More 2000 Baseball Season Highlights
Below are more highlights from the 2000 baseball season, including the Major League Umpires League dissolving and the World Umpires Association starting up:
- Florida second baseman Luis Castillo steals 62 bases, tops in the National League. He also bats .334.
- Seattle shortstop Alex Rodriguez rips .316 with 41 homers, 132 RBI, and 100 walks.
- Kevin Brown of the Dodgers leads the National League with a 2.58 ERA.
- Atlanta pitcher John Rocker ignites a scandal with his uncomplimentary comments in a national magazine about homosexuals, immigrants, and New Yorkers.
- Years of labor strife with umpires finally result in the dissolution of the Major League Umpires Association, which comes after the union miscalculates its bargaining strength.
- American League umpire John Hirschbeck is voted the first president of the World Umpires Association, which promises to work more closely with MLB.
- Florida's Antonio Alfonseca leads the majors with 45 saves.
- Detroit's Todd Jones and Boston's Derek Lowe save 42 games each to pace the American League.
- David Wells of the Blue Jays and Tim Hudson of the A's tie for the American League lead in wins (20).
- Mark McGwire plays only 89 games due to knee injuries, but he still clouts 32 homers for the Cardinals.
- The Tigers open the new Comerica Park on April 11.
- A May 16 altercation at Wrigley Field between the Dodgers and several Cubs fans results in fines and suspensions for 16 Dodgers.
- On May 29, Oakland's Randy Velarde turns an unassisted triple play against the Yankees.
- Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium shuts its doors. It had been home to the Pirates since 1970.
- The surprising White Sox roar to the American League Central crown. Chicago takes over first place for good on April 19.
- Milwaukee tears down venerable County Stadium.
- Manny Ramirez, in his last season with Cleveland, paces the American League with a .697 slugging average.
- Houston's new Enron Field yields a barrage of home runs.
- Atlanta first baseman Andres Galarraga returns from a year's absence due to cancer and bats .302 with 28 home runs.
- Toronto slugger Carlos Delgado finishes fourth in the American League in batting average (.344), home runs (41), and RBI (137) and leads with 57 doubles.
- The Hall of Fame elects five men, including Tony Perez, Carlton Fisk, and Sparky Anderson.
- Fred McGriff of Tampa Bay slugs his 400th home run on June 2.
- Rafael Palmeiro of Texas blasts his 400th homer on September 23.
- Minnesota shortstop Cristian Guzman's 20 triples lead the major leagues.
- Frank Thomas of the White Sox enjoys a spectacular comeback season, hitting .328 with 43 homers, 143 RBI, 115 runs, and 112 walks.
- Cal Ripken Jr. of Baltimore collects his 3,000th hit in Minnesota on April 15.
- San Francisco posts baseball's best record (97-65) in its first season at new Pacific Bell Park.
- Jeff Bagwell scores 152 runs for the Astros -- most in the majors since 1936.
- KC's Mike Sweeney becomes the first American League player to hit .330 with 200 hits and 140 RBI since Al Rosen in 1953.
- Colorado's Mike Lansing hits for the cycle on June 18 against Arizona -- and completes the cycle in the fourth inning.
- Rockies catcher Brent Mayne pitches on August 22 and gets the win over Atlanta. He is the first position player to post a win since 1968.
- Jose Lima of Houston serves up 48 home runs, the most ever by a National League pitcher.
- Preston Wilson of Florida, baseball's only 30/30 man, strikes out 187 times, just two whiffs short of the major league record.
- LA's Dave Hansen clubs a major league-record seven pinch-hit home runs during the season.
- On October 1, Detroit's Shane Halter plays all nine positions in one game. He also cracks four hits.
- In December, the Rangers sign free agent Alex Rodriguez to a ten-year, $252 million deal.
