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The following are the baseball events of the year 2005 throughout the world.  

This year in baseball

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1950s

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1930s

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1920s

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1910s

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1900s

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1890s

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1880s

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1884 • 1883 • 1882 • 1881 • 1880

1870s

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

1860s

1869 • 1868 • 1867 • 1866 • 1865
1864 • 1863 • 1862 • 1861 • 1860

See also
Sources


Champions[]

Major League Baseball[]

Other champions[]

Awards and honors[]

Major League Baseball final standings[]

American League
Rank Club Wins Losses Win %   GB
East Division
1st New York Yankees 95   67 .586    --
2nd Boston Red Sox * 95   67 .586    --
3rd Toronto Blue Jays 80   82 .494 15.0
4th Baltimore Orioles 74   88 .457 21.0
5th Tampa Bay Devil Rays 67   95 .414 28.0
Central Division
1st Chicago White Sox 99   63 .611    --
2nd Cleveland Indians 93   69 .574   6.0
3rd Minnesota Twins 83   79 .512 16.0
4th Detroit Tigers 68   94 .420 28.0
5th Kansas City Royals 56 106 .346 43.0
West Division
1st Los Angeles Angels 95   67 .586    --
2nd Oakland Athletics 88   74 .543   7.0
3rd Texas Rangers 79   83 .488 16.0
4th Seattle Mariners 69   93 .426 26.0

* The asterisk denotes the club that won the Wild card for its respective league. Because the Yankees and Red Sox finished with the same win-loss record, the season series result awarded the division championship to the Yankees and the wild card to the Red Sox.

National League
Rank Club Wins Losses Win %   GB
East Division
1st Atlanta Braves   90 72 .556    --
2nd Philadelphia Phillies   88 74 .543   2.0
3rd Florida Marlins   83 79 .512   7.0
3rd New York Mets   83 79 .512   7.0
4th Washington Nationals   81 81 .500   9.0
Central Division
1st St. Louis Cardinals 100 62 .617    --
2nd Houston Astros *   89 73 .549 11.0
3rd Milwaukee Brewers   81 81 .500 19.0
4th Chicago Cubs   79 83 .488 21.0
5th Cincinnati Reds   73 89 .451 27.0
6th Pittsburgh Pirates   67 95 .414 33.0
West Division
1st San Diego Padres   82 80 .506    --
2nd Arizona Diamondbacks   77 85 .475   5.0
3rd San Francisco Giants   75 87 .463   7.0
4th Los Angeles Dodgers   71 91 .438 11.0
5th Colorado Rockies   67 95 .414 15.0

Events[]

January-March[]

  • January 31 - The Seattle Mariners sign relief pitcher Jeff Nelson to a minor league contract, his third stint with the club. The reliever previously pitched with the Mariners from 1992-1995 and again from 2001-2003. He is Seattle's all-time record holder for most games pitched with 383 and has a 23-20 record with the Mariners.
  • February 6 - At Mazatlan, Mexico, Francisco Campos turns in another brilliant outing, and Mexican champion Águilas de Mazatlán (Mazatlan Eagles) holds on in the final game, edging the Dominican Republic 4-3 to win the 56th Caribbean World Series. The title is just Mexico’s fifth since joining the competition in 1970, the second in the last four years, but its first since hosting the series. Campos allows just three hits - two infield hits and a bunt single - and a run over his first eight innings of work, striking out 11. Previously, Campos handcuffed the Venezuelan champion Tigres de Aragua (Aragua Tigers) 4-0 in the series opener. He allowed just three hits over eight innings and struck out 10. Campos os voted the Series MVP.
  • February 8 - Magglio Ordóñez, the last remaining premier free agent of the offseason, and the Detroit Tigers agree to a $75 million, five-year contract, a deal with two option years that could raise the total to $105 million over seven seasons.
  • February 16 - The players' union signs an agreement calling for international drug-testing rules during a 16-team World Cup tournament during 2006 spring training. Each team will select a provisional roster of 60 players, 45 days before the start of the tournament, and players will be covered by the drug-testing rules until the end of the competition. The deal, signed by the union, the commissioner's office and the International Baseball Federation, states that IBAF rules will cover the frequency of testing before and during the tournament, the list of prohibited substances, the procedures for taking samples and the laboratories used. More substances are banned by the IBAF than by the major leagues.
  • March 2:
    • Thirty-two years after his death, Jackie Robinson receives the Congressional Gold Medal in the Capitol Rotunda, the highest honor Congress can bestow. The medal is accepted by Rachel Robinson, his widow. Baseball is represented in a way by former Texas Rangers executive George W. Bush. Robinson joins Roberto Clemente, Joe Louis and Jesse Owens as the only athletes among about 300 Gold Medal recipients. Following the ceremony, the Boston Red Sox are honored at the White House for winning the 2004 World Series.
  • March 29 - First baseman Andrés Galarraga announces his retirement. A five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner in a 19-year career, Galarraga was a .288 hitter with 399 home runs and 1425 RBI in 2,257 games played.

