Sunday, April 5th, 2015, was opening day for the 2015 MLB season. This day doesn't just kickoff another year of baseball, it marks the beginning of the shift from NHL, NBA, and college basketball, to MLB. Yes, ESPN will now spend a majority of the extra TV time on baseball and the hype of the NFL. This is when summer days begin to near, when beer and a brat are back in style, when the afternoons at the ballpark become one of the major hangouts, and when peanuts and sunflower seeds hit the big leagues again. With a new season commencing, here is a brief breakdown of the 2014 season.

New rules:

• No home-plate collisions between runner and catcher (mainly due to the high number of injuries suffered by catchers in the recent years).
• More additions to the video-reviewable calls of Umpires.

 All-Star game

AL won in Minnesota 5-3

The Final AL Standings run-down:

1. LA Angels of Anaheim (98 wins)
2. Baltimore Orioles (96)
3. Detroit Tigers (90)
4. Kansas City Royals (89)
5. Oakland Athletics (88)

The Final NL Standings final:

1. Washington Nationals (96)
2. Los Angles Dodgers (94)
3. St. Louis Cardinals (90)
4. Pittsburg Pirates (88)
5. San Francisco Giants (88)

The Arizona Diamondbacks had the worst record, at 64-98, and the Cubbies finished with 73 wins, which tied for 22nd most wins (maybe 2015 is the Cubs season).

The playoffs bracket:

Source: Wikipedia 2014 MLB Season

World Series:

San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals, after escaping some late-inning pressure

Madison Bumgarner (SF) was the World Series MVP

Awards: National League, American League

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Rookie of the Year: Jacob DeGrom (NYM) José Abreu (CWS)

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Cy Young Award: Clayton Kershaw (LAD) Corey Kluber (CLE)

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Manager of the Year: Matt Williams (WAS) Buck Showalter (BAL)

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Most Valuable Player: Clayton Kershaw (LAD) Mike Trout (LAA)

Retirees :

• Derek Jeter (Short Stop)
• Kevin Youkilis (1st and 3rd baseman)
• Jason Giambi (1st Baseman / Designated Hitter)
• Josh Beckett (Starting Pitcher)
• Commissioner Bud Selig Retired at the end of the season, and Rob Manfred became the reliever

These teams and players will now have to step up to the plate. This year has its favorites and will have the dark horses, but for now all teams are seeing a long regular season of 162 games. The ninth-inning thrillers will be seen throughout the summer, and the highlights will be occurring on the daily. So, step into the batter's box and PLAY BALL!