This was also the final season ofBud Selig as theCommissioner of Baseball. Selig served as the Executive Council Chairman from 1992 to 1998, acting as the commissioner, and then was appointed as the official commissioner in 1998.[3] On August 14, 2014, the franchise owners selectedRob Manfred to become the new Commissioner, starting in 2015.[4]
No significant changes were made to the 2014 schedule. As was the case in 2013, each team played 19 games against each division opponent for a total of 76 games, and six or seven games against each team from the other two divisions in its league for a total of 66 games. All teams played 20 interleague games, with the majority of match-ups following the divisional rotation in place since2004. For 2014, the matchups were AL East vs. NL Central, AL Central vs. NL West, and AL West vs. NL East. Teams played four games against a designated "rival" in two back-to-back two-game series, one home and one away. Unlike in 2013, when all of these series were played during the same week, these rivalry series were spread from early May through mid-August. The table below shows the interleague rivals for the 2014 season.
On August 15, 2013, Major League Baseball announced that it would expand itsvideo review process for the 2014 season, and MLB clubs unanimously approved the new rules on January 16, 2014. Managers were now able to challenge certain plays no more than twice per game, including force plays, fair or foul balls, and batters hit by a pitch, among others. If a manager exhausted his ability to challenge plays during the game and after the beginning of the seventh inning, the umpire crew chief could choose to invoke instant replay on any reviewable call. Calls that were challenged were reviewed by an umpiring crew at MLB headquarters in New York City, which made the final ruling.[5][6]
Porter was fired on September 1 along with bench coachDave Trembley. Lawless was named the interim manager. Porter finished with a 110–190 in under two seasons.[9]
Washington resigned on September 5 for personal reasons after eight seasons with the Rangers. He finished with a 664–611 record and is the franchise's all-time leader in regular season wins and games managed. Washington led the Rangers to four straight 90-win seasons, three playoff appearances, and back-to-back American League championships in 2010 and 2011.[10] Bogar, who is the current bench coach, was named the interim manager for the rest of the 2014 season.
Gibson was fired on September 26 after four years as manager of the Diamondbacks. He finished with a 353–375 record and led the Diamondbacks to the division title during the 2011 season while capturing the National League Manager of the Year award. Trammell, who previously was the bench coach, will take over as manager for the final three games of the season.[11]
Wedge declined to return on September 27, 2013, as he missed part of the season with a partial stroke. He finished with a 213–273 record in three seasons.[12] McClendon was announced as the new manager on November 5, 2013.[13] McClendon previously managed thePittsburgh Pirates from 2001 to 2005 and compiled a 336–446 record.[14]
Sveum was fired by the Cubs after two seasons and a record of 127–197.[15] Rentería was named manager on November 7, 2013, after being the bench coach for theSan Diego Padres the last two seasons.[16]
Johnson announced on November 12, 2012, that the 2013 season would be his last. He finished with a record of 224–183 in his three seasons.[17] Matt Williams was announced on October 31, 2013, as the new manager.[18]
Leyland resigned on October 21, 2013, and then retired the next day with a record of 700–597 (.540) with three division titles (2011–13), one AL wild card (2006) and two AL pennants (2006 and 2012).[22] Ausmus was announced as the next manager on November 3, 2013.[23]
His home run in the seventh inning against theToronto Blue Jays on April 3 gives him 163 for his Rays' career. This ties the team record held byCarlos Peña.[24] Longoria set the franchise record with his 164th home run on April 19 against theNew York Yankees.
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a home run in the eighth inning against theBaltimore Orioles on April 4. He became the 277th player to reach this mark.[25]
Recorded his 1,500th career RBI with a home run in the first inning against theChicago White Sox on April 8. He became the 52nd player to reach this mark.[26]
Recorded his 500th career home run in the fifth inning against theWashington Nationals on April 22. He became the 26th player to reach this mark.[27]
Recorded his 550th career double in the first inning against theLos Angeles Dodgers on August 4. He became the 26th player to reach this mark.[28]
Recorded his 1,500th career run scored with a home run in the third inning on September 6 against theMinnesota Twins. He became the 71st player to reach this mark.[29]
Recorded his 2,500th career hit with a double in the ninth inning on September 6 against theMinnesota Twins. He became the 98th player to reach this mark.[29]
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a home run in the ninth inning against theNew York Mets on April 12. He became the 278th player to reach this mark.[30]
Set team record for stolen bases in career on April 18. Setting the record with his 173 stolen base, breaking the record which was set byIan Kinsler.[31]
Set the rookie record for home runs in April by hitting his ninth on April 25 against theTampa Bay Rays. He broke the record of eight set byAlbert Pujols,Carlos Delgado andKent Hrbek.[32] Abreu finished April with ten home runs.
