1997 Baseball Season Highlights

The 1997 baseball season saw the upstart Florida Marlins making a big splash. The unlikely Florida team won the 1997 World Series. Mark McGwire had 58 home runs -- the most since Roger Maris in 1961. Below, you will find the highlights from the 1997 baseball season:

• Florida wins the National League wildcard berth, edging Los Angeles by four games.
• The Marlins plow through playoff opponents San Francisco and Atlanta to advance to the 1997 World Series in just their fifth season.
• The Indians win the American League Central by six games, then outlast the Yankees and Orioles to win the pennant.
• The Marlins win a thrilling World Series, sliding by Cleveland 3-2 in an 11-inning game seven on Edgar Renteria's RBI single.
• Sandy Alomar of the Indians bats .367 and knocks in ten runs against Florida in the 1997 World Series.

• ­Tony Gwynn of the Padres wins his eighth National Lea­gue bat crown, hitting .372.
• Marlins right-hander Livan Hernandez wins twice in the NLCS and twice more in the 1997 World Series, winning both LCS and Series MVP honors.
• Atlanta wins 19 times in April to set a major league record for the season's first month.
• Giants improve 22 games and win the National League West.
• Florida's Kevin Brown no-hits the Giants 9-0 at Candlestick Park on June 10.
• In the first-ever combined ten-inning no-hitter, Pittsburgh's Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon blank the Astros 3-0 on July 12.
• In the 50th year since Jackie Robinson broke the color line, baseball announces plans to retire his No. 42 permanently.
• The major leagues institute interleague play. On June 12, the Giants beat Texas 4-3 in the first interleague game.
• Marlins sign outfielder Gary Sheffield to a six-year contract extension worth $61 million.
• Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. leads the American League with 56 homers, 120 runs scored, and 147 RBI.
• Griffey is the unanimous American League MVP and takes home his fourth Gold Glove.
• Frank Thomas of the White Sox leads the American League with a .347 average and a .461 on-base percentage.
• Colorado's Larry Walker paces the National League in on-base percentage (.452) and slugging percentage (.720).
• Walker wins National League MVP honors and snags his first Gold Glove.
• Montreal's Mark Grudzielanek hits 54 doubles.
• Indians catcher Sandy Alomar's two-run homer carries the American League to a 3-1 All-Star Game win in Cleveland.
• Knuckleballer Phil Niekro is the only player inducted by the writers into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra is the unanimous choice for American League ROTY.
• Scott Rolen of the Phillies is a unanimous National League ROTY.
• Juan Gonzalez of Texas hits 42 homers despite missing the first month with a thumb injury.
• Labor-relations trailblazer Curt Flood dies at age 59.
• Expo pitcher Pedro Martinez's 13 complete games are the most by an National League pitcher since 1988.
• Martinez cops the National League's Cy Young Award.
• Barry Bonds of the Giants amasses 40 homers and 145 walks.
• Mark McGwire hits 34 homers for the Athletics-despite being traded to St. Louis on July 31.
• McGwire's 58 homers tie the mark set by Jimmie Foxx for most ever by a righthanded batter.
• Randy Myers of Baltimore blows just one save in 46 chances.
• Roger Clemens of Toronto wins his fourth American League Cy Young.
• Clemens leads the American League in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched, complete games, and shutouts.

For more highlights of the 1997 baseball season, see the next page.

To learn more about baseball, see:

• 1996 Baseball Season
• 1998 Baseball Season
• Baseball History
• How Baseball Works How the Baseball Hall of Fame Works
• How Minor League Baseball Teams Work
• Babe Ruth