1989 Major League Baseball season

February 2024 1989 1989 MLB season Major League Baseball Baseball April 3 – October 28, 1989 162 26 ABC, NBC Draft 1989 Major League Baseball draft Ben McDonald List of first overall MLB draft picks Baltimore Orioles Regular season NL: Kevin Mitchell (SF)AL: Robin Yount (MIL) Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award Postseason 1989 Major League Baseball postseason AL 1989 American League Championship Series Oakland Athletics Toronto Blue Jays NL 1989 National League Championship Series San Francisco Giants Chicago Cubs World Series 1989 World Series Oakland Athletics San Francisco Giants Dave Stewart (OAK) World Series Most Valuable Player Award List of Major League Baseball seasons MLB 1988 Major League Baseball season 1988 1990 Major League Baseball season 1990 The 1989 Major League Baseball season saw the Oakland Athletics win their first World Series title since 1974. The American League saw the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays as the AL West and AL East division winners, respectively. Oakland dominated the entire American League with their second straight season of more than 100 wins (including postseason wins) and looked to be a future dynasty. Complete Book of 1990 Baseball Cards 1990 Publications International, Ltd. 0-88176-804-9 12–13 The Blue Jays, powered by their offense, won their division title in the final weekend of the season. The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants stole the spotlight in the National League, but the Giants proved to be more dominant with a strong hitting presence, while the Cubs extended their streak without a World Series championship to 81 years. Awards and honors Baseball Hall of Fame Al Barlick Johnny Bench Red Schoendienst Carl Yastrzemski 1989 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting +Baseball Writers' Association of America AwardsBBWAA AwardNational LeagueAmerican LeagueRookie of the YearJerome Walton (CHC)Gregg Olson (BAL)Cy Young AwardMark Davis (SD)Bret Saberhagen (KC)Manager of the YearDon Zimmer (CHC)Frank Robinson (BAL)Most Valuable PlayerKevin Mitchell (SF)Robin Yount (MIL)Gold Glove AwardsPositionNational LeagueAmerican LeaguePitcherRon Darling (NYM)Bret Saberhagen (KC)CatcherBenito Santiago (SD)Bob Boone (KC)First BasemanAndrés Galarraga (MON)Don Mattingly (NYY)Second BasemanRyne Sandberg (CHC)Harold Reynolds (SEA)Third BasemanTerry Pendleton (STL)Gary Gaetti (MIN)ShortstopOzzie Smith (STL)Tony Fernández (TOR)OutfieldersEric Davis (CIN)Gary Pettis (DET)Tony Gwynn (SD)Kirby Puckett (MIN)Andy Van Slyke (PIT)Devon White (CAL)Silver Slugger AwardsPitcher/Designated HitterDon Robinson (SF)Harold Baines (TEX)/(CWS)CatcherCraig Biggio (HOU)Mickey Tettleton (BAL)First BasemanWill Clark (SF)Fred McGriff (TOR)Second BasemanRyne Sandberg (CHC)Julio Franco (TEX)Third BasemanHoward Johnson (NYM)Wade Boggs (BOS)ShortstopBarry Larkin (CIN)Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL)OutfieldersEric Davis (CIN)Kirby Puckett (MIN)Tony Gwynn (SD)Rubén Sierra (TEX)Kevin Mitchell (SF)Robin Yount (MIL) Other awards Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: Dave Parker (OAK) Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Gary Carter (NYM). Rolaids Relief Man Award: Jeff Russell (TEX, American); Mark Davis (SD, National). Player of the Month Month American League National League April Fred McGriff Von Hayes May Ron Kittle Will Clark June Rubén Sierra Howard Johnson July Robin Yount Mark Grace August George BellNick Esasky Pedro Guerrero September Paul Molitor Will Clark Pitcher of the Month Month American League National League April Jeff Ballard Mark Davis May Chuck Finley Rick Reuschel June Mark Gubicza Mike Scott July Mike Moore Mark Langston August Bret Saberhagen Tom Browning September Bret Saberhagen Tim Belcher Statistical leaders Statistic American League National League AVG Kirby Puckett MIN .339 Tony Gwynn SD .336 HR Fred McGriff TOR 36 Kevin Mitchell SF 47 RBIs Rubén Sierra TEX 119 Kevin Mitchell SF 125 Wins Bret Saberhagen KC 23 Mike Scott HOU 20 ERA Bret Saberhagen KC 2.16 Scott Garrelts SF 2.28 SO Nolan Ryan TEX 301 José DeLeón STL 201 SV Jeff Russell TEX 38 Mark Davis SD 44 SB Rickey Henderson NYY/OAK 77 Vince Coleman STL 65 Standings start American League Toronto Blue JaysOakland Athletics break National League Chicago CubsSan Francisco Giants end Postseason 1989 Major League Baseball postseason Bracket League Championship Series(ALCS, NLCS) World Series East Toronto West Oakland 1 4 East Chicago Cubs West San Francisco 1 4 AL Oakland NL San Francisco 4 0 Managers American League Team Manager Notes Baltimore Orioles Frank Robinson2nd season as Orioles manager Boston Red Sox