1984 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1984 Major League Baseball season started with a 9-game winning streak by the eventual World Series champions Detroit Tigers who started the season with 35 wins and 5 losses and never relinquished the first place lead.
| 1984 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 2 – October 14, 1984 |
| Games | 162 |
| Teams | 26 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Shawn Abner |
| Picked by | New York Mets |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | NL: Ryne Sandberg (CHC) AL: Willie Hernández (DET) |
| Postseason | |
| AL champions | Detroit Tigers |
| AL runners-up | Kansas City Royals |
| NL champions | San Diego Padres |
| NL runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Detroit Tigers |
| Runners-up | San Diego Padres |
| World Series MVP | Alan Trammell (DET) |
New commissioner
On March 3, 1984, Peter Ueberroth was elected by the owners as the sixth commissioner of baseball (replacing retiring commissioner Bowie Kuhn) and officially took office on October 1 of that year. As a condition of his hiring, Ueberroth increased the commissioner's fining ability from US$5,000 to $250,000. His salary was raised to a reported $450,000, nearly twice what Kuhn was paid.
Just as Ueberroth was taking office, the Major League Umpires Union was threatening to strike the postseason. Ueberroth managed to arbitrate the disagreement and had the umpires back to work before the League Championship Series were over.
Awards and honors
Other awards
- Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: Dave Kingman (OAK)
- Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Ron Guidry (NYY)
- Rolaids Relief Man Award: Dan Quisenberry (KC, American); Bruce Sutter (STL, National).
Player of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Alan Trammell | Tony Gwynn |
| May | Eddie Murray | Leon Durham |
| June | Tony Armas | Ryne Sandberg |
| July | Kent Hrbek | José Cruz |
| August | Gary Ward | Keith Moreland |
| September | Greg Walker | Dale Murphy |
Pitcher of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Jack Morris | Rick Honeycutt |
| May | Mike Boddicker | Nolan Ryan |
| June | Charlie Hough | Ron Darling |
| July | Willie Hernández | Orel Hershiser |
| August | Roger Clemens | Rick Sutcliffe |
| September | Doyle Alexander | Dwight Gooden |
Statistical leaders
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVG | Don Mattingly NYY | .343 | Tony Gwynn SD | .351 |
| HR | Tony Armas BOS | 43 | Dale Murphy ATL Mike Schmidt PHI | 36 |
| RBIs | Tony Armas BOS | 123 | Gary Carter MON Mike Schmidt PHI | 106 |
| Wins | Mike Boddicker BAL | 20 | Joaquín Andújar STL | 20 |
| ERA | Mike Boddicker BAL | 2.79 | Alejandro Peña LAD | 2.48 |
| SO | Mark Langston SEA | 204 | Dwight Gooden NYM | 276 |
| SV | Dan Quisenberry KC | 44 | Bruce Sutter STL | 45 |
| SB | Rickey Henderson OAK | 66 | Tim Raines MON | 75 |
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | 104 | 58 | .642 | — | 53–29 | 51–29 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 89 | 73 | .549 | 15 | 49–32 | 40–41 |
| New York Yankees | 87 | 75 | .537 | 17 | 51–30 | 36–45 |
| Boston Red Sox | 86 | 76 | .531 | 18 | 41–40 | 45–36 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 85 | 77 | .525 | 19 | 44–37 | 41–40 |
| Cleveland Indians | 75 | 87 | .463 | 29 | 41–39 | 34–48 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 67 | 94 | .416 | 36½ | 38–43 | 29–51 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | 84 | 78 | .519 | — | 44–37 | 40–41 |
| California Angels | 81 | 81 | .500 | 3 | 37–44 | 44–37 |
| Minnesota Twins | 81 | 81 | .500 | 3 | 47–34 | 34–47 |
| Oakland Athletics | 77 | 85 | .475 | 7 | 44–37 | 33–48 |
| Chicago White Sox | 74 | 88 | .457 | 10 | 43–38 | 31–50 |
| Seattle Mariners | 74 | 88 | .457 | 10 | 42–39 | 32–49 |
| Texas Rangers | 69 | 92 | .429 | 14½ | 34–46 | 35–46 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 96 | 65 | .596 | — | 51–29 | 45–36 |
| New York Mets | 90 | 72 | .556 | 6½ | 48–33 | 42–39 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 84 | 78 | .519 | 12½ | 44–37 | 40–41 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 81 | 81 | .500 | 15½ | 39–42 | 42–39 |
| Montreal Expos | 78 | 83 | .484 | 18 | 39–42 | 39–41 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 75 | 87 | .463 | 21½ | 41–40 | 34–47 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 48–33 | 44–37 |
| Atlanta Braves | 80 | 82 | .494 | 12 | 38–43 | 42–39 |
| Houston Astros | 80 | 82 | .494 | 12 | 43–38 | 37–44 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 79 | 83 | .488 | 13 | 40–41 | 39–42 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 70 | 92 | .432 | 22 | 39–42 | 31–50 |
