1984 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1984 throughout the world.  

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres (4-1); Alan Trammell, MVP

• American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson
• National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey
• All-Star Game, July 10 at Candlestick Park: National League, 3-1; Gary Carter, MVP

Other champions

• Caribbean World Series: Águilas del Zulia (Venezuela)
• College World Series: Cal State-Fullerton
• Japan Series: Hiroshima Toyo Carp over Hankyu Braves (4-3)
• Little League World Series: Seoul National, Seoul, South Korea
• Summer Olympic Games at Los Angeles, California (demonstration sport): Japan (1st), United States (2nd), Chinese Taipei (3rd)

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Willie Hernández, Detroit Tigers, P (AL)
  • Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs, 2B (NL)
• Cy Young Award
  • Willie Hernández, Detroit Tigers (AL)
  • Rick Sutcliffe, Chicago Cubs (NL)
• Rookie of the Year
  • Alvin Davis, Seattle Mariners, 2B (AL)
  • Dwight Gooden, New York Mets, P (NL)
• Manager of the Year Award
  • Sparky Anderson, Detroit Tigers (AL)
  • Jim Frey, Chicago Cubs (NL)

MLB Statistical Leaders

Major League Baseball final standings

Events

January-April

• January 10 - Luis Aparicio, Don Drysdale and Harmon Killebrew are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

• March 8 - Shortstop Pee Wee Reese and catcher Rick Ferrell are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Reese hit .269 in 16 seasons with the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, while Ferrell batted .281 with 28 home runs in 18 seasons for the Browns, Red Sox and Senators.

• April 7 - Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers no-hits the Chicago White Sox 4-0 at Comiskey Park, in a game televised on NBC. The no-hitter ties Ken Forsch's 1979 game as the earliest, calendar-wise, that a no-hitter has been pitched.

• April 13 - Twenty-one years to the day that he collected his first Major League hit, Pete Rose collects the 4,000th hit of his career; only the second player (Ty Cobb) to ever do so.

May-August

• May 4 - Dave Kingman of the Oakland Athletics pops a ball up that never comes down. Playing the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome, Kingman's pop fly goes through the roof of the stadium. On May 1, 2004, Kingman appears with the catcher for the Twins that day, Mickey Hatcher and watches as he fails to catch a ball dropped from the roof.

• May 8 to May 9 - The Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers face off in a game that refuses to end. Started on the 8th, the game is suspended after a 3-3 tie and seventeen innings. When the game is resumed the next day, both teams manage to score three runs in the 21st inning, and is only ended when Harold Baines slams a home run in the bottom of the 25th inning to end the 8 hour, six minute marathon; the longest game, by time, in Major League history. Tom Seaver, the last pitcher available for the White Sox, earns the win, and then goes on to start the regularly scheduled game that day, earning a second win on one day for a starting pitcher.

• June 23 - At Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs and rival St. Louis Cardinals locked up in what would be a tight game. In the bottom of the ninth inning, trailing 9-8, the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg hit a solo-home run off of Bruce Sutter. The Cardinals regained the lead in the tenth inning 11-9, but Sandberg hit another home run off Sutter in the bottom of the frame, this time with one runner on base and two outs. The Cubs went on to win the game 12-11 in the following inning, and eventually won the National League East. Sandberg won the MVP Award this season, with this game as a key contribution. In addition to Sandberg's performance, St. Louis outfielder Willie McGee would hit for the cycle.

• July 4 - Phil Niekro of the New York Yankees records his 3,000th career strikeout. He is the second to do so on the Fourth of July, after Nolan Ryan in 1980.

• July 10 - At Candlestick Park, on the 50th anniversary of Carl Hubbell's legendary five consecutive strikeouts in the 1934 All-Star Game, National League pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combine to fan six batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record in the NL's 3–1 triumph over the American League. After Valenzuela whiffs Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson and George Brett in the 4th inning, Gooden, the youngest All-Star ever at age 19, fans Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon and Alvin Davis in the 5th inning. Gary Carter is named the Game MVP.

• July 21 - Roger Maris has his number 9, and Elston Howard has his number 32 retired by the New York Yankees.