April[]

  • April 4 - Opening Day Highlights:
    • Baltimore Orioles Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro become the first pair of teammates to have at least 500 career home runs apiece. Sosa went into the season with 574 career HR and Palmeiro 551.
    • Detroit Tigers designated hitter Dmitri Young hits three home runs to lead his team to an 11-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
    • Mark Buehrle yields two hits in eight shutout innings and Shingo Takatsu works a perfect ninth inning as the Chicago White Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians 1-0 in a game that takes only an hour and 51 minutes to complete. Indians pitcher Jake Westbrook allows only one run and four hits in going the distance, but it isn't good enough to win. The game's only run comes in the seventh inning on an error by Cleveland shortstop Jhonny Peralta.
    • The Cincinnati Reds rally from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the New York Mets 7-6, after a two-run, game-tying home run from Adam Dunn (his second of the game) and a solo blast to win it by Joe Randa.
    • Center fielder Brad Wilkerson has the honor of being the first batter for the Washington Nationals, and he promptly responds with the first hit in Nationals history. Nevertheless, Kenny Lofton hits a three-run homer and Jon Lieber pitches 5 2/3 effective innings, leading the home team Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-4 victory over the Nationals.
  • April 6 - Brad Wilkerson of the Washington Nationals hits for the cycle in the Nationals' first win since moving to Washington D.C., 7-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He becomes the twentieth player to hit for the cycle twice. One day later, Wilkerson continues his torrid hitting going 4-for-5, as the Nationals complete their first series by winning two of three against the Phillies.
  • April 14 - On a historic night at RFK Stadium, Liván Hernández and Vinny Castilla are up to the task. Hernández carries a one-hitter into the ninth inning and Castilla falls a single shy of the cycle as the Washington Nationals post a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first major league game in Washington D.C. in over 33 years. After beginning their first season in the nation's capital with a nine-game road trip, the Nationals open the first game at RFK Stadium since the departure of the Washington Senators with former pitcher Joe Grzenda handing a ball to president George W. Bush, who throws the ceremonial first pitch. Grzenda tossed the final pitch in Senators history against the New York Yankees on September 30, 1971.
  • April 15 - Sammy Sosa hits his first home run at Camden Yards, giving him homers in 42 different ballparks. Currently seventh on the all-time list with 576 home runs, Sosa and Miguel Tejada have three RBI apiece as the Orioles defeat the Yankees 10-1.

May[]

  • May 6:
    • During a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman becomes just the third pitcher in major league history to reach the 400-save plateau, joining Lee Smith (478) and John Franco (424). Hoffman has converted 400 of 450 save chances in his career.
    • Mike Piazza delivers two home runs and drives in three runs as the New York Mets win a 7-4 triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers. Piazza's second homer is his 383rd, giving him sole possession of 48th place on the career list. His first shot moved him into a tie for 49th with Frank Howard and Jim Rice.
  • May 21:
    • The San Francisco Giants hold a celebration in honor of Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. A 9-foot bronze statue of Marichal is dedicated on the plaza outside of the ballpark, joining similar larger than life-size sculptures of Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. Leonel Fernández, the President of the Dominican Republic, is in attendance. In the game which follows the ceremonies, the Giants wear uniforms with the word "Gigantes" on the front (the Spanish word for "Giants"), the first time in the club's 123-year history it has worn such threads. The uniforms are to be auctioned off afterward. Many of Marichal's former teammates are in attendance, including Mays, McCovey, Felipe Alou, Orlando Cepeda and Gaylord Perry.
    • At Arlington, David Dellucci hits two of the Texas Rangers' team-record eight home runs, in an 18-3 rout of the Houston Astros. Rod Barajas, Mark Teixeira, Hank Blalock and Laynce Nix connect homers to highlight a club record four-homer second inning, and Richard Hidalgo and Kevin Mench also homer to help the Rangers top their previous best of seven, accomplished in 1986 and 2003.
  • May 23 - At Cooperstown, NY, minor leaguer Derek Nicholson hits a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, sending the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the annual Hall of Fame game. Nicholson, who plays for the Class A Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League, sends a 1-0 pitch from reliever Barry Hertzler of the Class A Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League over the fence in left-center field. In the traditional home-run contest staged before the game, David Ortiz of the Red Sox hits a record-breaking eight in his 10 official swings. He hits his last one, a drive that barely cleared the wall in right field, with a broken bat.
  • May 30:
    • The Chicago White Sox extend manager Ozzie Guillén's contract, making the move while the team has the best record in the majors (33-17). Chicago picks up the 2006 option on Guillén's contract, adds two more years and includes an option for the 2009 season.
    • 42-year-old Jamie Moyer pitches six solid innings for his 131st win with the Seattle Mariners, passing Randy Johnson to become the club's career leader as the Mariners beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3. Over 20 major league seasons, he's 197-147.

