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This year in baseball

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Early Years

1869 • 1845-1868

See also
Sources

The following are the baseball events of the year 2004 throughout the world.  


Champions[]

Major League Baseball[]

Other champions[]

  • Caribbean World Series: Tigres de Licey (Dominican Republic)
  • College World Series: Cal State-Fullerton
  • Japan Series: Seibu Lions over Chunichi Dragons (4-3)
  • Little League World Series: Pabao, Willemstad, Curaçao
  • Summer Olympic Games at Athens, Greece: Cuba (Gold), Australia (Silver), Japan (Bronze)
  • European Cup: Neptunus (Netherlands) over Fortitudo Bologna (Italy)


Awards[]

Gold Glove Award[]

Silver Slugger Award[]

Hall of Fame Inductees[]

Statistical Leaders[]

  American League National League
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Ichiro Suzuki SEA .372 Barry Bonds SFG .362
HR Manny Ramirez BOS 43 Adrian Beltre LAD 48
RBI Miguel Tejada BAL 150 Vinny Castilla COL 131
Wins Curt Schilling BOS 21 Roy Oswalt HOU 20
ERA Johan Santana MIN 2.61 Jake Peavy SDP 2.27

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 *   98   64 .605   3.0
3rd Baltimore Orioles   78   84 .481 23.0
4th Tampa Bay Devil Rays   70   91 .435 30.5
5th Toronto Blue Jays   67   94 .416 33.5
Central Division
1st Minnesota Twins   92   70 .568    --
2nd Chicago White Sox   83   79 .512   9.0
3rd Cleveland Indians   80   82 .494 12.0
4th Detroit Tigers   72   90 .444 20.0
5th Kansas City Royals   58 104 .358 34.0
West Division
1st Anaheim Angels   92   70 .568    --
2nd Oakland Athletics   91   71 .562   1.0
3rd Texas Rangers   89   73 .549   3.0
4th Seattle Mariners   63   99 .389 29.0


National League
Rank Club Wins Losses Win %   GB
East Division
1st Atlanta Braves   96   66 .593    --
2nd Philadelphia Phillies   86   76 .531 10.0
3rd Florida Marlins   83   79 .512 13.0
4th New York Mets   71   91 .438 25.0
5th Montréal Expos   67   95 .414 29.0
Central Division
1st St. Louis Cardinals 105   57 .648    --
2nd Houston Astros *   92   70 .568 13.0
3rd Chicago Cubs   89   73 .549 16.0
4th Cincinnati Reds   76   86 .469 29.0
5th Pittsburgh Pirates   72   89 .447 32.5
6th Milwaukee Brewers   67   94 .416 37.5
West Division
1st Los Angeles Dodgers   93   69 .574    --
2nd San Francisco Giants   91   71 .562   2.0
3rd San Diego Padres   87   75 .537   6.0
4th Colorado Rockies   68   94 .420 25.0
5th Arizona Diamondbacks   51 111 .315 42.0

 

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

Events[]

January–April[]

  • April 13 - Pitchers Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Hurst, catcher-manager Bill Carrigan and infielders Wade Boggs, Billy Goodman and Pete Runnels are selected for induction into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. The club's Hall of Fame selection committee conducted its voting at a meeting last fall.

May–June[]

