in a friend’s apartment, we saw a pitcher on the mound and that pitcher basically just threw changeups that day.

Screwballers

In late October, just a couple of days before the first game of the 2024 World Series, Fernando Valenzuela passed away. It’s certainly a huge loss for baseball. He’s a baseball legend and has a huge impact in the world of baseball.

Throw a curve in 2024?

A few weeks ago, I watched a highlight of a postseason game. In the highlight, an analyst mentioned a pitcher’s curveball usage. That pitcher frequently used his curveball in the games.

Lindor trade

This postseason, there were so many exciting moments and we saw so many players play excellently. For the Mets fans, it’s certainly an unforgettable season. In mid-June, their winning percentage was below .500. Nonetheless, they did bounce back and were able to secure a spot in the postseason.

Muncy vs. Jackson

The 2024 season is over. It’s an unforgettable season, in particular, for the Dodgers fans. There are a lot of records in the 2024 postseason. For me, a very interesting record is that Max Muncy tied the record for most consecutive times reaching base safely in the postseason. He’s now holding the record with Reggie Jackson, who’s known as Mr. October.

Dominant since 2019?

A couple of days ago, we just took a look at the hitters who have performed well since 2019. After reviewing the hitters’ performances, I guess it might be reasonable to review the pitchers’ performances.

Best hitters since 2019?

In October, I watched several postseason games. Watching October baseball is one of the most exciting things to do last month. In a game, I saw a batter who did hit well in that game. When he was at bat, the stats on the screen clearly showed that since 2019, he’s been one of the best hitters in the majors.

What will Posey do?

In early October, Buster Posey was back to the San Francisco Giants. However, this time, he’s not back on the field. Nonetheless, he is going to be a leader again. Posey will lead the Giants as the president of baseball operations.

You have to hit fastballs?

In early October, I watched an interview on X (well, twitter). A head of baseball operations mentioned his team’s struggle in the postseason. In particular, his team didn’t hit well against fastballs in the postseason.

World Series preview

In less than 24 hours, the first pitch of the 2024 World Series will be thrown. The 2024 World Series will certainly draw a lot of attention around the world. The Dodgers will play against the Yankees in the Fall Classic. It will be the 12th time that these 2 great teams meet in the World Series.

More than 50 pitches

A couple of weeks ago, I watched a highlight on TV. It was a game played in Asia, and a reliever threw more than 70 pitches. Previously, it wasn’t common to see a reliever throw so many pitches in a game. However, pitcher usage has changed. Now, there are long relievers or bulk relievers. Nonetheless, after watching the game, I began to think about a question.

Fastballs below 90 mph, WORK?

A few weeks ago, I watched a YouTube video, which is quite interesting. In the video, an analyst indicated a pitcher’s change in 2024. His fastballs didn’t frequently touch 90 mph during the regular season, however, those fastballs worked. Opponents didn’t hit well against his fastballs.

First and the last

On September 26, the Oakland A’s played the final game at Oakland Coliseum. The next season, they will play in Sacramento until the stadium in Vegas is ready. While reading the news about the situation in Oakland, the A’s fans are certainly not satisfied. But the decision is made and very soon, there will not be any major pro sports teams in Oakland.

​​The best third baseman?

In late September, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, a researcher indicated a third baseman had done a great job during the regular season and he might be the best third baseman in this generation.

Always a Rockie

Charlie Blackmon retired after the 2024 season. In 2008, Blackmon was selected by the Rockies in the second round of the MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in June 2011 and spent his entire career with the Rockies.

First pitch, crush it?

In September, I watched a game on TV. A batter swung at the first pitch he saw and boom, it was gone. The batter crushed a first-pitch home run.

Batting fourth

A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, an analyst indicated a player has been hitting well while batting fourth and the team certainly made a good decision to put him on the fourth spot.

Need a starter to eat 150 innings?

Once again, the Dodgers clinched a berth in the postseason. The Dodgers extended their postseason streak to 12 seasons. Without doubt, the Dodgers have regular-season success. But, during the regular season, there’s a huge problem that happened once again.

Division series preview

The 2024 postseason has already begun. In the NL Wild Card Series, the Padres defeated the Braves and the Mets just secured the second win. Meanwhile, in the AL, the Tigers and the Royals each swept their opponents to advance to the ALDS.

Born in Canada

In August, Joey Votto officially announced his retirement. He played 17 seasons in the majors, slashing .294/.409/.511 with 356 home runs and 1144 RBI. Additionally, he had 80 steals and collected 2135 hits.

Good to go?

The 2024 regular season is coming to an end soon. For most teams, the regular season is over. However, for some teams, the fighting is about to begin. The postseason is coming and for baseball fans, October baseball is one of the most exciting things of the year.

The 2017 NL ROY Voting

Not so long ago, we just reviewed players who received votes in the 2017 AL Rookie of the year voting and see how their careers have been. This time, let’s shift our focus on the National League.

Hard to hit hard?

An analyst indicated that a pitcher has pitched very well after being traded in a podcast show. In particular, that analyst demonstrated that the pitcher only allowed a few hard-hit balls.

Throwing hard against them?

A couple of weeks ago, I watched a baseball game on TV. In that game, a pitcher threw a lot of pitches that went 95 mph or higher. In particular, against a batter, he threw several pitches that were 95+ mph.

King at Dodger stadium

In late July, Clayton Kershaw was back to the mound. He underwent shoulder surgery and after a long recovery process, he’s back. So far this season, he made 7 starts for the Dodgers, posting a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP over 30 innings. Additionally, he has 24 strikeouts thus far.

The 2017 ROY Voting (AL)

A few weeks ago, I was just checking some stats on the great baseball reference website. While reading Aaron Judge’s stats, I just recalled that he won the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year award. It was unanimous.

The wins come from?

The Chicago White Sox now have a winning percentage of .228. It’s certainly a horrible season for the team and the fans must be unhappy with the results.

Kill righties?

A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, a researcher mentioned a player who has a great season in 2024. That player used to be an All-Star and has blasted 200+ home runs so far in his career. The host quickly responded with a key thing.

Like to pitch in a new uniform?

2 weeks ago, we reviewed some pitchers who were traded to the teams in the National League before the trade deadline to see if they have pitched well after joining a new team. Now, let’s turn our focus to the AL.

Score late?

In mid-August, I watched a football (soccer) match. A team scored a goal in 80+ minutes. And a few days ago, that team scored another late goal. It’s very interesting to see a late goal because most of the time, a late goal would dramatically change the result of a match.

Not easy to K?

Just a few weeks ago, I just shared a George Kell’s relic card and reviewed some of his stats. Indeed, he was a great contact hitter and it was so hard to see a pitcher strike him out. In his career, he never finished a season with a strikeout rate of 10% or higher.

Wins < home runs?

Not so long ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, a guest asked an interesting question. He demonstrated that a team has been playing so bad this season and it’s hard to see the team secure a win during the regular season. So, the guest mentioned a player who crushed a lot of home runs this season. That guest was wondering if that player will finish the 2024 season with more home runs than that team’s number of wins.

Awesome August?

August is coming to an end. We are heading to the final month of the 2024 regular season. Before coming to September, let’s look at those teams which had played well last month and see which teams had a good August.