June[]

  • June 2 - The New York Yankees are swept by the worst team in baseball, falling 5-2 to the Kansas City Royals for their first five-game losing streak in more than two years. It's been a ball so far for Buddy Bell, the new Royals skipper who is unbeaten after sweeping three games from the visiting Yankees. Kansas City pitchers allow just six runs in the series. It's the third time in their storied history the Yankees have been swept in three games by the team with the worst record in the majors. The other times were in 2000 by the Detroit Tigers and 1937 by the Philadelphia Athletics; in both those seasons, New York won the American League pennant. Kansas City completes its first three-game sweep at home of the Yankees in 15 years. The Royals had gone 78 series without sweeping anyone, the longest drought in the majors since the Philadelphia Phillies went 79 series without a sweep from 1996-97. Despite their three-game sweep, the Royals' record of 16-37 is still the worst in the majors.
  • June 5 - For the first time since 1933, a team called Washington is in first place late in the season. Ryan Church helps lift the Washington Nationals into first place in the NL East Division with a three-run home run, as the Nationals complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Florida Marlins with a 6-3 triumph. The victory, coupled with Atlanta's loss to Pittsburgh, puts Washington in first place. The Nationals have come from behind for 21 of their 31 victories, including each of its last eight. 75 years ago, the Washington Senators team that won the American League pennant topped the standings this time of year or later.
  • June 6 - Colorado Rockies rookie sensation Clint Barmes is expected to miss at least three months after breaking his left collarbone in a fall while carrying groceries up the stairs in his apartment building. Barmes, a shortstop leading National League rookies in most offensive categories, undergoes surgery the next day. He had hit around .400 and led the major leagues in batting average for about the first six weeks of the season. After a mild slump, he was still leading NL rookies in hitting (.329), runs (40), hits (74), doubles (16), home runs (8) and RBI (34) heading into the day's game.
  • June 8:
    • Marlins starter Dontrelle Willis becomes the major leagues' first 10-game winner in Florida's 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners. Carlos Delgado homers and provides all the runs the Marlins need.
    • Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest member of the 400-home run club when he hits a solo shot in the eighth inning of New York's 12-3 win over host Milwaukee. The home run is the second of the game for the 29-year-old, who becomes the 40th player in major league history to reach 400 homers, with two more than Dale Murphy and one more than Al Kaline and Andrés Galarraga.
    • Minnesota ace Johan Santana improves to 15-0 over his last 17 road starts, when he pitches a 8-0 four-hit, nine-strikeout shutout against Arizona.
  • June 10:
    • Greg Maddux makes the Boston Red Sox' first appearance at Wrigley Field a sour one. Maddux allows three runs in 6 2/3 innings and homers for the first time in six years as the Chicago Cubs capture their 11th win in their last 14 games with a 14-6 victory over the Red Sox. Facing the Cubs for the first time since the 1918 World Series, Boston did not play at Wrigley Field before because of the decision that year to host the postseason games in Chicago at Comiskey Park because of its greater seating capacity.
    • The 1919 contract that shipped Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees sells at auction for a staggering $996,000, delighting its new owner, Pete Siegel, a die-hard Yankees fan, and a hunger-relief group designated to receive a financial windfall from the sale. The price is nearly double the presale estimate for the December 26, 1919, contract, signed by owners Harry Frazee of the Red Sox and Jacob Ruppert of Yankees, and nearly 10 times the $100,000 cost of purchasing Ruth.
  • June 12 - Acquired in a trade two days before, Junior Spivey hits a two-run home run as the Washington Nationals tie a franchise record with their 10th consecutive win - a 3–2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Before relocating to the nation's capital this season, the Nationals were known as the Montreal Expos, who won 10 straight games three previous times in 1979, 1980 and 1997. The Nationals have won 13 of their last 14 games overall, with eight of the wins coming by one run, and complete a 12-1 homestand. Tony Armas, Jr. pitches five scoreless innings, allowing five hits, and is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his last three starts.
  • June 14:
    • The Boston Red Sox honor their Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk and the 12th-inning home run that won Game 6 of the 1975 World Series by naming the left field foul pole where it landed the "Fisk Pole". In a pregame ceremony from the Monster Seats, Fisk is cheered by the Fenway Park crowd while the shot is replayed to the strains of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. The Red Sox scheduled the ceremony to coincide with an interleague series against the Cincinnati Reds, who make their first trip back to Fenway Park since the '75 Series. Thirty years later, the video of Fisk trying to wave the ball fair remains one of the game's enduring images; Game 6 is often called the best game in major leagues history. Fenway's right field foul pole, which is just 302 feet from the plate, has long been unofficially named the Pesky Pole, for light-hitting former Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky, who had a tendency to curve fly balls around it for homers. On the field, Fisk throws out the ceremonial first pitch to former battery-mate Luis Tiant.
    • Commissioner Bud Selig favors reversing use of the designated hitter for interleague games next season. Under Selig's proposal, which will be considered during the offseason, the DH would be used in National League parks instead of in American League stadiums.
  • June 17:
    • The Baltimore Orioles' Miguel Tejada plays in his 822d consecutive game, tying Gus Suhr for ninth place on the all-time list.
    • Former Boston Red Sox Brian Daubach starts at first base for the New York Mets, drawing three walks and scoring two runs one day after being called up from Triple-A Norfolk. Daubach was drafted by the Mets in the 17th round in 1990, but this is his first big league game for the club.
  • June 19 - Rafael Palmeiro hits his 560th career home run to give Baltimore a sixth-inning lead, and the Orioles shake off manager Lee Mazzilli's first career ejection to beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2.
  • June 24:
    • At Yankee Stadium, the New York Mets set a National League record by hitting three sacrifice flies in one inning, an oddity accomplished three times by American League teams. Ramón Castro, José Reyes and Mike Cameron each hit one in the second inning, and Reyes adds his second of the game in the ninth, as the Mets defeat the Yankees 6-4.
    • Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagné has season-ending elbow surgery which goes better than expected. Gagné does not need a ligament replaced and could return by spring training. Originally expected to be out 12-to-14 months, Gagné now faces about six months recovery time, and may start throwing a baseball even earlier.
  • June 27:
    • Julio Franco hits his eighth career grand slam as the Atlanta Braves get past the Florida Marlins. The 46-year-old Atlanta first baseman has shown in June that he clearly can still play the game. In his last seven appearances, Franco is hitting .458 with four home runs and 11 RBI, and is making plenty of entries on those oldest-to-do-whatever lists. Earlier this month, he became the oldest player in major league history to have a two-homer game, the oldest in the last 96 years to steal a base and extended his own mark for being the oldest to hit a grand slam.
    • Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro gets two more hits in a 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees, moving him past Sam Rice into sole possession of 26th place on the all-time list. Palmeiro is 11 hits shy of becoming the fourth player in major league history with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.

