Washington Nationals GMJim Bowden resigned on March 1 amid allegations that he wasskimming bonus money from Latin American players. Team presidentStan Kasten first took over the bulk of his duties before transferring them to assistant GMMike Rizzo, who had served as acting GM, and was named as the full-time general manager on August 20.
During the last days of the regular season, two teams fired their general managers, effective at the end of the season. On October 3, theToronto Blue Jays firedJ. P. Ricciardi after eight seasons. The following day, theSan Diego Padres axedKevin Towers, who had been the longest-tenured GM in Major League Baseball at 14 seasons.
Wakamatsu, the first Major League Baseball manager of Asian descent, was the Athletics' bench coach.
Cito Gaston andJerry Manuel both entered their first full season as managers of theToronto Blue Jays andNew York Mets, respectively, after taking over for managers dismissed in the middle of the 2008 season. Gaston had previously been the Blue Jays' manager from 1989 until 1997.
On January 15, the owners of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs approved two rule changes governing the playing of postseason and one-game playoff games.
All "postseason games and games added to the regular season to determine qualifiers for the postseason" becomesuspended games if they are called before nine innings are played, regardless of whether the game would otherwise qualify as anofficial game, or the score at the time the game is called. The game is resumed when conditions permit at the same location from the point of suspension. This rule change codifies the controversial interpretation of the official rules made byMLB commissionerBud Selig duringGame 5 of the 2008 World Series.[1][2]
Coin tosses will no longer be used to determine home-field advantage for one-game tiebreakers held to determine division champions orwild card teams. Instead, "performance-based criteria"—starting with head-to-head record between the tied clubs—will be used to determine home-field advantage.[1][2] This came into play for the first time when theDetroit Tigers and theMinnesota Twins tied for the lead of theAmerican League Central at the end of the regular season (October 4);the one-game playoff was played on October 6 at theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as the Twins won the season series, 11–7. The game cannot be played on October 5 because of a scheduling conflict with theMinnesota Vikings, who hosted theGreen Bay Packers onMonday Night Football that night.
Gary Sheffield of theNew York Mets became the 25th member of the500 home run club on April 17 against theMilwaukee Brewers at Citi Field. The historic home run came in the bottom of the seventh inning as a pinch hitter, the first time a player has reached 500 home runs in this way.
Iván Rodríguez, then of theHouston Astros, hit his 300th career home run in a game against theChicago Cubs on May 17 atWrigley Field. On June 17, Rodríguez played in his 2,227th game as a catcher, breaking the record for all-time games caught previously held byCarlton Fisk. He finished the season as a member of theTexas Rangers.
Derek Jeter of theNew York Yankees got his 2,600th hit and 1,500th run on June 2 against theTexas Rangers. The Yankees' captain would then passLuis Aparicio for most hits by a shortstop on August 16. Jeter also became the all-time hit leader in Yankees history with a single in the third inning against theBaltimore Orioles on September 11. He broke the record of 2,721 hits that was held byLou Gehrig.
Mariano Rivera becomes the second pitcher in MLB history to record 500 career saves on June 29 in a 4–2 victory against their crosstown rivals, theNew York Mets. He alsosaved his major league record fourthAll-Star Game.
Albert Pujols of theSt. Louis Cardinals reached the1,000 RBI list and the 1,000-run list. On June 30 atBusch Stadium, Pujols became the 32nd player to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. He is also the seventh player to hit 30 home runs before the month of July. He would later become the second player in history to record at least 100 RBI in each of his first nine seasons on a 3-run double in the sixth inning at Pittsburgh on August 8, and also hit his 350th career home run after nine seasons.
Adam Dunn hit his 300th career home run on July 3.
Garret Anderson of theAtlanta Braves hit his 500th career double on June 27. He also got his 2,500th career hit with a single in the second inning against theWashington Nationals on October 1. He became the 90th player in major league history to reach this mark.
