The first pitch of the 2013 Major League Baseball season was thrown in Texas, on Sunday, March 31 when the Houston Astros played the Texas Ranger in their American League debut.

Many teams came in to the season with high expectations; teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles used their late success of last year to flip their franchises around. “I really enjoyed watching the Orioles play this season, it’s more fun when they actually win,” said Cam Brosh, Junior. Pittsburgh finished the season 94-68, celebrating their first winning season in 15 years, dating back to the Barry Bonds days and the 94 win 1992 season. The Pirates lost in the playoff to the St. Louis Cardinals three games to two. Baltimore finished their season 85-77, shortly missing the playoffs.

New faces in the MLB stole the show, as the 2013 rookies shined in the spotlight. Baltimore’s own Manny Machado hit .283 with 51 doubles and 14 home runs while playing hi-caliber third base for the Orioles. On the west coast the Angels Mike Trout caught attention by robbing homeruns from over the fence and batting .323 with 27 home runs. Yasiel Puig hit .319 in his rookie year, only playing in 108 games and still hitting 19 home runs for the Dodgers.

While many young players started great careers, Major League baseball waved goodbye to a legend in 2013. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera moved on from baseball after 19 seasons. He finished the year with 44 saves and was named an All-Star for the 13th time.

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis also had a big year in Baltimore, leading the league in homeruns with 53 and RBI’s with 138. “Crush” Davis earned a trip to the 2013 American League All-Star game and participated in the home run derby.

The American League sent the Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Oakland A’s, and the Detroit Tigers to the playoffs this year. The Tigers and the Red Sox will play a seven game series to determine who will go to the World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and the Atlanta Brewers made the playoffs for the National League. The Dodgers and the Cardinals play seven games to get a shot at the American League representative in the World Series.

The MLB championship, the World Series, will play game one of seven on Wednesday, October 23rd and can be seen on FOX TV. The All-Star game decides who takes home field advantage in the World Series, and the American League representative will get that advantage, as the American League All-Stars won 3-0.