Baseball – 1984

Baseball in 1984

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January

January 5The Yankees sign veteran free agent Phil Niekro to a 2-year contract‚ giving the club 6 starting pitchers. Dave Righetti will move to the bullpen to ease the logjam and to fill the void that will be left by the departure of Rich Gossage‚ who says he will not re-sign with New York.

The Cubs sign free agent Richie Hebner‚ late of the Pirates.
January 9Braves Pascual Perez is arrested for cocaine possession in his native Dominican Republic. Under local law he will remain in jail until his trial‚ forcing him to miss the beginning of the season. Perez maintains that he was given the packet by a woman he did not know and was unaware of what it contained.
January 10The Baseball Writers’ Association of America elects Luis Aparicio‚ Harmon Killebrew‚ and Don Drysdale to the Hall of Fame.
January 12Rich Gossage signs with the San Diego Padres.
January 20In a move that stuns New York fans‚ the White Sox draft Tom Seaver as compensation for losing Type A free agent Dennis Lamp to the Blue Jays. The Mets left Seaver off their protected list assuming -wrongly-that no team would want to select the aging star‚ who finished 1983 with a 9-14 record and a 3.55 ERA.

Free agent Pete Rose signs a one-year contract with the Expos.
January 30After failing to trade him‚ the Mets give veteran slugger Dave Kingman his release. Kingman hit .198 with 13 home runs last year‚ but will find a new home as Oakland’s designated hitter.

February

February 4The Indians trade 3B Toby Harrah and minor leaguer Rick Brown to the Yankees for P George Frazier‚ OF Otis Nixon‚ and minor leaguer Guy Elston.
February 8One day after losing Type A free agent Tom Underwood to the Orioles‚ the A’s “steal” pitcher Tim Belcher from the Yankees as compensation. The number-one selection in last June’s draft‚ Belcher did not sign with the Twins and was available in the January draft. The Yankees signed him on February 2nd‚ only to lose him because they had already submitted their list of 26 protected players.
February 9The Dodgers waive 2-time NL All-Star Dusty Baker‚ who had vetoed a trade to Oakland during the winter meetings.
February 20Pedro Guerrero becomes the highest-paid Dodger in history‚ signing a 5-year contract that will reportedly pay him $7 million.
February 27The Expos trade Al Oliver to the Giants for pitcher Fred Breining and Max Venable.

March

March 3Peter Ueberroth‚ the highly successful chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the upcoming Summer Games‚ is elected to a 5-year term as commissioner of baseball. Ueberroth will take office on October 1st‚ succeeding Bowie Kuhn.
March 4Two outstanding defensive players‚ SS Pee Wee Reese and catcher Rick Ferrell‚ are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Reese hit .269 in 16 seasons with the Dodgers while Ferrell batted .281 with just 28 home runs in 18 seasons for the Browns‚ Red Sox‚ and Senators.
March 16The Mets sign suspended OF Jerry Martin as a free agent.
March 17Ferguson Jenkins is given his unconditional release by the Cubs. He was 6-9 with a 4.30 ERA last season.
March 18White Sox coach Charlie Lau‚ renowned hitting instructor‚ dies at the age of 50 after a long bout with cancer. Lau‚ whose ML average was .255‚ earned his fame as the Royals batting coach from 1971-78‚ where his star pupil was George Brett.
March 19Denny McLain‚ the last ML pitcher to achieve a 30-win season‚ is indicted on various charges of racketeering‚ loan-sharking‚ extortion‚ and cocaine possession.
March 231B-DH Willie Aikens‚ now with the Blue Jays‚ is released from prison.
March 27The Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier and pitcher Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs for reliever Bill Campbell and catcher Mike Diaz. Matthews was the MVP of the NLCS last season‚ while Campbell led the NL with 82 appearances. Dernier will win a Gold Glove in CF for Chicago and help them reach the playoffs. His 45 steals will be the most by a Cub since 1907.

J. R. Richard is released by the Astros‚ ending his professional baseball career. Richard was 0-2 with a 13.68 ERA in 6 starts for Tucson (Pacific Coast League) last season.
March 30The Yankees trade new author and veteran 3B Graig Nettles to the Padres for rookie P Dennis Rasmussen and a minor leaguer to be named later. Nettles’s controversial book Balls‚ in which he criticizes Steinbrenner‚ will be not be officially published until April 30th‚ but the bound books available now make his days in pinstripes numbered.

April

April 2In Baltimore‚ President Reagan throws out the first pitch‚ just the 3rd President to do so outside of Washington. He then sits in the Baltimore Orioles dugout with owner Edward Bennett Williams for the first inning‚ before exiting. The Orioles beat the White Sox‚ 5-2.
April 3Arbitrator Richard Bloch rules that the Royals Willie Wilson and the Mets Jerry Martin can return to action on May 15th‚ the day their year-long suspensions are first due to be reviewed.

After rain washes out yesterday’s Opener at Royals Stadium‚ Yul Bryner tosses out the first ball and Kansas City opens with a 4-2 win over the Yankees. The threat of snow holds the crowd to just 10‚006. Bud Black‚ with relief help from Quisenberry‚ tops Ron Guidry‚ still winless in Openers. Onyx Concepcion hits Guidry’s first pitch of the game for a homer‚ while Dave Winfield has a two-run homer for New York.
April 7Tigers Jack Morris no-hits the White Sox 4-0 at Comiskey Park‚ walking 6 and striking out 8.

Dwight Gooden allows one run in 5 innings in his ML debut‚ earning the win in the Mets’ 3-2 victory over Houston. At 19‚ he is the youngest NL player.
April 8Tom Seaver makes an inauspicious AL debut‚ allowing 5 runs in 41/3 innings as the Chicago White Sox lose, 7-3, to the Detroit Tigers.

In a 3-1 loss to the Mets‚ Astros SS Dickie Thon is hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch that breaks the orbital bone around his eye. Thon will be operated on April 11‚ but will miss the rest of the season. When he returns‚ the All-Star SS will be plagued with blurred vision and be relegated to a backup role.

In San Diego‚ Ryne Sandberg cracks a 10th inning run-scoring triple to make the score 7-5 over the Pads‚ and then steals home to seal it for the Cubs.

Admitting he has a cocaine problem‚ Pittsburgh’s Rod Scurry checks into a 30-day drug rehabilitation program. He will return to action on May 13th.
April 13Pete Rose lashes a double off Jerry Koosman in a 5-1 Expos victory over the Phillies to join Ty Cobb as the only player to reach 4‚000 career hits.

The red hot Tigers drop 8 runs on the Red Sox in the first inning at Boston as all 3 outs in the frame are made by Lance Parrish. He strikes out and grounds into a DP‚ though he later homers. Boston counters with 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st‚ but Detroit hangs on for a 13-9 win.
April 16Dave Kingman hits 3 home runs-including his 12th career grand slam-and drives in 8 runs in the A’s 9-6 win over the Mariners. It is Kingman’s 5th career 3-HR game‚ one shy of the ML record held by Johnny Mize.
April 17Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Braves pitcher Pascual Perez until May 15th as a result of his off-season drug arrest in the Dominican Republic‚ but an independent arbitrator will overturn the suspension because of lack of evidence.
April 19Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen picks up his first ML victory as the Royals beat the Tigers 5-2. It is the first loss of the season for the red-hot Tigers‚ who began the year 9-0 and will never fall out of first place in the AL East. Dan Petry pitches 8 innings‚ allowing 4 earned runs in the loss.
April 21Montreal’s David Palmer‚ who missed all of the 1983 season following elbow surgery‚ pitches a rain-shortened 5-inning perfect game 4-0 against the Cardinals to give the Expos a doubleheader sweep. It is the 4th perfect game of less than 9 innings in ML history.

