The 2025 MLB season produced plenty of memorable plays and legendary moments. From historic playoff performances to individual excellence, the highlights from this season will be remembered for quite some time.
Here are the Capital One Plays of the Year.
1. Dodgers clinch second straight World Series title
In an epic World Series Game 7, it was the Dodgers who came out on top against the Blue Jays, securing the second straight World Series win for Los Angeles. With a 5-4 lead in the 11th inning with runners on first and third and one out, Yoshinobu Yamamoto — who was pitching on no day’s rest after starting and winning Game 6 — induced a game-ending double play against Alejandro Kirk.
2. Smith’s game-winning HR in World Series Game 7
The World Series finale had no shortage of memorable moments, but Will Smith’s home run in the 11th inning proved to be the most impactful. Seriously, Smith’s go-ahead homer was one of the biggest in terms of championship win probability in MLB history. Shortly after Smith’s home run, the Dodgers closed it out to clinch a second straight title.
3. Ohtani’s historic two-way NLCS performance
Shohei Ohtani’s NLCS Game 4 performance against the Brewers might have been the best individual game … ever? Flashing his unique two-way dominance, Ohtani crushed three home runs at the dish — which traveled respective distances of 446, 469 and 427 feet — while striking out 10 batters in six scoreless innings on the mound. Ohtani’s legendary performance earned him NLCS MVP honors.
4. Kurtz slugs four homers in Houston
Nick Kurtz, who would go on to unanimously win American League Rookie of the Year, had a game for the ages on July 25 in Houston, when the A’s slugger hit four home runs and went 6-for-6. Kurtz became the first rookie with four home runs in a game and produced a remarkable rookie season, hitting 36 home runs with a 1.002 OPS in 117 games.
5. Freeman’s 18th-inning walk-off
Freddie Freeman’s become awfully familiar with World Series heroics. A year after his memorable walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against the Yankees, Freeman once again hit a walk-off World Series homer in ‘25. In an intense Game 3 that went 18 innings, Freeman ended it with a walk-off solo home run just before the clock struck midnight in Los Angeles. Freeman became the first player with multiple walk-off home runs in the Fall Classic.
6. Miggy Ro’s unexpected heroics
Of all the players to hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of World Series Game 7, Miguel Rojas might have been the last person you expected. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what Rojas did, when he deposited a pitch from Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman over the left-field wall at Rogers Centre to tie the game. Rojas, who barely played in October until the end, showed just how many contributions the Dodgers used to secure another title.
7. Clarke’s highway robbery
A’s outfielder Denzel Clarke was a human-highlight reel in 2025, making countless incredible grabs in center field. None was better than his home run robbery of the Angels’ Nolan Schanuel in Anaheim on June 10. Clarke scaled the wall with perfect timing, held himself up on the wall and put half of his body over to rob Schanuel of what looked like a sure home run.
8. Big Dumper’s 60th HR
It was a historic season for Cal Raleigh, the Mariners backstop who slugged 60 home runs and posted a .948 OPS with 9.1 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs). On Sept. 24 at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, Raleigh crushed home runs No. 59 and 60, becoming the seventh player in MLB history with 60 home runs in a season. Raleigh’s performance as a full-time catcher earned him a second-place AL MVP finish behind Aaron Judge.
9. Varsho’s magical grab
Daulton Varsho made a ridiculous catch on April 29 against the Red Sox, but it wasn’t your typical Varsho grab. Known for his incredible all-around defensive excellence in center field, Varsho tripped over his own feet tracking down a deep drive from Jarren Duran, quickly got up and made a catch behind his back. Even he was surprised by what he had just pulled off.
10. Schwarber’s first 4-HR game
Kyle Schwarber is one of baseball’s premier power hitters so it was hardly surprising when he became 21st player with a four-homer game and the third such player of the 2025 season on Aug. 28. Schwarber even came up with a chance for a fifth home run in the eighth inning but skied it for an out on the infield fly rule.
11-20. More World Series Game 7 moments
As mentioned before, Game 7 of the Fall Classic had plenty of unforgettable moments. One of those was Andy Pages’ leaping grab (No. 11) in the ninth inning as he barreled into left-fielder Kiké Hernández to help send the game to extras. There was also an epic finish to World Series Game 6, when Hernández doubled off Addison Barger to second base to force a Game 7 (No. 18).
21-30. A walk-off inside-the-park HR and home run robberies
31-40. McMahon’s playoff catch over the railing
In the winner-take-all Wild Card Series Game 3 between the Yankees and Red Sox, New York third baseman Ryan McMahon made a remarkable catch (No. 32) over the third-base railing as he tumbled into the Boston dugout. Also included in this section is Ohtani hitting his 55th home run on Sept. 28 (No. 39), breaking his Dodgers-record 54 home runs from the 2024 season.
41-50. Raleigh reaches 50 home runs
Before Raleigh made history by reaching 60 home runs, he got to the 50-homer mark on Aug. 25 (No. 44), which seemed remarkable at the time and wasn’t even close to the end of Big Dumper’s dominance. And on May 23, Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a home run in his first plate appearance of the season (No. 47) after missing roughly a year due to injury.
51-60. A legend’s final out and an ace shoves
61-70. Outfield excellence galore
This section is littered with excellent defensive plays from outfielders, including home run robberies, diving catches and outfield assists. None was as notable as Wilyer Abreu and Rafaela’s teamwork on a catch on May 14 (No. 70). As Abreu leaped at the right-field wall at Detroit’s Comerica Park to attempt a home run robbery, the ball tipped back into the field of play and right into the glove of Rafaela.
71-80. Milestone moments for stars
In this group, you’ll find plenty of milestone moments for some of baseball’s biggest names. That includes Ohtani’s 50th home run of the season on Sept. 16 (No. 73), Eugenio Suárez’s 300th career homer on June 20 (No. 75), Justin Verlander’s 3,500th career strikeout on Aug. 10 (No. 78) and Judge’s 50th homer on Sept. 24 (No. 80).
81-90. Polar Bear makes franchise history
On Aug. 12, Pete Alonso hit career home runs No. 253 and 254, surpassing Darryl Strawberry’s Mets-record 252 home runs (No. 90). The fact that Alonso did so in his first seven MLB seasons made his feat all the more impressive. Also included in this section was Ohtani’s walk-off home run on April 2 (No. 85) and Schwarber’s 300th career home run on May 19 (No. 87).
Walk-off grand slams are the common theme in this section. On May 3, the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers hit a walk-off grand slam on a 101.7 mph fastball from then-A’s closer Mason Miller (No. 91). And on May 27, Christian Yelich hit a walk-off grand slam against the Red Sox, his first career walk-off homer (No. 97).
