Jump to content

1994 World Series: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
SNIyer12 (talk | contribs)
60,297 edits
SNIyer12 (talk | contribs)
60,297 edits
Line 19: Line 19:
When reacting to the strike's cancellation of the season, the first words many people on the Yankees, including Owner [[George Steinbrenner]], General Manager [[Gene Michael]], and Manager [[Buck Showalter]] all said was that they all felt bad for Mattingly, saying that he deserved a postseason.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sympathy For Season Of Promise|last=Jacobson|first=Steve|newspaper=Newsday|date=September 11, 1994|page=17|quote='Some guys deserve the reward," Michael said... 'More than anybody on this ballclub, Donnie does.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Steinbrenner doubts season can be saved|last=Bodley|first=Hal|newspaper=USA Today|date=September 13, 1994|page=7C|quote='I'm so sad for Don Mattingly (who has never been in the postseason),...I feel so badly for that kid.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=End Is Near Boss stays solid behind Bud, owners|first=Jon|last=Heyman|newspaper=Newsday|date=September 14, 1994|page=A70|authorlink=Jon Heyman|quote='I feel so sorry for Don Mattingly. That really hurts me. Here's a guy who's given everything he had to get to the postseason. He and {Wade} Boggs and {Jimmy} Key were the leaders, who helped get them a {{frac|6|1|2}}-game lead.' However, Steinbrenner later said, in talking about Mattingly, 'They're grown men. They're part of the strike. They walked out. They were pretty cocksure of certain things. He knew what they were doing. They made the decision to walk. They struck. We didn't lock them out.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Frey|first=Jennifer|title=Finally, an October to Savor for 'Donnie Baseball'|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 8, 1995|page=D9|quote=Buck Showalter...sat at home in admitted misery...ached for Mattingly, the one player he believed deserved a postseason more than anyone else in the game.}}</ref> Mattingly had led active players in both games played and at bats without playing in the postseason.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnson|first=Richard A.|last2=Stout|first2=Glenn|coauthors=Johnson, Dick|title=Yankees Century: 100 Years of New York Yankees Baseball|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|year=2002|isbn=0-618-08527-0|page=386}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mattingly Blames Both Sides|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 16, 1994|page=B11|quote=Mattingly...logged more career at-bats (6,545) without a playoff appearance than any other active player.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mattingly's career has hole|last=Haudricourt|first=Tom|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=May 8, 1995|page=C5|quote=No active player in the major leagues has gone longer without a post-season appearance.}}</ref>
When reacting to the strike's cancellation of the season, the first words many people on the Yankees, including Owner [[George Steinbrenner]], General Manager [[Gene Michael]], and Manager [[Buck Showalter]] all said was that they all felt bad for Mattingly, saying that he deserved a postseason.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sympathy For Season Of Promise|last=Jacobson|first=Steve|newspaper=Newsday|date=September 11, 1994|page=17|quote='Some guys deserve the reward," Michael said... 'More than anybody on this ballclub, Donnie does.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Steinbrenner doubts season can be saved|last=Bodley|first=Hal|newspaper=USA Today|date=September 13, 1994|page=7C|quote='I'm so sad for Don Mattingly (who has never been in the postseason),...I feel so badly for that kid.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=End Is Near Boss stays solid behind Bud, owners|first=Jon|last=Heyman|newspaper=Newsday|date=September 14, 1994|page=A70|authorlink=Jon Heyman|quote='I feel so sorry for Don Mattingly. That really hurts me. Here's a guy who's given everything he had to get to the postseason. He and {Wade} Boggs and {Jimmy} Key were the leaders, who helped get them a {{frac|6|1|2}}-game lead.' However, Steinbrenner later said, in talking about Mattingly, 'They're grown men. They're part of the strike. They walked out. They were pretty cocksure of certain things. He knew what they were doing. They made the decision to walk. They struck. We didn't lock them out.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Frey|first=Jennifer|title=Finally, an October to Savor for 'Donnie Baseball'|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 8, 1995|page=D9|quote=Buck Showalter...sat at home in admitted misery...ached for Mattingly, the one player he believed deserved a postseason more than anyone else in the game.}}</ref> Mattingly had led active players in both games played and at bats without playing in the postseason.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnson|first=Richard A.|last2=Stout|first2=Glenn|coauthors=Johnson, Dick|title=Yankees Century: 100 Years of New York Yankees Baseball|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|year=2002|isbn=0-618-08527-0|page=386}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mattingly Blames Both Sides|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 16, 1994|page=B11|quote=Mattingly...logged more career at-bats (6,545) without a playoff appearance than any other active player.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mattingly's career has hole|last=Haudricourt|first=Tom|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=May 8, 1995|page=C5|quote=No active player in the major leagues has gone longer without a post-season appearance.}}</ref>


