2012 MLB season | |
---|---|
League | Major League Baseball |
Sport | Baseball |
Duration | March 28 – October 28, 2012 |
Number of games | 162 |
Number of teams | 30 |
TV partner(s) | Fox, TBS, ESPN, MLB Network |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Carlos Correa |
Picked by | Houston Astros |
Regular season | |
Season MVP | AL: Miguel Cabrera (DET) NL: Buster Posey (SF) |
Postseason | |
AL champions | Detroit Tigers |
AL runners-up | New York Yankees |
NL champions | San Francisco Giants |
NL runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
World Series | |
Champions | San Francisco Giants |
Runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
World Series MVP | Pablo Sandoval (SF) |
The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on April 5 because during the MLB Spring Training it was the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. [1] On November 22, 2011, a new contract between Major League Baseball and its players union was ratified, and as a result, an expanded playoff format adding two clubs would be adopted no later than 2013 according to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. [2] The new format of the 2012 postseason to used the 1 game series of the Wild Card round of the format for the 2012 postseason only. [3] The restriction against divisional rivals playing against each other in the Division Series round that had existed in previous years was eliminated, as the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees squared off in one of the best-of-five LDS in the American League. On April 4, 2012, it was the last day of the MLB Spring Training and ended with the new Marlins Park, as the newly renamed Miami Marlins hosted the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The regular season ended on Wednesday, October 3. [4] The entire master schedule was released on September 14, 2011.
The Major League Baseball postseason was expanded to include a second wild card team in each league beginning in the 2012 season. [3] The season marked the last for the Houston Astros as a member of the National League. Following the sale to new owner Jim Crane, the Astros agreed to move to the American League effective in the 2013 season, and would be assigned to the American League West, joining their in-state rivals, the Texas Rangers. [5]
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game's 83rd edition was held on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, with the National League winning the All-Star Game for the third consecutive year in an 8–0 shutout of the American League. [6] With the win, the National League champion earned home field advantage for the World Series, which began on October 24 and ended on October 28 when the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers. The Civil Rights Game was held on August 18 at Turner Field, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the host Atlanta Braves, 6–2. [7]
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(1) New York Yankees | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 51–30 | 44–37 |
(5) Baltimore Orioles | 93 | 69 | .574 | 2 | 47–34 | 46–35 |
Tampa Bay Rays | 90 | 72 | .556 | 5 | 46–35 | 44–37 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 73 | 89 | .451 | 22 | 41–40 | 32–49 |
Boston Red Sox | 69 | 93 | .426 | 26 | 34–47 | 35–46 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(3) Detroit Tigers | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 50–31 | 38–43 |
Chicago White Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3 | 45–36 | 40–41 |
Kansas City Royals | 72 | 90 | .444 | 16 | 37–44 | 35–46 |
Cleveland Indians | 68 | 94 | .420 | 20 | 37–44 | 31–50 |
Minnesota Twins | 66 | 96 | .407 | 22 | 31–50 | 35–46 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(2) Oakland Athletics | 94 | 68 | .580 | — | 50–31 | 44–37 |
(4) Texas Rangers | 93 | 69 | .574 | 1 | 50–31 | 43–38 |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 89 | 73 | .549 | 5 | 46–35 | 43–38 |
Seattle Mariners | 75 | 87 | .463 | 19 | 40–41 | 35–46 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(1) Washington Nationals | 98 | 64 | .605 | — | 50–31 | 48–33 |
(4) Atlanta Braves | 94 | 68 | .580 | 4 | 48–33 | 46–35 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 81 | 81 | .500 | 17 | 40–41 | 41–40 |
New York Mets | 74 | 88 | .457 | 24 | 36–45 | 38–43 |
Miami Marlins | 69 | 93 | .426 | 29 | 38–43 | 31–50 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(2) Cincinnati Reds | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 50–31 | 47–34 |
(5) St. Louis Cardinals | 88 | 74 | .543 | 9 | 50–31 | 38–43 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 83 | 79 | .512 | 14 | 49–32 | 34–47 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 79 | 83 | .488 | 18 | 45–36 | 34–47 |
Chicago Cubs | 61 | 101 | .377 | 36 | 38–43 | 23–58 |
