1992 In Baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1992 throughout the world.

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: Toronto Blue Jays over Atlanta Braves (4-2); Pat Borders, MVP

• American League Championship Series MVP: Roberto Alomar
• National League Championship Series MVP: John Smoltz
• All-Star Game, July 14 at Jack Murphy Stadium: American League, 13-6; Ken Griffey, Jr., MVP

Other champions

• Caribbean World Series: Indios de Mayagüez (Puerto Rico)
• College World Series: Pepperdine
• Japan Series: Seibu Lions over Yakult Swallows (4-3)
• Little League World Series: Long Beach, California; title awarded following loss to team from Zamboanga City, Mindanao, Philippines, which was later disqualified
• Summer Olympic Games at Barcelona, Spain: Cuba (Gold), Chinese Taipei (Silver), Japan (Bronze)

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
• Cy Young Award
  • Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Greg Maddux, Chicago Cubs (NL)
• Rookie of the Year
  • Pat Listach, Milwaukee Brewers (AL)
  • Eric Karros, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)
• Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award
  • Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Lee Smith, St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
• Manager of the Year
  • Tony La Russa, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Jim Leyland, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
• Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league): Tammy Felker-White, Portland Beavers, Pacific Coast League

MLB statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

Managers

American League

National League

Events

January–April

• January 2 - The Boston Red Sox sign free agent pitcher Frank Viola.
• January 7 - Pitchers Tom Seaver and Rollie Fingers are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Seaver finishes with a record 98.8% of the votes cast. Pete Rose, ineligible because of his ban from baseball (otherwise this year does not become his first year of eligibility), receives 41 write–in votes.
• January 31 - The Pittsburgh Pirates sign outfielder Barry Bonds to a one-year contract worth $4.7 million, the largest-ever one-year deal.
• February 19 - The Boyfriend episode of Seinfeld debuts on NBC, featuring very special guest star Keith Hernandez.
• February 20 - The Simpsons episode, Homer at the Bat airs featuring guest appearances by Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey, Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, José Canseco, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Scioscia.
• March 2 - Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when he agrees to a four-year contract extension worth $28.4 million.
• March 17 - Pitcher Hal Newhouser and umpire Bill McGowan are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
• March 30 - In one of the biggest cross-town trades in Chicago White Sox, while the Sox send Sammy Sosa to the Cubs.
• April 6 - A crowd of 44,568 sees the Baltimore Orioles defeat the Cleveland Indians 2-0 in the first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Rick Sutcliffe hurls the shutout for Baltimore.

May–August

• May 9 - At Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals come back from deficits of 9-0 and 11-3 to win 12-11 over the Atlanta Braves.^[1]
• March 17 - The Minnesota Twins trade highly regarded prospect pitcher Denny Neagle to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher John Smiley.
• July 6–8 - The Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers play a series of three doubleheaders at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers sweep the first doubleheader, the Expos sweep the second, and the two teams split the third. The doubleheaders are part of a series that had been postponed because of the Los Angeles Riots.
• July 7 - Andy Van Slyke of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the first outfielder in nearly 18 years to record an unassisted double play, in the Pirates' 5–3 win over the Houston Astros. Van Slyke races in from center field to catch a fly ball, then continues in to double up Ken Caminiti, who was running from second base on the play.
• July 14 - The American League pounds out a record 19 hits in defeating the National League by a score of 13–6 in the All-Star Game. It is the AL's fifth straight win. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., who hit a single, a double and a home run, is named the MVP, 12 years after his father Ken Sr. won the same honor.
• August 1 - As was the case last season, Deion Sanders leaves the Atlanta Braves to report for Atlanta Falcons training camp. However, he was able to rework his NFL contract and reported back to the Braves for the postseason.
• August 17 - At Dodger Stadium, Kevin Gross of the Los Angeles Dodgers no-hits the San Francisco Giants 2-0.
• August 28 - The Milwaukee Brewers lash 31 hits in a 22-2 drubbing of the Toronto Blue Jays, setting a record for the most hits by a team in a single nine-inning game. Darryl Hamilton leads the way for the Brewers, going 4-for-7 with 5 RBI.
• August 31 - the Oakland A's trade Jose Canseco to the Texas Rangers in the middle of a game and while Canseco was in the on-deck circle for Rubén Sierra, Jeff Russell and Bobby Witt.