  • May 8 - At Fenway Park, Pokey Reese has the first two-homer game of his career in the Boston Red Sox' 9-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Curt Schilling pitches his first AL complete game, and the 80th of his career, while striking out eight. Reese hits an inside-the-park home run and one of the conventional type over the Green Monster, to snap a 172 at-bat homerless streak dating to April 4, 2003. The last Red Sox player to hit a conventional homer and an inside-the-park homer in the same game was Tony Armas on September 24, 1983, at Tiger Stadium.
  • May 26 - The Pittsburgh Pirates' Daryle Ward hits for the cycle in the Pirates' 11-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. It has been done 23 times in Pittsburgh history and 243 times in the majors since 1882. Ward joins his father, Gary Ward, to become the first father-son combination in major league history to hit for the cycle. The senior Ward accomplished the feat on September 18, 1980, for the Minnesota Twins.
  • May 28 - Matt Clement becomes the 21st big league pitcher and the first Chicago Cubs pitcher in over a century to hit three batters in one inning, to tie a major league record. The victims plucked in the fifth inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh are Bobby Hill, Jason Kendall and Craig Wilson.
  • June 27 - College World Series: Cal State Fullerton wins the NCAA College World Series, defeating Texas 3-2 to win the best-of-three championship series 2-0. The Longhorns later stir up controversy by refusing to accept the runner-up trophy.
  • June 28 - David Bell hits for the cycle as the Philadelphia Phillies slug their way to a 14-6 victory over the Montréal Expos. Bell goes 4-for-4, scores two runs, and gets a career-high six RBI. He becomes the third player to hit for the cycle this season, joining the Pirates' Daryle Ward and the Brewers' Chad Moeller. Coincidentally, Ward and his father Gary Ward accomplished the feat, and when Bell achieved the honor, he joined his grandfather Gus Bell, who turned the trick on June 4, 1951.

July[]

  • July 5: Eric Gagne's consecutive saves streak ends at 84 in a 6-5 Los Angeles Dodgers victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the last team to keep him from converting a save. Gagne had not blown a save chance since David Dellucci hit a tying double on Aug. 26, 2002. Those are his only blown saves in 75 attempts at Dodger Stadium. During the streak, Gagne blew the lead in the 2003 All-Star game when he allowed a home run to the Texas Rangers' Hank Blalock, but that exhibition game isn't counted in the statistics.
  • July 10: Barry Bonds breaks his own record for intentional walks received in a season; amazingly, he broke the former full-season record of 68, set in 2002, before the All-Star break. After three intentional walks in a 3-1 San Francisco Giants win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, his total stands at 71; he will finish with 120.
  • July 16: Cleveland Indians catcher Víctor Martínez hits three home runs, singles twice, draws a walk, and drives in a career-high seven runs in a perfect 5-for-5 game, recording his first career multi-homer game, as the Indians belt eight homers and 21 hits in an 18-6 rout of the Seattle Mariners. Matt Lawton, Casey Blake, Ben Broussard, Travis Hafner and Jody Gerut add shots; Lawton, Martínez and Blake homer in consecutive at-bats in the third inning. It is the first time Cleveland has hit three consecutive homers since Jim Thome, Albert Belle, and Julio Franco accomplished the feat on September 12, 1996. Broussard, Martínez, Hafner and Gerut all homer in the ninth inning as the Indians match their team record for home runs in one game, previously accomplished at Milwaukee on April 25, 1997. Cleveland also sets a new Safeco Field HR record, surpassing the six homers hit by the Kansas City Royals in 2003. The major league record for home runs in a game is 10, set by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987.
  • July 16: With his solo home run in the eighth inning of the Philadelphia Phillies' 5-1 victory over the New York Mets, Bobby Abreu joins Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds by reaching the elite 20-homers/20-steal plateau for a sixth straight season. That quartet are the only players to have six straight 20-20 seasons in major league history. Abreu also becomes the only member of the quartet with no family connection to Barry, his late father Bobby, or his godfather Willie.
  • July 29: New York Mets outfielder Eric Valent becomes the eighth player in Mets history to hit for the cycle to lead his team to a 10-1 victory over the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. Valent goes 4 for 4 with a walk, drives in three runs and scores three times in becoming the fourth player in the majors this season to hit a single, double, triple, and home run in a game - joining Milwaukee's Chad Moeller, Pittsburgh's Daryle Ward, and Philadelphia's David Bell.

