MLB June 2022 Review

June is a pretty vital month in the Major League Baseball season, even if it is early in the year. The month of June is the final month before baseball's All-Star Break, which is a pivotal point of the season, as it pretty much determines who has a shot at the postseason, who will win their divisions, and who needs to do a lot to cross the playoff line. While all of that is still down the line, the month of June was quite memorable. Here are the key occurrences.

Oops, They Did It Again

Well...it happened again. On June 25, 2022, the Houston Astros pitched a combined no-hitter against the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium. I watched this game and I was absolutely flabbergasted that Houston was doing this again. I myself want to know what their secret is, because their pitching seems to stifle the Yankees quite a bit. This was the 2nd time that the Yankees have been no-hit since 1958, and both times, it was the Astros who did it. On June 11, 2003 (a day that was very personal to me: I received my high school diploma that day), six Astros pitchers banded together to no-hit the Yankees, and 19 years and two weeks later, it was three pitchers who accomplished the feat.

Even worse, the Astros almost did it again on the following day, June 26. Giancarlo Stanton's solo home run destroyed Houston's attempt at a second straight no-hitter, and the Yankees ended up winning that game, 7-6, in ten innings.

Boston Baked June

June had been kind to a number of teams this season. The Yankees hit 58 home runs in the month of June. The Atlanta Braves went on a winning tear, and another team that did so was the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox had been struggling for most of the season, but in spite of that, they entered the month of June above the American League's playoff line. June 2022 saw Boston go 20-6 and have two separate seven-game winning streaks. In spite of their winning tear, the Red Sox remain leagues behind the Yankees in the American League East, as the Yankees have been hot all season.

At the moment, the Red Sox are in a tight race with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays for Wild Card positioning, with 2nd place in the East being the most important position. There is a good chance that all three AL East teams could be playoff bound, and it would mean that two of them would face each other in the now-permanent Wild Card Series.

It's Sho-Time

Shohei Ohtani is an absolute phenom, and I feel fortunate that I live in Southern California, because I can watch him all season. The Los Angeles Angels are still down in the dumps, as they are still having trouble winning games, and are behind both Texas teams in the American League West as a result. However, one of the few bright spots has been Ohtani, the two-way player who has continued to excel as the seasons pass. Ohtani's bat has impressed as usual, but his pitching has been absolutely stellar this season.

Ohtani enters the month of July with a 7-4 record and a 2.68 ERA, and most of that is attributed to his performance during the month of June. Ohtani's June 2022 record numbers: 29 2/3 innings pitched, a 1.52 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and a 4-1 record in five starts. His four wins are consecutive, and in that streak, he surrendered only one earned run in 26 2/3 innings. Ohtani will definitely be an All-Star this season, and I hope he hits and pitches at the Midsummer Classic in Los Angeles.

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