The MLBbros were impactful and present in the various opening games of the 2024 MLB Wild Card series.
Justyn-Henry Malloy: Detroit Tigers
Justyn-Henry Malloy hit second for the surging Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the franchise’s first postseason appearance in 14 years.
Malloy went 1-for-2 with a walk in a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros. It’s all coming together at the right time for AJ Hinch’s Detroit crew, which recovered from a sub .500 first half to snatch a Wild Card slot in the American League. The franchise survived the growing pains of All-Star Riley Green, rookie JHM and the injury to Kerry Carpenter and other key figures and now they are a team nobody wants to face.
By his second time up he was striking out to end a three-run explosion in the second inning by the Tigers. It was all they needed.
When you can trot out a Cy Young ace such as 18-win wonder Tarik Skubal, a triple crown pitcher, you always have a chance. His fastball and change ups were dominant as usual and he exited after six innings of no-run ball.
Malloy was up and down in his rookie season, showing some pop with 8 bro bombs in 202 at-bats. He has the potential to explode in a game and for AJ Hinch to give him the start in the opening Wild Card game is a huge indication that he believes the young outfielder is a part of the Tigers’ future.
Tommy Pham: Kansas City Royals
There’s that man again. Playoff Tommy Pham, who always plays his best when the stakes are high. He’s been a consistent catalyst for teams looking to either get out of the doldrums or seeking a veteran spark who can bring, energy, a loud bat and a competitive, winning spirit to a possible contender.
Adding Pham to a Royals team that is built around Bobby Witt and veteran catcher Salvador Perez was a genius move. Pham helped the Arizona Diamondback make a fairy tale run to the World Series last season. Pham is a .313 career playoff hitter with 36 hits and 6 homers and 10 RBI in 115 postseason at-bats.
Pham was 0-for-3 in his first playoff game on Tuesday with the Royals, but they managed to win a 1-0 pitcher’s duel over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of the Wild Card series.
Pham played just 23 games with the Royals in the regular season after stops in Cry-town and St. Louis. He impacted the team’s late season run to the Wild Card and will be counted on heavily as he batted seventh and played right field in Game 1.
Cedric “CM Storm” Mullins: Baltimore Orioles
Cedric Mullins has been here before with the Birds. He’s no longer the catalyst of the offense, the 30-30 leadoff guy that he was in 2021, but he’s still a leader on this team and a very productive player with the glove and at the plate.
Mullins led the Orioles with two hits in the franchise’s Game 1, 1-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. During the season, CM Storm hit 18 homers and stole 32 bases. He’s a weapon in the eighth spot for the O’s, who probably should have the veteran hitting higher in the order during the playoffs.
Tyrone Taylor: Mets
Tyrone Taylor has found a home with the NY Mets after spending the first six years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers who drafted him in the second round in 2012.
Taylor got over 300 at-bats for just the second time in his career and the 30-year-old only hit 7 bro bombs but he provided a combination of durability (130 games played), speed (11 steals) and solid defense for the Mets, who creeped into the postseason with a 360 degree turn in the second half behind shortstop Francisco Lindor and a host of steady role players like Taylor, who started and batted eighth for the Miracle Mets in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In that game, Taylor went 1-for-4 with a run scored to help lift the Mets to an 8-4 win in Game 1. In the last 15 games of the season with the Mets fighting tooth and nail for an NL Wild Card, Taylor hit .298 and slugged. 447.
Michael Harris II: Atlanta Braves
Entering Game 1 of the Wild Card series against San Diego Padres, Michael Harris II was 1-for-27 over eight games in two postseasons for the Atlanta Braves. He enters these playoffs on fire, coming off a streak of five homers in seven games to end the regular season. Harris was able to collect two of his team’s seven hits in a 4-0, Game 1 loss to the Padres, continuing his torrid hitting.
After batting over .290 in his first two seasons, including his 2022 NL Rookie of the Year campaign, Harris struggled mightily throughout most of this season, but was able to find his groove in the last two months of the season and salvage a respectable .264 batting average with 16 homers.
Now, he’s firmly cemented as the Braves’ leadoff hitter and he looks poised to finally have his breakout playoffs, which would make the growing pains he experiences this season worthwhile.
He’s sure to produce a web gem or two as he is among the best centerfielders in the past 20 years, and we are yet to see the best of him at the plate…that’s a scary thought.
CM Storm’s 18 Bro Bombs are the most he’s had since his 30-30 2021 season. He’s leading the O’s to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1997.
Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 52nd bro bomb on Friday night, a grand slam to lead the Yankees who are heating up for the postseason.
