From Spider Tack to Shohei's homers, MLB 1st half intrigues

The Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants are better than just about anyone expected. The Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins have unexpectedly struggled.

Shohei Ohtani has turned into the best two-way player since the Babe. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. have continued their evolution into baseball-bashing superstars. Jacob deGrom has a 1.08 ERA, which could threaten the modern-era season record of 1.12 set in 1968 by Bob Gibson.

A substance called Spider Tack became the hottest subject in the game for a few weeks. The Arizona Diamondbacks went two months and an MLB-record 24 games without winning a road contest. Seven no-hitters have been thrown (nine if you count Madison Bumgarner's 7-inning gem against the Atlanta Braves, and combo effort by the Rays. MLB doesn't.)

The Seattle Mariners were on the losing end of no-hitters two times in less than two weeks — and still finished the first half with an encouraging 48-43 record.

Baseball in 2021 may have its issues, but storylines are not among them. The sport moves into its All-Star break with tight races in nearly every division. Ballparks are slowly filling back up with the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions throughout the country.

The All-Star Game is on Tuesday at Colorado's Coors Field.

The second half of the season picks up when the Red Sox visit the New York Yankees on Thursday night.

UNKNOWN STARS

Here are some guys having great seasons that you might not know about:

Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants, SS: The 34-year-old has been a good player for a long time but he's having a career year at the plate despite his relatively advanced age. He's batting a career-high .289 and has 18 homers, which is on pace to easily top his season-high of 21.

Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles, OF: A...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/From-Spider-Tack-to-Shohei-s-homers-MLB-1st-half-16308088.php