1998 in baseball

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The following are the baseball events of the year 1998 throughout the world.

Headline events of the year

Champions

Major League Baseball

  Division Series
Fox/NBC/ESPN
League Championship Series
Fox/NBC
World Series
Fox
                           
  East  New York Yankees 3  
West  Texas Rangers 0  
  East  New York Yankees 4  
American League
  Cent.  Cleveland Indians 2  
Cent.  Cleveland Indians 3
  WC  Boston Red Sox 1  
    AL  New York Yankees 4
  NL  San Diego Padres 0
  East  Atlanta Braves 3  
WC  Chicago Cubs 0  
  East  Atlanta Braves 2
National League
  West  San Diego Padres 4  
Cent.  Houston Astros 1
  West  San Diego Padres 3  

Other champions

Awards and honors

MLB statistical leaders

  American League National League
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Bernie Williams NYY .339 Larry Walker COL .363
HR Ken Griffey, Jr. SEA 56 Mark McGwire STL 70
RBI Juan González TEX 157 Sammy Sosa CHC 158
Wins Roger Clemens TOR
David Cone NYY
Rick Helling TEX
20 Tom Glavine ATL 20
ERA Roger Clemens TOR 2.65 Greg Maddux ATL 2.22

Major league baseball final standings

  • The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league. The Chicago Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3 in a one-game playoff to determine the NL wild card.

Events

January–March

April–May

  • April 1 - The expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays win their first game in franchise history, beating the Tigers 11–8. Fred McGriff has four RBI on three hits.
  • April 2 - By hitting a home run in Colorado's 6–4 win over Arizona at Bank One Ballpark, Rockies outfielder Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums.
  • April 2 - The Milwaukee Brewers win for the first time as a National League team with an 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves in 11 innings at Turner Field in Atlanta. Jeromy Burnitz homers twice, including a tie-breaking grand slam off Atlanta reliever Brian Edmondson in the 11th inning. Mike Myers picked up the win in relief.
  • April 5 - The Arizona Diamondbacks win their first game in franchise history 3–2, over the San Francisco Giants. Andy Benes gets the win for the 5-1 Diamondbacks.
  • April 7 - In the first National League game in Milwaukee since September 22, 1965, the Brewers defeat the Montreal Expos 6-4 at County Stadium. Starter Scott Karl gets the win, Doug Jones gets the save, and Jeromy Burnitz and Jose Valentin both contribute with home runs.
  • April 10 - The Los Angeles Dodgers' Mike Piazza becomes the fifth NL player in history to hit grand slams in consecutive games by homering in a 7–2 win over the Houston Astros. Piazza also homered with the bags full, while driving in six runs, in last night's 7–2 win over Arizona. He'll hit another on April 24 to tie the major-league record for slams in a month.
  • April 13 - The Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey, Jr. slugs two home runs in a 6–5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. In doing so, he becomes the second–youngest player in big league history to reach 300 homers for his career, at 28 years and 143 days. Jimmie Foxx, at 27 years 328 days, was younger.
  • May 3 - The Seattle Mariners' Dan Wilson becomes just the seventh catcher in major league history to hit an inside-the-park grand slam, as Seattle defeats Detroit 10–6. It's a first for the Mariners and the first in the AL since Mike Greenwell did it on September 1, 1990.
  • May 6 - In one of the finest pitching efforts ever, Chicago Cubs rookie right-hander Kerry Wood fans 20 Houston Astros in a 2–0, one-hit victory to tie the major league mark for strikeouts in a 9-inning game. The 20-year-old ties the record held by Roger Clemens, who performed the feat twice. He also eclipses Bill Gullickson's single-game rookie record of 18 strikeouts in 1980. The only Houston baserunners come from an infield single to Ricky Gutiérrez in the 3rd inning and a hit batter. Wood also becomes the second pitcher in baseball history to record a single-game strikeout total equal to his age (in 1936, 17-year-old Bob Feller struck out 17 batters). Wood strikes out the first five batters of the game, and seven in a row between the 7th and 9th innings, tying Jamie Moyer's Cubs record for most consecutive strikeouts.
  • May 11 - In a 4-2 win over Arizona, Kerry Wood strikes out 13 Diamondbacks in seven innings. By doing so, Wood sets a major league record with 33 strikeouts over two consecutive games.
  • May 13 - The Atlanta Braves set an NL record by homering in their 25th straight game, a 10–2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. This ties the major league mark held by the 1941 Yankees and the 1994 Tigers. The streak will be stopped by the Cardinals the next day.
  • May 15 - In one of the biggest trades in recent years, the Dodgers send All-Star catcher Mike Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile to the Florida Marlins in exchange for outfielders Gary Sheffield and Jim Eisenreich, catcher Charles Johnson, third baseman Bobby Bonilla, and pitcher Manuel Barrios. On May 22, the Mets will acquire Piazza from the Marlins in exchange for outfielder Preston Wilson, pitcher Ed Yarnall and a minor league player.
  • May 17 - Yankees pitcher David Wells hurls the 15th perfect game in modern major league history with a 4–0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Wells fans 11 batters in his masterpiece. Bernie Williams strokes three hits for New York, including a home run.
  • May 18 - The Oakland Athletics' Mike Blowers hits for the cycle and drives home four runs in the A's 14–0 win over the White Sox. Blowers become only the 2nd player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
  • May 19 - The Cardinals' Mark McGwire hits three home runs in a game for the 2nd time this season, leading St. Louis to a 10–8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. He is only the 12th player in history to have a pair of 3–HR games in the same season. McGwire drives in six of the Cardinal runs as he reaches the 20 home run mark faster than other player in history.
  • May 20 - The Triple-A Indianapolis Indians perform a feat possibly never before duplicated in professional baseball. In the 5th inning of a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox, Indianapolis players hit for a "Homer Cycle". Pete Rose, Jr. opens the inning with a solo home run, Jason Williams connects for a 3–run shot, Glenn Murray slugs a grand slam, and Guillermo Garcia finishes the scoring with a 2–run blast. The Indians win the game 11–4.
  • May 25 - Cleveland's David Bell becomes the third player in major league history to play against a team managed by his father. Bell's 2–run double brings home the go–ahead run in the Indians 7–4 win over Buddy Bell's Detroit Tigers. Bump Wills and Moisés Alou are the only other players to appear in games against their fathers (Maury Wills and Felipe Alou).
  • May 28 - With Arizona leading the Giants, 8–6, in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded, manager Buck Showalter orders reliever Gregg Olson to intentionally walk Barry Bonds to bring home the Giants' 7th run. It is only the 4th bases–loaded intentional walk in major league history, and the first since Bill "Swish" Nicholson on July 23, 1944.