But Mark and Manny argue whether or not he’s the most important Bro in the AL East, where guys such as Cedric Mullins and the new X-Factor Jazz Chisholm are also very impactful.
Lawrence Butler extended his career-long hitting streak to 20 games during Thursday’s contest against Houston, earning him the top spot on Week 23 of our #HighFive list; an honor he has received for two weeks in a row.
1. Lawrence Butler “Law Dawg”
Despite being out of the lineup a few days for rest this week, Butler was still able to register seven hits over a five-game span, including last Friday night, when he had three hits and reached safely four times.
The longest hitting streak in MLB this season is owned by Bryan Reynolds who reached 25 games. Butler would be in line to pass that by Tuesday of next week.
Butler is currently slashing .368/.400/.553 with four doubles in two steals through the first two weeks of September.
2. Jack Flaherty “Black Jack”
Jack Flaherty has been the Dodgers best pitcher since joining their rotation at the trade deadline.
He pitched into the eighth inning in 100-plus degree weather, striking out six and allowing no runs on just four hits against the American League Central-leading Guardians.
In seven starts with Los Angeles, Flaherty is 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 41.1 innings.
He ranks fourth in the Majors with a 2.68 ERA and has given up one or less runs in three of his last four starts.
Flaherty will take the mound on Saturday in what will be another hot day on the mound in Atlanta against the Braves.
3. Cedric “CM Storm” Mullins
Cedric Mullins flipped the switch in September and is now playing his best baseball since his 30/30 season in 2021.
He had his first two-homer game of the season Tuesday night in Boston and has a .333 average with three homers, four RBI and two steals over his last seven games.
Mullins showed out on the defensive side of the ball this week as well with a diving catch Monday night on a ball that had a 10% catch percentage.
This weekend his Orioles will take on a Tigers team that is doing everything in their power to sneak into a wild card spot.
4. James Wood
James Woods’ position in the fourth slot in Week 23 of our #HighFive list was fueled by a five-game hitting streak and 10 game on-base streak.
Wood continues to have a strong season and appears to be a main building block for one of the great young teams in the Majors alongside Dylan Crews and C.J. Abrams.
Over the last seven games Wood has a .310 average which raised his season average to .277 and OPS to .783. He has also driven in 34 runs and stole 12 bases.
5. Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien is trying to make one last push to get his Rangers back to the playoffs for a chance to become the first repeat champions since the Yankees in 1998-2000.
For the most part it has been a down season for Semien who finished third in American League MVP voting in 2023, but over the last seven games he has shown more life at the plate.
He had two home runs this week, including one during a World Series rematch against the Diamondbacks and the other at the expense of his mentor Ron Washington and the LA Angels.
Throughout the season, the Baltimore centerfielder had yet to cross the .300 batting average for any month. Furthermore, he’s surpassed 10 RBI in a month just once since April.
On Tuesday, Mullins powered the Orioles over the Red Sox with a two-home run, three-RBI showing, bringing him up to four homers in the month. We’re in the home stretch of the regular season, and Mullins is showing up big.
Earlier in the season, Mullins told MLBbro that he’s “looking forward” to a strong second half.
For the most part, that didn’t come to fruition. While in July, he had a batting average of .262 and his OPS was .800.
The next month, in one less at-bat, Mullins squeaked out a .200 batting average and his OPS dropped by 26 percent. Clearly, he made a change. This month, he’s already tied his August hit total with 12.
What Changes Did Cedric Mullins Make To Improve Performance
“The biggest part for me was to stop chasing that season,” Mullins told Jake Rill of MLB.com. “I think the reason I’m putting up numbers that are similar to it is because I’m no longer chasing that guy.”
The guy in reference is 2021 Mullins. In 2021, Mullins reached the All-Star game with a .291 batting average, along with 30 home runs and stolen bases. Since, Mullins’ ability as a baserunner has been consistent. He was just missing the hitting aspect. He conquered that and earned the nickname “CM Storm.”
Baltimore Orioles Fighting With Yankees For A East Crown
With his resurgence, Mullins has to chance for his hot streak to continue to the playoffs as his squad is battling the Yankees for the AL East division title.
The Orioles have won five of their last ten, but two of those came in three-RBI performances from Mullins. Though it’s been having a good year without Mullins at his best, his impact could turn good to great when he’s hot.
As it sits, Baltimore is in a wild card spot — a .5 game back from New York in the division.
A series with the Yankees is coming up on Sept. 24, that may be Mullins’ time to shine. He’s back, and it’s time for the nation to now.
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