September–December

• September 7 - After receiving an 18-9 no-confidence vote from the owners, Commissioner Fay Vincent is forced to resign. Vincent is soon replaced by Milwaukee Brewers president Bud Selig on what is meant to be an interim basis.
• September 9 - Robin Yount becomes the 17th player to reach 3,000 hits in the Milwaukee Brewers' 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Yount singles to right center off Cleveland's José Mesa in the seventh inning.
• September 20 - Mickey Morandini of the Philadelphia Phillies completes the first National League unassisted triple play in 65 years. It is the ninth in Major League history, but only the second to be pulled off by a second baseman. The Pittsburgh Pirates win the game, however, 3-2..
• September 23 - Bip Roberts of the Cincinnati Reds hits safely in his tenth consecutive at-bat. He ends his streak later in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• September 27 - The Pittsburgh Pirates seal their third consecutive National League East championship with a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets. It is the Pirates' final postseason berth before their 2013 season.
• September 28 - The idle Oakland Athletics clinch their fourth American League West crown in five years when the second-place Minnesota Twins fall to the Chicago White Sox 9-4.
• September 29 - The Atlanta Braves wrap up the National League West with a 6-0 shutout of the San Francisco Giants.
• September 30 - Kansas City Royals collects his 3,000th hit, an infield single off Tim Fortugno in the seventh inning of a 4-0 Royals victory over the California Angels.
• October 3 - The Toronto Blue Jays clinch their second straight American League East title with a narrow 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.
• October 23 - The expansion Florida Marlins hire Rene Lachemann as the team's first manager.
• October 24 - The Toronto Blue Jays clinch their first World Series championship with a 4–3 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 6. Dave Winfield's 2–out, 2–run double in the top of the 11th gives Toronto a 4–2 lead. The Braves score one run in the bottom half of the inning and have the tying run on the 3rd when the final out is made. Jimmy Key wins the game in relief, and Candy Maldonado homers for Toronto. Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders, with a .450 batting average, is named the Series MVP. The Toronto Blue Jays finish the season without being swept in any series. It is the first team from outside the United States to win the World Series.
• October 27 - The expansion Colorado Rockies hire Don Baylor as the team's first manager.
• November 10 - The National League fails to approve the sale of the San Francisco Giants to Vince Naimoli, blocking a move to St. Petersburg, Florida. The 9-4 vote falls short of the 10 required for approval.^[2]
• November 12 - Arbitrator George Nicolau overturns the suspension of New York Yankees pitcher Steve Howe for considering it too severe. After that, Howe is re-signed by the team.
• November 16 - The Colorado Rockies sign free agent first baseman Andrés Galarraga, who rejoins Don Baylor, his hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals. Galarraga is coming off his second injury-plagued year, having missed 44 days of the season after being hit on the wrist by a Wally Whitehurst pitch in the third game of the season.
• November 17 - Major League Baseball holds an expansion draft to stock the rosters of the National League's two new teams, the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies. A total of 72 players are chosen. The best picks for Florida are Trevor Hoffman, eventually packaged for Gary Sheffield; Jeff Conine, and Cris Carpenter, later dealt to the Texas Rangers for Robb Nen. For Colorado, their best picks are Eric Young, Joe Girardi, Vinny Castilla, Armando Reynoso, Andy Ashby, Brad Ausmus, Charlie Hayes and Doug Bochtler. The next season, Ashby, Ausmus and Bochtler will go to the San Diego Padres in an ill-fated deal for pricey veteran pitchers Bruce Hurst and Greg Harris.
• November 22 - Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Pat Listach is named American League Rookie of the Year. Listach, who was recalled on April 7 to replace the injured Bill Spiers, hit a .290 average and also became the first Brewers player to steal 50 bases in a season.
• November 29 - Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott is quoted in the New York Times as saying that Adolf Hitler was initially good for Germany, that her references to "niggers" was in jest, and she couldn't understand why the word "Jap" was offensive. MLB appoints a four-man committee to investigate the controversial Schott.