July[]

  • July 6 - Florida Marlins pitchers are perfect for more than nine innings, and they set a team record with 22 strikeouts. Juan Encarnación's single in the 12th inning gives Florida a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, but it is the Marlins pitchers who steal the show. Starter A.J. Burnett matches his career-high and the team record with 14 strikeouts in six innings and, after J.J. Hardy's RBI single with two outs in the third, Florida pitchers retire the final 28 Milwaukee hitters. Burnett throws 125 pitches in six innings, allowing four runs and four hits while walking five; Jim Mecir pitches the seventh but doesn't have a strikeout; Guillermo Mota strikes out two in the eighth and two in the ninth; Todd Jones strikes out one in the 10th and two in the 11th, and Valerio de los Santos, the game winner, strikes out one in the 12th.
  • July 11 - At Comerica Park – a field normally considered a "pitcher's park" - Bobby Abreu wins the Home Run Derby. He sets records with 24 home runs in a single round and 41 overall, topping Miguel Tejada's previous marks of 15 and 27, set a year earlier. Abreu's longest homer is measured at 517 feet.
  • July 24 - At SF, A.J. Burnett homers and pitches into the eighth inning for his second straight victory, and Miguel Cabrera belts a home run for the third game in a row to lead the Florida Marlins past the San Francisco Giants 4-1. With 70-year-old Felipe Alou and the 74-year-old Jack McKeon in the dugouts, it marks the first time in North American professional sports history that opposing teams both had managers or coaches 70 or older.
  • July 25:
    • The Oakland Athletics defeat the Cleveland Indians 13-4, as Dan Johnson of Oakland is the designated hitter and bats ninth; so did Indians DH Jason Dubois — the first time in major league history each DH was in the last spot in the batting order.
    • At home, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox, 4-3, on Aubrey Huff’s two-out double in the 10th inning. The Red Sox set a major league record to start a season by not playing extra-innings until their 99th game.

