The following are the baseball events of the year 1995 throughout the world.
|
List of years in baseball |
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Major league baseball final standings
- Note: All teams played 144 games instead of the normal 162 as a consequence of the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. Seattle and California each played 145 games due to a one game AL West tiebreaker.
- The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league.
Events
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 hit home runs.
- July 14 – At Dodger Stadium, Ramón Martínez of the Los Angeles Dodgers no-hits the Florida Marlins 7-0. On June 3 of this same season, Martínez' brother Pedro, pitching for the Montréal Expos against the San Diego Padres at Qualcomm Stadium, pitches nine perfect innings only to have his bid for a perfect game broken up by a Bip Roberts single leading off the 10th. Otherwise the Martinezes are not the second brother combo, after Bob and Ken Forsch, to pitch Major League no-hitters, and they do not become the first to do so in the same season.
- July 18 – Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians becomes the second player to hit a walk-off grand slam against California Angels closer Lee Smith this season. Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics does that on June 30. The only other pitchers in major-league history to surrender two game-ending grand slams in one season are Satchel Paige (1952) and Lindy McDaniel (1963). New York Mets closer Francisco Rodríguez joins this group during the 2009 season.
- July 30 – Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Vic Willis, William Hulbert and Leon Day are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
- August 10 – The Los Angeles Dodgers are forced to forfeit to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals when inebriated fans react to several close calls by throwing souvenir baseballs onto the field.
- August 25 – The Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 17-4 at Veterans Stadium. Hideo Nomo only pitches 3 innings. Jeff Juden hits a grand slam in the 4th inning. Gregg Jefferies hits for the cycle, the first Phillie to do so since Johnny Callison in 1963.
- August 29 – Against the Colorado Rockies at Three Rivers Stadium, Paul Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates has a no-hitter broken up by an Andrés Galarraga single with two out in the ninth. The hit is the only one Wagner allows in defeating the Rockies 4-0. The no-hitter would have been the first by a Pirate since John Candelaria in 1976.
- 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 is 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. It is baseball's most memorable moment in the 1990s.
- September 8 – The Cleveland Indians clinch the American League Central Division with a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. It is Cleveland's first postseason appearance since 1954, and ends the then-longest post-season drought in the Major Leagues.
- September 13 – Second baseman Lou Whitaker and shortstop Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers play in their 1,915th game together, setting an American League record.
- September 15 – The St. Louis Cardinals' shortstop Ozzie Smith is a part of his 1,554th double play to establish a new Major League record, despite the Cardinals losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-6.
- September 25 – In a 7-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field, Frank Castillo of the Chicago Cubs has a no-hitter broken up with two out in the ninth—by inches. Bernard Gilkey hits a line drive to right field and despite an all-out attempt by Sammy Sosa to make a diving catch, the ball falls in for a hit and eventually rolls to the wall for a triple, the Cardinals' lone hit of the game. The near no-hitter is almost the first by a Cub pitcher and the first one the Cubs are involved in, since Milt Pappas in 1972.
- September 28 – Greg A. Harris of the Montreal 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.
- September 30 – Albert Belle hits his 50th home run of the season, and becomes the first player in Major League history to collect 50 home runs and 50 doubles in a season.
October–December
- October 2 – In a one-game playoff the Seattle Mariners beat the California Angels 9–1 at Seattle after finishing tied atop the AL West.
- October 8 – After being down 2 games-to-zero in the best of 5 series to the New York Yankees, the Seattle Mariners complete a comeback, capped by the late inning heroics of Edgar Martínez, their designated hitter. Forever known as "the double" in Mariner lore, Martinez strokes a breaking ball into left field, scoring Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr. in the bottom of the 11th to erase a 1 run deficit and win the game and the series.
- 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.
- November 9 – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo is named National League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Japanese player ever to win a Major League award. Nomo posts a 13-6 record with 236 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA in 191 1⁄3 innings of work.
- December 22 -
Deaths
February
- 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
- 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 set several league strikeout marks, including 18 victims in one game, and was elected to the Hall of Fame just six days before his death.
- March 29 – Terry Moore, 82, All-Star center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, who batted .304 in 1940, and captained the 1942 and 1946 World Series champions.
April
- April 7 – Frank Secory, 82, National League umpire from 1952 to 1970 who worked in four World Series, six All-Star Games and nine no-hitters, previously a Chicago Cubs outfielder, well known for a pivotal hit in the 1945 World Series.
- April 9 – Bob Allison, 60, All-Star outfielder for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins, who earned the 1959 American League Rookie of the Year award, had three 30-home run seasons, and led the league in triples and runs once each.