Set the rookie record for RBI in April by raising his total to 31 on April 27 against theTampa Bay Rays. He broke the record of 27 set byAlbert Pujols.[33] Abreu finished April with 32 runs batted in.
Tied the franchise rookie record for home runs with his 35th homer in the ninth inning on September 14 against theMinnesota Twins. He tied the record that was set in 1983 byRon Kittle.[34] He set a new record with his 36th home run on September 27 against theKansas City Royals.
Recorded his 500th career double in the second inning against theSeattle Mariners on April 27. He became the 59th player to reach this mark.[35]
Recorded his 2,500th career hit with a single in the second inning on June 24 against theDetroit Tigers. He became the 97th player to reach this mark.[36]
With a double in the first inning on May 7 against theTexas Rangers, Arenado extended his hit streak to 27 games which tied the team record set byMichael Cuddyer in 2013.[37] Arenado set the team record with a single in the third inning the next night against the Rangers.[38] Arenado's streak came to an end the very next night as theCincinnati Reds held him hitless.
With his multi-homer game on May 29 against theKansas City Royals, Encarnacion tied a Major League record with his fifth multi-homer game this month. That ties the record that was set byHarmon Killebrew in May 1959 andAlbert Belle in September 1995.[40]
He hit 16 home runs in May, tying the American League record for home runs in May set byMickey Mantle in May 1956.
With his home run on May 29 against theBaltimore Orioles, Springer has hit seven home runs in his last seven games. He became the second rookie in Major League history to hit seven home runs over a seven-game span in one season.Rudy York accomplished this in August 1937.[40]
Recorded his 1,000th career RBI with a home run in the seventh inning on May 31 against theNew York Mets. He became the 276th player to reach this mark.[41]
On May 29 in a game against theNew York Mets, Howard earned his 24th careerGolden Sombrero, surpassing Reggie Jackson to take the all-time MLB lead.
Recorded his 450th career home run with his homer in the ninth inning on June 6 against theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He became the 36th player to reach this mark.[42]
With his single in the fifth inning on June 14 against theChicago Cubs, Rollins became the all-time franchise leader in hits with 2,235. He broke the record that was held byMike Schmidt.[43]
Recorded his 1,000th career RBI with a single in the fifth inning on June 16 against theNew York Mets. He became the 277th player to reach this mark.[44]
Recorded his 450th career home run in the third inning against theNew York Yankees on June 29. He became the 37th player to reach this mark.[45]
Recorded his 1,500th career RBI with a home run in the first inning on July 23 against theToronto Blue Jays. He became the 53rd player to reach this mark.[46]
By driving in his 100th run of the season on September 19 against theBaltimore Orioles, Ortiz recorded his eighth 30/100 season as a member of the Red Sox and set a franchise record passingTed Williams.[47]
TiedLou Gehrig for most doubles in franchise history with his 534th career double in the fourth inning on July 1 against theTampa Bay Rays.[48] Jeter set the team record on July 22 against theTexas Rangers with a double in the ninth inning.[49]
Set a Major League record for most starts at shortstop when he started at short against theCincinnati Reds on July 18. This was Jeter's 2,610th career start which broke the record that was held byOmar Vizquel.[50]
With their home runs on August 8 against theWashington Nationals, it marked the fifth time that they had homered as teammates in the same game, establishing a new Major League record. They broke the record that they shared withJason andJeremy Giambi andVladimir andWilton Guerrero.[53]
Became the third player in Major League history (joiningJohn Olerud andBob Watson) to hit for a cycle in both leagues by hitting for the cycle on August 17 against theCincinnati Reds. He hit for the cycle with theMinnesota Twins in 2009.[54]
With his double in the second inning on September 1 against theMilwaukee Brewers, Soler became the third player in the last one hundred years to record at least one extra-base hit in each of his first five games in the majors. Soler joinsEnos Slaughter (1938) andWill Middlebrooks (2012).[55]
Set the franchise rookie record by recording his 55th steal in the first inning against theBaltimore Orioles on September 2. He broke the record that was set byBob Bescher in 1909.[56] Hamilton finished the season with 56 stolen bases.