August[]

  • August 7 - In just the fourth meeting of pitchers with the same last name since 2000, Víctor Zambrano of the New York Mets outduels Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs in front of 40,321 fans at Shea Stadium, pitching the Mets to a 6-1 win and a sweep of the three-game series. Both Zambranos entered with 42 career wins, the second time in major league history that opposing starters with the same last name came in with matching victory totals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The other was on June 15, 1944, when Red Barrett of the Boston Braves and Dick Barrett of the Philadelphia Phillies each had 19 career wins. Like the Barretts, Víctor and Carlos obviously share a double feat, but the similarities don't end there. The Zambranos were both born in Venezuela, both throw with their right arm, and both wear No. 38. Besides this, it is the fourth time in modern major league history that starting pitchers with a last name beginning with Z faced each other, according to ESPN. Víctor and Carlos Zambrano have both faced Barry Zito of the Oakland Athletics.
  • August 7 - Zach Duke becomes only the second rookie in Pittsburgh Pirates history to win his first five decisions as a starter, as the Pirates pass the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4. The 22-year-old is the first Pittsburgh rookie since Whitey Glazner in 1921 to start 5-0. No Pirates rookie has been 6-0. Duke is 5-0 with 35 strikeouts and a 1.52 ERA in 46.2 innings pitched. His 0.87 ERA in July was the lowest among all major league pitchers.
  • August 20
    • 2005 Little League World Series: Kalen Pimentel of Vista, California, representing the West team, strikes out 18 batters in a six-inning game to lead his team over Owensboro, Kentucky, representing the Great Lakes, 7-2.
    • The Kansas City Royals end major league baseball's losing streak in 17 years, defeating the Oakland Athletics 2-1 to snap a club-record 19-game skid. The Royals' mark was the longest since the Baltimore Orioles lost an American League-record 21 in a row at the start of the 1988 season. The major league mark since 1900 is 23 straight losses, set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961.
  • August 31 - Called up from Double-A Carolina, Jeremy Hermida of the Florida Marlins makes a name for himself by becoming the second player in major league history to belt a grand slam in his first at-bat. But it is too late to rally the Marlins, who lose 10-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Dolphins Stadium. Pinch-hitting in the seventh inning, Hermida hits his grand slam off Al Reyes on a 1-1 pitch. The Marlins' No. 1 draft pick in 2002, Hermida is a left-handed-hitting outfielder who was a rising star at Double-A before being brought up. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Bill Duggleby of the Philadelphia Phillies on April 21, 1898; Duggleby was the winning pitcher that day.

September[]

  • September 9:
    • In his third major league start, rookie Matt Cain of the SF Giants pitches a two-hitter complete game while striking out eight, as the visiting Chicago Cubs lose 2–1. A 20-year-old right-hander, Cain beats another promising young pitcher, Jerome Williams, his former minor league teammate.
    • Pitcher Woody Williams holds the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless through five innings and Ramón Hernández belts a three-run home run in the fourth inning, giving the San Diego Padres a 3-1 victory over Los Angeles. It is the 40th anniversary of the only perfect game by a Dodgers pitcher in franchise history. Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax retired all 27 Chicago Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965, and Lou Johnson had the only hit and run in a 1-0 victory at Dodger Stadium. The Padres have never had a no-hitter.
  • September 12 - David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox hits his second game-winning home run in seven days to beat the host Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th inning, 6-5. That homer, Ortiz' second of the night and 40th of the season, allows him to join Carl Yastrzemski as the only players in the 105-year history of the Red Sox to hit 40 home runs in consecutive seasons. Yaz did it in 1969 and 1970. Ortiz also enjoys his eighth multihomer game of the season, two shy of tying a Sox record set by Jimmie Foxx in 1938.
  • September 14:
    • Andruw Jones hits his 50th home run, becoming the first major leaguer to reach that mark since 2002, in the Atlanta Braves' 12-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. It is Jones' 300th career homer, and the 28-year-old becomes the 12th player in major league history to reach that milestone before his 30th birthday.
    • David Ortiz continues campaigning for MVP honors, hitting yet another game-winning home run, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 in the finale of a three-game set at the Rogers Centre. Ortiz has hit three game-deciding home runs in the last nine days – September 6 against the Angels in the bottom of the ninth inning, September 12 against Toronto in the 11th, and today in the eighth. All three have come with the game tied. Ortiz' 42d homer establishes a career high, eclipsing his 2004 total by one. It is also his 38th homer this year hit out of the DH position, surpassing Edgar Martinez' single-season record of 37 in 2000 with the Seattle Mariners.
  • September 15:
    • The St. Louis Cardinals become the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season, running away with the NL Central title division for a second straight season – their fourth title in the last six years. Jeff Suppan allows six hits over eight-plus innings and the Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 6–1, in a game called with two outs in the bottom of the ninth after a 58-minute rain delay. The Cardinals moved into first place on April 16 and never left.
    • Staten Island, the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, wins their third New York-Penn League pennant by sweeping the Auburn Doubledays in the championship series.
  • September 17 - In a game against the Florida Marlins at Dolphins Stadium, the Philadelphia Phillies, trailing 2–0 going into the ninth inning, take advantage of four Marlin errors in the ninth to score 10 runs in the ninth inning. The Phillies go on to win the game 10-2. A blown save during the game snaps Marlins closer Todd Jones' streak of 27 consecutive saves.
  • September 18 - The Texas Rangers set a major league record for home runs at home when David Dellucci, Alfonso Soriano and Rod Barajas connect against the Seattle Mariners in an 8-6 victory. Barajas' homer in the fourth inning gives Texas 150 homers at Ameriquest Field, one more than the Colorado Rockies hit at Coors Field in 1996. Mark Teixeira adds two more home runs later in the game to bring Texas' overall home run total to 252, which leads the majors. The Rangers are only 13 homers shy of breaking the major league record of 264 set by Seattle in 1997. Barajas' homer gives the Rangers seven players with at least 20 homers, tying the major league record set by Baltimore in 1996 and matched by Toronto in 2000.
  • September 19 - Ian Snell pitches eight strong innings, earning his first major league win, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros 7–0 in the opener of a four-game set at PNC Park. Snell, who is making just his fourth start of the season, allows just three hits, strikes out five and walks three, while retiring the final nine batters he faces before José Mesa comes on to complete the four-hit shutout. Clemens has now pitched in every active ball park.
  • September 21 - Rafael Furcal of the Atlanta Braves sets a team record with his 187th career stolen base, breaking the mark he shared with Otis Nixon. Hank Aaron holds the franchise record for stolen bases with 240, most of them while the Braves were in Milwaukee.
  • September 29:
    • The Chicago White Sox clinch their first division title since 2000 with a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. Chicago has 96 victories, the best record in the American League, and is just the 10th team in the history of baseball to be in first place on every day of the season.

