1994 in baseball

Year in baseball
this year = 1994

Headline events of the year

As a result of a players' strike, the MLB season ends prematurely on August 11, 1994. No postseason (including the World Series) is played. Minor League Baseball is not affected.

The Yomiuri Giants celebrate their sixtieth anniversary with their eighteenth championship in the Japan Series.

Considered by some to be among history's greatest athletes, Michael Jordan suits up for the Birmingham Barons, the Class AA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. He plays in his first game on April 9, going 0-for-3.

Champions

Top Professional League

*Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Seibu Lions (4-2).
*Series Most Valuable Player: Hiromi Makihara
*Series Fighting Spirit Award: Kazuhiro Kiyohara

Minor League Baseball in the United States -- AAA Leagues

*American Association: Indianapolis Indians
*International League: Richmond Braves
*Pacific Coast League: Albuquerque Dukes

Trivia

*Games 1 and 2 of the Albuquerque-Vancouver PCL Championship Series were seven innings. Because of a rainout September 13, the game was made up as one of two seven-inning games the next day, in compliance with minor league rules regarding doubleheaders.

*Three players in the 1994 Japan Series -- Dan Gladden (Yomuiri), Mike Pagliarulo (Seibu), and Hideki Matsui (Yomiuri) -- played in a World Series (Gladden and Pagliarulo 1991, Matsui 2003). Gladden, who retired after the season, finished his career by becoming another player to win both the World Series and the Japan Series.

*With the influx of American media at the Japan Series, and the Chicago White Sox broadcast crew, the coverage of the championship was Matsui's first brush with American media, and was a breakout year for the player known as "Godzilla," in his second year as a pro.

Other champions

*Caribbean World Series: Tigres del Licey (Dominican Republic)
*College World Series: Oklahoma
*Cuban National Series: Villa Clara over Industriales
*Little League World Series: Coquivacoa, Maracaibo, Venezuela

Awards and honors

*Most Valuable Player
**Frank Thomas (AL)
**Jeff Bagwell (NL)
*Cy Young Award
**David Cone (AL)
**Greg Maddux (NL)
*Rookie of the Year
**Bob Hamelin (AL)
**Raúl Mondesí (NL)
*Manager of the Year Award
**Buck Showalter (AL)
**Felipe Alou (NL)

tatistical leaders

Major League Baseball final standings

National League

Events

*January 12 - Steve Carlton is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, receiving almost 96% of the vote. Orlando Cepeda falls seven votes short of the 75% required for election.

*February 7 - Basketball superstar Michael Jordan signs a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He is invited to spring training with the team as a non-roster player.

*February 15 - Ila Borders becomes the first woman to pitch in a college game. Appearing for Southern California College of Cosa Mesa, she throws a 5-hit game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 12-1.

*February 25 - The Veterans Committee elects Phil Rizzuto and Leo Durocher to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

*April 3 - The Cincinnati Reds forego an opening day for an opening evening; the first time in Major League history that a season opened with a night game instead of a day game.
*April 4 - At Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs outfielder Tuffy Rhodes blasts three home runs on Opening Day victimizing New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden. Rhodes becomes the first player in major league history to hit home runs in his first three at-bats of the season. In spite of Rhodes’ unexpected home run barrage, the Cubs lose the game, 12–8.

*April 8 - At Dodger Stadium, Kent Mercker of the Atlanta Braves no-hits the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0.

*April 27 - At the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Scott Erickson of the Minnesota Twins no-hits the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0.

*June 13 - Ryne Sandberg announces his retirement from the Chicago Cubs.

*July 8 - In a game against the Seattle Mariners, shortstop John Valentin of the Boston Red Sox records the tenth unassisted triple play since 1901. It is the first in the American League in nearly twenty six years; which was also the last time it was accomplished by a shortstop.