Set the Astros franchise record with most hits in a season by collecting his 211th hit in seventh inning against theCleveland Indians on September 16. He broke the record that was set in 1998 byCraig Biggio.[57] Altuve finished the season with 225 hits.
Tied the Major League record for most doubles in one season as a catcher when he hit his 45th double on September 18 against theSt. Louis Cardinals in the fourth inning. He tied the record set byIván Rodríguez in 1996.[58] Lucroy hit his 46th double as a catcher on September 27 against theChicago Cubs establishing a new Major League record.[59]
Set the Nationals franchise record for hits in a season with his 184th hit on September 27 against theMiami Marlins. Span, who brokeCristian Guzmán's team record, broke the record with a double in the third inning.[60]
Pitched the first no-hitter of his career on May 25 against thePhiladelphia Phillies. In 128 pitches, he struck out six batters, and walked three. It was the 24th in Dodgers' team history and the 11th since moving to Los Angeles.[61]
Pitched the first no-hitter of his career on June 18 against theColorado Rockies. In 107 pitches, he struck out 15 batters, and walked none. He lost hisperfect game whenHanley Ramírez committed a throwing error in the seventh inning. It was the 25th in Dodgers' team history and the 12th since moving to Los Angeles.[62]
Pitched his second no-hitter of his career on June 25 against theSan Diego Padres. In 113 pitches, he struck out six batters, and walked one. It was the 16th in Giants' team history and the 8th since moving to San Francisco. Lincecum joinsChristy Mathewson as only the second Giant pitcher to throw two no-hitters in his career.[63] He also becomes the fourth pitcher in Major League history to pitch multiple no-hitters and win multipleCy Young Awards joiningSandy Koufax,Randy Johnson andRoy Halladay.[64]
Hamels went six innings on September 1 against theAtlanta Braves throwing 108 pitches. Diekman threw 15 pitches in the seventh and Giles also threw 15 in the eighth. Papelbon came on in the ninth and retired the side on nine pitches. This no-hitter was the 12th in team history and the first sinceRoy Halladay's no-hitter in the 2010 playoffs. The pitchers combined to strikeout 12 batters and Hamels walked five batters.[65] This was also the 11th combined no-hitter in Major League history.[66]
Zimmermann threw his first career no-hitter, and the first since the Nationals return to Washington, D.C., on September 28 against theMiami Marlins. Zimmermann threw 104 pitches and struck out ten batters while walking one.[67] This is the fifth no-hitter in the Expos/Nationals franchise history and the first sinceDennis Martínez's perfect game in 1991 when the team was in Montreal.
Became the fastest pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts in his career as he reached it in401+2⁄3 innings on April 6. He brokeKerry Wood's record of404+2⁄3 innings.[68]
Set the franchise record for most strikeouts for any pitcher in their first two starts as a Yankee. Tanaka 18 strikeouts broke the record of 17 that was held byCharles Hudson (April 1987),Dennis Rasmussen (May 1984) andBob Turley (April 1955).[69]
Became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1900) to record at least eight wins and 80 strikeouts (has 88) in his first 11 career starts in the majors. He reached this milestone on May 31 against theMinnesota Twins.[70]
Has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last 20 starts, the longest streak in Major League history (since 1876). The previous record holder belonged toFerdie Schupp, who allowed fewer than three runs in 16 consecutive games started for the Giants in 1916 and 1917.[71] His streak ended after 21 starts when theNew York Mets scored three runs on May 22.[72]
Became the first pitcher in Major League history (since 1876) to go winless in his first eight starts of a season despite not allowing more than three runs in any outing.[71] That ended on his ninth start when he allowed four runs to theMilwaukee Brewers on May 16 in the first two innings.