• July 26 - Pete Rose of the Montreal Expos tied Ty Cobb on the career singles list, No. 3,052, with a base hit in the eighth inning in a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• August 12 - Fulton County Stadium sees a series of beanings, attempted beanings, and two bench clearing fist fights, the second of which sees fans spill out onto the field. Nineteen Braves and San Diego Padres are ejected. Dick Williams, manager of the Padres is fined $10,000 and suspended ten days, while Braves manager Joe Torre is suspended for three games.

• August 16 - It is announced that the Cincinnati Reds are trading Tom Lawless to the Montréal Expos so that Pete Rose can return to the Reds. Rose is also named player-manager.

September-December

• September 17 - Reggie Jackson becomes the 13th player in major league history to record 500 home runs. No. 500 comes against Kansas City Royals pitcher Bud Black. Jackson's home run occurs exactly 17 years after he got his first career hit.

• September 17 - Rookie pitcher Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets strikes out 16 Philadelphia Phillies in a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia. After fanning 16 Pittsburgh Pirates five days earlier, Gooden ties a major league record with 32 strikeouts in two consecutive games.

• September 18 - The Detroit Tigers clinch the American League eastern Division, becoming the fourth team in history to hold first place from day one of the season (joining the 1923 New York Giants, the 1927 New York Yankees, and 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers).

• September 19 - Pete Rose collects his 100th hit of the season, becoming the first player in Major League history to collect that many hits in 22 consecutive seasons. It happens to be his 725th career double, which establishes a new National League record.

• September 20 - Tim Lollar's three-run home run caps a 5-4 come-from-behind win for the San Diego Padres over the San Francisco Giants, clinching the very first division title for the Padres.

• September 23 - A 4-1 win over the New York Yankees gives the Detroit Tigers 100 wins for the season, and gives Tigers' manager Sparky Anderson the honor of being the first manager in history to guide teams to 100-win seasons in both leagues.

• September 24 - On the fifteenth anniversary of the Chicago Cubs being eliminated from the 1969 pennant chase, the Cubs' Rick Sutcliffe pitches a 4-1 two-hit complete game over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Three Rivers Stadium to clinch the National League Eastern Division title for the Cubs; the first post-season appearance for the team since 1945.

• September 30 - Mike Witt of the California Angels, holds on for a 1-0 win over the Texas Rangers; the 11th perfect game since 1901.

• October 14 - Kirk Gibson blasts two upper-decks home runs at Tiger Stadium in Game Five of the 1984 World Series, to lead the Detroit Tigers to an 8-4 victory over the San Diego Padres and its first World Championship since 1968. Alan Trammel is selected the Series MVP.

• November 6 - Willie Hernández wins the American League MVP Award, joining Rollie Fingers as the only relief pitchers to be named MVP and Cy Young Award winners in the same season. Boston Red Sox slugger Tony Armas finishes seventh, despite winning the home run and RBI titles. The last player to lead in those categories and not win was Ted Williams, twice, in the 1942 and 1947 seasons.

• November 20 - Four days after his 20th birthday, New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest player ever to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Gooden posted a 17-9 record with a 2.60 ERA and a major league-leading 276 strikeouts.

• November 22 - Seattle Mariners first baseman Alvin Davis easily wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award over teammate pitcher Mark Langston and Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett.

• November 27 - The American League Gold Glove team is announced, and it is made up of the same nine players as the 1983 team: Ron Guidry (P), Lance Parrish (C), Eddie Murray (1B), Lou Whitaker (2B), Buddy Bell (3B), Alan Trammell (SS), Dwight Evans (OF), Dave Winfield (OF) and Dwayne Murphy (OF).

• December 12 - The Montreal Expos trade future Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter to the New York Mets for shortstop Hubie Brooks, catcher Mike Fitzgerald, outfielder Herm Winningham and pitching prospect Floyd Youmans.