Joe Morgan California Angels Doug Rader Chicago White Sox Jeff TorborgFirst season as White Sox manager Cleveland Indians Doc Edwards, John Hart Detroit Tigers Sparky Anderson Kansas City Royals John Wathan Milwaukee Brewers Tom Trebelhorn Minnesota Twins Tom Kelly New York Yankees Dallas Green, Bucky Dent Oakland Athletics Tony La Russa Won World Series Seattle Mariners Jim Lefebvre Texas Rangers Bobby Valentine Toronto Blue Jays Jimy Williams, Cito Gaston Won AL East National League Team Manager Notes Atlanta Braves Russ Nixon2nd season as Braves manager Chicago Cubs Don Zimmer Won NL East Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose, Tommy Helms Houston Astros Art HoweFirst season as Astros manager Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda Montreal Expos Buck Rodgers New York Mets Davey Johnson Philadelphia Phillies Nick LeyvaFirst season as Phillies manager Pittsburgh Pirates Jim Leyland St. Louis Cardinals Whitey Herzog San Diego Padres Jack McKeon San Francisco Giants Roger Craig Won National League Pennant Home field attendance and payroll Team nameWins%± Percent changeHome attendance%± Percent changePer game Average home attendance per gameEst. payroll%± Percent changeToronto Blue Jayshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TOR/attend.shtml Toronto Blue Jays Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com892.3%3,375,88330.1%41,678$16,586,66615.1%St. Louis Cardinalshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com8613.2%3,080,9806.5%37,120$16,078,83321.9%Los Angeles Dodgershttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/attend.shtml Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com77 −18.1%2,944,653 −1.2%36,354$21,071,56222.9%New York Metshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/attend.shtml New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com87 −13.0%2,918,710 −4.5%36,033$19,885,07129.1%Oakland Athleticshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/attend.shtml Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com99 −4.8%2,667,22516.6%32,929$16,314,26553.1%California Angelshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ANA/attend.shtml Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com9121.3%2,647,29113.1%32,683$15,097,83323.2%Baltimore Orioleshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/attend.shtml Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com8761.1%2,535,20852.7%31,299$10,916,401 −24.1%Boston Red Soxhttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/attend.shtml Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com83 −6.7%2,510,0121.8%30,988$18,556,74826.3%Chicago Cubshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/attend.shtml Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com9320.8%2,491,94219.3%30,765$11,918,000 −14.6%Kansas City Royalshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/KCR/attend.shtml Kansas City Royals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com929.5%2,477,7005.4%30,589$18,914,06827.4%Minnesota Twinshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/attend.shtml Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com80 −12.1%2,277,438 −24.9%28,117$16,806,66626.3%New York Yankeeshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/attend.shtml New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com74 −12.9%2,170,485 −17.6%26,796$17,114,375 −16.0%San Francisco Giantshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/attend.shtml San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com9210.8%2,059,70115.4%25,428$15,040,83417.3%Texas Rangershttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TEX/attend.shtml Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com8318.6%2,043,99329.2%25,234$11,893,78186.3%San Diego Padreshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SDP/attend.shtml San Diego Padres Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com897.2%2,009,03133.3%24,803$15,295,00042.6%Cincinnati Redshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/attend.shtml Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com75 −13.8%1,979,320 −4.5%24,436$11,717,00020.8%Milwaukee Brewershttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIL/attend.shtml Milwaukee Brewers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com81 −6.9%1,970,7352.5%24,330$12,716,00033.8%Philadelphia Phillieshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/attend.shtml Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com673.1%1,861,985 −6.4%22,987$10,779,000 −22.5%Houston Astroshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/attend.shtml Houston Astros Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com864.9%1,834,908 −5.1%22,377$15,579,50023.2%Montreal Exposhttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/attend.shtml Washington Nationals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com810.0%1,783,53320.6%22,019$13,807,38937.4%Detroit Tigershttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/attend.shtml Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com59 −33.0%1,543,656 −25.8%19,057$15,669,30416.7%Pittsburgh Pirateshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/attend.shtml Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com74 −12.9%1,374,141 −26.4%16,965$13,992,50096.3%Seattle Marinershttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SEA/attend.shtml Seattle Mariners Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com737.4%1,298,44327.0%16,030$10,099,50030.2%Cleveland Indianshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/attend.shtml Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com73 −6.4%1,285,542 −8.9%15,871$9,894,5006.8%Chicago White Soxhttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/attend.shtml Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com69 −2.8%1,045,651 −6.3%13,071$8,565,4100.3%Atlanta Braveshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/attend.shtml Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors September 8, 2020 Baseball-Reference.com6316.7%984,93016.1%12,467$11,180,334 −14.4% Television coverage This was the last season under the television contracts with ABC and NBC. MLB signed new deals with CBS and ESPN to begin broadcasting games in 1990. Network Day of week Announcers ABC Thursday nights Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Gary Thorne, Joe Morgan NBC Saturday afternoons Vin Scully, Tom Seaver, Bob Costas, Tony Kubek Events January 9 – Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in their first year of eligibility. Bench was named on 96.4 percent of the ballots, the third-highest figure in history at the time behind Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron. February 3 – Bill White, a former MLB player and broadcaster, was elected president of the National League. February 28 – Red Schoendienst, a former second baseman and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Al Barlick, a National League umpire for 28 seasons, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. April 3 – Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. debuts with the Seattle Mariners and hits the first pitch he sees for a double (thrown by Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics). Griffey's father, Ken Griffey Sr., is still active with the Cincinnati Reds, making them the first father-son combination to play simultaneously in Major League Baseball (Griffey, Sr. would join the Mariners the following year, becoming first father/son combo playing in the same Major League game). May 7 – Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley presides over the groundbreaking of the new Comiskey Park. May 28 – George Bell ends the Toronto Blue Jays' twelve-year stay at Exhibition Stadium with a walk-off home run to win the Jays' final game there with a 7–5 win over the Chicago White Sox, the same team the Jays' faced in their first game at Exhibition Stadium and in franchise history twelve years earlier. May 29 – Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies calls a press conference and tearfully announces his retirement, effective immediately. Nonetheless, he will be voted to start the All-Star Game, and is permitted to appear in uniform. June 3 – At the Astrodome, the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers engage in a 22-inning battle lasting seven hours and fourteen minutes, setting a new record for the longest night game in National League history. Houston's ace pitcher Mike Scott, never known for his batting abilities, surprises everyone by coming through with a walk-off sacrifice fly to give the Astros a 5–4 victory. Amazingly, the two teams meet again just hours later and wage another marathon, with Houston once again emerging victorious, 7–6 in 13 innings. June 5 – Just eight days after leaving Exhibition Stadium, the Toronto Blue Jays inaugurate their brand-new home, SkyDome, the first Major League stadium with a fully retractable roof. As in the final game at Exhibition Stadium, George Bell hits a home run, but the Blue Jays fall to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5–3. June 8 – At Veterans Stadium, the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates score 10 runs in the top of the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, three of which come on a Barry Bonds home run. As the Phillies come to bat in the bottom of the first, Pirate broadcaster Jim Rooker