1993 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1993 Major League Baseball season was the final season of two-division play in each league, before the Central Division was added the following season, giving both the NL and AL three divisions each, in addition it was the last season of the 4 team playoff as it was expanded to 8 teams the following season which would feature the three division winners and the Wild Card (the highest ranked non-division winner.)
| 1993 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 5 – October 23, 1993 |
| Games | 162 |
| Teams | 28 |
| TV partner(s) | CBS, ESPN |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Alex Rodriguez |
| Picked by | Seattle Mariners |
| Regular Season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Frank Thomas (CWS) NL: Barry Bonds (SF) |
| Postseason | |
| AL champions | Toronto Blue Jays |
| AL runners-up | Chicago White Sox |
| NL champions | Philadelphia Phillies |
| NL runners-up | Atlanta Braves |
| World Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Runners-up | Philadelphia Phillies |
| World Series MVP | Paul Molitor (TOR) |
Sixteen years after the American League expanded from 12 to 14 teams, the National League finally followed suit, with the Colorado Rockies and the Florida Marlins (now the Miami Marlins) joining the NL. As a result, it was also the first season since 1976 that both leagues had the same number of teams. The Toronto Blue Jays capped off the season by winning their second consecutive World Series title, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. The World Series was clinched when, in one of the most famous moments in baseball history, Joe Carter hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 6 to seal the victory.
Awards and honors
Other awards
- Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: Paul Molitor (TOR)
- Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Barry Larkin (CIN).
- Rolaids Relief Man Award: Jeff Montgomery (KC, American); Randy Myers (CHC, National).
Player of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | John Olerud | Barry Bonds |
| May | Paul Molitor | Jeff Bagwell |
| June | John Olerud | Andrés Galarraga |
| July | Rafael Palmeiro | Fred McGriff |
| August | Frank Thomas | Tony Gwynn |
| September | Chris Hoiles | Andrés Galarraga |
Pitcher of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Jimmy Key | Ken Hill |
| May | Danny Darwin | Tommy Greene |
| June | Rick Aguilera | Chris Hammond Darryl Kile |
| July | Fernando Valenzuela | Bill Swift |
| August | Bill Gullickson | Greg Maddux |
| September | Wilson Álvarez | John Wetteland |
Statistical leaders
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVG | John Olerud TOR | .363 | Andrés Galarraga COL | .370 |
| HR | Juan González TEX | 46 | Barry Bonds SF | 46 |
| RBI | Albert Belle CLE | 129 | Barry Bonds SF | 123 |
| Wins | Jack McDowell CWS | 22 | John Burkett SF | 22 |
| ERA | Kevin Appier KC | 2.56 | Greg Maddux ATL | 2.36 |
| SO | Randy Johnson SEA | 308 | José Rijo CIN | 227 |
| SV | Jeff Montgomery KC Duane Ward TOR | 45 | Randy Myers CHC | 53 |
| SB | Kenny Lofton CLE | 70 | Chuck Carr FLA | 58 |
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 48–33 | 47–34 |
| New York Yankees | 88 | 74 | .543 | 7 | 50–31 | 38–43 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 85 | 77 | .525 | 10 | 48–33 | 37–44 |
| Detroit Tigers | 85 | 77 | .525 | 10 | 44–37 | 41–40 |
| Boston Red Sox | 80 | 82 | .494 | 15 | 43–38 | 37–44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | 86 | .469 | 19 | 46–35 | 30–51 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 69 | 93 | .426 | 26 | 38–43 | 31–50 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 94 | 68 | .580 | — | 45–36 | 49–32 |
| Texas Rangers | 86 | 76 | .531 | 8 | 50–31 | 36–45 |
| Kansas City Royals | 84 | 78 | .519 | 10 | 43–38 | 41–40 |
| Seattle Mariners | 82 | 80 | .506 | 12 | 46–35 | 36–45 |
| California Angels | 71 | 91 | .438 | 23 | 44–37 | 27–54 |
| Minnesota Twins | 71 | 91 | .438 | 23 | 36–45 | 35–46 |
| Oakland Athletics | 68 | 94 | .420 | 26 | 38–43 | 30–51 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 52–29 | 45–36 |
| Montreal Expos | 94 | 68 | .580 | 3 | 55–26 | 39–42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 87 | 75 | .537 | 10 | 49–32 | 38–43 |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 78 | .519 | 13 | 43–38 | 41–40 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 75 | 87 | .463 | 22 | 40–41 | 35–46 |
| Florida Marlins | 64 | 98 | .395 | 33 | 35–46 | 29–52 |
| New York Mets | 59 | 103 | .364 | 38 | 28–53 | 31–50 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 104 | 58 | .642 | — | 51–30 | 53–28 |
| San Francisco Giants | 103 | 59 | .636 | 1 | 50–31 | 53–28 |
| Houston Astros | 85 | 77 | .525 | 19 | 44–37 | 41–40 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 81 | 81 | .500 | 23 | 41–40 | 40–41 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 73 | 89 | .451 | 31 | 41–40 | 32–49 |
| Colorado Rockies | 67 | 95 | .414 | 37 | 39–42 | 28–53 |