The 1994 strike contributed to Mattingly's retirement<ref name="WorldSeries">{{cite news|last=Amore|first=Dom|title=IMAGINE: BUCK'S YANKEES, BUT NOT [[Derek Jeter|JETER]]'S|newspaper=[[The Hartford Courant]]|date=May 15, 2005|page=E8}}</ref><ref name="94Yankees">{{cite news|last=Costello|first=Brian|title='94 YANKS CUT SHORT|newspaper=[[New York Post]]|date=August 8, 2004|page=58}}</ref> and [[Buck Showalter]] leaving as manager.<ref name="Strike"/><ref name="WorldSeries"/> Mattingly suffered from various injuries and coupled with the strike, it ended his career after the [[1995 New York Yankees season|1995 season]].<ref name="WorldSeries"/>
The 1994 strike contributed to Mattingly's retirement<ref name="WorldSeries">{{cite news|last=Amore|first=Dom|title=IMAGINE: BUCK'S YANKEES, BUT NOT [[Derek Jeter|JETER]]'S|newspaper=[[The Hartford Courant]]|date=May 15, 2005|page=E8}}</ref><ref name="94Yankees">{{cite news|last=Costello|first=Brian|title='94 YANKS CUT SHORT|newspaper=[[New York Post]]|date=August 8, 2004|page=58}}</ref> and Showalter leaving as manager.<ref name="Strike"/><ref name="WorldSeries"/> Mattingly suffered from various injuries and coupled with the strike, it ended his career after the [[1995 New York Yankees season|1995 season]].<ref name="WorldSeries"/>


==Playoffs==
==Playoffs==

Revision as of 20:11, 16 October 2012

File:1994 World Series.gif

The 1994 World Series was canceled on September 14 of that year due to an ongoing strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association, which had begun on August 12. It was only the second time in the event's history (the first was in 1904) that the Fall Classic was not played.

Overview

Montreal Expos

The Montreal Expos of the National League, at 74–40, and the New York Yankees of the American League, at 70–43, held the best records in their leagues at season's end. The Montreal Expos could have tried to win the third consecutive World Series for a Canadian team after the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993. An All-Canadian World Series featuring the Expos and the Blue Jays would have been very unlikely, with the defending champion Blue Jays slumping to a third place finish and a 55–60 record at the cancellation of the season, 16 games behind the Yankees.

Some, such as the then-majority owner of the Expos, Claude Brochu, in his book My Turn at Bat, blamed the strike for the ultimate demise and relocation of the Montreal Expos.[1] Several sports publications have speculated Montreal would have won the Series[2] had it been played. The team was forced to trade many of its players to deal with the loss of revenue following the strike, and never again reached the same level of success it had in 1994.