At home before 34‚395 fans‚ the Tigers beat the White Sox 4-1‚ ending LaMarr Hoyt‘s personal 15-game winning streak. Dave Rozema pitches six shut out innings for the win‚ while Lou Whitaker has a homer and three runs scored.
April 22The Tigers roll over the White Sox‚ 9-1‚ with Kirk Gibson hitting his 4th homer of the year in the first inning. Juan Berenguer goes 7 innings for the win‚ with Lopez and Hernandez finishing up for Detroit. Chicago finishes up with 1B Mike Squires on the mound for the last batter.
April 24The Tigers score 3 runs in the 9th inning to come from behind and beat the Twins‚ 6-5. Lou Whitaker‘s 2-out single drives home the winner. The rally gives Jack Morris (4-0) his 11th straight win over Minnesota going back to June 1981.
April 27Mike Hargrove’s bases-loaded double in the top of the 19th inning leads Cleveland to an 8-4 win over Detroit in a game that takes 5 hours and 44 minutes to complete. The game at Detroit ends at 1:19 a.m. None of the runs in the 19th are earned as the Tigers make three errors‚ two by Glenn Abbott and a dropped fly by Gibson. It is only the 2nd loss of the season for the 16-2 Tigers.
April 28At Comiskey‚ Boston wins on an error in the 9th‚ 8-7. Jose Cruz homers and drives in 4 runs for Chicago‚ while Jim Rice and Tony Armas homer for Boston. Armas’s clout is a 500 foot blast into the CF bleachers.
April 30In Toronto‚ a game is called on account of wind. Despite gusts up to 60 mph‚ Jays starter Jim Clancy manages to retire the first 2 Rangers before the umps step in and call the game. Clancy was blown off the mound several times. The two will split a twinbill tomorrow.

May

May 2LaMarr Hoyt faces 27 batters in a 3-0 one-hitter against the Yankees. New York’s only hit is Don Mattingly‘s opposite-field blooper in the 7th inning‚ which is followed by a double play.

Cleveland’s Andre Thornton walks 6 times in an Indians win at Baltimore‚ 9-7‚ in 16 innings. Thornton joins Jimmie Foxx (6/16/1938) and Walt Wilmot (8/22/1891) as the only players to receive this many passes in a game.
May 3Bobby Ojeda strikes out a career-high 10 batters and outduels Jack Morris as the Red Sox beat the Tigers 1-0‚ handing Detroit (19-4) a 2nd consecutive loss.

Kansas City first two hitters-Daryl Motley and Pat Sheridan-reach Milwaukee’s Don Sutton for home runs‚ but the Brewers come back to win‚ 6-5‚ in 10 innings. Reliever Tom Tellmann wins when Mark Brouhard strokes a bases-loaded single.
May 4At Minnesota‚ Oakland’s Dave Kingman hits a pop up that collides with the Metrodome‚ 180 feet up‚ and stays there. The ball is dislodged tomorrow. Frank Viola pitches 7 2/3 scoreless innings in the Twins 3-1 win.
May 5At St. Louis‚ Giants reliever Frank Williams makes his lone ML start‚ shutting out the Cards‚ 5-0‚ in 5 innings. It’s an official game‚ making Williams just the 4th and last pitcher this century to throw a shutout in his only ML start.

Baltimore downs the Rangers‚ 7-5 behind Eddie Murray and two pinch homers. Murray is 4-for-5 with a homer and John Shelby and Benny Ayala hit pinch blasts to tie the mark for pinch HRs by teammates.
May 6Cal Ripken hits for the cycle in Baltimore’s 6-1 win over Texas‚ completing the feat with a solo home run in the 9th inning.
May 8Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett collects 4 singles in his first ML game‚ a 5-0 blanking of the Angels. He’s the 9th player in history to collect 4 hits in his first 9-inning game.
May 9The longest-and slowest-game in AL history ends in the 25th inning when Harold Baines homers off Chuck Porter to give the White Sox a 7-6 victory over the Brewers. It is the latest homer in history. The game falls one inning shy of the ML record‚ but takes by far the most time to play: 8 hours and 6 minutes. The contest was suspended yesterday after 17 innings with the score tied 3-3‚ and each team scores 3 more runs in the 21st. The Sox lose a chance to win in the 21st as runner Dave Stegman is touched by 3B coach Jim Leyland‚ which leads to a Sox protest. Tom Seaver pitches the final inning to earn the win‚ then wins the regularly scheduled game as well 5-4. Tom Paciorek of the Sox‚ who sets a ML record as he enters the game in the fourth inning and registers 9 at bats.

Umpire Joe West ejects 2 television cameramen‚ SportsChannel cameramen Al Friedman and Doug Zimmer‚ from Shea Stadium when they allow the Mets to view replays of a controversial play at the plate in which Hubie Brooks is called out. The Mets beat Atlanta‚ 3-1‚ with Ron Darling getting the win.
May 10In the Giants 4-2 loss at Pittsburgh‚ the Giants CF Chili Davis throws out 2 runners in one inning. Dale Berra drives in 3 runs for the winners. Don Robinson‚ relieving in the 8th with the bases loaded and no outs‚ stops SF on no runs.
May 11The Tigers improve their record to 26-4 with an 8-2 win over the Angels and establish a new record for the best 30-game start in ML history‚ eclipsing the Dodgers 25-5 mark in 1955.
May 12Cincinnati’s Mario Soto is one out away from a no-hitter when the Cardinals George Hendrick hits a home run to tie the game 1-1. The Reds then rally for a run in the bottom of the 9th to give Soto a one-hit 2-1 victory.

The visiting Angels and Tommy John stop the Tigers (26-5)‚ 4-2. John goes 9 innings scattering 8 hits to beat Juan Berenguer. Rob Wilfong and Reggie Jackson belt homers with Reggie’s going over the RF roof.

The Giants tip the Expos‚ 8-7‚ but lose 2B Manny Trillo when he is hit on the hand by a Steve Rogers pitch. Trillo will be out 6 weeks with the fracture.
May 13Scott Garrelts pitches 8 innings of scoreless relief‚ striking out 9‚ enabling the Giants to edge the Expos‚ 4-3.
May 15It’s a day for hitting pitchers. Good hitting Tim Lollar leads the way by collecting all 4 RBIs‚ but his Padres lose 6-4. The Cards win 9-1 over the Braves as Joaquin Andujar‚ a poor hitter‚ hits a grand slam. Just before his blast‚ Andujar looked into the Cards’ dugout‚ then gestured to the RF stands.
May 16Steve Carlton lifts a grand slam off Fernando Valenzuela to lead the Phillies to a 7-2 win over the Dodgers.

Catcher Carlton Fisk hits for the cycle in a losing effort as Kansas City tops Chicago‚ 7-6. Fisk’s only triple of the year comes in the cycle and he joins the Pirates Bill Salkeld (1945) as the only catcher this century to hit his lone season triple in a cycle.

The Twins sell 51‚863 tickets to their 8-7 loss to the Blue Jays‚ but only 6‚346 fans show up for the game. The skewed numbers are the result of a massive ticket buyout plan organized by Minneapolis businessman Harvey Mackay to keep the Twins in Minnesota; if the club does not sell 2.41 million tickets this season it can break its lease with the Metrodome. Taking advantage of reduced prices on the Family Day promotion‚ Mackay pays $218‚718 for 44‚166 tickets.