October[]

  • October 2:
    • Both wild card berths are clinched on the final day of the regular season. The Boston Red Sox clinch their third straight wild card after the Chicago White Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians 3–1, while the Houston Astros earn their second straight berth with a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Boston wins 10–1 over the Yankees, entering a tie for the first place in the AL East. The Yankees win their season series with the Red Sox ten games to eight, giving New York the division title and Boston the wild card. The last three World Series champions were wild card entries.
    • Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies extends his hitting streak to 36 games, the ninth longest in major league history, with a fourth-inning single in the regular-season finale against the Washington Nationals. The streak is the longest since 1987, when Paul Molitor hit safely in 39 consecutive games. The old Phillies franchise record of 31 was set by Ed Delahanty in 1899.
    • Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon tells his team before a 7–6, 10-inning victory over the Atlanta Braves that he will not be back as manager in 2006. McKeon led Florida to the 2003 World Series title and a winning record in each of his three seasons as manager of the club. He began his managerial career in the minors 50 years ago and became the 52nd manager to earn 1,000 major-league wins on September 3.
    • Leaders. Atlanta's Andruw Jones wins his first NL home run crown with a major league-best 51, three more than the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, who wins his fourth AL HR title in five seasons. Jones becomes the first player to reach 50 homers since Rodriguez and Jim Thome in 2002. Rodriguez gives the Yankees their first home run champion since Reggie Jackson was co-leader in 1980. Houston's Roger Clemens leads the major leagues in ERA for the first time since 1990 after posting a 1.87 mark. Derrek Lee of the Chicago Cubs and Michael Young of the Texas Rangers win their first batting titles with .335 and .331 respectively. Boston's David Ortiz (148) and St. Louis' Albert Pujols (128) lead in RBI.
  • October 6:
    • Mark Mulder pitches shutout ball into the seventh inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals once again built an early lead, beating the San Diego Padres 6–2 for a 2-0 edge in their best-of-five NLDS.
    • In his first postseason at-bat, Brian McCann hits a three-run homer off seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, sending John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves to a 7–1 victory over the Houston Astros, tying their best-of-five NLDS at one game apiece. Another of the 18 rookies to play for the Braves this season, McCann was less than three months old when Clemens made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox in 1984. Smoltz breaks a one-day tie with Houston's Andy Pettitte to reclaim the title as the major leagues' winningest postseason pitcher, improving to 7-0 in the division series and 15-4 overall.
    • Baseball fans recognize the 2005 accomplishments of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. and New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, voting them Comeback Players of the Year. Following four years of serious injuries, Griffey hit .301 with 35 home runs and 92 RBI. Giambi led the American League with a .440 on base percentage and 108 walks, finishing eighth with a .535 slugging percentage, and hit .271 with 32 homers and 87 RBI. In 2004 Giambi suffered several ailments, and was also dogged by the BALCO steroids scandal. The award was voted on for the first time by fans on MLB.com [1]. This is the first year that the league officially has sanctioned the award. Six players from each league were nominated by the editorial staff at MLB.com and representatives of the league.
  • October 9:
    • In what will go down as a true classic post-season game, rookie Chris Burke hits a walk-off home run in the 18th inning as the Houston Astros defeat the Atlanta Braves 7–6 in a record-setting NLDS Game Four in extra innings. The game sets several records, including longest postseason game ever at 18 innings, longest postseason game by time (5 hours, 50 minutes), and first postseason game with two grand slams. The Astros' 23 players used tie an all-time post-season record as well. Houston will now advance to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row to face the 2004 NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
    • The New York Yankees force an ALDS Game Five by defeating the Los Angeles Angels 3–2.
  • October 10:
    • Rookie Ervin Santana pitches 5 1/3 strong innings in his postseason debut, Garret Anderson hits a home run and drives in two runs, and Adam Kennedy hits a go-ahead two-run triple, to lead the Angels over the New York Yankees 5–3 in the decisive Game Five of their Division Series.
    • The Philadelphia Phillies fire Ed Wade after eight years as general manager.
    • At a charity golf event, Jim Beattie tells people that he will not be returning as the executive vice president of baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles. Mike Flanagan will take over the full-time duties that he shared with Beattie.