| San Francisco Giants | 66 | 96 | .407 | 26 | 35–46 | 31–50 |
Postseason
Bracket
| League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | ||||||||
| East | Detroit | 3 | |||||||
| West | Kansas City | 0 | |||||||
| AL | Detroit | 4 | |||||||
| NL | San Diego | 1 | |||||||
| East | Chicago Cubs | 2 | |||||||
| West | San Diego | 3 | |||||||
All-Star game
- All-Star Game, July 10 at Candlestick Park: National League, 3–1; Gary Carter, MVP
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL):
- Ripkin hit for his first cycle and seventh in franchise history, on May 6 against the Texas Rangers.[1]
- Carlton Fisk (CWS):
- Fisk hit for his first cycle and third in franchise history, on May 16 against the Kansas City Royals.[2]
- Willie McGee (STL):
- McGee hit for his first cycle and 16th in franchise history, on June 23 against the Chicago Cubs.[3]
- Dwight Evans (BOS):
- Evans hit for his first cycle and 16th in franchise history, on June 28 against the Seattle Mariners.[4]
Other batting accomplishments
- Pete Rose (CIN/MON):
- Recorded his 4,000th career hit as a member of the Montreal Expos with a double against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 13. He became the second player to reach this mark.[5]
- Reggie Jackson (CAL):
- Became the 13th player in Major League history to hit 500 home runs in game one of a doubleheader on June 30 against the Atlanta Braves.[6][7]
Pitchers
Perfect games
- Mike Witt (CAL):
- Pitched the 11th perfect game in major league history and the first in franchise history on September 30 against the Texas Rangers. Witt threw 94 pitches and struck out 10 in the 1–0 victory.[8]
No-hitters
- Jack Morris (DET):
- Morris threw his first career no-hitter and fifth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Chicago White Sox 4–0 on April 7. Morris walked six and struck out eight.[9]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Phil Niekro (NYY):
- Recorded his 3,000th career strikeout on July 4 by striking out Larry Parrish of the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning. Niekro became the ninth player to reach this mark.[10][11]
Miscellaneous
- Chicago White Sox:
- Tied a major league record set in 1974 for most runs scored in the 25th inning, by scoring one run against the Milwaukee Brewers in a game that began on May 8 and ended in game one of a doubleheader on May 9.[12]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers[13] | 79 | −13.2% | 3,134,824 | −10.7% | 38,702 |
| Detroit Tigers[14] | 104 | 13.0% | 2,704,794 | 47.8% | 32,985 |
| California Angels[15] | 81 | 15.7% | 2,402,997 | −5.9% | 29,667 |
| Chicago White Sox[16] | 74 | −25.3% | 2,136,988 | 0.2% | 26,383 |
| Toronto Blue Jays[17] | 89 | 0.0% | 2,110,009 | 9.3% | 26,049 |
| Chicago Cubs[18] | 96 | 35.2% | 2,107,655 | 42.4% | 26,346 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[19] | 81 | −10.0% | 2,062,693 | −3.1% | 25,465 |
| Baltimore Orioles[20] | 85 | −13.3% | 2,045,784 | 0.2% | 25,257 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[21] | 84 | 6.3% | 2,037,448 | −12.1% | 25,154 |
| San Diego Padres[22] | 92 | 13.6% | 1,983,904 | 28.8% | 24,493 |
| New York Mets[23] | 90 | 32.4% | 1,842,695 | 65.6% | 22,749 |
| New York Yankees[24] | 87 | −4.4% | 1,821,815 | −19.3% | 22,492 |
| Kansas City Royals[25] | 84 | 6.3% | 1,810,018 | −7.8% | 22,346 |
| Atlanta Braves[26] | 80 | −9.1% | 1,724,892 | −18.6% | 21,295 |
| Boston Red Sox[27] | 86 | 10.3% | 1,661,618 | −6.8% | 20,514 |
| Milwaukee Brewers[28] | 67 | −23.0% | 1,608,509 | −32.9% | 19,858 |
| Montreal Expos[29] | 78 | −4.9% | 1,606,531 | −30.8% | 19,834 |
| Minnesota Twins[30] | 81 | 15.7% | 1,598,692 | 86.1% | 19,737 |
| Oakland Athletics[31] | 77 | 4.1% | 1,353,281 | 4.5% | 16,707 |
| Cincinnati Reds[32] | 70 | −5.4% | 1,275,887 | 7.2% | 15,752 |
| Houston Astros[33] | 80 | −5.9% | 1,229,862 | −9.0% | 15,183 |
| Texas Rangers[34] | 69 | −10.4% | 1,102,471 | −19.1% | 13,781 |
| San Francisco Giants[35] | 66 | −16.5% | 1,001,545 | −20.0% | 12,365 |
| Seattle Mariners[36] | 74 | 23.3% | 870,372 | 7.0% | 10,745 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[37] | 75 | −10.7% | 773,500 | −36.9% | 9,549 |
| Cleveland Indians[38] | 75 | 7.1% | 734,079 | −4.5% | 9,063 |
Television coverage
| Network | Day of week | Announcers |
|---|---|---|
| ABC | Monday nights Sunday afternoons |
Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Howard Cosell, Don Drysdale, Tim McCarver, Earl Weaver, Reggie Jackson |
| NBC | Saturday afternoons | Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola, Bob Costas, Tony Kubek |