By closing out the game against theSt. Louis Cardinals on May 18, Kimbrel recorded his 150th career save in his 248th career appearance. This is the fewest appearances needed to reach this milestone.[74]
Recorded his 2,000th career strikeout by striking outIke Davis of thePittsburgh Pirates in the sixth inning on May 28. He became the 70th player to reach this mark.[76]
Recorded his 200th career win with a victory against thePhiladelphia Phillies on August 8. He became the 115th player to reach this mark.[77]
WithBrad Boxberger striking outYankees'Ichiro Suzuki in the 12th inning on June 30, the Rays set the Major League record for most strikeouts by a pitching staff in any month. The Rays' pitching staff struck out 287 batters in June, breaking the record set by theChicago Cubs in August 2002.[80]
With his strikeout ofJordy Mercer of thePittsburgh Pirates in the ninth inning on July 11, Chapman set the Major League record with at least one strikeout in 40 consecutive relief appearances. The streak dates back to last season. The previous record was held byBruce Sutter who set the record in 1977.[81] His streak came to an end at 49 games on August 15 against theColorado Rockies as he failed to record a strikeout.[82]
Became the first pitcher in Major League history to face 28 or fewer batters in back-to-back starts of at least nine innings with his complete game against theSeattle Mariners on July 30. He also faced one batter over the minimum on July 24 against theKansas City Royals.[85]
Recorded his 2,000th career strikeout by striking outFranklin Morales of theColorado Rockies in the sixth inning on August 27. He became the 71st player to reach this mark.[87]
Set the Major League record for most consecutive batters retired by striking outCharlie Culberson of theColorado Rockies on August 28. Petit retired 46 batters in a row breaking the record held byMark Buehrle (45 consecutive) set in 2009. Petit set this record over seven appearances.[88]
Recorded his 2,000th career strikeout by striking outAramis Ramírez of theMilwaukee Brewers in the second inning on August 30. He became the 72nd player to reach this mark.[89]
Set the franchise record for most strikeouts in a season by a left-hander by striking out his 207th batter of the season,Juan Uribe, on September 12 against theLos Angeles Dodgers.[91] Bumgarner finished the season with 219 strikeouts.
Tied the Major League record for most consecutive strikeouts to begin the game by striking out eightMiami Marlins on September 15. He tied the record that was set byJim Deshaies on September 23, 1986.[92]
With two strikeouts on September 17 against theTampa Bay Rays in a scoreless eighth inning, Betances set the single-season franchise record of 132 strikeouts by a reliever breaking the record of 130 set byMariano Rivera in 1996.[93] Betances finished the season with 135 strikeouts.
Set the Major League single-season strikeout-to-walk ratio record of 11.63 (186 strikeouts and 16 walks) breaking the record of 11.0 set in 1994 byBret Saberhagen.[94]
Set the Major League record for most strikeouts by pitchers in a season whenCorey Kluber struck outDavid DeJesus of theTampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning on September 26. Kluber's strikeout was the team's 1,429th strikeout of the season breaking the record set byDetroit Tigers set in 2013.[95] The Indians finished the season with 1,450 strikeouts.
Recorded his 1,000th career managerial victory with his win on April 5 against theCleveland Indians. He became the 60th manager to reach this mark.[98]
TheAtlanta Braves, with their win against thePhiladelphia Phillies on July 18, have won their first game after the All-Star break in nine consecutive seasons (since 2006), which tied a Major League record. They tied the record that is held by theMontreal Expos (1984–1992) andNew York Yankees (1940–1949, 2002–2010).[50]
TheCleveland Indians recorded their 9,000th franchise victory with a win against theKansas City Royals on August 30. They become the 11th franchise to amass this many victories.[101]
TheDetroit Tigers recorded their 9,000th franchise victory with a win against theKansas City Royals on September 8. They become the 12th franchise to amass this many victories.[90]
TheNew York Yankees recorded their 15,000th franchise home run against theToronto Blue Jays on September 21.Brett Gardner hit the home run in the fifth inning. The Yankees are the first franchise to reach this plateau.[102]
TheOakland Athletics will have a new green alternate jersey to start the 2014 season. Gone is the script "Athletics" across the chest, in its place is the white "A's" cap logo on the left side of the chest with gold piping, basically a reverse of the current gold jersey. It was announced last season, and unveiled on February 8, 2014, during the A's FanFest atOracle Arena.[140]
ThePittsburgh Pirates announced that they are changing their primary logo from the pirate to the gold "P" that is on their caps.[141]
TheSan Francisco Giants gave a sneak peek onInstagram of a new orange alternate jersey featuring the team's old script logo utilized in the 1970s.[142]
In addition to ten Cubsthrowback uniforms to mark the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field, selected teams wore throwbacks throughout the season:
The Braves wore 1974 throwbacks on April 8, the 40th anniversary ofHank Aaron's 715th home run.
