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This year in baseball

2000s

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2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000

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1960s

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1950s

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1954 • 1953 • 1952 • 1951 • 1950

1940s

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1930s

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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 2003 throughout the world.  


Champions[]

Major League Baseball[]

Other champions[]

  • Caribbean World Series: Águilas Cibaeñas (Dominican Republic)
  • College World Series: Rice
  • European Championship: Netherlands over Greece (2-0)
  • European Cup: Neptunus (Netherlands) over Rimini (Italy)
  • Japan Series: Fukuoka Daiei Hawks over Hanshin Tigers (4-3)
  • Little League World Series: Musashi-Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
  • Pan American Games: Cuba over USA (3-1)

Awards and honors[]

Statistical Leaders[]

  American League National League
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Bill Mueller BOS .326 Albert Pujols STL .359
HR Alex Rodriguez TEX 47 Jim Thome PHI 47
RBI Carlos Delgado TOR 145 Preston Wilson COL 141
Wins Roy Halladay TOR 22 Russ Ortiz ATL 21
ERA Pedro Martinez BOS 2.22 Jason Schmidt SFG 2.34

Major League Baseball final standings[]

American League
Rank Club Wins Losses Win %   GB
East Division
1st New York Yankees 101   61 .623    --
2nd Boston Red Sox *   95   67 .586   6.0
3rd Toronto Blue Jays   86   76 .531 15.0
4th Baltimore Orioles   71   91 .438 30.0
5th Tampa Bay Devil Rays   63   99 .389 38.0
Central Division
1st Minnesota Twins   90   72 .556    --
2nd Chicago White Sox   86   76 .531   4.0
3rd Kansas City Royals   83   79 .512   7.0
4th Cleveland Indians   68   94 .420 22.0
5th Detroit Tigers   43 119 .265 47.0
West Division
1st Oakland Athletics   96   66 .593    --
2nd Seattle Mariners   93   69 .574   3.0
3rd Anaheim Angels   77   85 .475 19.0
4th Texas Rangers   71   91 .438 45.0


National League
Rank Club Wins Losses Win %   GB
East Division
1st Atlanta Braves 101   61 .623    --
2nd Florida Marlins *   91   71 .562 10.0
3rd Philadelphia Phillies   86   76 .531 15.0
4th Montréal Expos   83   79 .512 18.0
5th New York Mets   66   95 .410 34.0
Central Division
1st Chicago Cubs   88   74 .543    --
2nd Houston Astros   87   75 .537   1.0
3rd St. Louis Cardinals   85   77 .525   3.0
4th Pittsburgh Pirates   75   87 .463 13.0
5th Cincinnati Reds   69   93 .426 19.0
6th Milwaukee Brewers   68   94 .420 20.0
West Division
1st San Francisco Giants 100   61 .621    --
2nd Los Angeles Dodgers   85   77 .525 15.5
3rd Arizona Diamondbacks   84   78 .519 16.5
4th Colorado Rockies   74   88 .457 26.5
5th San Diego Padres   64   98 .395 36.5

 

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

Events[]

January–June[]

  • April 4 - Sammy Sosa hits his 500th career home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Scott Sullivan in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park, becoming only the 18th player in major league history to hit 500 or more home runs, as well as the first Hispanic to do so.
  • June 13 - Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens becomes the 21st pitcher in major league history to win 300 games and only the 3rd pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts as he defeats the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2.

July–December[]

  • September 20 - Unlike this season when the Montréal Expos played 25% of their home games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the players vote to play their entire 2004 home schedule in Montreal. MLB owners, who collectively own the franchise, have been considering moving the Expos permanently to Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon or Monterrey, Mexico, or continuing the present format by having the team split home games between different locations (Puerto Rico or Mexico and Montreal).
  • October 14 - In Game 6 of the NLCS, with the Chicago Cubs just five outs away from eliminating the Florida Marlins, Cubs fan Steve Bartman deflects a foul fly ball away from Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou, allowing Florida's Luis Castillo to continue batting. The Cubs then proceed to fall apart, allowing eight runs in the inning to lose Game 6; they go on to lose Game 7, to continue the "Curse of the Billy Goat". The Marlins go on to win the World Series, and Bartman becomes a pariah in Chicago.

Books[]

  • Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, written by Michael Lewis, is an examination of the present-day Oakland Athletics as run by their general manager Billy Beane, and how the application of sabermetric principles has allowed the A's to be competitive despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball.

