Readable, teachable news.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
After 162 games, baseball’s regular season came to an exciting close.
This year, some new changes made the year even more exciting than usual.
Major League Baseball (MLB) changed the way they choose who gets to be in the playoffs this year.
And with that new system, some teams were battling for a playoff position right down to their last game.
It’ll be the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Detroit Red Wings out in the fresh air on New Year’s Day.
It’s called the Winter Classic, and it’s an annual outdoor hockey game that features NHL teams playing on an outdoor rink.
Today, the NHL announced which teams will be playing in the special game. The game counts as a regular-season game.
Although it’s still 11 months away—the next Winter Classic will be held on Jan. 1, 2013—fans are excited. Because it’s outdoors, things like snow, rain and glare from the sun can affect the game, which makes it all the more interesting for spectators.
Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers baseball team made one of the most impressive feats in sports recently. He pitched a “no-hitter” against the Toronto Blue Jays leading his team to a 9-0 victory.
Very few pitchers have ever thrown a no-hitter. It’s very difficult and very rare. But Verlander has now done it twice in his seven seasons playing baseball professionally.
The Milwaukee Brewers were the first victim of Verlander’s no-hitter back on June 12, 2007.
A no-hitter is when a pitcher doesn’t allow any hits from the opposing team’s 27 batters.
A “perfect game” is a pitcher’s ultimate goal, and it’s even better than a no-hitter. In a perfect game, none of the hitters the pitcher threw to reached first base. Verlander nearly pitched a perfect game against the Blue Jays, but he walked Blue Jays’ catcher, J.P. Arencibia right near the end of the game – in the eighth inning.
