2006 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 2006 Major League Baseball season ended with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series with the lowest regular-season victory total (83) in a fully-played season in major league history. The Atlanta Braves failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 1990 (1994 there was no postseason due to the players strike). Individual achievements included Barry Bonds who, despite questions surrounding his alleged steroid use and involvement in the BALCO scandal, surpassed Babe Ruth for second place on the career home runs list. The American League continued its domination at the All-Star Game by winning its fourth straight game, and ninth of the prior 10 contests (the 2002 game was a tie).
| 2006 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 2 – October 27, 2006 |
| Games | 162 |
| Teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox ESPN |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Luke Hochevar |
| Picked by | Kansas City Royals |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Justin Morneau (MIN) NL: Ryan Howard (PHI) |
| Postseason | |
| AL champions | Detroit Tigers |
| AL runners-up | Oakland Athletics |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | New York Mets |
| World Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
| World Series MVP | David Eckstein (STL) |
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) New York Yankees | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 50–31 | 47–34 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 87 | 75 | .537 | 10 | 50–31 | 37–44 |
| Boston Red Sox | 86 | 76 | .531 | 11 | 48–33 | 38–43 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 70 | 92 | .432 | 27 | 40–41 | 30–51 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 61 | 101 | .377 | 36 | 41–40 | 20–61 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Minnesota Twins | 96 | 66 | .593 | — | 54–27 | 42–39 |
| (4) Detroit Tigers | 95 | 67 | .586 | 1 | 46–35 | 49–32 |
| Chicago White Sox | 90 | 72 | .556 | 6 | 49–32 | 41–40 |
| Cleveland Indians | 78 | 84 | .481 | 18 | 44–37 | 34–47 |
| Kansas City Royals | 62 | 100 | .383 | 34 | 34–47 | 28–53 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) Oakland Athletics | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 49–32 | 44–37 |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 89 | 73 | .549 | 4 | 45–36 | 44–37 |
| Texas Rangers | 80 | 82 | .494 | 13 | 39–42 | 41–40 |
| Seattle Mariners | 78 | 84 | .481 | 15 | 44–37 | 34–47 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) New York Mets | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 50–31 | 47–34 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 85 | 77 | .525 | 12 | 41–40 | 44–37 |
| Atlanta Braves | 79 | 83 | .488 | 18 | 40–41 | 39–42 |
| Florida Marlins | 78 | 84 | .481 | 19 | 42–39 | 36–45 |
| Washington Nationals | 71 | 91 | .438 | 26 | 41–40 | 30–51 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) St. Louis Cardinals | 83 | 78 | .516 | — | 49–31 | 34–47 |
| Houston Astros | 82 | 80 | .506 | 1½ | 44–37 | 38–43 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 80 | 82 | .494 | 3½ | 42–39 | 38–43 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 75 | 87 | .463 | 8½ | 48–33 | 27–54 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 67 | 95 | .414 | 16½ | 43–38 | 24–57 |
| Chicago Cubs | 66 | 96 | .407 | 17½ | 36–45 | 30–51 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) San Diego Padres | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 43–38 | 45–36 |
| (4) Los Angeles Dodgers | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 49–32 | 39–42 |
| San Francisco Giants | 76 | 85 | .472 | 11½ | 43–38 | 33–47 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 76 | 86 | .469 | 12 | 39–42 | 37–44 |
| Colorado Rockies | 76 | 86 | .469 | 12 | 44–37 | 32–49 |
Postseason
Bracket
| Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | World Series | ||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Yankees | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Detroit | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Detroit | 4 | ||||||||||||
| American League | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Oakland | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Minnesota | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Oakland | 3 | ||||||||||||
| AL4 | Detroit | 1 | ||||||||||||
| NL3 | St. Louis | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Mets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | LA Dodgers | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Mets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| National League | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | St. Louis | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | San Diego | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | St. Louis | 3 | ||||||||||||
All-Star game
- All-Star Game, July 11 at PNC Park – American League, 3–2; Michael Young, MVP
Awards
Other awards
- Comeback Players of the Year: Jim Thome (Designated hitter, CWS, American); Nomar Garciaparra (First baseman, LAD, National).
- Edgar Martínez Award (Best designated hitter): David Ortiz (BOS)
- Hank Aaron Award: Derek Jeter (NYY, American); Ryan Howard (PHI, National).
- Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Carlos Delgado (NYM).
- Rolaids Relief Man Award: Francisco Rodríguez (LAA, American); Trevor Hoffman (SD, National).
- Delivery Man of the Year (Best Reliever): Mariano Rivera (NYY).