  • October 11:
    • Jim Tracy signs a three-year contract to become the Pittsburgh Pirates' manager after five mostly successful seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
    • Injured ace Bartolo Colón is left off the Los Angeles Angels' roster for the American League Championship Series and will not pitch at all against the Chicago White Sox. A 21-game winner during the regular season, Colón left his start against the New York Yankees in Game Five of the Division Series after only 23 pitches because of inflammation in his right shoulder.
    • Well-rested, playing in front of a sold out home crowd and with their top pitcher José Contreras on the mound against a road-weary team, the Chicago White Sox have everything lined up for a quick start in the American League Championship Series, but lose to the Los Angeles Angels 3–2 in Game 1. The Angels traveled about 4,700 miles in a 32-hour span, becoming the first team in major league history to play three games in three cities on successive nights, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Angels lost Game 4 of the American League Division Series in New York on Sunday, won Game 5 in Anaheim on Monday and wiped out the White Sox' home-field advantage in the ALCS on Tuesday.
  • October 13:
    • Roy Oswalt works seven innings of five-hit one-run ball and Brad Lidge throws two scoreless innings in relief as the Houston Astros get past the St. Louis Cardinals 4–1. Rookie outfielder Chris Burke keeps up his unllikely postseason hitting, scoring two runs and driving in another with a two-out single. Burke came through in the Division Series with an 18th-inning walk-off home run that knocked out Atlanta, and he had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in Houston's Game One loss to St. Louis. Houston evens the best-of-seven series at one game apiece and heads home for the next three contests.
  • October 18 - In Game Six of the NLCS, the Houston Astros earn their first World Series berth in 44 years of team history with a 5–1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Roy Oswalt, who also won Game Two, gives up only three hits and strikes out six Cardinals for seven innings in earning the NLCS MVP award. Houston had been 0-5 with a chance to clinch the NLCS. For the Cardinals, the loss marks the end of the season for the team that led the majors with 100 wins. It also is the final game at Busch Stadium, scheduled to be demolished by a wrecking ball to make room for St. Louis' new ballpark.
  • October 22 - In the World Series opener, José Contreras pitches seven solid innings, then relievers Neal Cotts and Bobby Jenks combine for two scoreless innings — getting five of the last six outs on strikeouts — as the Chicago White Sox defeat the Houston Astros 5–3 at U.S. Cellular Field. Joe Crede and Jermaine Dye hit home runs for Chicago. Houston starter Roger Clemens leaves the game after two innings with a strained left hamstring, the same injury that caused him to miss a start in late September. While registering 92 miles-an-hour on his fastball, he struggles, allowing three runs on four hits in the two innings and leaving after throwing 54 pitches.
  • October 23 - The Chicago White Sox crash two of the more dramatic home runs in recent World Series history to score a 7–6 victory against the Houston Astros and take a two-games-to-none lead in the Series. Paul Konerko, who hit 40 homers in the regular season, and Scott Podsednik, who hit none, provide the fireworks. Konerko, the ALCS MVP, hits a grand slam in the seventh inning to give the White Sox a 6–4 lead. After the Astros tie the score in the ninth against Chicago closer Bobby Jenks, Podsednik smacks a 2-1 pitch from Houston closer Brad Lidge into the bleachers in right-center field to trigger a boisterous celebration.
  • October 25 - In the first World Series game played in the state of Texas, former Astro Geoff Blum wins the longest game in WS history with a tiebreaking two-out solo home run as the Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7–5 at Minute Maid Park to move within a win of a sweep and their first title since 1917. The 14-inning marathon lasts a total of five hours and 41 minutes. The previous longest game was 4:51 when the New York Yankees beat the New York Mets in 12 innings in Game One in 2000. This matches the longest by innings, a Babe Ruth complete game for the Boston Red Sox against the Brooklyn Robins in Game Two of the 1916 WS (at 2:32). The 43 players used by both teams also are a Series record, as are the combined 17 pitchers and 30 runners left on base.
  • October 26 - In the World Series, the Chicago White Sox complete a sweep of the Houston Astros with a 1–0 victory in Game Four. Freddy García pitches seven shutout innings, and Series MVP Jermaine Dye connects an RBI single off Brad Lidge in the eighth for the only run of the game, as Juan Uribe adds strong defensive support at shortstop. García becomes the first Venezuelan starting pitcher to win a World Series game. He also accomplishes the feat with good friend and fellow countryman Ozzie Guillén at the helm, who manages the White Sox to earn their first World Championship since 1917.

