Throughout the offseason the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last time we debated whether the Astros are a dynasty. This time we're going to reflect on the 2022 MLB season.
What was your favorite moment of the 2022 season?
Mike Axisa: This is very easy. It is Clint Hurdle calling the Dodgers a "poverty franchise" after the Pirates beat them two out of three in May.
The 111-win Dodgers went 1-5 against a 100-loss Pittsburgh team this season. Poverty franchise indeed.
R.J. Anderson: Is it cheating to go with Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Adam Wainwright walking off the field together one last time? We've since learned that Wainwright is returning for another season, but that makes little difference to me with regards to how I view that moment. Fanbases usually get to say goodbye on a case-by-case basis; St. Louis being able to give all three, as a group, a final standing ovation was rare, and therefore memorable.
Matt Snyder: I think I'm gonna go with the Phillies run to the World Series. That it came up short to a powerhouse team probably worked out well, too, so we didn't get treated to an entire offseason of hand-wringing about the new playoff format.
It was just incredibly fun to see the city rally around a fun but flawed team on an improbable run. Their home run barrages and excellent pitching, for the most part, were great. Bryce Harper was able to shed some unfair nonsense about him by starring in the postseason for a pennant winner, which was pleasing. Speaking of, if I had to nail down one particular moment from the run, it would be Harper's Game 3 home run in the first inning. It's been a long time since I witnessed, in person, a crowd so electric and he sent them into an over-the-top frenzy. It was raucous. It was a thing of beauty.
Dayn Perry: The highlight of the season is Gerrit Cole getting pissed about Billy Crystal's ceremonial first pitch causing a four-minute delay on Opening Day. His anger in the moment is quality enough but what takes it to the next level is sort of blaming his first-inning struggles on said four-minute delay. I like to imagine that Cole will now harbor a lifelong grievance toward Crystal. Anyway, the entire 2022 season obviously went downhill from there.