- Warren Spahn Award (Best left-handed pitcher): Johan Santana (MIN)
Player of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Jason Giambi | Albert Pujols |
| May | Alex Rodriguez | Jason Bay |
| June | Joe Mauer | David Wright |
| July | David Ortiz | Chase Utley |
| August | Travis Hafner | Ryan Howard |
| September | Robinson Canó | Ryan Howard |
Pitcher of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | José Contreras | Greg Maddux |
| May | CC Sabathia | Jason Schmidt |
| June | Johan Santana | Chris Young |
| July | John Lackey | Carlos Zambrano |
| August | Esteban Loaiza | Derek Lowe |
| September | Johan Santana | Roy Oswalt |
Rookie of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Jonathan Papelbon | Prince Fielder |
| May | Justin Verlander | Josh Johnson |
| June | Francisco Liriano | Josh Johnson Dan Uggla |
| July | Francisco Liriano | Josh Barfield |
| August | Nick Markakis | Chris Duncan |
| September | Boof Bonser | Aníbal Sánchez |
Statistical leaders
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVG | Joe Mauer, MIN | .347 | Freddy Sanchez, PIT | .344 |
| HR | David Ortiz, BOS | 54 | Ryan Howard, PHI | 58 |
| RBI | David Ortiz, BOS | 137 | Ryan Howard, PHI | 149 |
| Wins | Johan Santana, MIN Chien-Ming Wang, NYY | 19 | Aaron Harang, CIN Derek Lowe, LAD Brad Penny, LAD John Smoltz, ATL Brandon Webb, AZ Carlos Zambrano, CHC | 16 |
| ERA | Johan Santana, MIN | 2.77 | Roy Oswalt, HOU | 2.98 |
| SO | Johan Santana, MIN | 245 | Aaron Harang, CIN | 216 |
| SV | Francisco Rodríguez, LAA | 47 | Trevor Hoffman, SD | 46 |
| SB | Carl Crawford, TB | 58 | José Reyes, NYM | 64 |
Managers
American League
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | Sam Perlozzo | |
| Boston Red Sox | Terry Francona | |
| Chicago White Sox | Ozzie Guillén | |
| Cleveland Indians | Eric Wedge | |
| Detroit Tigers | Jim Leyland | Won the ALCS, replacing Alan Trammell |
| Kansas City Royals | Buddy Bell | |
| Los Angeles Angels | Mike Scioscia | |
| Minnesota Twins | Ron Gardenhire | |
| New York Yankees | Joe Torre | |
| Oakland Athletics | Ken Macha (Macha was replaced by Bob Geren) | |
| Seattle Mariners | Mike Hargrove | |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Joe Maddon | |
| Texas Rangers | Buck Showalter (Showalter was replaced with Ron Washington) | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | John Gibbons |
National League
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Bob Melvin | |
| Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | |
| Chicago Cubs | Dusty Baker (Baker was replaced by Lou Piniella) | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Jerry Narron | |
| Colorado Rockies | Clint Hurdle | |
| Florida Marlins | Joe Girardi (Girardi was replaced by Fredi González) | |
| Houston Astros | Phil Garner | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Grady Little | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Ned Yost | |
| New York Mets | Willie Randolph | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Charlie Manuel | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates± | Jim Tracy | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | Won the World Series |
| San Diego Padres | Bruce Bochy (Bochy was replaced by Bud Black) | |
| San Francisco Giants | Felipe Alou (Alou was replaced by Bruce Bochy) | |
| Washington Nationals | Frank Robinson (Robinson was replaced by Manny Acta) |
±hosted the MLB All Star Game
Milestones
300–300 Club members
- Reggie Sanders – June 10
- Steve Finley – June 14
Home runs
The following players reached major home run milestones in 2006:
Barry Bonds' countdown to 715
- May 21 – reached 714 career homers, tying Babe Ruth for second all time
- May 28 – reached 715 career homers, passing Ruth for second all time
400 career homers
- Mike Piazza – April 26
- Carlos Delgado – August 22
300 career homers
- Jeromy Burnitz – April 4
- Moisés Alou – April 13
- Reggie Sanders – June 10 (also joining the 300–300 club)
- Steve Finley – June 14 (also joining the 300–300 club)
200 career homers
- Jeff Conine – April 16
- Magglio Ordóñez – April 29
- Eric Chavez – May 2
- Jermaine Dye – May 14
- Carlos Lee – May 24
- Phil Nevin – June 19
- Lance Berkman – June 21
- Carl Everett – June 21
- Nomar Garciaparra – June 25
- David Ortiz – June 29
- Alfonso Soriano – August 13
- Bobby Abreu – August 22
- Carlos Beltrán – August 26
Entry into the top 500
- Trot Nixon on April 5 with his 126th career homer
- Jason Varitek on June 13 with his 126th career homer
- Vernon Wells on June 14 with his 126th career homer
- Aubrey Huff on July 1 with his 126th career homer
- Raúl Ibañez on July 15 with his 126th career homer
- Mark Teixeira on August 19 with his 127th career homer
Pitching
- Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres broke Lee Smith's record of 478 Saves on September 24, 2006, at Petco Park.
Hitting
- Bill Hall, Damian Miller, Brady Clark, J. J. Hardy, and Prince Fielder of the MIL become the fifth group of players in Major League history to hit five home runs in one inning in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on April 22.[1][2]
- Alfonso Soriano of the Washington Nationals become only the fourth player to join the 40–40 club, joining José Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez when he stole his 40th base of the season on September 16. Six days later he became the first person to reach 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 40 doubles in one season.
- Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the fourth group of players to hit four consecutive home runs in the ninth inning on September 18 against the San Diego Padres.[3]
Other achievements
- Matt Holliday hit the longest home run of the season in MLB against the San Francisco Giants on September 19 with an official distance of 443 feet (135 m); HitTracker estimated it at 496 feet (151 m).[4]
Home field attendance and payroll
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees[5] | 97 | 2.1% | 4,248,067 | 3.8% | 52,445 | $194,663,079 | −6.5% |
| Los Angeles Dodgers[6] | 88 | 23.9% | 3,758,545 | 4.3% | 46,402 | $98,447,187 | 18.6% |
| St. Louis Cardinals[7] | 83 | −17.0% | 3,407,104 | −3.7% | 42,589 | $88,891,371 | −3.5% |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim[8] | 89 | −6.3% | 3,406,790 | 0.1% | 42,059 | $103,472,000 | 9.1% |
| New York Mets[9] | 97 | 16.9% | 3,379,535 | 19.4% | 41,723 | $101,584,963 | 0.3% |
| San Francisco Giants[10] | 76 | 1.3% | 3,130,313 | −1.6% | 38,646 | $90,056,419 | −0.2% |
| Chicago Cubs[11] | 66 | −16.5% | 3,123,215 | 0.7% | 38,558 | $94,424,499 | 8.5% |
| Houston Astros[12] | 82 | −7.9% | 3,022,763 | 7.8% | 37,318 | $100,894,435 | 31.4% |
| Chicago White Sox[13] | 90 | −9.1% | 2,957,414 | 26.2% | 36,511 | $102,750,667 | 36.7% |
| Boston Red Sox[14] | 86 | −9.5% | 2,930,588 | 2.9% | 36,180 | $120,099,824 | −2.8% |
| Philadelphia Phillies[15] | 85 | −3.4% | 2,701,815 | 1.4% | 33,356 | $88,273,333 | −7.6% |
| San Diego Padres[16] | 88 | 7.3% | 2,659,757 | −7.3% | 32,837 | $69,896,141 | 10.4% |
| Detroit Tigers[17] | 95 | 33.8% | 2,595,937 | 28.2% | 32,049 | $82,612,866 | 19.6% |
| Atlanta Braves[18] | 79 | −12.2% | 2,550,524 | 1.2% | 31,488 | $90,156,876 | 4.3% |
| Seattle Mariners[19] | 78 | 13.0% | 2,481,165 | −9.0% | 30,632 | $87,959,833 | 0.2% |
| Texas Rangers[20] | 80 | 1.3% | 2,388,757 | −5.4% | 29,491 | $68,228,662 | 22.2% |
| Milwaukee Brewers[21] | 75 | −7.4% | 2,335,643 | 5.6% | 28,835 | $57,970,333 | 45.2% |
| Toronto Blue Jays[22] | 87 | 8.8% | 2,302,212 | 14.3% | 28,422 | $71,365,000 | 56.1% |
| Minnesota Twins[23] | 96 | 15.7% | 2,285,018 | 12.3% | 28,210 | $63,396,006 | 12.8% |
| Baltimore Orioles[24] | 70 | −5.4% | 2,153,139 | −18.0% | 26,582 | $72,585,582 | −1.8% |
| Washington Nationals[25] | 71 | −12.3% | 2,153,056 | −21.2% | 26,581 | $63,143,000 | 30.0% |
| Cincinnati Reds[26] | 80 | 9.6% | 2,134,607 | 9.9% | 26,353 | $60,909,519 | −1.6% |
| Colorado Rockies[27] | 76 | 13.4% | 2,104,362 | 9.9% | 25,980 | $41,233,000 | −13.8% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks[28] | 76 | −1.3% | 2,091,685 | 1.6% | 25,823 | $59,984,226 | −4.2% |
| Cleveland Indians[29] | 78 | −16.1% | 1,997,995 | −0.8% | 24,667 | $56,031,500 | 35.0% |
| Oakland Athletics[30] | 93 | 5.7% | 1,976,625 | −6.3% | 24,403 | $64,843,079 | 17.0% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[31] | 67 | 0.0% | 1,861,549 | 2.4% | 22,982 | $46,717,750 | 22.5% |
| Kansas City Royals[32] | 62 | 10.7% | 1,372,638 | 0.1% | 16,946 | $47,694,000 | 29.3% |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays[33] | 61 | −9.0% | 1,368,950 | 19.9% | 16,901 | $34,917,967 | 17.7% |
| Florida Marlins[34] | 78 | −6.0% | 1,164,134 | −37.2% | 14,372 | $14,671,500 | −75.7% |
Television coverage
This was the sixth and final season that national television coverage was split between ESPN and Fox Sports (TBS would then be added to televising national coverage in 2007). ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected weeknight and Sunday night games, and selected Division Series playoff games. Fox televised Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games, both League Championship Series, and the World Series.
Events
- April 3 – The Florida Marlins set a modern major-league record by starting six rookies in their opening day 1–0 loss to the Houston Astros.[35]