Movies

• The Babe
• Comrades of Summer, The (TV)
• Diamonds on the Silver Screen (TV)
• It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown (TV)
• League of Their Own, A
• Mr. Baseball

Births

January

• January 31 - Alex Claudio

February

• February 16 - Marco Gonzales
• February 25 - Jorge Soler

March

• March   4 - Nick Castellanos

April

• April 21 - Joc Pederson
• April 22 - Edwin Escobar
• April 25 - Wei-Chung Wang

May

June

• June 19 - Oscar Taveras
• June 29 - Carlos Sánchez

July

• July   1 - Aaron Sanchez
• July   6 - Manny Machado
• July 31 - José Fernández

August

• August   5 - Domingo Santana
• August 13 - Taijuan Walker
• August 15 - Yorman Rodríguez
• August 26 - Maikel Franco

September

• September 17 - José Ramírez

October

• October   1 - Xander Bogaerts
• October   7 - Mookie Betts
• October 16 - Bryce Harper
• October 19 - Samuel Tuivailala

November

• November 15 - Dylan Bundy

December

• December   1 - Javier Báez
• December 11 - Dalton Pompey

Deaths

January

• January   1 – Jean Lovell, 65, who set home runs all-time records for All-American Girls Professional Baseball League catchers both in career and regular season.
• January   1 – Buck Stanton, 85, outfielder for the 1931 St. Louis Browns.
• January   3 – George Meyer, 82, second baseman for the 1938 Chicago White Sox.
• January 11 – Orville Jorgens, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1935 to 1937.
• January 15 – Charlie Gassaway, 73, pitcher who spent three seasons with the Chicago Cubs (1944), Philadelphia Athletics (1945) and Cleveland Indians (1945).
• January 17 – Red Durrett, 70, outfielder for the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers.
• January 18 – Philomena Gianfrancisco, 68, outfielder who played from 1945 through 1948 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
• January 21 – Chuck Rowland, 92, backup catcher for the 1923 Philadelphia Athletics.
• January 30 – Eddie Taylor, 90, third baseman/shortstop for the 1926 Boston Braves.
• January 30 – Coaker Triplett, 80, left fielder for the Cubs, Cardinals and Phillies from 1938–1945, who later posted four .300 seasons with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League, including the 1950 batting title.

February

• February   8 – Fabian Gaffke, 78, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians between 1936 and 1942.
• February   8 – Wally Shannon, 59, middle infielder for the St Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1960.
• February 13 – Byron Humphrey, 80, pitcher for the 1938 Boston Red Sox.
• February 13 – Earl Rapp, 70, outfielder who played with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago WhiteSox, New York Giants, St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators in parts of three seasons spanning 1949–1952.
• February 24 – Betty McKenna, 60, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder in three seasons from 1951 to 1953.
• February 26 – Jean R. Yawkey, 83, majority owner of the Boston Red Sox since 1976.

March

• March   4 – Larry Rosenthal, 81, backup outfielder for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Athletics in part of eight seasons spanning 1936–1945.
• March   8 – Sherman Edwards, 82, relief pitcher for the 1934 Cincinnati Reds.
• March 14 – Glenn Liebhardt, 81, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns in three seasons between 1930 and 1938.
• March 31 – Ken Silvestri, 75, backup catcher who played with three different teams between 1941 and 1951, most prominently for the World Champion 1941 Yankees and the 1950 ′′Whiz Kids′′ Phillies.

April

• April   2 – Dib Williams, 82, middle infielder for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox from 1930 through 1935, and a member of the 1931 Athletics American League champion team.
• April 13 – Steve Shemo, 77, backup infielder for the Boston Braves from 1944 to 1945.
• April 15 – Ralph Weigel, 70, catcher/outfielder who played in part of the three seasons with the Cleveland Indians (1946), Chicago White Sox (1948) and Washington Senators (1949).
• April 20 – Pat Creeden, 85, second baseman for the 1931 Boston Red Sox.
• April 20 – Orval Grove, 72, All-Star pitcher who posted a 63-73 record and a 3.78 ERA for the Chicago White Sox from 1940–1949, while setting a team-record by winning his first nine decisions in 1943.
• April 23 – Deron Johnson, 53, first and third baseman who spent 16 seasons in the majors, while hitting .287 with 32 home runs and a National League-best 130 RBIs for the 1965 Cincinnati Reds, and also a member of the World Series champion Oakland Athletics in 1973.
• April 24 – Elio Chacón, 55, Venezuelan middle infielder who led the New York Mets in stolen bases in their 1962 inaugural season.
• April 25 – Bob Hazle, 61, right fielder for the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Braves and Detroit Tigers in part of three seasons spanning 1955–1958, and a member of the 1957 World Series champion Braves.
• April 27 – Harlond Clift, 79, All-Star third baseman for the St. Louis Browns (1934–1942) and Washington Senators (1942–1945); the first man at his position to hit 30 at least home runs (34, in 1938), who also scored 100 runs seven times, set a record with 405 assists in 1937, and compiled a career-mark of 309 double plays which ranks him 23rd in the MLB all-time list.