The Orioles release veteran pitcher Jim Palmer‚ who was 0-3 with a 9.17 ERA this season. Palmer is asked to retire and accept a job with the organization‚ but he declines‚ hoping to find a roster spot on another ML team.
May 17In the 3rd inning at Cincinnati‚ Mario Soto strikes out four Cub batters (Tom Veryzer‚ Dick Ruthven‚ Bob Dernier and Ryne Sandberg) enroute to a 5-3 Reds victory. Eric Davis pinch hits for the Reds wearing no number. Like Joe Horlen in 1961‚ the only road uniform available has no number.

In the San Diego Padres 5-4 win over the Montreal Expos, Alan Wiggins steals five bases.

In the San Diego Padres 5-4 win over the Montreal Expos, Padres second baseman Alan Wiggins steals five bases.
May 19The Cards score 6 in the 1st inning in an easy 9-1 win over the Reds. Joaquin Andujar wins his 7th complete game and leads the NL in wins‚ CG‚ and IP. In his ML debut‚ Reds Eric Davis pinch hits wearing no number. Like Joe Horlen in 1961‚ the Reds only available road uniform has no number.
May 20Boston’s Roger Clemens strikes out 7 batters in 7 innings en route to his first ML victory‚ 5-4 over the Twins.
May 23In a rematch against Steve Carlton‚ who hit a grand slam off him on May 16th‚ Fernando Valenzuela strikes out 15 Phillies while pitching the Dodgers to a 3-hit 1-0 victory.

At Anaheim‚ 41‚205 watch as Dan Petry and the Tigers clip the Angels‚ 4-2‚ to run Detroit’s record to 34-5. Detroit has now won 16 straight on the road to tie the AL record of the 1912 Senators. The win goes to Dan Petry (7-1). Losing pitcher is reliever Frank LaCorte‚ who takes his last ML loss when he gives up a two-run homer in the 7th to Lance Parrish. LaCorte will beat the Yankees Phil Niekro on the 29th for his last win.
May 24Detroit (35-5) beats California 5-1 for its 17th consecutive win on the road‚ breaking the AL record set by the 1912 Senators‚ and tying the ML mark set by the 1916 Giants. Jack Morris (9-1) allows 4 hits in 9 innings to win‚ and he is backed by homers from Lance Parrish and Alan Trammell. The Tigers will finally lose tomorrow in Seattle‚ 7-3.

An hour after beating Baltimore 3-2‚ Oakland fires manager Steve Boros and replaces him with coach Jackie Moore. Boros‚ who was criticized as being “too nice‚” had led the A’s to a 20-24 start‚ just 21?2 games off the pace in the weak AL West.
May 25The Texas Rangers coast to an 11-0 win over the White Sox on the strength of Charlie Hough‘s 3-hitter. Tom Seaver takes the loss. The Rangers score 7 times in the 3rd inning as Gary Ward makes all 3 outs with a ground out and a DP.

The Red Sox trade P Dennis Eckersley and minor leaguer Mike Brumley to the Cubs for veteran Bill Buckner‚ who had been benched in Chicago in favor of Leon Durham. Buckner will immediately become Boston’s starting 1B.
May 27At Seattle‚ the Mariners top the Tigers‚ 5-1‚ for their 3rd straight win over the front-runners. The M’s have 14 hits‚ including 5 hit-and-run singles‚ to beat Dan Petry. Mike Young takes the win. The Tigers now lead the Blue Jays and Orioles by 5 games.

At Chicago‚ the Reds edge the Cubs 4-3 in a contest protested by both clubs. Ron Cey belts a 3rd inning blow originally called a homer by umpire Rippley. The Reds argue the call and‚ after an ump conference‚ the ruling is a foul. The Cubs then protest. The umps then huddle with Reds manager Rapp and tell him that P Mario Soto is ejected from the game. Soto charges the field tackling Cubs coach Don Zimmer and then gets re-ejected. Both teams then file a protest.
May 29The Braves overcome a 4-0 deficit to beat the Cubs‚ 7-4‚ but lose 3B Bob Horner‚ who breaks his wrist diving for a ball and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Horner broke the same wrist last year and missed the final 43 games.
May 30Kirk Gibson’s 9th inning homer‚ off Steve McCatty‚ gives the Tigers a 2-1 squeaker over the A’s. Reliever Willie Hernandez is the winner.
May 31Mario Soto is suspended for 5 days by NL president Chub Feeney for his role in a 32-minute melee that marred the Reds-Cubs game on May 27th. After shoving 3B umpire Steve Ripley‚ who had signaled that Ron Cey‘s long ?y ball was a 3-run home run (it was later ruled foul)‚ a bat-wielding Soto then tried to attack a park vendor who had thrown a bag of ice at him. Soto will be suspended again for 5 more days later in the season for his June 16th fight with Claudell Washington.

June

June 1Phillies 1B Len Matuszek has no putouts in a 12-3 loss to the Cubs. It is the 18th time in ML history a first baseman has done this.

At home against the Orioles‚ the Tigers slap Scott McGregor for six runs in the 2nd and coast to a 14-2 win. Dan Petry tosses six shutout innings and Alan Trammell‚ Chet Lemon and Lance Parrish go deep to thrill the 47‚252 fans.
June 4The New York Mets select 17-year-old Shawn Abner with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft. Thirteen members of the U.S. Olympic team are drafted in the first round‚ including Mark McGwire by the A’s with the 10th pick.

The Tigers break a 3-3 tie in the 10th when Dave Bergman golfs a three-run homer into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium. Bergman had fouled 7 pitches off Roy Lee Howell before connecting. Howard Johnson had a three run homer in the 7th to account for the other half of Detroit’s scoring.
June 6A fan‚ Anthony Perry‚ dies when he falls from the upper deck of Candlestick Park following a Giants-Braves game. Witnesses say Perry was leaning over the railing and shouting at the Giants‚ who had just lost 5-4 in 11 innings.
June 9Greg Luzinski becomes the 10th player in ML history to hit grand slams in consecutive games when he connects off the Twins Mike Walters in the 7th inning of an 8-4 White Sox victory. The previous day‚ Luzinski sparked the Sox to a 6-1 win with a first-inning grand slam off Frank Viola.

Pete O’Brien’s bizarre sacrifice ?y gives Texas a 4-3‚ 12-inning win over Oakland. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 12th‚ A’s left fielder Garry Hancock catches O’Brien’s deep ?y ball‚ then intentionally drops it when he realizes he is in foul territory. The umpires rule that the catch had been made‚ however‚ and Wayne Tolleson trots home from 3B with the winning run.

For the second time in a week‚ Orioles Mike Flanagan beats the Tigers‚ this time shutting them‚ 4-0‚ out on 7 hits. The Tigers stay in front by 5 1/2 games.
June 10The Cubs add a 9th inning insurance run on a triple steal to beat the Cardinals’ Joaquin Andujar 2-0. Leon Durham steals home‚ while Jody Davis takes 3B and Larry Bowa goes to 2B.