June–July

August–September

October–December

  • World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 0 over the San Diego Padres. The Series MVP is Scott Brosius, Yankees third baseman. The Yankees end the season with a major league record 125 combined regular season and postseason wins.
  • Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves wins his second National League Cy Young Award in an extremely close vote over two San Diego Padres pitchers: Trevor Hoffman and Kevin Brown. Glavine, who receives 11 first-place votes to Hoffman's 13 (Brown receives the remaining 8), becomes the first National League pitcher since the league instituted its four-vote system in 1970 to win the award despite receiving fewer first-place votes than another player. Glavine tallied 99 points (Hoffman - 88, Brown - 76), with 5 points being awarded for each first place vote, 3 for each second-place vote, 2 for third, and 1 for fourth. Another oddity is the fact that Hoffman, Brown, and Rod Beck (who did not receive a single point in the Cy Young Award voting) finished higher than Glavine in the MVP voting, despite Glavine's Braves finishing with the best record in the National League.[1]
  • November 9 - It is revealed that Hall of Fame pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the progressive, ultimately fatal neurological condition better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
  • November 30 - The Arizona Diamondbacks sign free agent Randy Johnson to a 4-year contract worth approximately $50 million.[2]
  • December 12 - The Dodgers set the salary bar higher by signing free agent Kevin Brown to a 7-year, $105 million contract, the largest in the majors.