May

• May   1 – Celerino Sánchez, 48, Mexican third baseman for the Yankees from 1972 to 1973, who won the 1966 Triple Crown in the Mexican League, also a member of the Mexican and Caribbean Baseball Halls of Fame.
• May   1 – Justin Stein, 80, backup infielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds during the 1938 season.
• May   8 – Joyce Ricketts, 59, two-time All-Star outfielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
• May 10 – Tom Seats, 81, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1940) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1945).
• May 25 – Otto Denning, 79, catcher who played from 1942 through 1943 for the Cleveland Indians, later a minor league manager.
• May 28 – Charley Schanz, 72, hard thrower pitcher whose career extended for 17 seasons (1938–1954), including stints with the Philadelphia Phillies (1944–1947) and Boston Red Sox (1950).
• May 31 – Karl Schnell, 92, relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1922 and 1923 seasons.

June

• June   4 – Cy Young's funeral.
• June 12 – Randy Moore, 85, right fielder for the Chicago White Sox (1927–28), Boston Braves (1930–35), Brooklyn Dodgers (1936–37) and St. Louis Cardinals (1937).
• June 13 – Len Rice, 73, backup catcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1944) and the Chicago Cubs (1945).
• June 15 – Eddie Lopat, 73, All-Star pitcher who combined with Allie Reynolds and Vic Raschi to form the heart of the New York Yankees rotation through five World Series championships from 1949 through 1953, while also leading the American League in both earned run average (2.42) and won-lost percentage (.800) in 1953.
• June 16 – Rita Meyer, 65, shortstop and pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
• June 24 – Vern Curtis, 72, pitcher in parts of three seasons for the Washington Senators between 1943 and 1946.
• June 27 – Sandy Amorós, 62, Cuban left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, best remembered for a spectacular catch in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series.
• June 27 – Frank Jelincich, 74, outfielder who played briefly for the Chicago Cubs in the 1941 season.
• June 27 – Woody Main, 70, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in parts of four seasons spanning 1948–1953.

July

• July   3 – Earl Weaver's Baltimore Orioles staff from 1968 to 1975, while working on the Orioles' three consecutive American League championship teams (1969–1971) and the 1970 World Series champion.
• July 10 – Walt Masters, 85, Canadian pitcher who played for the Washington Senators (1931), Philadelphia Phillies (1937) and Philadelphia Athletics (1939), and also an American football halfback and quarterback in the National Football League during three seasons between 1936 and 1944.
• July 27 – Salty Parker, 80, backup infielder for the 1936 Detroit Tigers, who later posted a 20-year minor league managing record of 920–858 (.517), and also coached for the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles/California Angels, New York Mets and Houston Astros between 1958 and 1972, while serving brief stints as manager of the Mets (1967) and the Astros (1972).

August

• August   5 – Jim Marquis, 91, pitcher who played briefly for the New York Yankees during the 1925 season.
• August   5 – Lefty Wilkie, 77, Canadian pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1941–1942 and again in 1946.
• August 29 – Andy Gilbert, 78, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox in 1942 and 1946, who later became a successfully minor league manager, while posting a record of 2055–1959 (.512) during 29 seasons spanning 1950–1982, which included five League Championships.

September

• September   5 – Ron Davis, 50, fourth outfielder who played from 1962 through 1969 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, while collecting a .233 average with 10 home runs and 79 RBIs in 295 games.
• September   5 – Billy Herman, 83, Hall of Fame second baseman and a 10-time All-Star for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates between 1931 and 1947, who batted a .304 lifetime average, scored 100 runs five times, and led the National League in hits, doubles and triples once each and in putouts seven times, while also managing the Pirates in 1947 and the Boston Red Sox from 1964 through1966.
• September 22 – Aurelio López, 44, All-Star Mexican relief pitcher who posted a 62-36 record with a 3.56 ERA and 93 saves in 11 seasons for the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros, which included two seasons of 21 saves for the Tigers from 1979–1980.
• September 23 – Bernice Gera, 61, who became the first female umpire to officiate a professional baseball game, which took place on June 24, 1972 in the New York-Penn League in Geneva, New York.
• September 27 – Hal Smith, 90, middle-relief pitcher who posted a 12-11 record and a 3.77 ERA in 51 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1932–1935.