At Baltimore the Tigers sweep two from the O’s‚ winning 10-4 and 8-0‚ before 51‚764 fans. Kirk Gibson has six hits and six RBIs in the two games‚ while Alan Trammell and Howard Johnson each have 5 hits. Lou Whitaker scores 5 runs in game 1. Reliever Doug Bair wins the opener and Dan Petry allows just 3 hits in the nitecap win. Detroit now leads by 7 games.
June 12White Sox 1B Coach Dave Nelson declares his love. At the end of the bottom of the 5th in a 6-1 loss to the Angels‚ Nelson trots out to the coaching box as Diamond Vision flashes the message “Will you marry me?” Nelson then walks over his fiancee Kathy Gutknecht‚ sitting in the first base box‚ and presents her with a ring.
June 13In a deal that will pay off in the short run with an NL East Championship‚ the Cubs trade outfielders Mel Hall and Joe Carter and minor leaguer Darryl Banks to the Indians for P George Frazier‚ C Ron Hassey‚ and P Rick Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe will go 16-1 for the Cubs the rest of the season and win the NL Cy Young Award. Because Cubs GM Dallas Green neglected to renew waivers on Hall and Carter‚ the status of the trade is in doubt for a while‚ and the two will not play for a week.
June 15The Cardinals trade 3B Ken Oberkfell to the Braves for pitcher Ken Dayley and 1B Mike Jorgensen. Oberkfell was leading St. Louis with a .309 batting average.

Seattle Mariners rookie lefthander Mark Langston strikes out 12 batters, including seven consecutively, in a no decision against the Texas Rangers. Seattle wins, 4–3, in the 9th.
June 17At Yankee Stadium‚ with one out in the 8th inning‚ Gary Roenicke hits a grand slam for the O’s‚ as they beat New York‚ 6-2. Mike Flanagan benefits‚ but he’s not the only winner as the home run makes Anne Sommers of College Park‚ MD a million dollars. Ms. Sommers had entered the Equitable Bank’s Sweepstakes.

Al Oliver and Jeff Leonard hit RBI singles in the 15th inning to give the Giants a 5-3 win over the Padres. Olivers tied the game in the 8th with an RBI single.
June 18With 40‚315 on hand in Detroit‚ Phil Niekro (10-3) stops the Tigers on 3 hits‚ 2-1. Kirk Gibson‘s homer in the first is the only score‚ while Don Mattingly‘s double in the 5th drives in the game-winner for New York.
June 20Dave Kingman hits his 3rd grand slam of the season in the first inning of the A’s 8-1 win over Kansas City. Kingman’s 14 grand slams are the most among active players.

At Detroit‚ Yankee reliever Jose Rijo goes 1-7 when he serves up a 2-out three-run homer to Howard Johnson in the 13th inning. Detroit wins‚ 9-6. Alan Trammell‚ Lance Parrish‚ and Chet Lemon also hit homers for the Tigers‚ who draw their 3rd straight 40‚000+ crowd.
June 21Oakland’s Carney Lansford goes 0-for-5 against Detroit‚ snapping his 24-game hit streak. The streak is an Oakland record and the longest AL skein of the year. Lansford will collect hits in next 11 games.

At Minnesota‚ the Indians Neal Heaton twirls a 3-hitter to win‚ 7-0. He’s helped by a 3-run homer from his batterymate Willard‚ and solo homers from Butler and Thornton. Umpire Ken Kaiser ejects Pat Majeske‚ a video operator for the Minnesota Twins‚ for tipping pitches.

Baseball players and owners agree to penalties for use of cocaine. Amphetamines‚ marijuana and alcohol are not included in the agreement.
June 22In a teary home plate ceremony before the Twins-White Sox game at the Metrodome‚ Calvin Griffith and his sister‚ Thelma Haynes‚ sign a letter of intent to sell their 52 percent ownership of the Twins to Minneapolis banker Carl Pohlad for $32 million. Griffith and his sister had been involved with the franchise since 1922‚ when they were adopted by owner Clark Griffith when the team was the Washington Senators.

Rick Monday‚ baseball’s first-ever first pick in the June free-agent draft (by the Kansas City A’s in 1965) is released by the Dodgers‚ ending a 19-year ML career.
June 23At Wrigley Field‚ in game that will be known as the Sandberg game‚ the Cubs Ryne Sandberg goes 5-for-6 with game-tying home runs off Cardinals relief ace Bruce Sutter in both the 9th and 10th innings. He drives in 7 runs to lead Chicago to a 12-11 win in 11 innings. It is the first time Sutter has given up two HRs to the same batter in the same game. Dave Owens’ base-loaded single wins it. Willie McGee hits for the cycle and drives in 6 runs in a losing cause.
June 24Oakland’s Joe Morgan hits his 265th career home run as a 2B‚ breaking Rogers Hornsby‘s ML record for that position. Morgan‚ who has 267 home runs overall‚ connects off Frank Tanana in the first inning of the A’s 4-2 win over Texas.

After missing two starts‚ Jack Morris (12-3) stops the Brewers‚ 7-1. Ruppert Jones and Lance Parrish hit homers for the Tigers‚ who have now drawn 165‚000 fans for the 4-game series with Milwaukee. Detroit now leads the AL East by 8 1/2 games.

At the Dome‚ Tim Teufel‘s bloop single in the 9th inning with 2 on turns into an inside-the-park homer when it bounces over the head of Harold Baines to give the Twins a 3-2 win over the White Sox. Rich Dotson is the unlucky loser. The Twins Bush had an IPHR in yesterday’s 4-3 win over Chicago.



At San Francisco, the Cardinals sweep a pair from the Giants, winning 4–3 and 5–1. This is the last regularly scheduled July 4th doubleheader this century.
June 25At Yankee Stadium‚ Dave Winfield hits 5 singles and drives in 4 runs to lead New York to a 7-3 win over Detroit. Ron Guidry (6-5) is the beneficiary of Winfield’s hitting. Dave is now hitting .750 against Detroit this year. Winfield has three five-hit games this month‚ tying a record set by Ty Cobb.

Eddie Milner hits his secondd straight leadoff homer for the Reds to lead the Reds to a 2-1 win over the host Giants. Milner’s leadoff dinger yesterday was not enough as the Reds lost‚ 8-3‚ in 13 innings.
June 26Pirates Jason Thompson hits a pair of home runs in each game of a doubleheader split with the Cubs. The Pirates take the opener‚ 9-0 behind Rick Rhoden‘s 4 hitter‚ and lose the nitecap‚ 9-8.
June 27In the 3rd inning against the Reds‚ Giants OF Dusty Baker swipes second‚ third‚ and home‚ garnering three of his 4 season steals. Baker swipes 2B‚ and the next batter walks‚ then gets caught in a rundown. Dusty steals 3B during the rundown and just keeps running home. San Francisco wins 14-9‚ with Chili Davis adding a pinch grand slam in the 5-run 5th. Randy Lerch wins with a 1/3 inning of relief.
June 28Dwight Evans hits a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to complete the cycle and give Boston a 9-6 win over Seattle.
June 29Twins rookie Andre David hits a 2-run home run off Jack Morris in his first ML at bat to spark Minnesota to a 5-3 win over Detroit before 44‚619. It is the only home run David will hit in the big leagues and stops Morris’ 11-game win streak over the Twins. Detroit win the nitecap‚ 7-5‚ as Kirk Gibson starts the scoring with a 2-run homer in the 1st and ends it with a two-run homer in the 9th. The Tigers also score in the second on back to back homers by Chet Lemon and Ruppert Jones.

Pete Rose plays in his 3‚309th ML game‚ surpassing Carl Yastrzemski as the all-time leader. Rose goes 0-for-5‚ but Montreal beats Cincinnati 7-3.