Movies

• The Natural

Births

January-February

• January 6 - Jimmy Barthmaier
• January 7 - Carlos Corporan
• January 7 - Jon Lester
• January 8 - Jeff Francoeur
• January 10 - Hunter Jones
• January 12 -Scott Olsen
• January 14 - Erick Aybar
• January 14 - Mike Pelfrey
• January 16 - Matt Maloney
• January 18 - Justin Thomas
• January 22 - Ubaldo Jiménez
• January 24 - Scott Kazmir
• January 30 - Jeremy Hermida
• January 31 - Josh Johnson
• February 2 - Chin-Lung Hu
• February 4 - Doug Fister
• February 9 - Dioner Navarro
• February 10 - Luis Cruz
• February 10 - Alex Gordon
• February 11 - J. R. Towles
• February 13 - Brett Hayes
• February 15 - Mitchell Boggs
• February 15 - Nate Schierholtz
• February 20 - Brian McCann
• February 27 - Scott Mathieson
• February 27 - Aníbal Sánchez
• February 27 - Denard Span

March-April

• March 9 - Elliot Johnson
• March 9 - Craig Stammen
• March 10 - Aaron Bates
• March 12 - Eulogio de la Cruz
• March 14 - Randor Bierd
• March 16 - Harvey García
• March 19 - Matt Downs
• March 21 - Warner Madrigal
• March 22 - Joe Smith
• March 25 - Edward Mujica
• March 29 - Kila Ka'aihue
• March 30 - José Arredondo
• April 4 - Alejandro De Aza
• April 9 - Adam Loewen
• April 11 - Andrés Blanco
• April 14 - Christopher Leroux
• April 17 - Jed Lowrie
• April 19 - Ambiorix Burgos
• April 19 - Jesús Delgado
• April 23 - Dave Davidson
• April 25 - Robert Andino
• April 26 - Shawn Kelley
• April 27 - Luis Perdomo
• April 28 - Pedro López
• April 28 - Rómulo Sánchez
• April 29 - Cesar Carrillo
• April 29 - Billy Petrick

May-June

• May 4 - Kevin Slowey
• May 5 - Luis Valdez
• May 7 - James Loney
• May 9 - Prince Fielder
• May 9 - Chase Headley
• May 10 - Kameron Mickolio
• May 10 - Edward Mujica
• May 14 - Luke Gregerson
• May 16 - Jensen Lewis
• May 18 - David Patton
• May 18 - Joakim Soria
• May 25 - Graham Taylor
• May 31 - Andrew Bailey
• June 1 - Wilkin Castillo
• June 6 - Emiliano Fruto
• June 7 - Justin Berg
• June 10 - Travis Chick
• June 12 - Roger Bernadina
• June 12 - Kyle McClellan
• June 14 - Jesús Guzmán
• June 15 - Tim Lincecum
• June 15 - Cliff Pennington
• June 16 - Jonathan Broxton
• June 18 - Fernando Rodriguez
• June 26 - Elijah Dukes
• June 26 - Luis Hernández
• June 28 - Clay Zavada
• June 29 - Hernán Iribarren

July-August

• July 1 - Rich Thompson
• July 2 - Wladimir Balentien
• July 7 - Alfredo Fígaro
• July 11 - Yorman Bazardo
• July 11 - Jonathan Meloan
• July 15 - Anthony Claggett
• July 20 - Alexi Casilla
• July 26 - Kevin Jepsen
• July 26 - Brandon Morrow
• July 27 - Max Scherzer
• July 29 - Chad Billingsley
• July 31 - Fernando Hernández
• August 3 - Germán Durán
• August 3 - Sergio Escalona
• August 3 - Matt Joyce
• August 5 - Sean Kazmar
• August 6 - Osiris Matos
• August 7 - Wade LeBlanc
• August 11 - Melky Cabrera
• August 13 - Boone Logan
• August 14 - Clay Buchholz
• August 19 - Marcos Carvajal
• August 20 - Jamie Hoffmann
• August 21 - B. J. Upton
• August 22 - David Huff]
• August 26 - Kyle Kendrick

September-October

• September 2 - Dusty Ryan
• September 8 - Bobby Parnell
• September 14 - Robert Mosebach
• September 14 - Josh Outman
• September 18 - Donald Veal
• September 21 - Joaquin Arias
• September 21 - Carlos Rosa
• September 23 - Matt Kemp
• September 24 - Rafael Rodríguez
• September 25 - Víctor Gárate
• September 27 - John Lannan
• September 28 - Ryan Zimmerman
• October 1 - Matt Cain
• October 2 - Oswaldo Navarro
• October 4 - Drew Stubbs
• October 10 - Troy Tulowitzki
• October 11 - Max Ramírez
• October 13 - Hayden Penn
• October 19 - James McDonald
• October 19 - Travis Schlichting
• October 21 - Danny Herrera
• October 21 - José Lobatón
• October 26 - Jesús Flores
• October 29 - José Mijares
• October 30 - Shane Robinson

