Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: Toronto Blue Jays over Atlanta Braves (4-2); Pat Borders, MVP

• American League Championship Series MVP: Roberto Alomar
• National League Championship Series MVP: John Smoltz
• All-Star Game, July 14 at Jack Murphy Stadium: American League, 13-6; Ken Griffey, Jr., MVP

Other champions

• Caribbean World Series: Indios de Mayagüez (Puerto Rico)
• College World Series: Pepperdine
• Japan Series: Seibu Lions over Yakult Swallows (4-3)
• Little League World Series: Long Beach, California; title awarded following loss to team from Zamboanga City, Mindanao, Philippines, which was later disqualified
• Summer Olympic Games at Barcelona, Spain: Cuba (Gold), Chinese Taipei (Silver), Japan (Bronze)

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
• Cy Young Award
  • Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Greg Maddux, Chicago Cubs (NL)
• Rookie of the Year
  • Pat Listach, Milwaukee Brewers (AL)
  • Eric Karros, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)
• Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award
  • Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Lee Smith, St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
• Manager of the Year
  • Tony La Russa, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Jim Leyland, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)

MLB Statistical Leaders

Major League Baseball final standings

Events

January-June

• January 2 - The Boston Red Sox sign free agent pitcher Frank Viola.

• January 7 - Pitchers Tom Seaver and Rollie Fingers are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Seaver finishes with a record 98.8% of the votes cast. Pete Rose, ineligible because of his ban from baseball, receives 41 write–in votes.

• January 31 - The Pittsburgh Pirates sign outfield Barry Bonds to a one-year contract worth $4.7 million, the largest-ever one-year deal.

• March 2 - Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when he agrees to a four-year contract extension worth $28.4 million.

• March 17 - Pitcher Hal Newhouser and umpire Bill McGowan are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

• April 6 - A crowd of 44,568 sees the Baltimore Orioles defeat the Cleveland Indians 2-0, as they play the first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Rick Sutcliffe hurls the shutout for Baltimore.

July-December

• July 7 - Andy Van Slyke of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the first outfielder in nearly 18 years to record an unassisted double play, in the Pirates' 5–3 win over the Houston Astros. Van Slyke races in from center field to catch a fly ball, then continues in to double up Ken Caminiti, who was running from second base on the play.

• July 14 - The American League pounds out a record 19 hits in defeating the National League by a score of 13–6 in the All-Star Game. It is the AL's fifth straight win. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., who hit a single, a double and a home run, is named the MVP, 12 years after his father Ken Sr. won the same honor.

• September 7 - After receiving an 18-9 no-confidence vote from the owners, Commissioner Fay Vincent has no other choice but to resign. Vincent is soon replaced by Milwaukee Brewers president Bud Selig on what is meant to be an interim basis.

• September 9 - Robin Yount becomes the 17th player to reach 3,000 hits in the Milwaukee Brewers' 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Yount singles to right center off Cleveland's José Mesa in the seventh inning.

• October 23 - The expansion Florida Marlins hire Rene Lachemann as the team's first manager.

• October 24 - The Toronto Blue Jays clinch their first World Series championship with a 4–3 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 6. Dave Winfield's 2–out, 2–run double in the top of the 11th gives Toronto a 4–2 lead. The Braves score one run in the bottom half of the inning and have the tying run on 3rd when the final out is made. Jimmy Key wins the game in relief, and Candy Maldonado homers for Toronto. Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders, with a .450 batting average, is named the Series MVP.

• October 27 - The expansion Colorado Rockies hire Don Baylor as the team's first manager.

• November 16 - The Rockies sign free agent first baseman Andrés Galarraga, who rejoins Don Baylor, his hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals. Galarraga is coming off his second injury-plagued year, having missed 44 days of the season after being hit on the wrist by a Wally Whitehurst pitch in the 3rd game of the season.

• November 17 - Major League Baseball holds an expansion draft to stock the rosters of the National League's two new teams, the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies. A total of 72 players are chosen. The best picks for Florida are Trevor Hoffman, eventually packaged for Gary Sheffield; Jeff Conine, and Cris Carpenter, later dealt to the Texas Rangers for Robb Nen. For Colorado, their best picks are Eric Young, Joe Girardi, Vinny Castilla, Armando Reynoso, Andy Ashby, Brad Ausmus, Charlie Hayes and Doug Bochtler. The next season, Ashby, Ausmus and Bochtler will go to the San Diego Padres in an ill-fated deal for pricey veteran pitchers Bruce Hurst and Greg Harris.

Movies

• The Babe
• A League of Their Own
• The Comrades of Summer (TV)
• Mr. Baseball

Deaths

• February 26 - Jean R. Yawkey, 83, majority owner of the Boston Red Sox since 1976
• April 23 - Deron Johnson, 53, first and third baseman who led the NL in RBI in 1965; later a coach
• April 24 - Elio Chacón, 55, Venezuelan middle infielder who led the New York Mets in stolen bases in their 1962 inaugural season
• April 27 - Harlond Clift, 79, All-Star third baseman for the St. Louis Browns who was the first man at his position to hit 30 home runs; scored 100 runs seven times, and set records with 405 assists in 1937 and career mark of 309 double plays
• June 4 - Carl Stotz, 82, founder of Little League Baseball in 1939 who left the organization in 1955 in a litigious leadership dispute, shortly after serving as a pallbearer at Cy Young's funeral
• June 15 - Eddie Lopat, 73, All-Star pitcher who combined with Allie Reynolds and Vic Raschi to form the heart of the Yankees' rotation through five World Series championships from 1949-53; led AL in ERA and winning percentage in 1953
• June 27 - Sandy Amorós, 62, Cuban left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, best remembered for a spectacular catch in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series
• September 5 - Billy Herman, 83, Hall of Fame second baseman for the Cubs and Dodgers who batted .304 lifetime, scored 100 runs five times and led the NL in hits, doubles and triples once each and in putouts seven times; later a coach, minor league manager and scout
• September 22 - Aurelio López, 44, All-Star relief pitcher who had two seasons of 20 saves for the Detroit Tigers
• October 22 - Red Barber, 84, broadcaster for the Reds, Dodgers and Yankees from 1934 to 1966 who, along with Mel Allen, won the first Ford Frick Award from the Hall of Fame
• November 5 - Rod Scurry, 36, relief pitcher for the Pirates who had 14 saves in 1982
• November 10 - Chuck Connors, 71, first baseman for the 1951 Cubs who gained stardom as an actor on the television series The Rifleman
• December 12 - Rube Walker, 66, backup catcher for the Cubs and the Dodgers, later a pitching coach for the Senators, Mets and Braves
• December 28 - Sal Maglie, 75, All-Star pitcher for all three New York teams during the 1950s whose hardnosed style personified the rivalry between the franchises; led NL in wins and ERA once each