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This year in baseball

2000s

2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005
2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000

1990s

1999 • 1998 • 1997 • 1996 • 1995
1994 • 1993 • 1992 • 1991 • 1990

1980s

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1984 • 1983 • 1982 • 1981 • 1980

1970s

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1974 • 1973 • 1972 • 1971 • 1970

1960s

1969 • 1968 • 1967 • 1966 • 1965
1964 • 1963 • 1962 • 1961 • 1960

1950s

1959 • 1958 • 1957 • 1956 • 1955
1954 • 1953 • 1952 • 1951 • 1950

1940s

1949 • 1948 • 1947 • 1946 • 1945
1944 • 1943 • 1942 • 1941 • 1940

1930s

1939 • 1938 • 1937 • 1936 • 1935
1934 • 1933 • 1932 • 1931 • 1930

1920s

1929 • 1928 • 1927 • 1926 • 1925
1924 • 1923 • 1922 • 1921 • 1920

1910s

1919 • 1918 • 1917 • 1916 • 1915
1914 • 1913 • 1912 • 1911 • 1910

1900s

1909 • 1908 • 1907 • 1906 • 1905
1904 • 1903 • 1902 • 1901 • 1900

1890s

1899 • 1898 • 1897 • 1896 • 1895
1894 • 1893 • 1892 • 1891 • 1890

1880s

1889 • 1888 • 1887 • 1886 • 1885
1884 • 1883 • 1882 • 1881 • 1880

1870s

1879 • 1878 • 1877 • 1876 • 1875
1874 • 1873 • 1872 • 1871 • 1870

Early Years

1869 • 1845-1868

See also
Sources

The following are the baseball events of the year 1997 throughout the world.  


Champions[]

Major League Baseball[]

Other champions[]

  • Caribbean World Series: Águilas Cibaeñas (Dominican Republic)
  • College World Series: LSU
  • Japan Series: Yakult Swallows over Seibu Lions (4-1)
  • Little League World Series: Linda Vista, Guadalupe, Mexico

Awards and honors[]

Major League Baseball final standings[]

American League
Rank Club Wins Losses Win %   GB
East Division
1st Baltimore Orioles 98 64 .605    --
2nd New York Yankees * 96 66 .593   2.0
3rd Detroit Tigers 79 83 .488 19.0
4th Boston Red Sox 78 84 .481 20.0
5th Toronto Blue Jays 76 86 .469 22.0
Central Division
1st Cleveland Indians 86 75 .534    --
2nd Chicago White Sox 80 81 .497   6.0
3rd Milwaukee Brewers 78 83 .484   8.0
4th Minnesota Twins 68 94 .420 18.5
5th Kansas City Royals 67 94 .416 19.5
West Division
1st Seattle Mariners 90 72 .556    --
2nd Anaheim Angels 84 78 .519   6.0
3rd Texas Rangers 77 85 .475 13.0
4th Oakland Athletics 65 97 .401 25.0


National League
Rank Club Wins Losses Win %   GB
East Division
1st Atlanta Braves 101 61 .623    --
2nd Florida Marlins *   92 70 .568   9.0
3rd New York Mets   88 74 .543 13.0
4th Montréal Expos   78 84 .481 23.0
5th Philadelphia Phillies   68 94 .420 33.0
Central Division
1st Houston Astros   84 78 .519    --
2nd Pittsburgh Pirates   79 83 .488   5.0
3rd Cincinnati Reds   76 86 .469   8.0
4th St. Louis Cardinals   73 89 .451 11.0
5th Chicago Cubs   68 94 .420 16.0
West Division
1st San Francisco Giants   90 72 .556    --
2nd Los Angeles Dodgers   88 74 .543   2.0
3rd Colorado Rockies   83 79 .512   7.0
4th San Diego Padres   76 86 .469 14.0

 

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

Events[]

January–March[]

  • January 5 - Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield escapes serious injury when he is hit by a car while out jogging. He is released from the hospital after being treated for bruises.
  • January 6 - Knuckleballer Phil Niekro is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Niekro receives 80.34% of the vote. Pitcher Don Sutton falls nine votes short of election.
  • February 20 - The Philadelphia Phillies sign free agent outfielder Danny Tartabull. Tartabull will break his foot on Opening Day and sit out the year before retiring.
  • March 5 - Nellie Fox, Tommy Lasorda and Negro Leaguer Willie Wells are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

April–May[]