says on the air, "If we lose this game, I'll walk home." Both Von Hayes and Steve Jeltz hit two home runs to trigger the comeback for the Phillies, who finally tie the game in the 8th on a wild pitch, then take the lead on Darren Daulton's two-run single and go on to win 15–11. After the season, Rooker conducts a 300-plus-mile charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. June 24 – Vince Coleman of the St. Louis Cardinals broke the major league record of 38 consecutive stolen bases set by Dave Lopes in 1975 by stealing his 39th stolen base against the Pittsburgh Pirates.Vince Coleman 1989 Batting Game Logs https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=colemvi01&t=b&year=1989 2026-05-22 Baseball-Reference.com en July 4 – At Veterans Stadium, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tom Browning, having already pitched a perfect game a year earlier, misses becoming the first pitcher in Major League history to throw two perfect games. Dickie Thon's leadoff double in the ninth breaks up this bid; Thon later scores on a Steve Jeltz single. John Franco then relieves Browning and induces Lenny Dykstra to hit into a game-ending double play for a 2–1 Reds victory. July 5 – Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics hits his 100th career home run. However, the Kansas City Royals come out on top by a score of 12–9 in 11 innings. July 11 – At Anaheim Stadium, Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs lead off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back home runs off Rick Reuschel to spark the American League to a 5–3 win over the National League in the All-Star Game. Jackson earns MVP honors. July 26 – Vince Coleman of the St. Louis Cardinals set a major league record by stealing his 50th consecutive base against the Chicago Cubs. Coincidentally, the streak began on September 16, 1988 also against the Chicago Cubs. Joseph Brian How Rollins' Rare Feat Stacks Up Historically SemHeads.com July 12, 2008 http://www.seamheads.com/2008/07/12/how-rollins’-rare-feat-stacks-up-historically/ October 17, 2010Randhawa Manny Trea made history with 41 consecutive stolen bases https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-consecutive-stolen-base-streaks mlb.com Major League Baseball 26 July 2025 15 April 2025 August 3 – The Cincinnati Reds set a Major League record for the most singles in an inning, with 12 in the 1st inning against the Houston Astros at Riverfront Stadium in an 18–2 victory.Singles – Team Singles Records http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/singles.shtml baseball-almanac.com June 6, 2012 August 4 – Dave Stieb, pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, loses a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning when Roberto Kelly of the New York Yankees doubles and later scores on a single by Steve Sax. Stieb wins a 2–1 two-hitter, but it is the third no-hitter that he has lost in the ninth inning in the past 11 months. August 15 – San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky, making a comeback from cancer in his deltoid muscle, snaps his humerus bone while throwing a pitch to Tim Raines in the sixth inning of a game against the Montreal Expos. The bone had been frozen as part of surgery for his cancer the previous year. Dravecky's cancer would return after the Giants' pennant win, forcing his retirement and the eventual amputation of his arm. August 21 – Cal Ripken Jr. hits his 200th career home run, helping his Baltimore Orioles beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5–0. August 22 – Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers becomes the first (and so far only) pitcher in Major League history to record 5,000 career strikeouts. Ryan whiffs Rickey Henderson in the top of the fifth inning of an eventual 2–1 loss to the Oakland Athletics to reach the milestone. August 23 – The Los Angeles Dodgers and Montreal Expos play a twenty-two inning game without a single base on balls, setting a Major League record which still stands.Los Angeles Dodgers vs Montreal Expos August 23, 1989 Box Score http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=198908230MON Baseball-Almanac.com May 14, 2012 August 24 – Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti announces in a press conference that Pete Rose is banned from baseball for life, in the wake of evidence that has come to light regarding Rose's gambling history. September 1 – Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti unexpectedly dies of a heart attack. September 14 – Jeff Reardon of the Minnesota Twins earns his 30th save of the season in a 2–0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He becomes the first pitcher to save 