In a shootout‚ the Rangers gets back-to-back homers from Bell and O’Brien in the 5th‚ and the Indians answer with back-to-back-to-back homers from Thornton‚ Hall and Willard to tie a ML mark for most homers in an inning by two teams. Brook Jacoby’s single in the 13th gives the Tribe a 13-12 victory.

In Los Angeles‚ Steve Sax hits a 1st inning triple‚ then swipes home‚ and Orel Hershiser scatters 9 hits to lead the Dodgers past the Cubs and Rick Sutcliffe 7-1. Hershiser will not miss another start until he injures his shoulder in 1990‚ and Sutcliffe will not lose again in the regular season.

July

July 1Minnesota’s Frank Viola stops the Tigers‚ 9-0 on 4 hits in front of 53‚484 at Detroit. Kent Hrbek has three hits‚ including a homer‚ and 4 RBIs.

Royals Paul Splittorff‚ whose 166 victories in 13 seasons are the most in club history‚ retires.
July 2At Arlington Stadium, the Yankees take a 5–0 lead after three innings despite having three runners thrown out at bases in the first inning. Texas comes back to win, 7–6.
July 4Phil Niekro strikes out 5 batters in the Yankees 5-0 win over Texas to become the 9th pitcher in ML history to record 3‚000 career strikeouts.

Jim Rice caps a 5-for-6 day with a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Boston a 13-9 win over Oakland.
July 5Down 4-1 with 2 outs in the 9th‚ the visiting Tigers score six runs to beat the Rangers‚ 7-4. Lou Whitaker‘s bases loaded single scores two‚ Trammell’s single scores another‚ and Gibson seals it with a three run shot down the RF line. Charlie Hough is the loser‚ while reliever Aurelio Lopez goes 7-0.
July 10On the 50th anniversary of Carl Hubbell‘s legendary 5 consecutive strikeouts in the 1934 All-Star Game‚ NL pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combine to fan 6 batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record in the NL’s 3-1 triumph. After Valenzuela whiffs Dave Winfield‚ Reggie Jackson‚ and George Brett in the 4th inning‚ Gooden‚ the youngest All-Star ever at age 19‚ fans Lance Parrish‚ Chet Lemon‚ and Alvin Davis in the 5th.
July 13At Minnesota‚ Detroit tops the Twins‚ 5-3‚ when Lou Whitaker bloops an inside-the-park homer to win it. Detroit sends it to extra innings when RF Kirk Gibson throws out Tim Teufel at home with two out in the 9th. Willie Hernandez (5-0) is the winner.
July 14Roger Clemens allows a single in the first against the Mariners‚ then gives up a leadoff HR in the 2nd to Al Cowens and leaves in the 3rd after allowing 8 hits. The Mariners beat the Red Sox‚ 5-4.
July 15Dennis Eckersley tops the Dodgers‚ 4-1‚ to move the Cubs a half-game behind the Mets in the NL East. Fernando Valenzuela is the loser.

The Mets lose 8-3 to Atlanta‚ as Dwight Gooden takes the loss.
July 19Orel Hershiser pitches his 3rd straight shutout for the Dodgers‚ striking out 9 in a 10-0 two-hitter at St. Louis.
July 20Trailing 3-1 entering the 9th inning‚ Toronto scores 11 times and hangs on to beat Seattle 12-7.
July 22At Detroit‚ Dave Bergman hits a lead off homer for the Tigers‚ and they score another on a wild pitch h to beat the Rangers‚ 2-0. Charlie Hough goes all the way for Texas‚ while Dave Petry (13-4) is lifted with one on‚ two out in the 9th. Hernandez retires Pete O’Brien for the win. Detroit (66-29) leads the East by 9 games.
July 23Angels Mike Witt strikes out 16 Mariners in a 7-1 victory.
July 26San Diego’s Tony Gwynn goes 3-for-4 in an 8-2 win over Cincinnati to raise his batting average to .362‚ best in the majors. Gwynn will finish the season at .351 to win his first NL batting title.

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces that free-agent pitcher Vida Blue will be suspended for the remainder of the season as a result of his conviction on cocaine possession charges last November.

The Expos trade P Andy McGaffigan and minor leaguer Jim Jefferson to the Reds for 1B Dan Driessen. Driessen will take over for Rose at 1B.
July 27Pete Rose collects his 3‚053rd career single off Steve Carlton in the 7th inning of Montreal’s 6-1 win over Philadelphia‚ passing Ty Cobb as baseball’s all-time singles king.

The Red Sox and Tigers almost match shutouts‚ as the Tigers win 9-1 and the Red Sox come back‚ 4-0. Rich Gedman‘s 9th inning homer in the opener off Dan Petry is the only Sox score. Wade Boggs lines 4 hits and Bob Ojeda allows just 3 hits in the nitecap to win.

At LA‚ Gary Redus singles in the 1st and 9th‚ the only hits given up by Bob Welch as the Dodgers beat the Reds‚ 1-0. Hume loses on an unearned run in the 6th.
July 29The first two Phillies batters-Juan Samuel and Von Hayes-greet Montreal’s Bill Gullickson with home runs. Hayes adds another homer and the Phils win on a 2-run pinch homer by John Matuszek in the 9th‚ 6-4.
July 30At San Diego‚ Dave Dravecky allows one hit-a double to Bill Russell in the 7th-as the Padres rout the Dodgers‚ 12-0.

August

August 1Cleveland’s Steve Farr wins his 2nd game against 7 losses‚ allowing 2 Tiger hits in 6 1/3 innings‚ as the Indians win‚ 4-2. George Vukovich clubs two homers for Cleveland.
August 2Divine intervention? The Cubs edge the Expos‚ 3-2‚ with the help of an “immaculate deflection” by reliever Lee Smith. With runners on 1B and 3B‚ pinch hitter Pete Rose laces a line drive towards CF that hits Smith’s glove‚ then bounces off his shoulder and hip to SS Dave Owen‚ who turns it into a DP. The win‚ coupled with the Mets loss to the Pirates‚ puts the Cubs 1 1/2 games ahead in the NL East.
August 3Brewers reliever Rollie Fingers (23 saves‚ 1.96 ERA) undergoes back surgery to alleviate a herniated disk and will miss the remainder of the season.
August 4The Yankees win their 8th straight‚ 4-0‚ over the Indians on Lou Piniella Day at Yankee Stadium. Sweet Lou played his final game less than to months ago in an 8-3 win over the Orioles. Ray Fontenot allows one hit in 5 2/3 innings for the win‚ and Brian Dayett has a double and 2 RBI. Victor Mata hits his lone career homer.
August 5Toronto’s Cliff Johnson hits his 19th career pinch home run‚ breaking the ML record of 18 he had shared with Jerry Lynch. Johnson’s 8th-inning blast gives the Blue Jays a 4-3 win over the Orioles.

Frank Robinson‚ who had led his club to a 42-64 record‚ is fired as manager of the Giants and will be replaced Danny Ozark.

The Royals sweep two from the first-place Tigers‚ winning 5-4 and 5-0‚ in the first of three straight doubleheaders for Detroit. KC takes the opener when Dane Iorg bloops a double over Ruppert Jones’s head in left. Charlie Leibrandt wins the nitecap with relief help from Quisenberry in the 9th.
August 6The Tigers and Red Sox split‚ with Detroit outslugging Boston in the opener‚ 9-7‚ and Boston replying‚ 10-2. Aurelio Lopez (8-0) wins game one in relief as Chet Lemon and Lance Parrish each hit homers and drive in three runs. Marty Barrett has four hits for the Sox in the opener and Boggs does the same in the nitecap. Two of his hits are homers to fuel Roger Clemens to his 6th win.
August 7Bill Buckner and Tony Armas each hit grand slams in the first two innings off Tigers ace Jack Morris to spark the Red Sox to a 12-7 victory in the first game. Detroit takes the 2nd game 7-5 in 11 innings‚ after scoring a run in the 9th to tie. Lance Parrish‘s two-run homer ends it and Aurelio Lopez goes 9-0.