The Diamondbacks wore the uniform of theKansas City Packers of theFederal League against the Cubs on April 23, the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. The Diamondbacks' logo was on each player's left sleeve. The Cubs, as one of ten throwbacks they will wear during the season, wore the uniforms of theChicago Whales.
The Royals and Orioles wore Negro leagues throwbacks on May 18. The Royals wore uniforms of theKansas City Monarchs, and the Orioles wore the uniforms of theBaltimore Black Sox.
The Tigers and Rangers wore Negro leagues throwbacks on May 24. The Tigers wore uniforms of theDetroit Stars, while the Rangers wore the uniforms of theFort Worth Black Panthers.
The Padres wore1984 throwbacks on consecutive days May 23 and 24. They wore their home throwbacks on May 23, and their away uniforms May 24.
Both the Astros and Orioles wore Negro leagues throwbacks at the Civil Rights Game on May 30. The Astros wore the uniforms of theHouston Eagles, while the Orioles wore a Negro leagues throwback for the second time in 13 days, donning the uniforms of theBaltimore Elite Giants.[146]
The Mariners and Astros wore1979 uniforms on May 24.[147]
The Twins and Brewers wore 1984 uniforms on June 3 and 5 as part of a home-and-home series.[citation needed]
The Phillies wore1964 throwbacks on June 13 and 15. The Cubs, their opponents, wore 1964 throwbacks on June 13, but not June 15.
The Mets and Pirates wore Negro leagues throwbacks on June 28. The Pirates wore the uniforms of thePittsburgh Crawfords, while the Mets wore the uniforms of theBrooklyn Royal Giants.
The Orioles wore1954 uniforms on August 8, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the team in Baltimore.
The Braves and Athletics wore1914 throwbacks on August 16, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the franchise (then based in Boston)'sWorld Series title.
On April 15, players, managers and coaches on all teams wore #42 on the 67th anniversary ofJackie Robinson's debut in the majors to commemorateJackie Robinson Day.
On April 21 (Patriots' Day), the Boston Red Sox wore home white jerseys with "BOSTON" written on the front on the one year anniversary of theBoston Marathon bombings.
The New York Mets will wear special camouflage jerseys for five games to honor U.S. military personnel.[148]
On May 3, the Astros wore Spanish-languageLos Astros uniforms.
All teams worecamouflage caps and jerseys on May 26,Memorial Day in the United States. The Pirates and Cubs wore the uniforms again on June 10. The Rockies wore the uniforms again on July 6, and the Yankees wore them again on July 20.
The Reds wore all-camouflage caps and jerseys on June 11, June 22 and July 5. The uniforms had the "Reds" script wordmark on them, instead of the player's number and the Reds' logo. TheAmerican flag was on the player's left sleeve. The Reds' wishbone C was on the players' right sleeve instead of their mascot, Mr. Redlegs.
The Blue Jays wore a red uniform on July 1,Canada Day. They wore a red uniform again on August 10.
The Nationals wore an all-blue uniform on July 4 and September 11. The "W" logo was red, white and blue.
Twenty-nine teams wore patriotic caps on July 4. AL teams wore red caps, and NL teams wore blue caps. Each cap had their teams' respective logo and a piece of the American flag, which was surrounded by a star. The Blue Jays wore a red cap with amaple leaf.
The Mets wore Spanish-language "Los Mets" uniforms July 29 and September 12.
The Twins wore their red batting practice uniforms August 1. The jerseys did not have their last name on the backs.