Movies

Deaths

January–April

  • January 11 - Joe Becker, 89, catcher for the Cleveland Indians from 1936–37, later a pitching coach for the Dodgers, Cardinals and Cubs
  • January 29 - Anna Mae Hutchison, 72, two-time All-Star pitcher who posted several all-time and single-season records in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • January 30 - Lucille Colacito, 76, AAGPBL catcher for the Kenosha Comets from 1944 through 1945
  • February 5 - Marv Olson, 90, second baseman who played in the early 1930s for the Boston Red Sox
  • February 8 - Betty Foss, 68, All-Star first woman and two-time champion bat in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • February 11 - Mike Fornieles, 66, All-Star relief pitcher for four AL teams who led league in saves in 1960
  • February 18 - Harry Caray, 83, beloved and much-parodied broadcaster for the Cardinals, White Sox and Cubs since 1945
  • March 23 - Joseph Jessup, 83, pitcher in the Negro leagues from 1940 to 1948
  • April 11 - Doris Tetzlaff, 77, infielder and coach during ten seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • April 26 - Gabe Paul, 88, general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Colts .45s, and Cleveland Indians from 1951 to 1973, later part owner of the Yankees
  • April 27 - John Irvin Kennedy, 71, first black player in Philadelphia Phillies history

May–August

  • May 9 - Ray Noble, 79, Cuban catcher in the Negro Leagues, later a reserve with the New York Giants
  • May 16 - Rufino Linares, 47, Dominican left fielder for the Atlanta Braves who hit .298 for 1982 division champions
  • June 4 - Shirley Povich, 92, sportswriter for The Washington Post since 1924
  • June 7 - Tom Buskey, 51, relief pitcher who played from 1973 through 1980 for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays.
  • June 10 - Jim Hearn, 77, All-Star pitcher for the Cardinals and NY Giants who won 17 games for New York's 1951 pennant winners
  • June 21 - Al Campanis, 81, general manager of the Dodgers from 1968 to 1987 who was fired after making racially controversial remarks in a 1987 TV interview; previously a scout for 18 years
  • July 1 - Ed Connolly, 57, pitched in the 1960s for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians
  • July 19 - Elmer Valo, 77, Czech right fielder who batted .300 five times for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics; later a minor league manager and scout
  • July 27 - Bill Tuttle, 69, center fielder for three AL teams who batted .300 for the 1959 Kansas City Athletics
  • August 6 - Jack Brickhouse, 82, broadcaster for the Cubs from 1941–1981, also with the White Sox for over 20 years
  • August 17 - Johnny Lipon, 75, shortstop for the Tigers who scored 104 runs in 1950; later a minor league manager
  • August 17 - Jim Murray, 79, sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times since 1961 who won a Pulitzer Prize and was named the nation's best sportswriter 14 times

September–December

  • September 17 - Chet Hoff, 107, pitcher for the New York Highlanders and St. Louis Browns who became the longest-lived major league player
  • September 30 - Dan Quisenberry, 45, All-Star relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals who led the AL in saves a record five times and posted the first 40-save season in history; held AL career record from 1987 to 1992 and was Cy Young runnerup twice
  • October 2 - Gene Autry, 91, owner of the Angels since their formation in 1961 who hoped in vain for the team's first pennant, watching the team fall achingly short three times
  • October 6 - Mark Belanger, 54, All-Star shortstop and eight-time Gold Glove winner for the Baltimore Orioles, later a players' union official
  • October 10 - Strick Shofner, 79, third baseman for the 1947 Boston Red Sox
  • October 14 - Denny Galehouse, 86, pitcher who won 109 games with the Indians, Red Sox and Browns, and Game 1 of 1944 World Series
  • October 21 - Phil Haugstad, 74, pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds between 1947 and 1952
  • October 30 - George Schmees, 74, first baseman/outfielder/pitcher for the St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox in the 1950s
  • November 10 - Hal Newhouser, 77, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who won back-to-back MVP awards in 1944-45; led AL in wins four times and in ERA and strikeouts twice each; struck out 10 in Game 7 victory in 1945 World Series
  • November 16 - Russ Meyer, 75, pitcher who won over 90 games for the Cubs, Phillies and Dodgers, known as the "Mad Monk" for his fiery temper
  • November 20 - Dick Sisler, 78, All-Star first baseman and left fielder for three NL teams whose closing day home run brought the Phillies the 1950 pennant
  • November 23 - Bob Betts, 70, public announcer at Milwaukee County Stadium for 23 seasons

See also

References