August[]

  • August 3: The St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols, at age 24, becomes the first player ever to hit at least 30 home runs in each of his first four seasons. In 1936, Joe DiMaggio belted 29 home runs in his rookie season with the New York Yankees, and 30 or more in the following five seasons. Mark McGwire hit three homers in his 1986 first year with the Oakland Athletics, and 30 or more in the next four seasons. Pujols also becomes the first Cardinal in the franchise's 112-year history to hit 30 or more home runs in four consecutive years.
  • August 17: Mark Teixeira becomes the second player in Texas Rangers history - and the first in more than 19 years - to hit for the cycle, leading Texas to a 16-4 rout of the visiting Cleveland Indians. He goes 4-for-5 and drives in a career-high seven runs for the club's first cycle since Oddibe McDowell accomplished the feat on July 23, 1985, against the Indians at Arlington Stadium. Teixeira is the fifth player to hit for the cycle this season.
  • August 25: Cuba defeats Australia 6-2 in the final of the 2004 Summer Olympics Baseball tournament.
  • August 26: At Safeco Field, the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki belts a leadoff home run in the ninth inning for his 200th hit in 2004, reaching the mark in fewer games than any player since 1930. In that season, Bill Terry of the New York Giants reached 200 in the Giants' 119th game, while Chuck Klein of the Philadelphia Phillies collected No. 200 in game No. 125. With the hit, which snaps an 0-for-11 slide, Ichiro becomes the first player in major league history to record at least 200 hits in each of his first four seasons. He hit 242 in 2001, 208 in 2002, and 212 in 2003.
  • August 29: Pabao of Willemstad, Curaçao wins the 2004 Little League World Series.

September[]

  • September 9 - Joe Randa becomes the first player in AL history to have six hits and six runs in the same nine-inning game in the Kansas City Royals' 26-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader.
  • September 17 - At Safeco Field, the Seattle Mariners defeat the Oakland Athletics 6-3. Rookie Greg Dobbs' three-run pinch-hit double starts Seattle's five-run seventh inning. Meanwhile, Edgar Martinez gets his 1,000th career RBI as a designated hitter - a record for RBI at the position - and Ichiro Suzuki breaks the major league record with his 199th single of the season in the seventh. He bettered the mark of 198 set by Lloyd Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1927.
  • David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez become the first pair of AL teammates since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931 to both bat .300 with 40 HR and 100 RBI. The feat has been accomplished only 11 other times.

October–December[]

  • October 1: Ichiro Suzuki surpasses George Sisler's 84-year-old record of 257 hits in a single season. After this game, Ichiro has collected 259 hits in the season with two games left; he will finish the season with 262 hits.
  • October 2: The Anaheim Angels clinch their first AL West Division division title in 18 years with a 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The Angels also earn their first playoff berth since 2002, when they won the World Series as the wild card. The Angels, who trailed Oakland by one game four days before, were tied for first place when the three-game series started, and many expected the race to come down to the last day of the season; but Anaheim ends the suspense with two consecutive victories.
  • October 3: The Houston Astros charge into the playoffs with their 18th consecutive home victory by beating the Colorado Rockies 5-3 to win the NL wild card. Houston wins the final seven games of the regular season and nine of the last 10 to complete an amazing late-season push for the playoffs under manager Phil Garner, who replaced Jimy Williams at the All-Star break. The Astros were a season-worst 56-60 on August 14. Since then, the team compiled a major league-best 36-10.
  • October 9: At Minnesota, the New York Yankees rally for four runs to tie the game in the eighth, then push across the winning run in the 11th on a wild pitch. The 6-5 win against the Minnesota Twins gave them a 3-1 AL Division Series victory and sends them back to Yankee Stadium, where they will open against the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-seven ALCS.
  • October 11: The Houston Astros post a 12-3 triumph over the Atlanta Braves in the decisive fifth game of the NLDS. Winning a postseason series for the first time in the 43-year history of the franchise, the Astros earn a spot in the best-of-seven NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • October 24: The Red Sox win 6-2 at Fenway Park behind Curt Schilling, to take the Series lead 2-0. Shilling goes 6 innings, giving up only 1 run (not earned) and only 4 hits, while striking out 4.
  • October 26: Takashi Ishii goes six strong innings and Alex Cabrera hits a towering two-run homer as the Seibu Lions defeat the Chunichi Dragons 7-2 in Game 7 of the Japan Series to win their first championship since 1992. The ball bounces off the glass-enclosed private boxes above the left field seats. It is Cabrera's third home run of the Series. The former Arizona Diamondbacks player also had a grand slam and a two-run homer in Game 3. For his part, Ishii is selected the Series MVP.

