1995 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 1995 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1995 in baseball.
1995 MLB season
League Major League Baseball
Sport Baseball
Duration April 25, 1995 – October 28, 1995
Regular Season
Season MVP AL: Mo Vaughn (BOS)
NL: Barry Larkin (CIN)
League Postseason
AL champions Cleveland Indians
  AL runners-up Seattle Mariners
NL champions Atlanta Braves
  NL runners-up Cincinnati Reds
World Series
Champions Atlanta Braves
  Runners-up Cleveland Indians
Finals MVP Tom Glavine (ATL)

The 1995 Major League Baseball season was the first season to be played under the expanded postseason format, as the League Division Series (LDS) was played in both the American and National leagues for the first time. However, due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike which carried into the 1995 season, a shortened 144-game schedule commenced on April 25, when the Florida Marlins played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Regular season

After the 1994 season was ended due to the players' strike, there was still a deal that had to be worked out. However, it wasn't until major league owners parlayed plans to have replacement players play in 1995 that the players got into serious negotiations. Due to the strike, there was no official defending champion for the year. However, the negotiations pushed the start of the season back to late-April, already 18 games into a regular season.

Despite the strike, which alienated many fans, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. surpassed Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak when he played in his 2,131st straight game on September 6. Games during the playoffs were also broadcast simultaneously, meaning that games were only broadcast regionally. Despite the craziness, the 1995 season is now considered a financial success where the two best teams in baseball (in their leagues) met up in the World Series, the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. For the first time since 1954, the Indians were the AL representatives in the World Series. This came on the heels of dominating the AL Central (beating second place Kansas City by 30 games).

They met the Boston Red Sox, who had AL MVP Mo Vaughn (39 home runs, 126 RBI) and got to start the series at home. Regardless, Cleveland swept the Red Sox. Meanwhile, in the other ALDS series between Seattle and Yankees, the Yankees stormed out to a quick 2–0 series lead at Yankee Stadium, winning game 2 on a 15th inning walk-off home run by Jim Leyritz. However, as the series shifted to The Kingdome in Seattle, the Mariners, who had made a 13-game comeback on the California Angels to force a one-game playoff (which Randy Johnson got the win), the Mariners won games 3 and 4 to cause a classic game 5, in which the Mariners came back three times to win on Edgar Martínez's famous double that scored Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr.. In the ALCS, the Mariners surprised the Indians by taking game 1, however, on the power of pitchers Dennis Martínez and Orel Hershiser, the Indians managed to knock off Seattle in 6.

In the NLDS, it was the near-opposite to the New York/Seattle series. The Cincinnati Reds, who'd run away with the NL Central, swept the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves took both games vs. Colorado at Coors Field before the Rockies finally won a game in game 3. However, the Braves finished off the Rockies at home in game 4. Then, in the NLCS, after taking both games at Riverfront Stadium, the Braves finished the sweep of the Reds at home.

In the 1995 World Series, the Braves took the first two at home vs. Cleveland. Then, during the three games at Jacobs Field, the Indians won games 3 and 5 but those games sandwiched around the Braves 5–2 game 4 victory. In game 6, the Braves, on the power of an 8-inning, one-hitter thrown by Tom Glavine and David Justice hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning, won 1–0 and won the World Series. The victory made the Braves the first team to win World Series in three different home cities (Boston (1914), Milwaukee (1957), and Atlanta (1995)).