Houston Astros | 55 | 107 | .340 | 42 | 35–46 | 20–61 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(3) San Francisco Giants | 94 | 68 | .580 | — | 48–33 | 46–35 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 86 | 76 | .531 | 8 | 45–36 | 41–40 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 81 | 81 | .500 | 13 | 41–40 | 40–41 |
San Diego Padres | 76 | 86 | .469 | 18 | 42–39 | 34–47 |
Colorado Rockies | 64 | 98 | .395 | 30 | 35–46 | 29–52 |
Wild Card Game (ALWC, NLWC) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | ||||||||||||||||
1 | NY Yankees | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Texas | 1 | 5 | Baltimore | 2 | ||||||||||||||
5 | Baltimore | 5 | American League | 1 | NY Yankees | 0 | |||||||||||||
3 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Oakland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
AL3 | Detroit | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
NL3 | San Francisco | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Atlanta | 3 | 5 | St. Louis | 3 | ||||||||||||||
5 | St. Louis | 6 | National League | 5 | St. Louis | 3 | |||||||||||||
3 | San Francisco | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Cincinnati | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | San Francisco | 3 |
Team | Former GM | New GM | Former job |
---|---|---|---|
Boston Red Sox | Theo Epstein | Ben Cherington | Cherington previously served as the Assistant General Manager of the Red Sox. |
Chicago Cubs | Randy Bush | Jed Hoyer [8] | Hoyer previously served as the General Manager of San Diego Padres. |
San Diego Padres | Jed Hoyer | Josh Byrnes [8] | Byrnes previously served in the Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Padres. |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Tony Reagins | Jerry DiPoto | DiPoto previously served in several scouting departments, most recently with the Arizona Diamondbacks. |
Minnesota Twins | Bill Smith | Terry Ryan (interim) [9] | Ryan previously served as General Manager of the Twins from 1994–2007. |
Baltimore Orioles | Andy MacPhail | Dan Duquette [10] | Duquette previously served as General Manager of the Montreal Expos from 1991–1995 and Boston Red Sox from 1995–2002. |
Houston Astros | Ed Wade | Jeff Luhnow | Luhnow had previously been employed by the St. Louis Cardinals. |
The following managers were hired for the 2012 season after the former manager retired from baseball.
Team | Former manager | New manager | Story |
---|---|---|---|
Miami Marlins | Jack McKeon | Ozzie Guillén | On September 28, 2011, the Marlins announced that Ozzie Guillén has signed a four-year contract to manage the team beginning in the 2012 season. He replaces Jack McKeon, who served as interim manager since June 2011. Two minor league prospects were sent to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Guillén's rights. |
St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | Mike Matheny | On October 31, just three days after winning the 2011 World Series, Tony La Russa announced his retirement. [11] The Cardinals announced the hiring of former catcher Mike Matheny as its new manager on November 13. Matheny, who had no previous managerial experience, played in 13 Major League seasons from 1994–2006, and was a four-time Gold Glove Award winner. [12] |
At the end of the 2011 season, the following teams made replacements to their managers.
Team | Former manager | New manager | Story |
---|---|---|---|
Boston Red Sox | Terry Francona | Bobby Valentine | On September 30, 2011, the Red Sox decided not to exercise their 2012 option on Terry Francona's contract and both parties decided to part ways. Francona led the team to two World Series championships in 2004, which ended the Curse of the Bambino, and 2007. However, in 2011, the Red Sox went 7–20 in the month of September, blowing a 9-game wild card lead as they were eliminated from playoff contention. [13] Valentine, whose previous managerial jobs were with the Texas Rangers from 1985–92 and the New York Mets from 1996–2002, was an analyst for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN at the time of his hiring. Ironically, on December 6, Francona would take over for Valentine on SNB in 2012, after working as a color commentator for the first two games of the 2011 ALCS on Fox. |
Chicago Cubs | Mike Quade | Dale Sveum | The Cubs hired Dale Sveum as their new manager on November 17, replacing Mike Quade. Sveum had been a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers at various capacities (bench, third base, hitting) since 2006, and was also a former third base coach of the Boston Red Sox from 2004–05. His previous managerial experience was as an interim manager for the Brewers late in 2008, guiding the Brewers to a wild card berth that year. Quade served as manager of the Cubs from August 2010 until September 2011, succeeding Lou Piniella; however his only full season saw the Cubs finish 71–91 and in fifth place in the NL Central. [14] |
