Our 18 best behind-the-scenes photos of 2024

MLB's reporters chronicled the 2024 baseball season from start to finish. But a picture is worth 1,000 words -- and they snapped plenty of those, too.

From Spring Training through the World Series, on and off the field, our reporters were able to capture photos of so many unique baseball moments, even just with the cameras on their phones.

We asked them for their favorite photos from 2024, and to describe what made each picture special. Here they are.

These are 18 of MLB.com's best behind-the-scenes photos of the year.

1. Rickey at the Coliseum

"Rickey Henderson looks off into the distance before throwing out the first pitch at the A’s final game at the Oakland Coliseum."

-- A's beat reporter Martín Gallegos

2. Baseball in the Midnight Sun

"An 11:30 p.m. shot from the press box of Growden Field during Alaska’s annual Midnight Sun Game."

-- Special projects writer Matt Monagan

3. Ryno's biggest fans

"On June 23, the 40th anniversary of The Ryne Sandberg Game, the Cubs unveiled a statue of the Hall of Fame second baseman. As Sandberg addressed a crowd that filled Gallagher Way and stretched down Clark Street, the 2024 Cubs team headed up Wrigley’s ramps to watch from above. I snapped this photo, because it was striking to see the players, in uniform, standing like fans in the ballpark, away from the field."

-- Cubs beat reporter Jordan Bastian

4. Eclipse gazers in Cincinnati

"Reds players checked out the solar eclipse from the field at Great American Ball Park on April 8. The eclipse occurred just as the Reds were taking batting practice before playing the Brewers. As the sky grew darker, the players became like any other curious person. Someone provided them with the glasses required to view the eclipse safely and, for a few moments, everybody looked up. Then they went back to work and resumed hitting."

-- Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon

5. Mr. Smile and the sun

"Before flying from Cincinnati to Atlanta on the morning of the solar eclipse in April, I stopped in the airport lounge, where they were giving away pairs of eclipse glasses. I scooped up a couple of pairs and made my way to Atlanta and the ballpark, where the other reporters and I were quickly joined on the field by a group of curious players. Good thing I had the glasses ... They became a popular item as players, including Francisco Lindor, passed them around to get a glimpse of the eclipse."

-- Mets beat reporter Anthony DiComo

6. Remembering the Say Hey Kid

"The loss of Willie Mays earlier this year made it clear how large his legend loomed over San Francisco. I was at the Giants' first home game after he passed on June 18, and it was special to see how the team and its fans honored him -- especially with every Giants player wearing Mays' No. 24. Even more moving was seeing the tributes fans left at the statue on Willie Mays Plaza. He was larger than life, but at the same time, he affected so many people on a personal level."

-- Dodgers beat reporter Sonja Chen

7. Skenes meets Ueck

"Coolest moment of 2024: When Paul Skenes visited Milwaukee for the first time, he nervously asked for an audience with Bob Uecker."

-- Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy

8. Big G teaches Little Leaguers

"The Little League Classic was one of the best events I’ve had the opportunity to cover, because of moments like this one. I snapped this photo of Giancarlo Stanton teaching pitch grips to Little Leaguers on the bus ride from the Williamsport airport to the Little League complex. The kids were obviously excited to meet players like Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Jazz Chisholm Jr., but the pro athletes seemed to get just as much of a kick out of the experience."

-- Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch

9. Unforgettable Dominican trip

"For me, the highlight of the season probably came in Spring Training, when the Rays and Red Sox played two games in Santo Domingo. It was a special trip, especially for the Rays’ Dominican players and staff. The photo I took here is of Junior Caminero, surrounded by media in his hometown. But there are two mental images that will stay with me for a long time, and those scenes were the lede and kicker to my story: Jose Siri — equally excited and exhausted — leaning up against a wall and catching his breath as we spoke in the tunnel between the dugout and clubhouse before the first game, and Caminero sitting on the field to watch the postgame fireworks with a huge smile on his face. Just an unforgettable weekend."

--

10. Votto's homecoming

"In March, I was standing with another reporter in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, which was mostly empty, when a player walked over and asked if we knew where his locker was. It was Joey Votto, the Canadian baseball icon and potential Hall of Famer. Votto had just landed in Dunedin after signing a Minor League contract, and while it never worked out between Votto and his hometown team, I’ll always remember watching Votto sit at his new locker, pulling fresh bats from their plastic sleeves as he introduced himself to new teammates. There were stunned looks on the faces of the Minor League players who neighbored him in the clubhouse as he settled in: 'Hi, I’m Joey Votto.'"

-- Blue Jays beat reporter Keegan Matheson

11. The champs are here

"A young Rangers fan wearing a 'WS Champs '23' jersey looks on as Adolis García -- who crushed eight home runs during Texas' World Series run -- hits in a 'B' game during Spring Training."

-- Reporter Manny Randhawa

12. Gore on the bump

"Nats southpaw MacKenzie Gore ramps up for the 2024 season during Spring Training, throwing off the mound with his signature delivery."

-- Nationals beat reporter Jessica Camerato

13. Skenes vs. Holliday

"My second day of Spring Training featured a matchup between the best position prospect (Jackson Holliday) and the best pitching prospect (Paul Skenes) in baseball. It lasted just one pitch, with Holliday grounding out against a 100 mph fastball from Skenes."

-- National prospects reporter Jim Callis

14. Who's a good boy?

"Tucker, the Mariners' clubhouse dog, prowls for treats, friends, mischief and anything in between at Seattle's Spring Training facility. Adopted in 2022 through a shelter in Eastern Washington, Tucker is a ubiquitous presence throughout the season -- but especially in Spring Training, his favorite time of year due to the wide range of freedom and real estate he has to roam in sun-soaked Arizona."

-- Mariners beat reporter Daniel Kramer

15. 'Tuve All Day

"Jose Altuve is one of the most humble players in the game, and he innocently wore a "Tuve All Day" cap while meeting some fans on the field in July."

-- Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart

16. Jazz and Nick on the track

"Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon stop by Quad Studios in New York to record a song together."

-- Marlins beat reporter Christina De Nicola

17. Sox superfans

"Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, two Boston-born actors, swung by Fenway Park to promote their new movie. It was cool to be able to ask both of them questions about the Red Sox. I'm a big fan of them both."

-- Red Sox beat reporter Ian Browne

18. Willie's plaque at Rickwood

"Willie Mays' Hall of Fame plaque was brought from Cooperstown, N.Y., to Birmingham, Ala., where Mays' Giants and the Cardinals played MLB's first regular-season game at Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the country and the site where Mays’ career began in 1948 as a 17-year-old with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Mays passed away two days before that June game, and this plaque on the field was one of many reminders throughout Rickwood and Birmingham that week of his presence and impact."

-- Reporter Betelhem Ashame