- April 18 – Elizabeth Emry, 72, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher for the 1946 Racine Belles champion team.
- April 28 – Gus Polidor, 33, Venezuelan infielder for the California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins from 1985 to 1993.
May
- May 4 – Connie Wisniewski, 73, four-time All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star pitcher and outfielder, who set several records in the circuit in an nine-year career from 1944 through 1952.
- May 7 – Gus Bell, 66, All-Star outfielder, mainly with the Cincinnati Reds, who had four 100-RBI seasons, led the National League in triples in 1951, and was the oldest in a Major League family that includes his son Buddy and his grandson David.
- May 9 – Marguerite Jones, 77, Canadian pitcher who played for the Minneapolis Millerettes and Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
- May 18 – Jack Kramer, 77, three-time All-Star pitcher, who led the St. Louis Browns to their only World Series appearance in 1944.
- May 30 – Glenn Burke, 42, center fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, who was the first former major leaguer to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality.
June
- June 9 – Zoilo Versalles, 55, Cuban All-Star shortstop who led the Minnesota Twins to the 1965 American League pennant, as well as the first Latin American player to being named MVP, while leading the league in triples three times and in doubles and runs once each.
- June 10 – Lindsey Nelson, 76, broadcaster for the New York Mets from 1962 to 1979, and later for the San Francisco Giants and NBC.
July
- July 4 – Adeline Kerrar, 70, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League catcher and infielder.
- July 27 – Rick Ferrell, 89, Hall of Fame catcher for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators, whose 1806 career-games caught were an American League record until 1988, and also was the half of a battery with his brother Wes Ferrell from 1934 to 1938.
August
- August 1 – Ruby Knezovich, 77, Canadian catcher who played from 1943 to 1944 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
- August 3 – Harry Craft, 80, manager of the Houston Colt .45s in their 1962 debut, who also managed the Kansas City Athletics and Chicago Cubs, and previously was a Cincinnati Reds center fielder.
- 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, while batting .381 for the New York Giants in the 1936 World Series.
- August 13 – Mickey Mantle, 63, Hall of Fame center fielder and powerful switch-hitter for the New York Yankees, and successor to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio as symbol of the Yankees' long reign, who earned the American League MVP Award from 1956–1957 and in 1962; set a record with 18 home runs in World Series play; was a 10-time .300 hitter and led the AL in runs six times to set an all-time record, while winning the 1956 Triple Crown, 16-time All-Star selections, four home run titles –hitting 50 twice–, and retiring with the third most career HRs (536) and walks (1733) in MLB history, including career marks for runs (1677), RBI (1509) and slugging percentage (.557).
- August 20 – Von McDaniel, 56, pitcher who joined his brother Lindy on the 1957–1958 St. Louis Cardinals, winning seven games.
September
- September 7 – Al Papai, 78, knuckleballer specialist for four major league teams from 1948–55, and one of 29 players to pitch for both St. Louis clubs.
- September 21 – Tony Cuccinello, 87, All-Star second baseman for five teams during 15 seasons spanning 1930–1945, who lost the American League batting title by one point in his final season, and later became a coach.
- September 21 – Andrew Rozdilsky, 77, who performed as Andy the Clown at White Sox games from 1960 to 1990.
October
- October 21 – Vada Pinson, 57, All-Star center fielder for the Reds and four other teams who batted .300 four times and led NL in hits, doubles and triples twice each; second player to hit 250 home runs and steal 300 bases.
- October 29 – Al Niemiec, 84, second baseman who played from 1934 to 1936 for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics.
November
- November 19 – Ed Wright, 76, pitcher for the Boston Braves and Philadelphia Athletics between 1945 and 1952, who also threw a no-hitter in the American Association (1945) and the first shutout in Caribbean Series history in 1949.
- November 24 – Irene Hickson, 80, All-Star catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in a span of nine seasons from 1943–1950.
- November 30 – Jim Davis, 69, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants from 1954 to 1957, who in 1956 became the first pitcher in 40 years to record four strikeouts in a single inning.
- November 30 – William Suero, 29, Dominican Republic infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1992 to 1993.
December
- December 2 – Art Herring, 89, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates between 1929 and 1947.
- December 5 – Bill Bruton, 70, center fielder for the Braves and Tigers who led the NL in steals three times, triples twice and runs once.
- December 20 – Betty Wanless, 67, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder.
- December 27 – Al Barlick, 80, Hall of Fame umpire for 28 National League seasons between 1940 and 1971; worked seven World Series and a record seven All-Star Games.
- December 27 – Oscar Judd, 87, Canadian pitcher who was an American League All-Star in 1943.