That season was Felipe Alou's chance to finally manage a team in the World Series. The Expos averaged 72 victories over the next six seasons (their best seasons after 1994 were an 88 win season in 1996 and an 83 win season in 2002) and Alou was fired in 2001.[1] After the 2004 season, the team moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees had the best record in the American League and the team's captain, Don Mattingly, could have been in the postseason for the first time during his 13-year career. The Yankees were last in the postseason when they last went to the World Series, in 1981, the last time there was a significant players' strike,[3] and last won a World Series in 1978. Throughout October, the news media talked about what might have been for the Yankees if there had not been a strike, making references to the days games in the post-season would have been played.[4][5]

Because the Yankees were last in a postseason in a season interrupted by strike, they had to endure constant media reminders of the parallels between the two Yankee teams, (1981 and 1994) which included both Yankee teams having division leads taken away by strike. (The 1981 season was broken into two halves due to the 1981 strike and all 1st half champions made it to the postseason).[3][6] Throughout October, the news media speculated what might have been for the Yankees if there had not been a strike, making references to the days games in the post-season would have been played.[7]

When reacting to the strike's cancellation of the season, the first words many people on the Yankees, including Owner George Steinbrenner, General Manager Gene Michael, and Manager Buck Showalter all said was that they all felt bad for Mattingly, saying that he deserved a postseason.[8][9][10][11] Mattingly had led active players in both games played and at bats without playing in the postseason.[12][13][14]

The 1994 strike contributed to Mattingly's retirement[15][16] and Showalter leaving as manager.[1][15] Mattingly suffered from various injuries and coupled with the strike, it ended his career after the 1995 season.[15]

Playoffs

This was to have been the first year of a regularly scheduled three-tier playoff system, as the NL and AL were divided into three divisions (East, Central, and West) at the start of the 1994 season. (An unscheduled three-tier system was used in 1981 due to the season being shortened by a mid-season labor dispute.) The new playoff system (involving a wild card team in each league) did not go into effect until the 1995 postseason. Had the postseason taken place coinciding with team records on August 11, the division series would have been laid out as follows:

Template:Baseballplayoffsbracket1994-2011

Atlanta Braves' run of division titles

Because division champions from 1994 are unofficial, the Atlanta Braves are officially credited with winning 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005, winning the NL West in the final three years of the two–division system and then winning 11 consecutive NL East titles from 1995-2005. However, at the time of the season's cancellation, the Braves were in second place in the NL East at 68–46, six games behind the Montreal Expos. The 11 titles from 1995-2005 would nonetheless be an MLB record, and the Braves had a 2½-game lead over the Houston Astros for the NL wild card at the time of the season's cancellation. However, had the unplayed remainder of the 1994 season seen the Braves miss the playoffs, the Major League record for consecutive playoff appearances would now belong to the New York Yankees, who had 13 straight postseason appearances from 1995 to 2007 (and possibly 1994 would have made it 14, with the streak starting a year earlier).

"Unofficial" champions

The Associated Press writers, at the end of the aborted season, chose to name "unofficial" champions when naming their Managers of the Year as Felipe Alou and Buck Showalter, who were leading when the season abruptly ended. Traditionally, the next season's All-Star Game managers are the league champions. Because of the strike, the leagues chose to name their unofficial champion managers to the traditional honor.

Television coverage

Had the 1994 World Series been played out, it would have aired on ABC. Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver and Lesley Visser would have, in all likelihood, served as the commentators. The 1994 season marked the first year of what would have been a six-year-long joint venture with Major League Baseball, ABC, and NBC called "The Baseball Network." In even-numbered years, ABC would cover the Division Series and World Series, while NBC would cover the All-Star Game and League Championship Series. Likewise, in odd-numbered years, NBC would cover the Division Series and World Series, while ABC would cover the All-Star Game and LCS.