| San Diego Padres | 61 | 101 | .377 | 43 | 34–47 | 27–54 |
Postseason
Bracket
| League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | ||||||||
| East | Toronto | 4 | |||||||
| West | Chicago White Sox | 2 | |||||||
| AL | Toronto | 4 | |||||||
| NL | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||
| East | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||
| West | Atlanta | 2 | |||||||
Managers
American League
National League
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | Won National League West |
| Chicago Cubs | Jim Lefebvre | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Tony Pérez | Replaced during the season by Davey Johnson |
| Colorado Rockies | Don Baylor | Expansion team |
| Florida Marlins | Rene Lachemann | Expansion team |
| Houston Astros | Art Howe | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | |
| Montreal Expos | Felipe Alou | |
| New York Mets | Jeff Torborg | Replaced during the season by Dallas Green |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Jim Fregosi | Won the National League pennant |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Jim Leyland | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Joe Torre | |
| San Diego Padres | Jim Riggleman | |
| San Francisco Giants | Dusty Baker |
Milestones
Batters
- Carlos Baerga (CLE):
- Became the first player to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in the same inning on April 8.[1]
- Ken Griffey Jr. (SEA):
- Tied a Major League record by becoming the third player and second American League player to hit home runs in eight consecutive games between July 20 and 28.[2]
- Dave Winfield (MIN):
- Became the 19th member of the 3,000-hit club with a single in the ninth inning against the California Angels on September 16.[3][4]
Pitchers
- Nolan Ryan (TEX):
- Set a Major League record for most career strikeouts at 5,714, when Ryan struck out Greg Myers of the California Angels struck out in the fifth inning on September 17.[5][6]
Home field attendance and payroll
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies[7] | 67 | 4,483,350 | 55,350 | $10,353,500 | |||
| Toronto Blue Jays[8] | 95 | −1.0% | 4,057,947 | 0.7% | 50,098 | $47,279,166 | 5.6% |
| Atlanta Braves[9] | 104 | 6.1% | 3,884,720 | 26.2% | 47,960 | $41,641,417 | 20.3% |
| Baltimore Orioles[10] | 85 | −4.5% | 3,644,965 | 2.2% | 45,000 | $29,096,500 | 21.8% |
| Los Angeles Dodgers[11] | 81 | 28.6% | 3,170,393 | 28.2% | 39,141 | $39,440,999 | −11.9% |
| Philadelphia Phillies[12] | 97 | 38.6% | 3,137,674 | 62.8% | 38,737 | $28,538,334 | 16.5% |
| Florida Marlins[13] | 64 | 3,064,847 | 37,838 | $19,330,545 | |||
| St. Louis Cardinals[14] | 87 | 4.8% | 2,844,977 | 17.6% | 35,123 | $23,367,334 | −15.3% |
| Chicago Cubs[15] | 84 | 7.7% | 2,653,763 | 24.8% | 32,363 | $39,386,666 | 32.0% |
| San Francisco Giants[16] | 103 | 43.1% | 2,606,354 | 67.0% | 32,177 | $35,159,000 | 6.0% |
| Chicago White Sox[17] | 94 | 9.3% | 2,581,091 | −3.7% | 31,865 | $39,696,166 | 31.6% |
| Cincinnati Reds[18] | 73 | −18.9% | 2,453,232 | 5.9% | 30,287 | $44,879,666 | 34.2% |
| Boston Red Sox[19] | 80 | 9.6% | 2,422,021 | −1.9% | 29,901 | $37,120,583 | −14.9% |
| New York Yankees[20] | 88 | 15.8% | 2,416,942 | 38.2% | 29,839 | $42,723,000 | 13.5% |
| Texas Rangers[21] | 86 | 11.7% | 2,244,616 | 2.1% | 27,711 | $36,376,959 | 20.7% |
| Cleveland Indians[22] | 76 | 0.0% | 2,177,908 | 77.9% | 26,888 | $18,561,000 | 98.0% |
| Houston Astros[23] | 85 | 4.9% | 2,084,618 | 72.1% | 25,736 | $30,210,500 | 96.1% |
| California Angels[24] | 71 | −1.4% | 2,057,460 | −0.4% | 25,401 | $28,588,334 | −17.7% |
| Seattle Mariners[25] | 82 | 28.1% | 2,052,638 | 24.3% | 25,341 | $33,646,333 | 44.4% |
| Minnesota Twins[26] | 71 | −21.1% | 2,048,673 | −17.5% | 25,292 | $28,217,933 | 0.7% |
| Oakland Athletics[27] | 68 | −29.2% | 2,035,025 | −18.4% | 25,124 | $37,812,333 | −7.9% |
| Detroit Tigers[28] | 85 | 13.3% | 1,971,421 | 38.4% | 24,339 | $38,150,165 | 39.6% |
| Kansas City Royals[29] | 84 | 16.7% | 1,934,578 | 3.6% | 23,884 | $41,455,167 | 22.3% |
| New York Mets[30] | 59 | −18.1% | 1,873,183 | 5.3% | 23,126 | $39,043,667 | −12.5% |
| Milwaukee Brewers[31] | 69 | −25.0% | 1,688,080 | −9.1% | 20,840 | $23,806,834 | −23.2% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[32] | 75 | −21.9% | 1,650,593 | −9.8% | 20,378 | $24,822,467 | −26.9% |
| Montreal Expos[33] | 94 | 8.0% | 1,641,437 | −1.7% | 20,265 | $18,899,333 | 19.4% |
| San Diego Padres[34] | 61 | −25.6% | 1,375,432 | −20.1% | 16,981 | $25,511,333 | −5.0% |
Television coverage
This was the final season under MLB's four-year deals with CBS and ESPN. While ESPN renewed its contract, CBS declined. MLB would then form The Baseball Network, a joint venture with ABC and NBC, to replace CBS in televising games on broadcast television.
| Network | Day of week | Announcers |
|---|---|---|
| CBS | Saturday afternoons | Sean McDonough, Tim McCarver, Greg Gumbel, Jim Kaat |
| ESPN | Sunday nights Tuesday nights Wednesday nights Friday nights |
Jon Miller, Joe Morgan |