1995 in baseball

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: Atlanta Braves over Cleveland Indians (4-2); Tom Glavine, MVP
  • American League Championship Series: Cleveland Indians over Seattle Mariners (4-2); Orel Hershiser, MVP
    • American League Division Series: Cleveland Indians (Central) over Boston Red Sox (East) (3-0); Seattle Mariners (West) over New York Yankees (Wild Card) (3-2)
  • National League Championship Series: Atlanta Braves over Cincinnati Reds (4-0); Mike Devereaux, MVP
    • National League Division Series: Atlanta Braves (East) over Colorado Rockies (Wild Card) (3-1); Cincinnati Reds (Central) over Los Angeles Dodgers (West) (3-0)
• All-Star Game, July 11 at The Ballpark in Arlington: National League, 3-2; Jeff Conine, MVP

Other champions

• Caribbean World Series: Senadores de San Juan (Puerto Rico)
• College World Series: Cal State-Fullerton
• Japan Series: Yakult Swallows over Orix Blue Wave (4-1)
• Little League World Series: Shan-Hua, Tainan, Taiwan

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Mo Vaughn (AL)
  • Barry Larkin (NL)
• Cy Young Award
  • Randy Johnson (AL)
  • Greg Maddux (NL)
• Rookie of the Year
  • Marty Cordova (AL)
  • Hideo Nomo (NL)
• Manager of the Year Award
  • Lou Piniella (AL)
  • Don Baylor (NL)

MLB Statistical Leaders

American League National League Type Name Stat Name Stat AVG Edgar Martinez .356 Tony Gwynn .368 HR Albert Belle 50 Dante Bichette 40 RBI Albert Belle & Mo Vaughn 126 Dante Bichette 128 Wins Mike Mussina 19 Greg Maddux 19 ERA Randy Johnson 2.48 Greg Maddux 1.63

Major League Baseball final standings

American League
Rank	Club	Wins	Losses	Win %	GB
East Division
1st	Boston Red Sox	86	58	.597	--
2nd	New York Yankees *	78	65	.549	7.0
3rd	Baltimore Orioles	71	73	.493	15.0
4th	Detroit Tigers	60	84	.417	26.0
5th	Toronto Blue Jays	56	88	.389	30.0
Central Division
1st	Cleveland Indians	100	44	.694	--
2nd	Kansas City Royals	70	74	.486	30.0
3rd	Chicago White Sox	68	76	.472	32.0
4th	Milwaukee Brewers	65	79	.451	35.0
5th	Minnesota Twins	56	88	.389	44.0
West Division
1st	Seattle Mariners	79	66	.545	--
2nd	California Angels	78	67	.538	1,0
3rd	Texas Rangers	74	70	.514	4.5
4th	Oakland Athletics	67	77	.465	11.5

National League
Rank	Club	Wins	Losses	Win %	GB
East Division
1st	Atlanta Braves	90	54	.625	--
2nd	New York Mets	69	75	.479	21.0
3rd	Philadelphia Phillies	69	75	.479	21.0
4th	Florida Marlins	67	76	.469	22.5
5th	Montréal Expos	66	78	.458	24.0
Central Division
1st	Cincinnati Reds	85	59	.590	--
2nd	Houston Astros	76	68	.528	9.0
3rd	Chicago Cubs	73	71	.507	12.0
4th	Pittsburgh Pirates	81	81	.434	22.5
5th	St. Louis Cardinals	62	81	.403	27.0
West Division
1st	Los Angeles Dodgers	78	66	.542	--
2nd	Colorado Rockies *	77	67	.535	1.0
3rd	San Diego Padres	70	74	.486	8.0
4th	San Francisco Giants	67	77	.465	11.0

 

* The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league.

Events

January-June

• April 2 - After 232 days, the 1994 baseball strike comes to an end.

• April 8 - The Colorado Rockies sign free agent outfielder Larry Walker.

• April 25 - Major League Baseball begins its strike-shortened 144-game season. Opening day games in New York, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh among other cities see fan protests regarding the strike spill onto the field.

July-September

• July 11 - The National League defeats the American League in the All-Star Game 3-2, on an 8th-inning pinch-hit home run by Jeff Conine. Conine becomes the 10th player to homer in his first All-Star at bat, and is named the Game's MVP. Frank Thomas, Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza also connect for home runs.

• September 4 - Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox becomes the eighth player in major league history to hit two grand slams in a single game, doing so in the 4th and 5th innings of the White Sox 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers. The last to do it was Frank Robinson in 1970.

• September 6 - Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive major league game to surpass Lou Gehrig's 56-year record. When the game becomes official in the middle of the fifth inning, Ripken takes a victory lap around Camden Yards during the 22-minute standing ovation from the sellout crowd, including President Bill Clinton. In the game, Ripken goes 2-for-4, including a home run, in Baltimore's 4-2 win over California.