  • May 7 - The Montréal Expos score a National League-record 13 runs in the 6th inning of their game against the San Francisco Giants on the way to a 19-3 win. The Expos send 17 batters to the plate. Mike Lansing homers twice in the inning to drive in five runs, becoming the third Expos player to perform the feat, and the first NL second baseman to do so since Bobby Lowe in 1894.
  • May 8 - At home, the Baltimore Orioles stop Randy Johnson's 16-game win streak with a decisive 13–3 pasting of the Seattle Mariners. Baltimore is led by catcher Chris Hoiles, who collects six RBI on two homers and a double. Johnson strikes out 10 in six innings, but gives up five runs on six hits and two walks in his attempt to become the first AL pitcher since Dave McNally (1968–69) to win 17 straight.
  • May 26 - In Toronto, Roger Clemens allows one run and four hits in seven innings and strikes out seven to beat the Rangers 8–1. The Rocket is now 9–0, his best start since beginning 1986 at 14-0.
  • May 26 - Andrés Galarraga hits a 469-foot two-run homer and Vinny Castilla adds a solo shot as the Colorado Rockies overcome a six-run deficit to beat the Cardinals 9–7. Galarraga has four RBI, and his moon shot off Mark Petkovsek is the third-longest homer in the three-season history of Coors Field.
  • May 27 - Barry Larkin's streak of consecutively reaching base 13 times is stopped by Curt Schilling, who goes all the way to beat Cincinnati 2–1. Larkin singles in the first inning, but flies out in the 3rd to end his streak one shy of Pedro Guerrero's NL record, set in 1985.
  • May 30 - The Orioles' Mike Mussina retires the first 25 Indian batters before Sandy Alomar, Jr. ruins his no-hit bid with a one-out single in the 9th. Mussina then strikes out the final two batters for a 3–0 victory.
  • May 31 - Cal Ripken, Jr. snaps a 7th-inning tie with a record-breaking home run as the Baltimore Orioles rally from a 4-run deficit to beat the Cleveland Indians 8–5. Ripken's homer gives him 4,274 total bases with Baltimore, breaking the franchise mark for total bases in a career. Baltimore also place Eric Davis on the disabled list. Davis is suffering from colon cancer and will be operated on in early June.
  • May 31 - In Miami, Andrés Galarraga golfs a 529-foot grand slam, the longest home run ever at Pro Player Stadium. His homer gives the Colorado Rockies a 7-0 lead over the Florida Marlins, and they eventually win 8–4. Galarraga has three home runs in the past three games against Florida that traveled 1,435 feet, an average of 478 feet. He hit a 455-foot homer two days before and a 451-foot homer yesterday. The longest previous homer at the stadium was 482 feet by Pete Incaviglia of the Phillies off Al Leiter on May 1, 1996.
  • May 31 - Ila Borders of the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League faces three Sioux Falls Canaries batters, and surrenders three earned runs, in her professional baseball debut. The Canaries, who led 4-0 when she entered the game, go on to defeat St. Paul 11-1.

June–July[]

August–September[]

October–December[]

Deaths[]

  • January 6 - Dick Donovan, 69, All-Star pitcher, mainly with the White Sox and Indians, who led AL in ERA in 1961 and won 20 games in 1962
  • January 20 - Curt Flood, 59, All-Star center fielder who won seven Gold Gloves and batted .300 six times; challenged baseball's reserve clause all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, unsuccessfully, after refusing a trade
  • June 9 - Thornton Lee, 90, All-Star pitcher who won over 100 games for the White Sox; won 22 games and led AL in ERA in 1941
  • July 31 - Eddie Miller, 80, 7-time All-Star shortstop for four NL teams who led league in fielding five times
  • September 9 - Richie Ashburn, 70, Hall of Fame center fielder for the Phillies who batted .308 lifetime, winning two batting titles, and led NL in putouts nine times, hits three times, triples twice and steals once; retired with six of the top eight single-season putout totals in history
  • September 22 - Eddie Sawyer, 87, manager who led the Phillies' "Whiz Kids" to the 1950 pennant, later a scout
  • September 26 - Woody English, 91, All-Star infielder for the Cubs who batted .300 twice
  • October 6 - Johnny Vander Meer, 82, All-Star pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds who in 1938 became the only player to pitch two consecutive no-hitters; led NL in strikeouts three times
  • October 21 - Dolph Camilli, 90, All-Star first baseman who was the NL's MVP in 1941, leading the Brooklyn Dodgers to the pennant; had five 100-RBI seasons
  • November 2 - Roy McMillan, 68, All-Star shortstop for the Reds, Braves and Mets who won the NL's first three Gold Gloves; minor league manager, coach and scout
  • November 20 - Dick Littlefield, 71, well-traveled pitcher who played for nine teams, earning 15 of his 33 wins with the Pirates
  • November 27 - Buck Leonard, 90, Hall of Fame first baseman of the Negro Leagues regularly among the league leaders in batting average and home runs
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