Top Five MLB Moments People Absolutely Forget About

We're back. Oh baby we're back. I don't know for how long but dammit we are BACK.

This idea came to me last week and I couldn't wait to put it out there. To be fair and current, I'm keeping this list to the past 25 years. There are tons of great moments in the history of baseball that are replayed over and over on MLB Network at 2am every night. Those moments I will not discuss. No, what we're going for here are my five favorite things that happened over the last quarter century that I bet (legal now, nbd) only a handful of people know about. Here we go:

5. Nick Punto Hits a 444 Foot Home Run (2012)

Nick Punto. Career journeyman. A lot of people may forget he played on the Red Sox in 2012. He didn't really do much to wow you. Played solid defense, put the bat on the ball. Nothing special. Well that is until one night in Toronto when out of nowhere:

Over 14 years in the league, Nick Punto had 19 career home runs. 19. And it just so happened that one of them went to the freakin moon. Unreal. This was one of those moments I remember seeing live and thinking how the hell did that actually happen. Nick Punto, destroyer of (19) baseballs.

4. Tony Gwynn Flirts With .400 (1994)

The 1994 MLB season is always fascinating to me. It's without a doubt one of the biggest "what if"s in baseball history. The Expos (RIP) were playing out of their minds, well on their way to a possible World Series title (I argue this is one of the greatest teams of all time). A huge player strike cut the season short. But most importantly, Tony Gwynn was robbed of a chance to be the first .400 hitter since Teddy Ballgame.

(Getty Images)

He's one of the best hitters to ever dig into a Major League batter's box, and when the season ended on August 11, 1994, he was hitting .394. This was a full time player. Not a bench player who played in 6 games and went 5 for 11. Gwynn raked, plain and simple. .400 is impossible to achieve and somehow it almost happened. Incredible stuff.

3. Michael Jordan Suits Up at Wrigley Field (1994)

We'll stay in 1994 for this next one. Michael Jordan, the man many refer to as the GOAT (I'm not here to start that up, it's not my forte). Jordan was arguably in the prime of his career when he decided to leave basketball in pursuit of a professional baseball career. A lot of people questioned it, but honestly hats off to him for going after it. He never made it to the bigs, but he did have a solid minor league career in the White Sox system. 

In April 1994 the White Sox and Cubs played an exhibition game at Wrigley Field, and of course MJ did this:

Such a cool moment. What an athlete.

2. Brady Anderson Hits 50 Home Runs (1996)

Brady Anderson doesn't get enough love when it comes to talking baseball. This is one of the most insane stories to come out of the league over the last few decades. Anderson made his debut in 1988 and did practically nothing in his first few years. From 1988 to 1991, he hit 11 total home runs. Brutal. Then he started to get it going in 1992, where he would hit 21, 12, 13, and 16 home runs in his next 4 season. But in 1996, Brady Anderson put up a 50 piece out of nowhere. Out of NOWHERE. Huh? This man was good for 12-16 a year, and he slips in a cool 50 like its nothing.

(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Though he never tested positive, PEDs were absolutely in play here. There's just no other explanation. No one flips the switch like that. The Steroid Era, what a beautiful crazy ridiculous time.

1. Jim Abbott Throws a No Hitter With One Hand (1993)

Serious question, does anybody outside of the baseball world even know this happened? I'm dead serious. Can you imagine if this happened when Twitter was a thing? This would be the story of the year. ONE HAND. Pitchers can't even throw a no-no with two hands. It's absolutely absurd the way he holds his glove during his wind up. I'd be so scared. Not Jim though. Incredible stuff.

There ya have it folks! It's been a long time but I'm glad to be back in the game. Hopefully more to come?