The White Sox and Yankees split a double header with Chicago’s 6-3 triumph in game 1 stopping New York’s 8-game win streak. LaMarr Hoyt is the winner. Ron Guidry strikes out 13 to win the nitecap‚ 7-0. He finishes with a flourish‚ striking out the side on 9 pitches in the 9th.

The Cubs sweep a pair from the visiting Mets‚ winning 8-6 and 8-4. Rick Sutcliffe (9-1) beats Ron Darling (10-5) in the opener‚ benefiting from a 6-run 5th inning. Keith Moreland hits a 3-run HR and Cey a 2-run shot in the 5th. A 5-run 4th in game 2 propels Chicago to the win for reliever Tim Stoddard. Lee Smith notches his 25th save.
August 8The Cubs tighten their grip on first place in the NL East with a 7-6 win over the Mets at Wrigley Field‚ completing a 4-game series sweep. Keith Moreland leads the way with 3 hits and 4 RBIs. Hubie Brooks is 4-for-4 with 4 runs for New York. Davey Johnson gets tossed in the 7th after Bob Dernier gets hit by a pitch‚ a continuation of yesterday’s beanballing. Cubs manager Jim Frey follows Johnson in the 9th when Smith throws behind George Foster.

Veteran P Don Sutton ends Milwaukee’s 10-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Royals. Sutton also passed the 100 strikeout mark for the 19th straight season‚ a ML record.
August 12Harmon Killebrew‚ Rick Ferrell‚ Don Drysdale‚ Pee Wee Reese‚ and Luis Aparicio are inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown‚ New York.

In one of the ugliest brawl-filled games in ML history‚ the Braves beat the Padres 5-3 in Atlanta. The trouble begins when Atlanta’s Pascual Perez hits Alan Wiggins in the back with the first pitch of the game‚ and escalates as the Padres pitchers retaliate by throwing at Perez all 4 times he comes to the plate. All in all‚ the game features 2 bench-clearing brawls‚ the 2nd of which includes several fans‚ and 19 ejections‚ including both managers and both replacement managers. Padres manager Dick Williams will be suspended for 10 days and fined $10‚000‚ while Braves manager Joe Torre and 5 players will each receive 3-game suspensions. But the brawl in Atlanta‚ as Dave Campbell observed‚ “woke the Padres up out of their doldrums.”
August 13At Cooperstown‚ the Tigers beat the Atlanta Braves‚ 7-5.
August 15After a 51/2 year absence‚ Pete Rose is reunited with his hometown Cincinnati Reds when the Expos trade him for infielder Tom Lawless. The Reds immediately name him player-manager‚ replacing Vern Rapp.

The Tigers cuff Tommy John for ten hits in 6 innings to beat the Angels‚ 8-3. Dan Petry (15-5) scatters 8 hits in 8 innings‚ and Dave Bergman backs him with two triples and three RBIs. With Cleveland beating Toronto twice‚ the Tigers lead is now 9 games.
August 17At Detroit‚ the Tigers draw 36‚496 to break their attendance mark of 2.031‚847 set in 1968. They also top the Mariners‚ 6-2‚ behind Milt Wilcox. Alan Trammell returns to SS for the first time in 39 games and adds two hits.
August 18Detroit’s Juan Berenguer goes 8 1/3 innings and strikes out 12 to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Mariners. Kirk Gibson drives in three runs with his 20th homer of the year‚ and becomes the first Tiger ever to reach 20-20 in homers and steals. Gibson’s homer is his 15th game-winning RBI this year.
August 20The Giants trade veteran 1B Al Oliver‚ whom they acquired from Montreal in February‚ and pitcher Renie Martin to the Phillies for P George Riley and minor leaguer Kelly Downs.
August 21Red Sox rookie Roger Clemens strikes out 15 and walks none as Boston whips Kansas City 11-1.

At Detroit‚ Lance Parrish cracks a first-inning grand slam‚ off Larry Sorensen‚ and the Tigers drive by the A’s‚ 12-6. Milt Wilcox goes six innings for the win.
August 24Despite allowing just one hit-an RBI single to Dave Parker in the 7th inning-Pittsburgh’s Jose DeLeon loses to the Reds 2-0. DeLeon walks 3 and strikes out 8 but is beaten by Jeff Russell‚ who tosses a 3-hitter of his own.

The Giants sweep a pair from the Mets with reliever Frank Williams winning both games. He totals 3 innings of work.
August 26In Anaheim‚ the Tigers use the long ball to beat the Angels‚ 12-6. Kirk Gibson has two homers and 4 runs scored‚ Marty Castillo‚ hits a homer and scores three times‚ and Chet Lemon belts his first grand slam ever. Tommy John goes just 2 2/3 innings in losing to Milt Wilcox (15-7). Detroit leads the East by 12 games.

Frank White leads off the bottom of the 16th with a single‚ but one out later gets picked off 2nd base. Greg Pryor then smacks a game-ending HR as Kansas City beats Chicago‚ 6-5.
August 27Dave Kingman hits a double and homer to help Oakland score 7 runs in the 7th inning‚ but that’s all the A’s score in losing to the Yankees‚ 7-6. Bobby Meacham has 2 homers‚ including the game winner in the 8th‚ to back Dave Righetti‘s relief win. Bill Caudill loses.
August 29In Seattle‚ Mark Langston stops the Tigers on two hits and strikes out 12 to win‚ 5-1. Ken Phelps three-run homer in the 5th is the big blow.

At Chicago‚ Rick Sutcliffe (13-1) wins his 11th straight as the Cubs beat the Reds‚ 7-2. Bull Durham drives in 3 runs to pace the Bruin offense.

At Montreal‚ Bob Brenly hits an inside-the-park homer to lead off the 11th inning and gives the Giants a 4-3 win over the Expos. His line drive tips off CF Tim Raines‘ glove and rolls to the wall. The Giants tie the game with 2 outs in the 9th on an error by 3B Wallach. An odd occurrence happens in the game when Youppi‚ the Montreal Expos mascot‚ is ejected.
August 30In a 9-3 win over the Twins‚ Red Sox slugger Jim Rice grounds into his 33rd double play of the season to break the ML record set by Jackie Jensen in 1954. By season’s end‚ Rice will extend his new record to 36.

Bill Virdon is fired as manager of the Expos and will be replaced by Jim Fanning.
August 31Milwaukee‚ down 7-2 to Texas to start the bottom of the 9th‚ scores 6 runs capped by Buddy Bell‘s game-ending grand slam off Pete Ladd to give Texas a 7-6 victory.

September

September 1Two weeks after being given a vote of confidence by club owner George Argyros‚ Mariners manager Del Crandall is fired and replaced by 3B coach Chuck Cottier.
September 3Bruce Sutter breaks the NL record for saves in a season with his 38th in the Cardinals’ 7-3 win over the Mets.
September 5Cal Ripken’s first-inning error lets in a score‚ and that’s it as the Tigers beat Baltimore‚ 1-0. Juan Berenguer (8-9) is the winner with Willie Hernandez picking up his 28th save. Mike Flanagan goes all the way in the loss. Detroit’s magic number is now 15.

