1994 in Baseball - Events

Events

• January 12 - Steve Carlton is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, receiving almost 96% of the vote. Orlando Cepeda falls seven votes short of the 75% required for election.

• February 7 - Basketball superstar Michael Jordan signs a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He is invited to spring training with the team as a non-roster player.

• February 15 - Ila Borders becomes the first woman to pitch in a college game. Appearing for Southern California College of Cosa Mesa, she throws a 5-hit game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 12-1.

• February 25 - The Veterans Committee elects Phil Rizzuto and Leo Durocher to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

• April 3 - The Cincinnati Reds host an opening night game on Easter Sunday against St. Louis; the first time in Major League history that a season opens with a night game instead of a day game. Only 32,803 attend the game, which is criticized by many Reds fans at the time as breaking tradition.

• April 4 - At Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs outfielder Tuffy Rhodes blasts three home runs on Opening Day victimizing New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden. Rhodes becomes the first player in major league history to hit home runs in his first three at-bats of the season. In spite of Rhodes’ unexpected home run barrage, the Cubs lose the game, 12–8.

• April 8 - At Dodger Stadium, Kent Mercker of the Atlanta Braves no-hits the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0.

• April 27 - At the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Scott Erickson of the Minnesota Twins no-hits the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0.

• June 13 - Ryne Sandberg announces his retirement from the Chicago Cubs.

• July 8 - In a game against the Seattle Mariners, shortstop John Valentin of the Boston Red Sox records the tenth unassisted triple play in Major League history. It is the first in the American League since 1968; which is also the last time it is accomplished by a shortstop. Boston wins, 4-3. It is the debut game for Alex Rodriguez in the Major Leagues.

• July 12 - Moisés Alou's double in the 10th inning gives the National League an 8-7 victory over the American League in the All-Star Game. The NL is now a perfect 9-0 in extra-inning contests. John Hudek of the Houston Astros becomes the first pitcher in major league history to appear in an All-Star Game before recording a major league victory. Fred McGriff, whose two-run home run in the 9th inning ties the score, takes MVP honors.

• July 14 - Shortstop Ozzie Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals records his 8,017th assist, breaking Luis Aparicio's record for shortstops.

• July 18 - Trailing 11-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Houston Astros come back to win 15-12 in Houston.

• July 28 - Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers throws the fourteenth perfect game in Major League history.

• August 11 - The final games of the Major League season are played on this date. The next day, the players' strike begins. Minor League Baseball games are not affected.

• August 11- The Colorado Rockies unknowingly play their last game at Mile High Stadium, losing 13-0 to the Atlanta Braves.

• September 14 - The owners of the Major League clubs vote 26-2 to officially cancel the remainder of the 1994 season, including the playoffs and World Series. There is no World Series for the first time since 1904.

• September 20 - Albuquerque ends the professional baseball season in the United States, winning the Pacific Coast League championship.

• October 22 - The Japan Series begins as baseball's professional championship. Reporters from major American newspapers arrive in Japan for their Fall Classic coverage. Ken Harrelson, the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox, calls the Japan Series for US audiences on regional sports networks under the Prime SportsChannel banner.

• October 29 - The Yomiuri Giants win Game 6 of the Japan Series to become professional baseball's world champions. Legend says this is the luckiest of all championship years, as it is the team's sixtieth anniversary, as they are deemed World Champions by some baseball media.