The Tigers wore Spanish-language "Tigres" uniforms August 2. The jerseys were based on the1960 Tigers home uniforms, which had the Tigers name in script and the player's number on it.
The Brewers wore Spanish-language "Cerveceros" uniforms August 10.
The Reds wore Irish Heritage night uniforms September 5. The uniforms' numbers and letters were green. The uniforms had the "Reds" script wordmark on them, instead of the player's number and the Reds' logo. Ashamrock was on the uniform sleeves.
The Reds wore Spanish-language "Los Rojos" uniforms September 7.
All 30 teams wore caps with the flag of the United States on the left side on September 11, the thirteenth anniversary of theterrorist attacks. The Blue Jays' caps had both the U.S. andCanadian flags.
Contract provisions in ESPN's contract virtually eliminated localblackouts among the network's Monday and Wednesday night games, allowing ESPN coverage to co-exist with that of the local broadcasters in home markets.[150][151] Sunday Night Baseball blackout rules still applied.
Fox Sports' contract also coveredFox Sports 1, which began its first year of Major League Baseball coverage. Fox Sports 1 televised 40 regular-season games (mostly on Saturdays) and possibly up to 15 playoff games. The increase in televised games from previous years was due to a provision in the contract that allowed for Fox Sports 1 to take a game between two teams in which Fox operated the teams' individualRSNs and elevated it into a national broadcast. As a result, MLB regular season coverage on theFox network was reduced to 12 weeks beginning in 2014.[152]
This was the first year of eight-year contracts for national broadcasts in Canada.Sportsnet, owned byRogers Communications (and sister company of theToronto Blue Jays), continues to be the primary rightsholder, retaining rights to the All-Star Game, theHome Run Derby, and most postseason games. In total (including Canada-wide rights to all Blue Jays games which are acquired directly from the team), Sportsnet's various channels will carry almost 300 MLB games per season until 2021.[153] As part of the deal,Rogers Cable became the Canadian launch partner for MLB Network, which was not previously available in Canada, and did not secure carriage on any Canadian providers other than Rogers that year. Despite this, MLB Network's Division Series telecasts were kept exclusive to that channel in Canada as well.[154]
Separately,TSN announced its own eight-year deal to expand its MLB coverage. Having carried ESPN'sSunday Night Baseball since 2010 under sublicense from Sportsnet, TSN andTSN2 will now carry all of ESPN's regular-season coverage (ESPN being a minority partner in TSN), addingMonday Night Baseball andWednesday Night Baseball, totalling over 75 games per year.[155]
French-language rights, previously held exclusively by TSN's French-language sister channelsRDS andRDS2, will now be split withTVA Sports, with each group airing approximately 70 games per season (TVA Sports also carries additional Blue Jays games acquired directly from the team). RDS will continue to carry the All-Star Game and the World Series, but the remaining postseason rights will be split equally between RDS and TVA Sports.[156][157]
TheNew York Yankees leftWCBS, which was their radio home for 12 years, but the rights remained withCBS Radio's New York cluster, as they moved to WCBS's sister stationWFAN with a new rights agreement, which allows an FM simulcast withWFAN-FM, which would mark the first time the Yankees are heard on FM radio in their hometown.[159] The move to WFAN means that theNew York Mets moved toWOR (purchased byClear Channel in late 2012) for the 2014 season, as they had been on WFAN since the station had adopted the all-sports format in 1987.[159]
This will be the final year in which theChicago Cubs will air onWGN. WGN has had some form of broadcast relationship with the Cubs since 1925 and has been the exclusive broadcaster of the team since 1958; for many years, the Cubs and WGN were both owned byTribune Company. The spin-off of the Cubs to new ownership, combined with continued financial losses, the Cubs' persistent on-field futility and the pending end of the rivalChicago White Sox's contract withWSCR after the 2015 season, prompted Tribune to end its relationship with the Cubs. Cubs broadcasts will move to CBS Radio'sWBBM for 2015 and, if the White Sox do not renew with WSCR, to WSCR for 2016 and beyond.[160]
Joe Torre, manager of theNew York Yankees from 1996 to 2007, had his #6 retired by the team on August 23. This was the 17th number retired by the Yankees.[196]