November-December[]

  • November 2 - Matt Lawton of the New York Yankees is suspended for 10 days, effective for the start of the 2006 regular season, for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Movies[]

  • Bad News Bears
  • Fever Pitch

Deaths[]

January-March[]

  • January 10 - Tommy Fine, 90, who played for the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns and was the only pitcher ever to hurl a no-hitter in Caribbean World Series history
  • January 22 - César Gutiérrez, 61, former San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers shortstop, and just one of three players in major league history with a 7-for-7 game
  • January 31 - Bill Voiselle, 86, who pitched for the Boston Braves in the 1948 World Series and was the last rookie pitcher ever to have pitched more than 300 innings
  • February 4 - Luis Sánchez, 51, former California Angels closer
  • February 13 - Nelson Briles, 61, pitcher who helped the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals to World Series titles
  • March 2 - Rick Mahler, 51, pitcher who won 96 games during a 13-year major league career spent mostly with the Atlanta Braves
  • March 6 - Chuck Thompson, 83, broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles for 50 years
  • March 13 - Danny Gardella, 85, the first major league player who challenged baseball's reserve clause
  • March 13 - Frank House, 75, catcher who played with the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics and Cincinnati Reds
  • March 16 - Dick Radatz, 67, Boston Red Sox relief pitcher in the 1960s
  • March 26 - Marius Russo, 90, pitcher who helped the New York Yankees win the World Series in 1941 and 1943
  • March 27 - Bob Casey, 79, Minnesota Twins public announcer for the first 44 years of their history in Minnesota

April-June[]

  • April 7 - Bob Kennedy, 84, former player and manager who hit the first grand slam in Baltimore Orioles history and was the Oakland Athletics' first manager
  • April 13 - Don Blasingame, 73, All-Star who also managed two of Japan's professional baseball teams
  • April 23 - Earl Wilson, 70, leading pitcher for the 1968 World Series champion Detroit Tigers and the first black pitcher to throw a major league no-hitter
  • May 6 - Lee Stine, 91, Chicago White Sox pitcher in the 1930s who surrendered the pitch that gave Lou Gehrig his 14th career grand slam
  • May 26 - Chico Carrasquel, 77, Venezuelan shortstop, the first Latin American player to appear in a Major League All-Star Game
  • May 30 - Juan Pedro Villamán, 46, Spanish-language Red Sox broadcaster since 1995
  • June 28 - Dick Dietz, 63, All-Star catcher who played for the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves from 1966-73

July-September[]

  • July 13 - Mickey Owen, 89, catcher who was a four-time All-Star and the third National League catcher to ever record an unassisted double play
  • July 30 - Ray Cunningham, 100, recognized as the oldest living former major league player
  • August 8 - Gene Mauch, 79, winningest manager (1,901 victories) in major league history who never won a pennant, falling achingly short with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964 and the California Angels in 1982 and 1986
  • August 11 - Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, 103, All-Star pitcher and catcher of the Negro Leagues who played for more than 15 teams between the late 1920s and the early 1950s
  • September 17 - Donn Clendenon, 70, power-hitting first baseman who was the MVP in the New York Mets' 1969 World Series victory

October-December[]

  • October 2 - Pat Kelly, 61, All-Star outfielder who played for the Twins, Royals, White Sox, Orioles and Indians during a 15-year major league career
  • October 9 - Tom Cheek, 66, longtime Toronto Blue Jays play-by-play announcer
  • October 15 - Al Widmar, 80, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox, and pitching coach with the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays
  • October 18 - Bill King, 78, who was the radio voice of the Oakland Athletics for 25 years (1981-2005)
  • October 23 - Harry Dalton, 77, former general manager with the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and California Angels
  • October 30 - Al Lopez, 97, Hall of Famer who set a major league record for career games as a catcher (1,918), and managed the Cleveland Indians (1954) and Chicago White Sox (1959) to the only non-Yankee AL pennants between 1949 and 1964
  • November 16 - Sandalio (Sandy) Consuegra, 85, All-Star pitcher who played in eight major league seasons with the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants
  • November 29 - Vic Power, 78, Gold Glove-winning first baseman and one of the first Hispanic players in the major leagues
  • December 3 - Herb Moford, 77, who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, Boston Braves and New York Giants from 1955-62
  • December 21 - Elrod Hendricks, 64, who served in a Baltimore Orioles uniform as a catcher or coach from 1968 through 2005
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