Deaths[]

January–March[]

  • January 9 - Don Landrum, 66, center fielder for four NL teams known for his speed
  • January 11 - Durwood Merrill, 64, American League umpire from 1977 to 1999 who worked in the 1988 World Series, five ALCS, and two All-Star games
  • January 14 - Earl Lawson, 79, sportswriter who covered the Cincinnati Reds from 1949 to 1985, often drawing criticism for his harsh commentary on players
  • February 12 - Haywood Sullivan, 72, general manager of the Red Sox from 1977–84, previously a catcher and manager with the Kansas City Athletics
  • February 17 - Steve Bechler, 23, pitching prospect who made three relief appearances for the 2002 Orioles
  • March 14 - Al Gionfriddo, 81, outfielder who in his last major league game, Game 6 of the 1947 World Series, robbed Joe DiMaggio of a home run to preserve the Brooklyn Dodgers' 8-6 victory over the Yankees
  • March 19 - Joe Buzas, 84, reserve shortstop for the 1945 Yankees who later operated 82 minor league franchises in his 47 years as an owner
  • March 28 - Sam Bowens, 64, an outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators from 1963 through 1969

April–June[]

  • April 19 - Chris Zachary, 59, pitcher for five teams who posted a 1.41 ERA in relief for the 1972 Tigers
  • May 6 - Art Houtteman, 75, All-Star pitcher who won 19 games for the 1950 Tigers and 15 for the 1954 Indians
  • May 8 - Sam Lacy, 99, sportswriter for several decades in Washington, Chicago and Baltimore who championed the sport's integration and was one of the BBWAA's first black members
  • June 1 - Johnny Hopp, 86, All-Star outfielder and first baseman who batted .300 five times with the Cardinals, Braves and Pirates
  • June 18 - Larry Doby, 79, Hall of Fame center fielder for the Cleveland Indians, previously an All-Star second baseman in the Negro Leagues, who became AL's first black player in 1947; led AL in home runs twice, had five 100-RBI seasons; also a coach and scout
  • June 22 - Leonard Koppett, 79, sportswriter and author who worked both in New York and on the West Coast

July–September[]

  • July 27 - Bob Hope, 100, comedian and movie star who was part-owner of the Cleveland Indians in the 1950s; performed his signature song "Thanks for the Memory" in 1993 as the Indians ended 60 years of games at Municipal Stadium
  • August 7 - Mickey McDermott, 74, pitcher who won 18 games for the 1953 Red Sox, but whose colorful personal life overshadowed his play
  • August 9 - Billy Rogell, 98, shortstop for the Tigers' first World Series champions in 1935
  • August 21 - Ken Coleman, 78, voice of the Boston Red Sox for 20 years, also with the Indians and Reds
  • August 23 - Bobby Bonds, 57, All-Star right fielder for eight teams who recorded five of the first ten instances of hitting 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases in a season, ending career with 332 HRs and 461 steals; father of Barry Bonds
  • August 30 - Claude Passeau, 94, 5-time All-Star pitcher for the Phillies and Cubs who led NL in strikeouts in 1939; pitched a one-hitter in Game 3 of the 1945 World Series
  • September 14 - Allen Lewis, 86, sportswriter for the Philadelphia Inquirer for thirty years who also served twelve years as chairman of baseball's scoring rules committee
  • September 25 - George Plimpton, 76, author whose forays into sports included pitching against the NL team prior to the second 1960 All-Star Game; wrote a fictitious story for Sports Illustrated in 1985 on "Sidd Finch", a phenomenal pitching prospect

October–December[]

  • October 10 - Johnny Klippstein, 75, pitcher for eight teams who led AL in saves with the 1960 Indians
  • October 12 - Joan B. Kroc, 75, owner of the Padres from 1984 to 1990 following the death of her husband, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc
  • November 5 - Dernell Stenson, 25, promising young outfielder who had played 37 games in 2003 with the Cincinnati Reds
  • November 6 - Spider Jorgensen, 84, third baseman who debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on the same day that teammate Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier
  • November 15 - Earl Battey, 68, All-Star catcher and three-time Gold Glove winner for the White Sox, Senators and Twins who batted .302 in 1961
  • November 18 - Ken Brett, 55, All-Star pitcher for numerous teams who at age 19 became the youngest pitcher to appear in the World Series; brother of Hall of Famer George Brett
  • November 24 - Warren Spahn, 82, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves whose 363 victories made him the fifth-winningest pitcher (and the winningest lefthander) in history; thirteen 20-win seasons included Cy Young Award campaign in 1957 championship season; 14-time All-Star pitched two no-hitters, and led NL in wins eight times, in strikeouts, shutouts and innings four times each, and in ERA three times; 2583 strikeouts were record for lefthanders until 1975, and 5244 innings remained top mark among southpaws
  • December 26 - Paul Owens, 79, general manager of the Phillies from 1972 to 1984 who also managed the team to the 1983 pennant
  • December 27 - Ivan Calderón, 41, Puerto Rican All-Star outfielder for four teams who had three multi-HR games for 1987 White Sox, batted .300 for 1991 Expos
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