1989 Baseball Season Highlights

The 1989 baseball season was filled with its share of dark moments: An earthquake shook San Francisco during game 3 of the World Series, two players made scandalous headlines, and a baseball great was banned for life. Below are some of the highlights from the 1989 baseball season:
  • A's cop their second straight American League flag.

  • Giants win their first National League pennant since 1962.

  • Giants defeat Cubs in five games in NLCS.

  • Blue Jays fall to the A's in five games in ALCS.

  • A's sweep Giants in the most one-sided World Series ever.

  • A massive earthquake in San Francisco prior to game three forces a ten-day delay of the 1989 World Series.

    Tim Raines
    ©SportPic
    Tim Raines achieved the
    highest career stolen
    base percentage in major
    league history (.867).

  • Tim Raines has highest career stolen base pct. in major league history (.867).

  • Dave Stewart was voted 1989 World Series MVP, winning two games.

  • KC's Bret Saberhagen wins his second American League Cy Young Award.

  • San Diego reliever Mark Davis wins the National League Cy Young Award.

  • SF's Kevin Mitchell is named 1989 National League MVP, topping the major league in homers (47), RBI (125), SA (.635), and total bases (345).

  • Robin Yount wins his second American League MVP Award and is the first player to win the honor at two different positions.

  • Kirby Puckett tops the majors with a .339 BA and 215 hits.

  • Ranger Ruben Sierra tops American League in SA (.543), RBI (119), triples (14), and total bases (344).

  • Nolan Ryan Ks his 5,000th victim, Rickey Henderson.

  • Ryan tops the major league with 301 Ks and becomes, at 42, the game's oldest strikeout king.

  • Cardinal Vince Coleman steals a major league record 50 consecutive bases without being caught.

  • Pete Rose is banned from baseball for gambling activities.

  • Commissioner Bart Giamatti dies of heart attack shortly after banning Rose.

  • Wade Boggs collects 200 hits for 20th-century record seventh consecutive year.

  • Baltimore's Gregg Olson is 1989 American League Rookie of the Year after he sets a new American League rookie saves record with 27.

  • Chicago's Jerome Walton is 1989 National League Rookie of the Year.

  • American League wins 1989 All-Star Game 5-3 at Anaheim -- the first time since 1958 that the American League has won two games in a row.

  • Orioles improve to 87-75, a gain of 32½ games over 1988.

  • Toronto's Tony Fernandez makes just six errors and sets a major league FA record for shortstops (.992).

  • Network and TV contracts give major league teams $230 million.

  • Angel Jim Abbott, the first one-handed pitcher since the 1880s, wins 12 games and strikes out 115 batters.

  • Boggs and Steve Garvey both make headlines when they're sued by women with whom they've had affairs.

  • Houston's Terry Puhl ends the season with the best career FA of any outfielder in Major League history (.993).

  • Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Jr. are first father and son in major league history to be active in majors at the same time.

  • Sky Dome opens June 5, Milwaukee vs. Toronto.

  • In their new home, Blue Jays set a new American League attendance record.

  • Billy Martin dies in a truck crash.

  • Free agent Mark Davis signs with Royals after topping the major league with 44 saves for San Diego.

  • Saberhagen leads the majors with 23 wins and has the major league's top win pct. (.793).

  • Tony Gwynn wins National League bat crown (.336).
Continue to the next page for more highlights of the 1989 baseball season.

To learn more about baseball, see: