MLB in 2012: The year in photos

MLB in 2012: The year in photos

Captions by Mike Cormack

January 26: Prince Fielder and Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch shocked the baseball world when they shook hands on a $214 million, nine-year deal.

February: Word leaks out that MLB will add an additional wild card in each league for the 2012 season. Jim Thome and his Baltimore Orioles whoop it up after clinching one of the two wild card spots.

March: Roy Halladay lashes out a report during spring training that suggested his velocity was down and he might be pitching hurt. In May, the good doctor landed on the DL and his 4.49 ERA in 2012 was his highest in a season since 2000.

April: Colorado Rockies pitcher Jamie Moyer goes seven innings against the San Diego Padres to become even innings to become the oldest pitcher to win a major league game (49 years, 151 days).

May 8: Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton hits four homers in a 5-for-5 night at the plate in Baltimore against the Orioles.

June 13: San Francisco Giants starter Matt Cain ties Sandy Koufax’s record for most strikeouts in a perfect game with 14 in a 10-0 win over the Houston Astros.

July 16: Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista injures his wrist during a swing against the Yankees in New York. The injury would sideline him for more than a month and he would later undergo season-ending wrist surgery.

August 25: The Boston Red Sox shed $250 million in salaries through 2018 after sending Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto and $11 million to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for James Loney, pitcher Allen Webster, infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. and two players to be named later.

September: The Washington Nationals decide to prematurely end ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s season at 159 innings pitched out of fear he may re-injure his surgically repaired elbow. Strasburg could only watch from the bench as his Nationals lost their NLDS to the Cardinals in five games.

October: The San Francisco Giants win their second World Series championship in three years with a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

November 13: The Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins send shockwaves through the baseball world after agreeing on a 12-player trade that would send Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonafacio and John Buck to Toronto.

December: Josh Hamilton bolts the Texas Rangers for California after agreeing to a five-year, $125 million deal with the arch-rival Los Angeles Angels.