Statistical leaders

  American League National League
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Edgar Martínez SEA .356 Tony Gwynn SD .368
HR Albert Belle CLE 50 Dante Bichette COL 40
RBI Albert Belle CLE
Mo Vaughn BOS
126 Dante Bichette COL 128
Wins Mike Mussina BAL 19 Greg Maddux ATL 19
ERA Randy Johnson SEA 2.48 Greg Maddux ATL 1.63
SO Randy Johnson SEA 294 Hideo Nomo LA 236
SV José Mesa CLE 46 Randy Myers CHC 38
SB Kenny Lofton CLE 54 Quilvio Veras FLA 56

All-Star Game

Final regular season standings

American League

AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
Boston Red Sox 86 58 0.597 42–30 44–28
New York Yankees 79 65 0.549 7 46–26 33–39
Baltimore Orioles 71 73 0.493 15 36–36 35–37
Detroit Tigers 60 84 0.417 26 35–37 25–47
Toronto Blue Jays 56 88 0.389 30 29–43 27–45
AL Central W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cleveland Indians 100 44 0.694 54–18 46–26
Kansas City Royals 70 74 0.486 30 35–37 35–37
Chicago White Sox 68 76 0.472 32 38–34 30–42
Milwaukee Brewers 65 79 0.451 35 33–39 32–40
Minnesota Twins 56 88 0.389 44 29–43 27–45
AL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
Seattle Mariners 79 66 0.545 46–27 33–39
California Angels 78 67 0.538 1 39–33 39–34
Texas Rangers 74 70 0.514 41–31 33–39
Oakland Athletics 67 77 0.465 11½ 38–34 29–43

National League

NL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
Atlanta Braves 90 54 0.625 44–28 46–26
New York Mets 69 75 0.479 21 40–32 29–43
Philadelphia Phillies 69 75 0.479 21 35–37 34–38
Florida Marlins 67 76 0.469 22½ 37–34 30–42
Montreal Expos 66 78 0.458 24 31–41 35–37
NL Central W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cincinnati Reds 85 59 0.590 44–28 41–31
Houston Astros 76 68 0.528 9 36–36 40–32
Chicago Cubs 73 71 0.507 12 34–38 39–33
St. Louis Cardinals 62 81 0.434 22½ 39–33 23–48
Pittsburgh Pirates 58 86 0.403 27 31–41 27–45
NL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
Los Angeles Dodgers 78 66 0.542 39–33 39–33
Colorado Rockies 77 67 0.535 1 44–28 33–39
San Diego Padres 70 74 0.486 8 40–32 30–42
San Francisco Giants 67 77 0.465 11 37–35 30–42

Postseason

  Division Series
ABC/NBC
League Championship Series
ABC/NBC
World Series
ABC/NBC
                           
  West  Seattle 3  
WC  New York Yankees 2  
  West  Seattle 2  
American League
  Central  Cleveland 4  
Central  Cleveland 3
  East  Boston 0  
    AL  Cleveland 2
  NL  Atlanta 4
  East  Atlanta 3  
WC  Colorado 1  
  East  Atlanta 4
National League
  Central  Cincinnati 0  
Central  Cincinnati 3
  West  Los Angeles 0  

Awards and honors

Managers

American League

Team Manager Notes
Baltimore Orioles Phil Regan
Boston Red Sox Kevin Kennedy
California Angels Marcel Lachemann
Chicago White Sox Gene Lamont, Terry Bevington
Cleveland Indians Mike Hargrove Won American League Pennant
Detroit Tigers Sparky Anderson
Kansas City Royals Bob Boone
Milwaukee Brewers Phil Garner
Minnesota Twins Tom Kelly
New York Yankees Buck Showalter
Oakland Athletics Tony La Russa
Seattle Mariners Lou Piniella AL Manager of the Year
Texas Rangers Johnny Oates
Toronto Blue Jays Cito Gaston

National League

Team Manager Notes
Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox Won World Series
Chicago Cubs Jim Riggleman
Cincinnati Reds Davey Johnson
Colorado Rockies Don Baylor NL Manager of the Year
Florida Marlins Rene Lachemann
Houston Astros Terry Collins
Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda
Montreal Expos Felipe Alou
New York Mets Dallas Green
Philadelphia Phillies Jim Fregosi
Pittsburgh Pirates Jim Leyland
St. Louis Cardinals Joe Torre, Mike Jorgensen
San Diego Padres Bruce Bochy
San Francisco Giants Dusty Baker

Events

January–June

July–September

October–December

Undated events

Deaths

External links

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