Records revisited, streaks snapped, and one of the feel-good stories of the season.
This is the MLB week that was for May 17-23. Records and standings below are through games completed on Saturday, May 23, with no May 24 results included.
Bryan Torres: 11 Years, One Night
The story of the week belongs to Bryan Torres.
Torres homered in his Major League debut for the Cardinals on Saturday, May 23, making it to the big leagues after 11 years and 913 games across the Minors, foreign leagues and independent ball. He did it in front of his family, reached base three times in St. Louis' 8-1 win over Cincinnati in the first game of a doubleheader, and turned a long road into one unforgettable afternoon.
There are few better moments in baseball than watching someone who refused to quit finally get his day. Torres got his this week.
Eleven years is a long time to keep believing. He earned every second of it.
Guardians Run Seven Straight, Then Meet Zack Wheeler
Cleveland quietly put together one of the better stretches of the week, winning seven consecutive games, including a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers. The Guardians have been one of the more quietly effective teams in the AL, and that run pushed them up the standings in a hurry.
Then Saturday happened. Zack Wheeler pitched six shutout innings and Bryson Stott delivered a two-run single as the Phillies beat Cleveland 3-0 to end the streak. Wheeler was dominant, the kind of performance that reminds you why he is one of the best starters in the National League when he is right.
The loss did not erase the week for Cleveland. Through May 23, the Guardians were still 31-23 and sitting on top of the AL Central. But Philadelphia made sure the streak stopped before it became the biggest story in baseball.
Braves and Rays Set the Pace
Atlanta remains one of baseball's measuring-stick teams. Through May 23, the Braves were 36-17, had the most wins in MLB, and continued to look nothing like the 76-86 team from a season ago. Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin continue to drive the offense, and Walt Weiss has this group playing with a consistency that has turned Atlanta into the early standard in the National League.
The Tampa Bay Rays belong in the same conversation. Through May 23, they were 34-15, giving them the best winning percentage in baseball. The AL East race between the Rays and the Yankees is already one of the better division storylines of the first half, even with Tampa Bay holding the early edge.
Atlanta has the volume of wins. Tampa Bay has the cleaner winning percentage. Either way, those are the two teams setting the pace as May winds down.
The Cubs' Historic Start Meets a Harsh Week
The Cubs' season still has a real historical note attached to it: earlier this month, they became just the 11th team in the Divisional Era, since 1969, to post two winning streaks of at least 10 games in the same season. The two streaks came from April 14-24 and April 28-May 8, and the feat put Chicago in rare company.
But this week was not about another Cubs surge. It was about the correction that followed.
By the end of play on May 23, Chicago was 29-23 and riding a seven-game losing streak. The Cubs are still relevant in the NL Central race, but the division picture looks very different now than it did when they were stacking wins every night. The early-season history matters. So does the current slide.
Around the League
A few other things worth noting from the week:
- Shohei Ohtani returned to full two-way mode against the Padres on May 21, leading off the game with a home run and throwing five scoreless innings in a Dodgers win. It was another reminder that his normal still looks impossible for everyone else.
- Corbin Carroll kept building one of the most interesting speed stories in baseball. He is leading the Majors in triples and, if he finishes there again, would become the first player in history to lead MLB in triples three consecutive seasons. He also delivered a walk-off single on May 22 to give Arizona its fifth straight win.
- The Mets' rotation is still dealing with the fallout from Clay Holmes' fractured right fibula, suffered on May 15 against the Yankees. That injury happened before this week's window, but its impact is still shaping New York's pitching plans.
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