October

• October   4 – Augie Prudhomme, 89, pitcher for the 1929 Detroit Tigers.
• October   9 – Mike Guerra, 79, Cuban catcher who played for the Washington Senators, Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox during 10 seasons spanning 1937–1951, and also a manager in the minors and the Mexican and Venezuelan winter leagues.
• October 15 – Jackie Sullivan, 74, second baseman who played in one game for the Detroit Tigers in 1944.
• October 17 – John O'Connell, 88, backup catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928 and 1929.
• October 19 – Atley Donald, 82, New York Yankees pitcher who had a lifetime record of 65-33 for a winning percentage of .663, and also was a member of the 1941 World Series champion Yankees.
• October 20 – Spider Wilhelm, 63, shorstop for the 1953 Philadelphia Athletics.
• October 21 – Joe Dwyer, 89, pinch-hitter in 12 games for the 1937 Cincinnati Reds.
• October 22 – Red Barber, 84, broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees from 1934 to 1966 who, along with pal Mel Allen, earned the Ford Frick Award honors in its first class from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
• October 23 – Lou Rochelli, 73, second baseman in five games for the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers; one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II.
• October 26 – Dottie Green, 71, catcher and chaperone, who participated in all 12 seasons of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

November

• November   3 – Boze Berger, 82, infielder for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox during six seasons between 1932 and 1939.
• November   3 – Chris Van Cuyk, 65, pitcher who played from 1950 through 1952 for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
• November   4 – Andy Varga, 61, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs during the 1950–1952 seasons.
• November   5 – Dick Hahn, 76, backup catcher for the 1940 Washington Senators.
• November   5 – Rod Scurry, 36, middle relief pitcher who posted a 19-32 record with a 3.24 ERA and 39 saves for three teams between 1980 and 1988, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1980–1985.
• November 10 – Chuck Connors, 71, first baseman for the 1951 Chicago Cubs who gained stardom as an actor on the television series The Rifleman.
• November 13 – Johnny Ostrowski, 75, utility outfielder/third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators from 1943 to 1950.
• November 13 – Wally Shaner, 92, left fielder who played from 1923 to 1929 for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.
• November 13 – Claude Wilborn, 80, right fielder for the 1940 Boston Bees.
• November 16 – Gene Schott, 79, pitcher who played from 1935 through 1939 with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers.
• November 27 – Walt Tauscher, 90, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928 and the Washington Senators in 1931, who also won 263 games in the minor leagues and managed at that level for five seasons.
• November 29 – Tuck Stainback, 81, backup outfielder for seven different major league teams from 1934 to 1946, whom single-handedly prevented Carl Hubbell from pitching a perfect game in 1938.

December

• December   1 – Chile Gómez, 91, Mexican infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1935 and 1942.
• December   1 – Sam Lowry, 72, pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1942 and 1943 seasons.
• December 10 – Babe Phelps, 84, catcher for the Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates in a span of 11 seasons from 1931 to 1942, whose .367 batting average in 1936 remains the highest for any major league catcher in the modern era (1901–present).
• December 12 – Rube Walker, 66, backup catcher for the Chicago Cubs and the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, later a longtime pitching coach for the Washington Senators, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, who developed and nurtured the five-man rotation, including the pitching staff of the 1969 Amazin' Mets.
• December 15 – Dick Mulligan, 74, pitcher who played in parts of three seasons with the Washington Senators (1941), Philadelphia Phillies (1946) and Boston Braves (1946–1947).
• December 25 – Ed Donnelly, 60, pitcher for the 1959 Chicago Cubs.
• December 26 - Tom Gorman, 67, relief pitcher who played from 1952 to 1959 for the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Athletics.
• December 28 – Sal Maglie, 75, All-Star pitcher for all three New York teams during the 1950s, whose hardnosed style personified the rivalry between the Big Apple Franchises, while posting a 119-62 record and a 3.15 ERA in 303 career appearances, including National League's top marks in wins (1951) and ERA (1950).

References