30 games in five consecutive seasons. September 26 – The Chicago Cubs clinch the National League East division title with a 3–2 win over the Expos in Montreal. September 27 – The Oakland Athletics clinch their second straight American League West title with a 5–0 blanking of the Texas Rangers. September 27 – Despite a 1–0 loss to the arch-rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants secure their second National League West crown in three years when the second-place San Diego Padres lose a 2–1 heartbreaker in 13 innings to the Cincinnati Reds. September 30 – The Toronto Blue Jays win the American League East title with a narrow 4–3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, whom they had overtaken for first place on September 1. October 3 – Kirby Puckett wins an unlikely (at the time) American League batting title, taking advantage of an off-year by Boston's Wade Boggs due to marital issues. Puckett clinches the title in Seattle on a double in the final game of the season, finishing with a final average of .339. October 9 – After 43 years on the air, NBC concludes its run as the #1 over-the-air television broadcaster for Major League Baseball games. Game 5 of the NLCS between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs is the final baseball broadcast shown on the network (it would return to baseball broadcasting five years later, with the establishment of The Baseball Network). October 17 – Game 3 of the World Series is postponed due to the Loma Prieta earthquake, which struck immediately before the game was set to begin. It would be rescheduled for ten days later, on October 27. October 28 – The Oakland Athletics complete a four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, the first Series sweep since 1976. Oakland pitcher Dave Stewart, who won two games, is named MVP. It is also the latest in the calendar year that a World Series game has ever been played up to this point; it was also the last MLB game broadcast by ABC for five years. November 20 – Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Robin Yount is named American League MVP for the second time. With his 1982 MVP Award coming in a year he played shortstop, he becomes the third player to win two such awards while playing different positions, after Hank Greenberg and Stan Musial. Movies Major League Field of Dreams Deaths January 9 – Bill Terry, 90, Hall of Fame first baseman for the New York Giants who batted .341 lifetime and was the last National Leaguer to hit .400 (.401 in 1930); also managed Giants to 1933 World Series title January 21 – Carl Furillo, 66, All-Star right fielder for the Dodgers who batted .300 five times and won 1953 batting title January 22 – Willie Wells, 83, All-Star shortstop of the Negro leagues who combined batting power with excellent defense January 23 – George Case, 73, All-Star outfielder for the Washington Senators who led the AL in stolen bases six times February 17 – Lefty Gómez, 80, Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Yankees who had four 20-win seasons and a .649 career winning percentage; led AL in strikeouts three times and in wins and ERA twice each, and was 6–0 in World Series April 8 – Bus Saidt, 68, sportswriter who covered the Phillies, Mets and Yankees for the Trenton Times since 1967; previously a minor league broadcaster April 16 – Jocko Conlan, 89, Hall of Fame umpire who worked in the National League from 1941 to 1964, including five World Series and six All-Star Games May 17 – Specs Toporcer, 90, infielder for the Cardinals for eight seasons, and the first non-pitcher to wear eyeglasses; later a minor league manager June 8 – Bibb Falk, 90, left fielder who batted .314 with White Sox and Indians; coached Texas to two College World Series titles June 8 – Emil Verban, 73, All-Star second baseman for four NL teams who hit .412 in the 1944 World Series June 15 – Judy Johnson, 89, Hall of Fame third baseman of the Negro leagues who became the major leagues' first black coach, and later a scout July 18 – Donnie Moore, 35, All-Star relief pitcher who never overcame the disappointment from giving up a pivotal home run in the 1986 ALCS August 17 – Fred Frankhouse, 85, All-Star pitcher for the Cardinals, Braves and Dodgers who ended Carl Hubbell's 24-game winning streak in 1937 August 30 – Joe Collins, 66, first baseman for the New York Yankees who hit four World Series homers September 1 – A. Bartlett Giamatti, 51, commissioner of baseball since April, previously NL president since 1986, known for numerous writings on the sport as well as his banishment of Pete Rose References External links 1989 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference Category:Major League Baseball seasons