David Ortiz of theBoston Red Sox reached the 300 home run plateau on July 9. He also got his 1,000th career hit as a member of the team on July 11. On September 15, Ortiz set the record for most home runs for adesignated hitter by hitting his 270th against theLos Angeles Angels.
Jonathan Sánchez of the San Francisco Giants pitched baseball's firstno-hitter of the season on July 10 as he defeated theSan Diego Padres, 8–0 atAT&T Park. It was the first no-hitter hurled at "The Phone Booth".
Carlos Lee of theHouston Astros hits his 300th career home run in a game against theMilwaukee Brewers on August 8. He becomes the 125th person in major league baseball history to reach this mark.
Vladimir Guerrero of theLos Angeles Angels hits his 400th career home run in a game against theTampa Bay Rays on August 10. He becomes the 45th player in major league history to reach this mark. Guerrero would later single in the fifth inning against theDetroit Tigers on August 26, and by doing so, became the 13th player to get over 1,000 hits for more than one franchise.[3]
Also on August 10,Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle against theChicago Cubs, and became the second player in baseball history to have hit for the cycle and have anunassisted triple play in their career. His unassisted triple play came on April 24, 2007, against the Atlanta Braves. John Valentin is the other player to have done both.
Eric Bruntlett, a reserve second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, pulled off baseball's fifteenth unassisted triple play against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 23, 2009. It ended a Major League Baseball game for the first time since 1927, as the Phils beat the Mets, 9–7. The only other player to turn an unassisted triple play to complete a game wasJohnny Neun, who did it for theDetroit Tigers on May 31, 1927, against theCleveland Indians. The game also featured an inside-the-park home run byÁngel Pagán, the second such game to see both an inside-the-park homer and a triple play since July 4, 1988, when the Red Sox played at Kansas City whereDwight Evans hit an inside-the-park homer andJim Rice hit into a triple play. Bruntlett was playing second base for regular starterChase Utley, who was given a day of rest by managerCharlie Manuel.
Alex Rodriguez of theNew York Yankees collected his 2,500th hit with a single in the fifth inning against theBaltimore Orioles on September 2. He became the 89th player in MLB history to reach this mark. He also set a newAmerican League record at seven, for mostRBI in one inning by a single player by hitting a 3-run home run, and agrand slam later in the inning on October 4.
Ichiro Suzuki of theSeattle Mariners collected his 2,000th hit with a double in the first inning against theOakland Athletics on September 6. Ichiro reached this mark in 1,402 games, which is the second fastest in history. (Al Simmons reached the mark in 1,390 games.) He then brokeWillie Keeler's record of eight consecutive 200-hit seasons (1894–1901) with a single in the second inning of the nightcap of a make-updoubleheader on September 13 against theTexas Rangers.
ThePittsburgh Pirates reached a new low in futility on September 7, losing to theChicago Cubs, 4–2 clinching their seventeenth consecutive losing season, breaking the all-time low set by thePhiladelphia Phillies between 1933 and 1948.
Tony La Russa passedJohn McGraw for second-most games managed in baseball with his 4,770th game managed (2,552–2,214–4) on October 1. La Russa gets three more games (October 4) to extend his managed games to 4,773 (2,552–2,217–4) by the end of 2009.
Opening Night at Citi Field on April 13, 2009FourF-16s Fly Over the new Yankee Stadium on its Opening Day on April 16, 2009
The 2009 season marked the opening of two new stadiums, both in New York City;Citi Field for theMets and the newYankee Stadium for theYankees. They respectively replacedShea Stadium (which was dismantled during the 2008–09 offseason) andthe original Yankee Stadium (which became a public park after its demolition). Because of the smaller seating capacities in these new parks,Dodger Stadium is now the largest capacity park in use with 56,000 seats, and is also the third oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball behindFenway Park andWrigley Field. Citi Field opened with a night game on April 13 as the Mets hosted theSan Diego Padres losing 6–5. In that game,Jody Gerut of the Padres became the first player in major league history to open a new ballpark with a leadoff homer.[4] Three days later, theCleveland Indians inaugurated New Yankee Stadium against the Bronx Bombers. The Indians won 10–2. OnJackie Robinson Day (April 15), arotunda at Citi Field was named in honor ofJackie Robinson and was dedicated prior to the Mets–Padres game that day.