Movies[]

  • Mickey
  • Mr. 3000
  • Hustle (TV)

Deaths[]

January

  • January 2 - Lynn Cartwright, 76, actress who performed as the older version of Geena Davis' character in the 1992 film A League of Their Own
  • January 2 - Paul Hopkins, 99, oldest living major leaguer, and the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's record-tying 59th home run in 1927
  • January 3 - Leon Wagner, 69, All-Star left fielder for the Angels and Indians who had two seasons of 30 HR and 100 RBI; MVP of the second 1962 All-Star game
  • January 5 - Tug McGraw, 59, All-Star relief pitcher for the Mets and Phillies who held the NL's career saves record for lefthanders (180) until 1990, and was on the mound when the Phillies won their first World Series title in 1980
  • January 13 - Mike Goliat, 82, second baseman on the Phillies' 1950 "Whiz Kids"
  • January 15 - Gus Suhr, 98, All-Star first baseman for the Pirates who set NL record of 822 consecutive games played, broken by Stan Musial in 1957
  • January 17 - Harry Brecheen, 89, All-Star pitcher for the Cardinals who was 3-0 with a 0.45 ERA in the 1946 World Series, clinching the Series with a Game 7 relief win; led NL in ERA and strikeouts in 1948

February

  • February 10 - Hub Kittle, 86, pitching coach for the 1982 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals; also a minor league manager and executive
  • February 15 - Lawrence Ritter, 81, author of numerous books on baseball, including The Glory of Their Times
  • February 16 - Charlie Fox, 82, manager who led Giants to the 1971 NL West title, and later managed the Expos and Cubs
  • February 22 - Andy Seminick, 83, All-Star catcher who was the last surviving everyday player for the Phillies' 1950 "Whiz Kids"

March

  • March 2 - Marge Schott, 75, owner of the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 1999 who often provoked controversy with her social views
  • March 6 - John Henry Williams, 35, son of Hall of Famer Ted Williams who began a brief minor league career at age 33
  • March 18 - Gene Bearden, 83, pitcher who employed the knuckleball in a remarkable 1948 rookie season for the Indians, winning 20 games, leading the AL in ERA and earning a save in the final World Series game
  • March 27 - Bob Cremins, 98, pitcher who made four relief appearances for the 1927 Red Sox
  • March 29 - Al Cuccinello, 89, reserve second baseman for the 1935 Giants who hit a home run in his first game at the Polo Grounds

April

  • April 4 - George Bamberger, 80, manager of the Brewers (twice) and Mets, also Orioles' pitching coach; won 213 games as a minor league pitcher, mainly in Pacific Coast League
  • April 6 - Lou Berberet, 74, catcher for four AL teams who posted a perfect fielding average for the 1957 Senators
  • April 6 - Ken Johnson, 81, pitcher who threw a one-hitter for the Cardinals in his first major league start

May

  • May 2 - Moe Burtschy, 82, relief pitcher for the Philadelphia & Kansas City Athletics from 1950–56
  • May 3 - Darrell Johnson, 75, manager of the Red Sox' 1975 AL champions who later became the Seattle Mariners' first manager
  • May 17 - Buster Narum, 63, pitcher who won 14 games for the 1964-67 Senators after homering in his first career at bat with the Orioles

June

  • June 4 - Wilmer Fields, 81, All-Star pitcher and third baseman for the Negro Leagues' Homestead Grays
  • June 8 - Mack Jones, 65, outfielder for three NL teams who had the first major league home run hit in Canada
  • June 16 - George Hausmann, 88, second baseman for the New York Giants in 1944-45; suspended for jumping to the Mexican League

July

  • July 9 - Tony Lupien, 87, first baseman for three teams who later managed in the minor leagues and coached at Dartmouth for 21 years
  • July 26 - Rubén Gómez, 77, pitcher for the Giants who in 1954 became the first Puerto Rican to win a World Series game