Home field advantage

The 1994 World Series was supposed to have the AL champion open at home for the second year in a row because the playoffs were expanded, including the new wild-card round.[4][17] Up to 1994, the NL champion opened the World Series at home in even-numbered years, with the AL champion doing so in odd-numbered years, with this then being reversed starting 1995 because of the missed 1994 World Series. From 1995-2002, the NL champion had home field advantage in odd-numbered years, and AL in even-numbered years. Beginning in 2003, the league that won the All-Star Game had its champion open the World Series at home.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Curry, Jack (August 26, 2002). "Lost Games, Lost Dreams". The New York Times. p. D1.
  2. ^ "What If 1994 Was Played Out?". What if Sports?.
  3. ^ a b Curry, Jack (August 7, 1994). "BASEBALL; Flashback to '81: Another Lead, Another Strike". The New York Times. p. A1.
  4. ^ a b Lupica, Mike (October 22, 1994). "Empty Feeling". Newsday. p. A42. The World Series was supposed to start tonight. It was supposed to start in the American League city for the second year in a row.
  5. ^ O'Connell, Jack (April 25, 1995). "FINISHING WHAT THEY STARTED". The Hartford Courant. p. G2. In the lengthy and uncertain off-season, an unfair anointing was bestowed on the Yankees. To emphasize the sense of loss with no World Series, many columnists kept referring to the dates in October when the Yankees might have played a Series game. This kind of reference occurred so often, fans may have gotten the idea the Yankees were a lock for the Series. An unforseen stumble on the way to the playoffs or in one of the newly expanded rounds of postseason play was out of the question.
  6. ^ Kawakami, Tim (August 10, 1994). "'81, '94 Yankees Both Winners but Worlds Apart in Personality". The Los Angeles Times. p. C2. Those who followed the 1981 New York Yankees...can't help but notice potential similarities with this year's first-place Yankee club.
  7. ^ O'Connell, Jack (April 25, 1995). "Finishing What They Started". The Hartford Courant. p. G2. In the lengthy and uncertain off-season, an unfair annointing was bestowed on the Yankees. To emphasize the sense of loss with no World Series, many columnists kept referring to the dates in October when the Yankees might have played a Series game. This kind of reference occurred so often, fans may have gotten the idea the Yankees were a lock for the Series. An unforeseen stumble on the way to the playoffs or in one of the newly expanded rounds of postseason play was out of the question.
  8. ^ Jacobson, Steve (September 11, 1994). "Sympathy For Season Of Promise". Newsday. p. 17. 'Some guys deserve the reward," Michael said... 'More than anybody on this ballclub, Donnie does.'
  9. ^ Bodley, Hal (September 13, 1994). "Steinbrenner doubts season can be saved". USA Today. p. 7C. 'I'm so sad for Don Mattingly (who has never been in the postseason),...I feel so badly for that kid.'
  10. ^ Heyman, Jon (September 14, 1994). "End Is Near Boss stays solid behind Bud, owners". Newsday. p. A70. 'I feel so sorry for Don Mattingly. That really hurts me. Here's a guy who's given everything he had to get to the postseason. He and {Wade} Boggs and {Jimmy} Key were the leaders, who helped get them a 6+1⁄2-game lead.' However, Steinbrenner later said, in talking about Mattingly, 'They're grown men. They're part of the strike. They walked out. They were pretty cocksure of certain things. He knew what they were doing. They made the decision to walk. They struck. We didn't lock them out.
  11. ^ Frey, Jennifer (October 8, 1995). "Finally, an October to Savor for 'Donnie Baseball'". The Washington Post. p. D9. Buck Showalter...sat at home in admitted misery...ached for Mattingly, the one player he believed deserved a postseason more than anyone else in the game.
  12. ^ Johnson, Richard A.; Stout, Glenn (2002). Yankees Century: 100 Years of New York Yankees Baseball. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 386. ISBN 0-618-08527-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Mattingly Blames Both Sides". The New York Times. September 16, 1994. p. B11. Mattingly...logged more career at-bats (6,545) without a playoff appearance than any other active player.
  14. ^ Haudricourt, Tom (May 8, 1995). "Mattingly's career has hole". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. C5. No active player in the major leagues has gone longer without a post-season appearance.
  15. ^ a b c Amore, Dom (May 15, 2005). "IMAGINE: BUCK'S YANKEES, BUT NOT JETER'S". The Hartford Courant. p. E8.
  16. ^ Costello, Brian (August 8, 2004). "'94 YANKS CUT SHORT". New York Post. p. 58.
  17. ^ Walker, Ben (October 23, 1994). "Game 1 of World Series passes by". Associated Press. Because of the expanded playoffs, including the new wild-card round, the World Series schedule had been flipped this season to open again at the home of the AL champion.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1994_World_Series&oldid=518180095"