While not a new stadium, Kansas City'sKauffman Stadium completed a two-year renovation. The first year saw a new video board dubbed "Crown Vision" and refitting of several sections. Improvements for 2009 include a new glass and brick facade to the exterior of the ballpark, newly expanded team Hall of Fame, a new sports bar/restaurant, improved sightlines, new luxury suites and refurbished press and radio/TV facilities to name a few.
In late March, theFlorida Marlins had their funding for anew stadium at the former site of theMiami Orange Bowl approved byMiami-Dade County commissioners. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on July 18, with an opening by 2012, at which time the team will be renamed theMiami Marlins.
This would have marked the first full season in the US for baseball games to be telecast as thetransition fromanalog todigital television that was to have been made on February 17. However, the transition took place June 12.
A new entrant in the baseball television rights marketplace debuted on January 1 when theMLB Network, owned byMajor League Baseball, joinedFox,ESPN andTBS not only televising games, but also other baseball-related programming from their studio inSecaucus, New Jersey, formerly the studios ofMSNBC. MLB was the last of the four major team sports to start its own television channel. The national telecast breakdown, along with the maximum number of appearances per team, is:
FOX: Saturday afternoonGame of the Week on a regional basis; eight appearances per team. In addition, the network will broadcast theAll-Star Game,ALCS, and World Series. The network started their telecasts on Saturdays at 4 PM US ET/1 PM US PT, except for three dates (April 18, and May 2 and 9) to adjust forNASCAR coverage, when those programs began at 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT.
ESPN/ESPN2:Sunday Night Baseball on a weekly basis; five appearances per team. In addition, there are games onMonday andWednesday nights (with the Monday games moving to either Wednesday nights to form a doubleheader or Friday nights when the 2009NFL season begins),Opening Day games on April 6, and theHome Run Derby on July 13.
TBS: Sunday afternoon games starting on April 12; 13 appearances per team. In addition, the network carried the announcement of the All-Star Teams in theNational andAmerican Leagues on July 5 as well as theDivision Series and theNLCS as per the alternating contract with FOX.
MLB Network: The network carries a weeklyThursday Night Game of the Week andSaturday Night Game of the Week. Thursday Night games were produced in-house, while Saturday Night games (except for the Civil Rights Game) usually came off the home team's video production. Blackouts applied here, as viewers in the competing team's markets were telecast an alternate game off the home team feed of selected teams.
In Canada,Toronto Blue Jays games will be televised onRogers Sportsnet andTSN. RSN also holds the Canadian rights to air the Fox and ESPN/ESPN2 games if they do not conflict with Blue Jays games, as well as the All-Star Game and the entire postseason.
In Australia free to air channel One HD shows up to 5 games live per week, and European channelESPN America broadcasts games as well.
ESPN Radio served as MLB's national radio network, broadcastingSunday Night Baseball as well as selected Saturday and holiday games during the regular season, the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, and all postseason series.
As stated earlier, theMets andYankees wore patches commemorating the inaugural seasons of their new parks, theTwins wore patches commemorating their final season at the Metrodome, and theCardinals, hosting the All-Star Game, wore a patch to celebrate that event.
Other teams' memorials and accomplishments on their sleeves:
On July 4, all teams remembered the 70th anniversary ofLou Gehrig's farewell speech with a patch representing 4♦ALS charities.[35]
TheCleveland Indians memorialized the life of former pitcher and announcerHerb Score by wearing a patch with his number (27), a microphone and the name "HERB" on the right sleeve of all uniforms.