August

  • August 3 - Bob Murphy, 79, broadcaster for the Mets for 40 years, previously with the Red Sox and Orioles
  • August 11 - Joe Falls, 76, sportswriter for various Detroit newspapers since 1953, also a Sporting News columnist; winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award
  • August 23 - Hank Borowy, 88, All-Star pitcher who was the last hurler to get four decisions in a World Series, going 2-2 with the 1945 Cubs against Detroit
  • August 27 - Willie Crawford, 57, outfielder, primarily for the Dodgers, who hit .304 for the 1976 Cardinals

September

  • September 7 - Bob Boyd, 84, first baseman who was the first black player to sign with the White Sox, and the first 20th-century Oriole to hit over .300
  • September 7 - Hal Reniff, 66, relief pitcher for the Yankees who saved 18 games in 1963

October

  • October 3 - John Cerutti, 44, pitcher and broadcast announcer for the Blue Jays who won 11 games for the 1989 division champions
  • October 10 - Ken Caminiti, 41, All-Star third baseman who won the NL's 1996 MVP award and three Gold Gloves; made news in 2002 with admission of steroid use and allegations of their prevalence in major leagues
  • October 17 - Ray Boone, 81, All-Star infielder and patriarch of three-generation major league family which included son Bob and grandsons Bret and Aaron
  • October 20 - Chuck Hiller, 70, second baseman for four NL teams who was that league's first player to hit a grand slam in the World Series
  • October 26 - Bobby Avila, 80, Mexican All-Star second baseman for the Indians who won the AL batting title in 1954, the first Hispanic player to do so; became president of the Mexican League

November

  • November 14 - Jesse Gonder, 68, catcher and pinch-hitter for five teams, most notably the 1963-65 Mets; won a batting title in Pacific Coast League
  • November 19 - Brian Traxler, 37, former first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers
  • November 26 - Tom Haller, 67, All-Star catcher for the Giants and Dodgers, later Giants' general manager from 1981–86; brother Bill was longtime AL umpire
  • November 28 - Connie Johnson, 81, All-Star pitcher for the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs, later with the White Sox and Orioles
  • November 29 - Harry Danning, 93, All-Star catcher for the New York Giants who batted .300 three times

December

  • December 10 - Ed Sudol, 84, National League umpire from 1957-77 who worked three World Series and was behind the plate for Jim Bunning's perfect game (1964), Hank Aaron's 715th home run (1974), and three Mets games of 23 or more innings
  • December 13 - Andre Rodgers, 70, shortstop for the Giants, Cubs and Pirates who was the first Bahamian major leaguer; former cricket player learned baseball at a Giants tryout
  • December 14 - Danny Doyle, 87, scout for the Red Sox since 1949 who signed Roger Clemens; briefly a catcher for the 1943 team
  • December 14 - Rod Kanehl, 70, second baseman and outfielder for the Mets who hit the team's first grand slam
  • December 15 - Larry Ponza, 86, pitching machine innovator
  • December 16 - Ted Abernathy, 71, relief pitcher who led the NL in saves in 1965 and 1967
  • December 16 - Bobby Mattick, 89, longtime scout who managed the 1980-81 Blue Jays; previously a shortstop for the Cubs and Reds
  • December 22 - Doug Ault, 54, first baseman for the Blue Jays who hit two home runs in the franchise's first game
  • December 23 - Wilmer Harris, 80, pitcher for the Negro Leagues' Philadelphia Stars
  • December 24 - Johnny Oates, 58, manager who led the Rangers to their only three playoff appearances in 1996, '98 and '99; also managed Orioles, and was catcher with five teams
  • December 26 - Eddie Layton, 79, organist for the New York Yankees from 1967 to 2003
  • December 29 - Ken Burkhart, 89, National League umpire from 1957-73 who worked in three World Series; a pitcher who won 18 games for the 1945 Cardinals, he was the last surviving umpire who played in the majors
  • December 29 - Gus Niarhos, 84, catcher for four teams, most notably the Yankees; later a minor league manager
  • December 31 - Joe Durso, 80, sportswriter for The New York Times since 1950, and author of several baseball books
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