*July 12 - Moisés Alou's double in the 10th inning gives the National League an 8-7 victory over the American League in the All-Star Game. The NL is now a perfect 9-0 in extra-inning contests. John Hudek of the Houston Astros becomes the first pitcher in major league history to appear in an All-Star Game before recording a major league victory. Fred McGriff, whose two-run home run in the 9th inning tied the score, takes MVP honors.

*July 14 - Shortstop Ozzie Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals records his 8,017th assist, breaking Luis Aparicio's record for shortstops.

*July 28 - Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers throws the fourteenth perfect game in Major League history.

*August 11 - The final games of the Major League season are played on this date. The next day, the players' strike begins. Minor League Baseball games are not affected.

*September 14 - The owners of the Major League clubs vote 26-2 to officially cancel the remainder of the 1994 season, including the playoffs and World Series. There will be no World Series for the first time since 1904.

*September 20 - Albuquerque ends the professional baseball season in the United States, winning the Pacific Coast League championship.

*October 22 - The Japan Series begins as baseball's professional championship. Reporters from major American newspapers arrive in Japan for their Fall Classic coverage. Ken Harrelson, the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox, calls the Japan Series for US audiences on regional sports networks under the Prime SportsChannel banner.

*October 29 - The Yomiuri Giants win Game 6 of the Japan Series to become professional baseball's world champions. Legend says this is the luckiest of all championship years, as it was the team's sixtieth anniversary, as they are deemed World Champions by some baseball media.

Movies

*"Angels in the Outfield"
*"" (TV)
*"Cobb"
*"" (TV)
*"Little Big League"
*"Major League II"
*"Scout, The"

Deaths

*January 8 - Harvey Haddix, 68, All-Star pitcher best remembered for a 1959 game with the Pirates in which he threw 12 perfect innings before losing in the 13th; won 20 games for 1953 Cardinals and earned three Gold Gloves
*January 9 - Johnny Temple, 66, All-Star second baseman, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds, who batted .300 three times
*January 10 - Chub Feeney, 72, National League president from 1970 to 1986
*January 24 - Pat Crawford, 91, infielder for three different National League teams from 1929 to 1934, including the 1934 World Champions Cardinals
*February 12 - Ray Dandridge, 80, Hall of Fame third baseman of the Negro Leagues who often batted over .350
*March 16 - Eric Show, 37, pitcher who won 100 games for the San Diego Padres and surrendered Pete Rose's record 4,192nd hit
*March 23 - Roger Wolff, 82, knuckleball pitcher for the Athletics, Senators, Indians and Pirates from 1941-47
*May 9 - Ralph Brickner, 69, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1950s
*June 12 - Jim Brock, 57, coach at Arizona State since 1972 who led the school to two College World Series titles
*June 23 - Marv Throneberry, 62, first baseman for the Yankees, Orioles, Mets and Kansas City A's
*July 13 - Jimmie Reese, 93, infielder for the Yankees, Angels, Cardinals and Padres; later a minor league manager and a long-time coach for the Angels
*July 14 - César Tovar, 54, outfielder for the Minnesota Twins who in 1968 became the second major leaguer to play all nine positions in a game; had his team's only hit on five occasions
*July 26 - Roland Gladu, 83, Canadian third baseman for the 1944 Boston Braves
*August 25 - Cliff Garrison, 88, pitcher for the 1928 Boston Red Sox
*September 5 - Hank Aguirre, 63, All-Star pitcher who led AL in ERA in 1962 with the Detroit Tigers
*November 5 - Gene Desautels, 87, spent 19 years as a catcher, including 13 major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics
*December 4 - Russ Scarritt, 91, left fielder for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies from 1919 to 1932, who in 1929 set a still-standing record for a Red Sox rookie with 17 triples in a season
*December 26 - Allie Reynolds, 77, 6-time All-Star pitcher, mainly with the Yankees, who led AL in ERA in 1952 and in strikeouts and shutouts twice; in 1951 was first AL pitcher to throw two no-hitters in same year, and was MVP runnerup in 1952; career .630 winning percentage