November-December

• November 3 - Jonathan Herrera
• November 6 - Ricky Romero
• November 9 - Joel Zumaya
• November 12 - César Jiménez
• November 13 - Tony Abreu
• November 20 - Jo-Jo Reyes
• November 22 - Yusmeiro Petit
• November 24 - Joel Guzmán
• December 10 - Gregorio Petit
• December 19 - Ian Kennedy

Deaths

January-April

• January 18 - Leo Kiely, 54, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1950s, who in 1957 set two PCL records with 20 wins in relief, 14 of them in consecutive games, and also became the first major league to play in Japanese Baseball, for the Mainichi Orions, in 1953
• February 26 - Joe Kuhel, 77, first baseman for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox known for strong defense, batted .300 three times
• March 18 - Charlie Lau, 50, renowned hitting instructor, with the White Sox since 1981, who earned fame as the Kansas City Royals batting coach (1971-78) where his star pupil was George Brett
• March 20 - Stan Coveleski, 94, Hall of Fame pitcher who had five 20-win seasons with the Indians and Senators, and led Cleveland to the 1920 World Series championship with three victories over the Brooklyn Dodgers; spitballer led AL in ERA twice and strikeouts once
• April 5 - Chet Kehn, 62, pitcher for the 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers, and one of many players who only appeared in the majors during World War II

May-August

• June 17 - Jim Hegan, 63, 5-time All-Star catcher for the Indians known for outstanding defense; later a Yankees coach and scout
• July 31 - Beans Reardon, 86, National League umpire from 1926 to 1949 who worked in five World Series; known for his colorful arguments and continued use of the outside chest protector
• August 14 - Lynn McGlothen, 34, All-Star pitcher who had his best years with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs
• August 16 - Tommie Aaron, 45, first baseman and left fielder who played for the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta; Braves coach since 1978, and younger brother of Hank Aaron
• August 23 - Charlie Robertson, 88, pitcher who spent most of his career with the Chicago White Sox; pitched a perfect game in 1923 against the Tigers in his fourth major league start; last survivor of the 1919 White Sox team
• August 25 - Waite Hoyt, 84, Hall of Fame pitcher whose 237 victories included 20-win seasons for the Yankees in 1927-28; won six World Series games, giving up only two unearned runs in three complete games in the 1921 Series, and was a Reds broadcaster from 1942-1965

September-December

• September 7 - Joe Cronin, 77, Hall of Fame shortstop and manager, and AL president from 1959 to 1973, who batted .301 lifetime and had eight 100-RBI seasons; managed Senators to 1933 pennant at age 26, won 1946 flag with Boston, and was Red Sox president from 1948-1959
• October 1 - Walter Alston, 72, Hall of Fame manager who guided Dodgers teams to seven National League pennants and four World Series championships between 1954 and 1976; 2040 wins ranked behind only John McGraw in NL history upon retirement
• October 1 - Billy Goodman, 58, All-Star infielder for the Red Sox and White Sox who won the 1950 AL batting title
• October 13 - Ed Carroll, 77, pitcher for the 1929 Boston Red Sox
• October 13 - George Kelly, 89, Hall of Fame first baseman who batted over .300 six straight years with the New York Giants from 1921-26; led NL in RBI twice and home runs once, later a coach and scout
• October 19 - Del Lundgren, 85, pitched from 1924 through 1927 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox
• October 21 - Johnny Rigney, 69, one of the Chicago White Sox top pitchers in the years prior to World War II; later the club's general manager
• October 22 - Babe Pinelli, 89, National League umpire from 1935 to 1956, previously a Reds third baseman; he worked in six World Series, last calling balls and strikes on Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956
• October 26 - Gus Mancuso, 78, All-Star catcher who played on five pennant winners with the Cardinals and Giants
• November 25 - Ival Goodman, 76, All-Star right fielder for the Cincinnati Reds who led NL in triples twice
• November 30 - Chris Pelekoudas, 66, NL umpire from 1960 to 1975 who worked in two World Series and two NLCS
• December 20 - Gonzalo Márquez, 38, Venezuelan first baseman who batted .625 in the 1972 postseason as an Oakland Athletics rookie
• December 20 - Steve Slayton, 82, pitcher who played for the 1928 Boston Red Sox