• September 28 - Greg Harris of the Montréal Expos becomes the first major league pitcher since 1893 to pitch with both hands in one game. Harris faces four batters, two from his usual right side and two from the left, in the ninth inning of a 9–7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

October-December

• October 23 - The St. Louis Cardinals hire Tony La Russa as their manager.

• October 28 - In a pitchers' duel, the Atlanta Braves win Game 6 of the World Series 1-0, on a combined one-hitter by Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers. David Justice's sixth-inning home run accounts for the game's only run. In winning, the Braves become the first team to win World Championships representing three different cities – Boston (1914), Milwaukee (1957) and Atlanta. Catcher Tony Peña's leadoff single in the 6th is Cleveland's only hit. Glavine is named Series MVP.

• November 2 - The New York Yankees name Joe Torre as their new manager, replacing Buck Showalter.

• December 22 - Anheuser-Busch agrees to sell the Cardinals for $150 million to an investment group that agrees to keep the team in St. Louis.

• December 22 - The Florida Marlins sign free agent pitcher Kevin Brown. The Philadelphia Phillies sign free agent third baseman Todd Zeile. The Boston Red Sox sign free agent pitcher Jamie Moyer.

Deaths

• January 2 - Don Elston, 65, All-Star relief pitcher for the Cubs who led NL in appearances in 1958 and 1959
• January 12 - John "Hi" Simmons, 89, coach at Missouri from 1937 to 1973 who won the 1954 College World Series
• January 18 - Ron Luciano, 57, American League umpire from 1968 to 1980 known for his flamboyance and several books
• February 7 - Cecil Upshaw, 52, relief pitcher, mainly for the Atlanta Braves, who saved 27 games in 1969 but missed the next season after nearly severing a finger
• March 5 - Roy Hughes, 84, infielder for four teams who scored 112 runs for 1936 Indians
• March 13 - Leon Day, 78, All-Star pitcher for the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues who was elected to the Hall of Fame just six days earlier; set several league strikeout marks, including 18 victims in one game
• March 29 - Terry Moore, 82, All-Star center fielder for the Cardinals who batted .304 in 1940, captained 1942 and 1946 champions
• April 9 - Bob Allison, 60, All-Star outfielder for the Senators/Twins who was the 1959 Rookie of the Year, had three 30-HR seasons and led the AL in triples and runs once each
• May 7 - Gus Bell, 66, All-Star outfielder, mainly with the Reds, who had four 100-RBI seasons and led the NL in triples in 1951; oldest in a major league family that includes son Buddy and grandson David
• May 30 - Glenn Burke, 42, center fielder for the Dodgers and Athletics who was the first former major leaguer to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality
• June 9 - Zoilo Versalles, 55, Cuban All-Star shortstop who led Twins to the 1965 AL pennant; first Latin American player to be named MVP, led AL in triples three times and in doubles and runs once each
• June 10 - Lindsey Nelson, 76, broadcaster for the Mets from 1962 to 1979, and also for the San Francisco Giants and NBC
• July 27 - Rick Ferrell, 89, Hall of Fame catcher for the Browns, Red Sox and Senators whose 1806 games caught were an AL record until 1988; from 1934-38, half of a battery with brother Wes
• August 3 - Harry Craft, 80, manager of the Houston Colt .45s in their 1962 debut; former Reds center fielder also managed the Kansas City Athletics and Chicago Cubs
• August 4 - Dick Bartell, 87, All-Star shortstop for five teams, known for his combative personality, who batted .300 five times and scored 100 runs three times; batted .381 for Giants in 1936 World Series
• August 13 - Mickey Mantle, 63, Hall of Fame center fielder for the Yankees who was the AL's MVP in 1956, 1957 and 1962 and won the 1956 Triple Crown; 16-time All-Star won four home run titles, hitting 50 twice, and retired with third most HRs (536) and walks (1733) in history; 10-time .300 hitter led AL in runs six times; most powerful switch-hitter in baseball history, with career marks for runs (1677), RBI (1509) and slugging percentage (.557), and successor to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio as symbol of the Yankees' long reign; hit record 18 home runs in World Series play
• August 20 - Von McDaniel, 56, pitcher who joined his brother Lindy on the 1957-58 St. Louis Cardinals, winning seven games
• September 21 - Tony Cuccinello, 87, All-Star second baseman for five teams who lost 1945 batting title by one point in his final season; later a coach
• September 21 - Andrew Rozdilsky, 77, who performed as Andy the Clown at White Sox games from 1960 to 1990
• October 21