TheKansas City Royals wore patches commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of their team.
TheLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim added patches to all jerseys (excluding the sleeveless ones) which incorporates the words "Angels Baseball", the team logo, and 1961, the year the team was founded.
To honor long-time coach and scoutPreston Gómez, who died in the offseason, a patch was added to the right sleeve of a black diamond with the word "Preston" on it.
After the death ofNick Adenhart, a rookie starting pitcher who was killed in a DUI hit-and-run following his first start of the season, a black patch with his name and number (34) was added above the left breast of the team'suniform.
The Twins also commemorated the passing of team ownerCarl Pohlad, who died on January 5 with his signature on a black oval trimmed in silver.
TheOakland Athletics paid tribute to the Oakland Police Department—which had four of its officers killed and another injured in ashootout on March 21, 2009—with black "OPD" patches on their home uniforms.[36]
ThePhiladelphia Phillies donned a black circular patch with the letters "HK" that was added to all uniforms over the player's heart as a tribute toHarry Kalas, who died on April 13 atNationals Park in Washington, D.C.[37] In addition, the team wore a patch commemorating their win in the2008 World Series until August 7 on their home uniforms.
TheSan Diego Padres wore patches commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of their team.
After the death of principal ownerSue Burns, theSan Francisco Giants began wearing patches with the name "BURNS" on the right sleeves of their uniforms.
TheToronto Blue Jays remembered the passing ofTed Rogers, thecommunications magnate and former owner of the club who died in December, with a tribute on their uniforms consisting the name "TED" on a red box. In addition, the team added aCanadian maple leaf patch on all uniforms.
TheBaltimore Orioles unveiled new uniforms, including the return of the city name on the road uniforms for the first time since 1972, a new patch which incorporates theMarylandstate flag, and a new logo featuring a revamped version of the ornithologically correct Oriole.
TheBoston Red Sox went slightly retro, with the return of navy blue as the predominant road uniform lettering color, and the addition of an alternate hat featuring the modified "hanging socks" logo and navy blue road alternate jersey.
TheChicago Cubs wore only a single version of their cap. They stopped wearing their road cap (which had a red bill) and wore their former home cap (all blue with a red C) for all games. This change was also reflected on the batting helmets.
TheMinnesota Twins celebrated the final season of the Metrodome by wearing a modernized retro 1982 uniform with buttons and belts instead of the pullover and knit-in belts for Saturday games and their home opener April 6 against theMariners, and retired their navy road alternate jerseys.
TheNew York Mets retired their black alternate road jersey with "NEW YORK" printed across the front. The black alternate home jersey with "Mets" printed across the front is now worn on the road as well.
ThePhiladelphia Phillies wore an additional gold trim on their Opening Night game April 5, and added an alternate batting helmet for their alternate home uniforms.
ThePittsburgh Pirates made jerseys with sleeves on their primary uniforms both home and away, and added a new black alternate with a Pirates' "P" on the left upper chest. The team has also changed their cap to place white outer trim around the "P".
TheTampa Bay Rays added an alternate jersey in navy with light blue soutache around the placket and sleeve ends.
TheTexas Rangers dropped the team name from all uniforms in favor of their state name, and added a red alternate jersey and cap. Also, the letters and numbers on the jersey backs have been changed to match the "TEXAS" lettering on the front.
TheWashington Nationals made some minor changes to their uniforms, and now use red as their predominant color. The home and primary alternate jerseys have been modified, a new navy alternate to be worn several times a year with a stars and stripes "DC" along with a new hat, changing the front of their red alternates from "DC" (with a corresponding red cap) to the primary script "W" (worn with their regular home red cap), and the road uniform now bears a fancy script "Washington" akin to the style worn by theSenators in the 1950s and 1960s, and their old incarnation, theMontreal Expos.