At San Francisco‚ Nolan Ryan pitches 8 innings‚ striking out 8 in beating the Giants‚ 4-1. Ryan strikes out Giants Chili Davis to nudge ahead of Carlton in all time strike outs.
September 7Dwight Gooden pitches a one-hitter and strikes out 11 in a 10-0 rout of the Cubs. The only hit is Keith Moreland‘s slow roller in the 5th inning‚ which 3B Ray Knight fields but can’t get out of his glove. Gooden’s 11 strikeouts give him 236 for the season‚ breaking the NL rookie record set by Grover Alexander in 1911. For Gooden‚ he will win another 9 straight over the Cubs‚ lose‚ then win 12 straight.

In the Braves’ 5-4 loss to the Giants‚ pitcher Pascual Perez steals home in the 4th on the front end of a double steal with Thompson. This Perez’ only career steal. He leaves in the 7th and Garber takes the loss with Grant the victor. The next pitcher to swipe home will be Rick Sutcliffe‚ in 1988.

Down 4-0 in the 8th‚ the Tigers score 4 runs-three on a homer by Kirk Gibson-to tie the Blue Jays in Toronto. In the 10th‚ Dave Bergman cracks a 3-run homer and the Tigers win‚ 7-4. Willie Hernandez (9-2) wins with 3 innings of shutout relief. The Tigers lead the AL East by 9 1/2 games.
September 8The Yankees break a 4-4 tie with 2 runs in the 6th to roll over the Red Sox‚ 12-6. Toby Harrah paces the 15-hit attack with 4 hits‚ and Dave Winfield one of the game’s 12 doubles to extend his hitting streak to 20 games‚ which is and will be a career high. Joe Cowley (7-) is the winner.
September 11At Baltimore‚ the Tigers cut their magic number to 7 with a 9-2 clipping of the Orioles. Darrell Evans has 4 hits including a homer. Larry Herndon follows Evans homer with one of his own‚ while Kirk Gibson has 3 hits and his 27th steal. Dan Petry wins his 17th. The Tigers pass the two million mark in road attendance tonight and become the fifth team in AL history to go over that mark at home and on the road.
September 12Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 Pirates in a 2-0 victory to break Herb Score‘s ML rookie strikeout record of 245. Gooden now has 251.
September 14Rookie Mark Langston (15-9) becomes the first Mariner to win 15 games in a season by beating the Royals 2-1 on a 5-hitter.
September 17Reggie Jackson hits his 500th career home run in the 7th inning off Bud Black‚ but the Royals beat California 10-1 to move into first place in the AL West. Jackson is the 13th player in ML history to hit 500 home runs.

Harold Baines slugs 3 home runs to lead the White Sox to a 7-3 win over the Twins and drop Minnesota into 2nd place in the AL West.

Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 batters for the 2nd straight start to tie the ML record of 32 strikeouts in consecutive games‚ but balks home the winning run in the 8th inning of a 2-1 loss to the Phillies. It is Gooden’s 5th straight outing with 10 or more strikeouts.
September 18The Tigers clinch the AL East championship with a 3-0 win over the Brewers as starter Randy O’Neal records his first ML win. Detroit becomes the 4th team this century to be in first place every day of the season‚ joining the 1923 Giants‚ the 1927 Yankees‚ and the 1955 Dodgers.

Tim Raines becomes the first player in ML history with 4 consecutive 70-stolen-base seasons by stealing 4 in Montreal’s 7-4 win over St. Louis.
September 20The Padres clinch their first NL West title since entering the league in 1969 with a 5-4 win over the Giants. The key blow is winning pitcher Tim Lollar‘s 3-run home run‚ his 3rd home run of the season.

The first-place Cubs break 2 million in home attendance for the first time as 33‚651 watch them lose to Pittsburgh 7-6.

The Orioles roll over the visiting Red Sox‚ 15-1. Ken Singleton paces the Birds with a grand slam‚ off Al Nipper‚ for his 246th and last career HR. His previous two homers were also grand slams‚ the last coming on September 1st.
September 21Rookie Jim Traber makes his debut in Baltimore‚ first by singing the national anthem before the Red Sox game‚ then by DHing. The Red Sox are unimpressed‚ clipping the Orioles 8-0. Traber had sung the national anthem a number of times before minor league games.
September 23Sparky Anderson becomes the first manager ever to win 100 games in a season with 2 different clubs as the Tigers beat the Yankees 4-1. Anderson had led the Reds to 100-win seasons in 1970‚ 1975‚ and 1976.
September 24Rick Sutcliffe pitches a 2-hitter in a 4-1 win over Pittsburgh to clinch the NL East title for the Cubs‚ who will be making their first post-season appearance since 1945. The win is Sutcliffe’s 14th in a row. Sutcliffe strikes out 9 Bucs‚ including Joe Orsulak for the final out.
September 25Red Sox manager Ralph Houk‚ 65‚ announces he will retire at the end of the season.

At Shea‚ the Mets Rusty Staub homers to become the second player to homer as a teenager and also at the age of 40. Ty Cobb is the only other. Staub’s blast‚ a 2-run pinch homer climaxes a 4-run 9th inning as the Mets beat Philley‚ 6-4.
September 26Philadelphia’s Juan Samuel breaks Tim Raines‘s record for steals by a rookie with his 72nd in a 7-1 loss to the Mets. Raines had set the record of 71 in the strike-shortened 1981 season. The 2nd place Mets are the first team to finish above .500 and score fewer runs than their opponents in a full season since the 1932 Pirates.
September 27Before a crowd of 2‚803‚ the smallest crowd in Montreal history‚ the Expos trim the Cards‚ 6-3. Paced by back-to-back homers by Carter and Driessen‚ the Expos score 6 in the 4th. The Spos will draw 3‚613 on Sept. 4‚ 2001‚ their next smallest crowd. In Joey Hesketh’s 7-0 shutout over the Mets‚ tomorrow‚ the crowd will be 12‚164.

The Indians top the Twins‚ 4-3‚ on a 2-out pinch solo homer in the 9th by Jamie Quirk. Ron Davis serves up the game-winner to Quirk‚ whose contract was purchased 3 days ago from the Chicago White Sox. For Quirk‚ it will be his only at bat in a Cleveland uniform during his one-week stint: the Tribe will release him on October 1 when the season ends.
September 28Bruce Sutter ties the ML record with his 45th save of the season in the Cardinals 4-1‚ 10-inning win over the Cubs. Starter Joaquin Andujar (20-14) allows 2 hits over 9 innings to win his 20th game.

Kansas City clinches the AL West title with a 6-5 win over Oakland. The Royals are the first ML team to finish in the top spot and score fewer runs than their opponents. The only other AL team to finish above .500 with fewer runs than the opposition was the 1948 Philadelphia A’s.
September 30On the final day of the regular season‚ California’s Mike Witt fans 10 and needs just 97 pitches to complete a perfect game 1-0 over Texas. Witt’s gem is the first 9-inning perfect game in Angels history and the first in the major leagues since Len Barker‘s in 1981.

In the dramatic race for the AL batting title‚ Don Mattingly goes 4-for-5 in the Yankees season-ending 4-2 win over the Tigers to edge teammate Dave Winfield .343 to .340. Winfield goes 1-for-4.