Chicago White Sox | Ozzie Guillén/Don Cooper | Robin Ventura | On October 6, 2011, the White Sox named Robin Ventura as their new manager. Ventura, a former two-time All-Star third baseman, played for the White Sox from 1989 till 1998. [15] Cooper served as the White Sox' interim manager for the last two days of the season, after Ozzie Guillén was hired as the Miami Marlins' new manager. |
Date | Team | Former manager | Reason | Replacement | Previous Job and Story |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 18 | Houston Astros | Brad Mills | Fired | Tony DeFrancesco (interim) | At the time of promotion, DeFrancesco was serving as manager of the Astros' AAA Pacific Coast League affiliate Oklahoma City RedHawks. Mills was fired after two-plus seasons at the helm, which included a franchise-record 106 losses in 2011. Hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham were also fired. [16] |
September 27 | Cleveland Indians | Manny Acta | Fired | Sandy Alomar Jr. (interim) | Alomar was serving as Acta's bench coach when Acta was fired. [17] |
|
|
|
|
** Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants was ineligible to win the batting title, at his request, due to being suspended for testing positive for testosterone. He finished the season with a .346 average. [18]
Fielding Bible Awards | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Player | |||||||
Pitcher | Mark Buehrle (MIA) | |||||||
Catcher | Yadier Molina (STL) | |||||||
1st Base | Mark Teixeira (NYY) | |||||||
2nd Base | Darwin Barney (CHC) | |||||||
3rd Base | Adrián Beltré (TEX) | |||||||
Shortstop | Brendan Ryan (SEA) | |||||||
Left Field | Alex Gordon (KC) | |||||||
Center Field | Mike Trout (LAA) | |||||||
Right Field | Jason Heyward (ATL) |
Player of the Month
| Pitcher of the Month
| Rookie of the Month
|
Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia Phillies [96] | 81 | −20.6% | 3,565,718 | −3.1% | 44,021 | $171,501,558 | −0.9% |
New York Yankees [97] | 95 | −2.1% | 3,542,406 | −3.0% | 43,733 | $197,977,900 | −4.0% |
Texas Rangers [98] | 93 | −3.1% | 3,460,280 | 17.4% | 42,720 | $124,119,900 | 32.3% |
San Francisco Giants [99] | 94 | 9.3% | 3,377,371 | −0.3% | 41,696 | $117,637,350 | −5.3% |
Los Angeles Dodgers [100] | 86 | 4.9% | 3,324,246 | 13.3% | 41,040 | $177,033,600 | 70.6% |
St. Louis Cardinals [101] | 88 | −2.2% | 3,262,109 | 5.4% | 40,273 | $112,071,000 | 6.3% |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim [102] | 89 | 3.5% | 3,061,770 | −3.3% | 37,800 | $141,073,500 | 1.8% |
Boston Red Sox [103] | 69 | −23.3% | 3,043,003 | −0.4% | 37,568 | $110,386,000 | −33.8% |
Detroit Tigers [104] | 88 | −7.4% | 3,028,033 | 14.6% | 37,383 | $131,394,000 | 22.9% |
Chicago Cubs [105] | 61 | −14.1% | 2,882,756 | −4.5% | 35,590 | $86,159,366 | −36.9% |
Milwaukee Brewers [106] | 83 | −13.5% | 2,831,385 | −7.8% | 34,955 | $95,717,000 | 10.5% |
Minnesota Twins [107] | 66 | 4.8% | 2,776,354 | −12.4% | 34,276 | $99,066,000 | −12.1% |
Colorado Rockies [108] | 64 | −12.3% | 2,630,458 | −9.6% | 32,475 | $75,485,000 | −17.6% |
Atlanta Braves [109] | 94 | 5.6% | 2,420,171 | 2.0% | 29,879 | $86,208,000 | −8.1% |
Washington Nationals [110] | 98 | 22.5% | 2,370,794 | 22.2% | 29,269 | $92,386,000 | 34.9% |
Cincinnati Reds [111] | 97 | 22.8% | 2,347,251 | 6.0% | 28,978 | $80,309,500 | 3.9% |
New York Mets [112] | 74 | −3.9% | 2,242,803 | −4.7% | 27,689 | $91,621,424 | −39.7% |
Miami Marlins [113] | 69 | −4.2% | 2,219,444 | 46.0% | 27,401 | $107,678,000 | 86.6% |
Arizona Diamondbacks [114] | 81 | −13.8% | 2,177,617 | 3.4% | 26,884 | $67,069,833 | 22.3% |
San Diego Padres [115] | 76 | 7.0% | 2,123,721 | −0.9% | 26,219 | $55,494,700 | 21.0% |
Baltimore Orioles [116] | 93 | 34.8% | 2,102,240 | 19.8% | 25,954 | $77,949,000 | −11.7% |
Toronto Blue Jays [117] | 73 | −9.9% | 2,099,663 | 15.5% | 25,922 | $82,352,700 | 27.5% |
Pittsburgh Pirates [118] | 79 | 9.7% | 2,091,918 | 7.8% | 25,826 | $70,077,000 | 55.6% |
Chicago White Sox [119] | 85 | 7.6% | 1,965,955 | −1.8% | 24,271 | $118,208,000 | −7.5% |
Kansas City Royals [120] | 72 | 1.4% | 1,739,859 | 0.9% | 21,480 | $61,747,075 | 72.9% |
Seattle Mariners [121] | 75 | 11.9% | 1,721,920 | −9.2% | 21,258 | $78,235,600 | −9.1% |
Oakland Athletics [96] | 94 | 27.0% | 1,679,013 | 13.7% | 20,729 | $61,202,500 | −8.8% |
Houston Astros [122] | 55 | −1.8% | 1,607,733 | −22.2% | 19,849 | $37,651,000 | −47.1% |
Cleveland Indians [123] | 68 | −15.0% | 1,603,596 | −12.9% | 19,797 | $78,911,300 | 59.7% |
Tampa Bay Rays [124] | 90 | −1.1% | 1,559,681 | 2.0% | 19,255 | $63,368,700 | 54.4% |
Five teams have made wholesale changes to their uniforms in 2012, while a sixth has new road uniforms. Two other teams added alternate uniforms to their existing set.
