Sometimes, it’s not a game but a performance that lingers in the mind. The four words — “The Nick Kurtz Game” — are going to be understood by baseball fans without any additional context for a very long time. Like “the Mark Whiten Game” or “the Kerry Wood Game.”
I was watching a different game that night but switched over after Kurtz hit his third homer. I still have tingles from seeing No. 4 leave the yard. That the moment was produced by a 22-year-old in his 66th career game made it all the more stupendous. This is why we watch. — Bradford Doolittle
Tarik Skubal’s start against the Texas Rangers was typical of his work in recent years: no walks and 11 strikeouts over 6⅔ innings, just one run allowed. But what stood out in that Sunday night game was how much fun he had in laughing at his own inability to get out Corey Seager, who is 8-for-12 against him.
Seager blistered a double and single and then lined out, and at one point, Skubal raised his arms as if to ask: What do I have to do to get this guy out? He has had similar moments in his career with Salvador Perez, Aaron Judge and other great players. I can’t think of another example of a star pitcher who so consistently mixes total dominance and constant self-deprecation in the same in-game soup. — Buster Olney
Leagues across the board have struggled to keep their All-Star games relevant over the years with players declining to participate and effort levels questioned. MLB arguably has the best one of the major leagues, but it struck gold in Atlanta this summer with an unprecedented swing-off that generated drama rarely seen in these exhibitions anymore.
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Kyle Schwarber’s performance — three home runs on three swings capped off by a blast in which he landed on one knee to give the National League the victory — will be remembered as one of the great moments in All-Star Game history.
Fans loved the theater. Players loved the competition. It made for great entertainment, and that’s the point. — Jorge Castillo
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The last pitch, Tarik Skubal’s 94th in a complete-game shutout against the Guardians on May 25, was the only one you needed to see. It covered the 60 feet, 6 inches at 102.6 mph, the fastest strikeout pitch recorded by a starter since they started recording such things in 2008. It was his 13th strikeout of the game, the most ever in what is known as a Maddux: a complete-game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches.
When it was over, Skubal stood out there smiling and pounding his fist into his glove. In that moment, his face bore the same look as every one of us who watched: amazement. — Tim Keown
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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was already making a name for himself, having hit 12 home runs while swiping 14 bases in the first 50 games of the season. But on May 23, he would solidify himself nationwide as “PCA,” the nickname which would follow him throughout an All-Star, breakout season.
On that day, Crow-Armstrong crushed two home runs against the Cincinnati Reds, including a seventh-inning go-ahead grand slam in a wild 13-6 comeback win. His first came off starter Hunter Greene with a man on in the fourth inning, cutting a 4-0 deficit in half. But it was his latter blast, off reliever Tony Santillan, that gave the Chicago its first lead and sent Cubs fans into a frenzy. From down 6-4 to up 8-6, thanks to PCA. The Cubs never looked back — as Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with six RBIs and cemented his star status in the game. — Jesse Rogers