The 7th-place Brewers end their season with a 4-0 win over the Blue Jays‚ and manager Rene Lachemann bows out. Lachemann had been fired earlier in the week but stayed on till the finish. George Bamberger will return as manager of the Brewers.

The ML umpires announce that they will go on strike at the 2 LCS scheduled to begin October 2nd in an effort to improve their pay and job security and to change the method by which post-season assignments are determined. ML officials say the games will go on as scheduled using amateur umpires if necessary.

Phillies interim manager Paul Owens resigns following a season-ending doubleheader loss to the Pirates and will move into the club’s front office. Coach John Felske will succeed Owens as manager next season.

Padre Eddie Miller and Dodger Tony Brewer hit homers today in their last major league at bats. Miller’s 9th-inning four bagger‚ his only career homer‚ comes in a 4-3 loss to Atlanta’s Pascual Perez‚ while Brewer‚ the 1984 PCL bat champ‚ homers in LA’s 7-2 win over the Giants.

October

October 1Peter Ueberroth begins his 5-year term as commissioner of baseball.

Braves manager Joe Torre is fired by owner Ted Turner and replaced by Eddie Haas. Atlanta was 80-82 this season‚ 12 games behind the first-place Padres.
October 2In the first LCS game played with replacement umpires‚ the Cubs clobber the Padres 13-0 to take a 1-0 lead in the NL series. Chicago hits 5 home runs at Wrigley Field‚ including one by starting pitcher Rick Sutcliffe‚ and another by Bob Dernier to lead off the game.

The ALCS opens with a convincing 8-1 Tiger trouncing of KC.
October 3Steve “Rainbow” Trout scatters 5 hits and Lee Smith slams the door in the Cubs’ 4-2 victory over the Padres.

The Royals rally with RBI pinch hits in the 7th and 8th innings‚ but John Grubb’s 2-run double in the 11th gives the win to the Tigers 5-3.
October 4The Padres take a lead in an NLCS game for the first time‚ and they go on to down Chicago‚ 7-1.
October 5In game 3‚ Milt Wilcox and Willie Hernandez combine on a 1-0 three-hitter to give the Tigers a 3-game sweep of the Royals in the ALCS.
October 6Steve Garvey’s 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning gives San Diego a 7-5 win over Chicago and evens the NLCS at 2-2.
October 7The striking ML umpires return to work in time for game 5 of the NLCS‚ and San Diego rallies for 4 runs in the 7th inning to beat Chicago 6-3 and earn its first trip to the World Series.
October 9The Tigers win the WS opener as Jack Morris pitches a complete-game 3-2 victory. Larry Herndon‘s 2-run HR in the 5th is the margin.

Despite being offered another one-year contract‚ Angels manager John McNamara resigns. He will be named manager of the Red Sox on the 18th.
October 10Reliever Andy Hawkins allows just one hit in 5 1?3 innings to give San Diego a 5-3 win in game 2.
October 12San Diego pitchers tie the WS record by issuing 11 walks in a 5-2 loss to the Tigers in game 3. Detroit leads the Series 2-1.
October 13In game 4‚ Jack Morris wins again 4-2. A pair of 2-run HRs by Allan Trammell provide all the Motor City scoring.
October 14Series MVP Kirk Gibson blasts 2 upper-deck home runs at Tiger Stadium in game 5‚ including a 3-run shot off Rich Gossage in the 8th inning‚ to lead Detroit to an 8-4 win and its first World Championship since 1968.
October 16Gene Mauch‚ who resigned as the Angels’ manager after the 1982 season‚ is hired again.
October 23Rick Sutcliffe‚ who was 16-1 for the Cubs after arriving from Cleveland 2 days before the June 15th trading deadline‚ is a unanimous choice as NL Cy Young Award winner. Overall‚ Sutcliffe was 20-6 with a 3.64 ERA.
October 30Tigers reliever Willie Hernandez wins the AL Cy Young Award‚ edging fellow reliever Dan Quisenberry of the Royals. Hernandez was 9-3 with 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA.

The Giants name Jim Davenport manager for the 1985 season.

November

November 6Willie Hernandez wins the AL MVP Award‚ joining Rollie Fingers as the only relief pitchers to be named MVP and Cy Young Award winner in the same season. Kent Hrbek is 2nd with Dan Quisenberry third. Boston’s Tony Armas is the 7th‚ despite winning the home run and RBI titles; the last player to lead in those categories and not win was Ted Williams.
November 13Ryne Sandberg wins the NL MVP Award‚ becoming the first Cubs player to do so since Ernie Banks in 1959. Sandberg hit .314 with 19 home runs and 32 stolen bases and led the NL in runs (114) and triples (19). He’s a triple and homer short of being the first with 200 hits‚ 20 HRs‚ 20 triples‚ 20 doubles‚ and 20 steals.
November 20Four days after his 20th birthday‚ Mets P Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest player ever to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Gooden was 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA and a ML-leading 276 strikeouts.
November 22Seattle’s Alvin Davis easily wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award over Mark Langston and Kirby Puckett.
November 27The 1984 AL Gold Glove team is announced‚ and it is made up of the same 9 players as the 1983 team: C Lance Parrish‚ 1B Eddie Murray‚ 2B Lou Whitaker‚ 3B Buddy Bell‚ SS Alan Trammell‚ OFs Dwight Evans‚ Dave Winfield‚ and Dwayne Murphy‚ and P Ron Guidry.

December

December 5The A’s send base-stealing OF Rickey Henderson and P Bert Bradley to the Yankees in exchange for Ps Jay Howell and Jose Rijo‚ OF Stan Javier‚ and minor leaguers Tim Birtsas and Eric Plunk. On the same day‚ the Yankees trade C Rick Cerone to the Braves for P Brian Fisher.
December 6The White Sox trade 1983 AL Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt and 2 minor leaguers to the Padres for P Tim Lollar‚ IF-OF Luis Salazar‚ and minor leaguers Ozzie Guillen and Bill Long. SS Guillen will win the AL Rookie of the Year Award next season and hold down the Sox shortstop spot till the end of the 1990s. Workhorse Hoyt will be out of baseball in two years‚ amidst rumors of drug use.
December 7In a straight trade‚ the Mets send P Walt Terrell to the Detroit Tigers for 3B Howard Johnson. Hojo will start for 8 years in New York. Terrell will have 6 seasons in Detroit‚ interrupted by stays with 4 other teams.
December 10Expos catcher Gary Carter becomes the 3rd All-Star caliber player in 5 days to be traded‚ going to the Mets in exchange for IF-OF Hubie Brooks‚ C Mike Fitzgerald‚ OF Herm Winningham‚ and minor league P Floyd Youmans.
December 11OF Fred Lynn‚ a free agent‚ signs a 4-year contract with the Orioles.
December 12St. Louis sends slugger George Hendrick and a minor leaguer to the Pirates for P John Tudor and Brian Harper. Tudor‚ at 12-11‚ was the ace of the Bucs’ staff‚ which set a record by having the NL’s best ERA‚ though the team finished last. The 35-year-old Hendrick will play just a half season in the Iron City before going to California.
December 27Free-agent pitcher Ed Whitson‚ 14-8 for the Padres‚ begins a nightmarish association with the Yankees by signing a 5-year‚ $4.4 million contract.
December 31Despite 6 weeks of negotiations‚ the Basic Agreement between the players and owners that was reached after the 1981 strike expires. The players are now seeking increased contributions to their pension plan from the clubs’ additional television revenues‚ while the owners are hoping to slow the rapid growth of player salaries.