ThePittsburgh Pirates,Detroit Tigers,Oakland Athletics andChicago White Sox led the Majors in wearing throwback uniforms. On May 2 atSafeco Field, the Athletics andSeattle Mariners honored 1939 by wearing special uniforms. The Mariners honored theSeattle Rainiers and the Oakland Athletics honored theOakland Oaks from that season. Both teams played in thePacific Coast League that season. The A's then wore a 1980s styled uniform inSt. Petersburg on July 11 against theTampa Bay Rays, who wore uniforms from their inaugural season of 1998 when they were known as the "Devil Rays". Finally, On August 16, the Athletics and White Sox used vintage throwbacks. The A's wore uniforms from theirPhiladelphia period, with blue caps and a large A on the front of their jerseys. The White Sox wore their jerseys with a large S with a lowercase O in the top loop and a lowercase X in the bottom loop.[38]
On June 14, the Tigers and Pirates wore throwback uniforms to commemorate the 100th anniversary of bothForbes Field and the1909 World Series between the two teams. That game also featured a throwback atmosphere: no music or flashy graphics, no mascots (meaning no Jolly Roger or Pirate Parrot), and a hand-operated scoreboard. One modern item occurred in the pre-game: TheStanley Cup championPittsburgh Penguins made a surprise visit and broughtthe trophy with them. The Pirates and theKansas City Royals also honored theNegro leagues on June 26 and 27 with the Pirates wearing theHomestead Grays uniforms and the Royals donningKansas City Monarchs replicas. The Pirates and theCincinnati Reds recreated their1979 National League Championship Series uniforms on August 21 as part of the Buccos' 30th anniversary celebration of theirWorld Series championship. The Bucs wore their gold pillbox hat with a gold jersey and black pants, a faux pas from the uniforms that season as a black cap was worn that year with the gold jersey.
In addition to the aforementioned Civil Rights Game and game in Oakland, the White Sox, originators of the genre of replica throwback uniforms, commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of their1959 American League Championship on June 25 against the team that they played in that World Series, theLos Angeles Dodgers, who opted to wear their regular uniforms instead, as manager Joe Torre did not want to create hype of a World Series that was 50 years ago.
The Tigers and theCleveland Indians played in Negro league replicas twice, with the Tigers inDetroit Stars uniforms, and the Indians outfitted inCleveland Buckeyes replicas. In a "home-and-home" style series, the Tigers hosting the Tribe July 11 atComerica Park, with the Tigers in 1920 Stars uniforms and the Indians in the 1948 Buckeyes road grays, while the Indians played host August 1 atProgressive Field seeing Cleveland wearing Buckeyes home whites and the Tigers in the gray Stars uniform.
For their series against theSan Francisco Giants beginning on August 14, theNew York Mets wore cream-colored jerseys featuring an oversized blue "NY" on the front and aMr. Met patch on the right sleeve. The throwback uniforms are similar to the ones the Giants wore in the early 20th century when they played at thePolo Grounds, where the Mets played their first two seasons.[39]
On September 5 against the Rangers, the Orioles paid homage to theBaltimore Elite Giants by wearing replicas of their uniforms from 1949.
Once again during major American holidays and theSeptember 11 weekend, all teams wore a cap with the cap logo in astars and stripes motif (with the exception of theToronto Blue Jays, whose cap logo is rendered in amaple leaf motif). TheCleveland Indians stars and stripes cap features a "C" instead ofChief Wahoo, since theNative American caricature emblazoned in stars and stripes caused some controversy when it debuted in 2008.[40] As was the case in 2008, the proceeds from the sales of authentic caps will go to the Welcome Back Vets fund. The 2009 models are red as opposed to the navy blue caps from the previous season.
For the home opener for the Pirates vs the Astros, the Pirates wore the caps of the Pittsburgh Police Department (PPD) which had lost three officers and had two injured in a shootout on April 4, 2009. The Astros had them on before the game.