The San Diego Padres were the first team to announce changes to their logos and uniform set on November 9. The new primary features the "SD" cap logo inside a navy circle with the words "San Diego Padres Baseball Club" encircling it. The "swinging friar" logo was also revived, albeit in the current colors. Another secondary logo features the Padres script from last season below the depiction of Petco Park in sand and above the year of establishment; a blue and white version is used on the away and alternate uniforms. The front of the home uniform remains the same, except that the sand trim in "Padres" is now in trim instead of a drop shadow and the addition of navy piping. Originally they'll use the sand Petco patch on the left sleeve, but upon unveiling the uniforms, the "swinging friar" patch was placed instead. The road uniforms now feature "San Diego" in an arched position with navy piping. The alternate blue uniforms feature the "SD" cap logo on the left chest with white piping. All three uniforms now feature the block numerals on the reverse side. The digital camouflage uniforms were retained, save for the change to block numerals. The caps with the sand "SD" were retired. [125]
The Marlins unveiled their changes on November 11, 2011, as the team was rebranded as the Miami Marlins, [126] complete with a new logo featuring a stylized Marlin jumping over an art deco colored "M" in coral, yellow and blue. "MIAMI" will grace the primary white uniform, and there will be an orange home alternate which feature the team name, while the black alt had been reduced to road alternate jersey. The black cap is used for the regular home, away and black alternates, while the orange cap is paired with the orange alternates. The Marlins become the second team to use the city (or state) name on the home uniforms, after the Texas Rangers.
November 15 saw the Baltimore Orioles redesign their road and home uniform sets and returned to a version of the cartoon logo used from the mid-1960s to 1988. [127] The home caps are white in front and black on the back with an orange bill, while the away caps will be all black with an orange bill, both featuring the cartoon bird. They also unveiled a modernized version of the orange alternate uniforms last worn in 1992, and were worn on select home games, but retained the black alternate uniforms paired with the black and orange cap with the "O's" script. [128]
As part of their golden anniversary season, the New York Mets modified their home and road uniforms to resemble the style worn in 1962, having their unveiling November 16. [129] The black drop-shadow trim was removed from the team/city script logos, player numerals and name lettering on the off-white pinstriped home uniforms (now the primary home uniform), the white alternate home uniforms, and the grey road uniforms, all of which were worn only with the team's traditional blue cap with orange "NY" crest and blue undersleeves, belts and socks. In addition, the black alternate jersey (which will be worn occasionally on the road in 2012) is being phased out, to be replaced by a blue alternate starting in 2013. The solid black cap with the blue/white/orange crest will also be retained for one more season, to be worn only with the black alternate jersey. The black cap with blue bill and blue/orange crest has been eliminated. In addition, the Mets have removed the color black from their batting-practice jerseys and caps; both will be blue with orange lettering/logos outlined in white.
The Toronto Blue Jays unveiled new uniforms on November 18, returning to a variation of their vintage logo used from 1977 through 1996. [130] The new logo is similar to the original used from 1977–96, with a few exceptions: a more prominent maple leaf, a sleeker-looking blue jay, serifed modern lettering on the team name, and a split-line blue circle enclosing the logo. The new uniforms are similarly based on the set used from 1989–96; a white home uniform with "Blue Jays", a grey road uniform with "Toronto", and a blue alternate uniform with "Blue Jays". The team/city name is arched above the secondary logo of the blue jay with the maple leaf, sans the baseball, situated on the left side. The secondary logo is also placed in the blue cap. The uniforms use the breathable double-knit polyester fabric, claiming the previously lighter Climate Base fabric became too heavy, once players began to sweat. [131]
The Colorado Rockies replaced their purple road pinstripes with a more traditional solid gray uniform which was unveiled at RockiesFest in Denver in January 2012.
The San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves added alternate uniforms to their set. The Giants wear a Sunday road game grey alternate based on the road uniforms they wore during their 1989 World Series run, with the interlocking 'SF' logo on the left chest and black neck-hoop piping. The black piping was also incorporated into the team's normal road gray uniforms. The Braves unveiled a cream (heritage white) home alternates based on the uniforms worn in their first season in Atlanta. The uniform has the 'Braves' wordmark without the tomahawk with the uniform number below on the left chest and navy piping. The sleeves have a logo commemorating the Braves franchise's first season in 1876.
A new, slightly altered Los Angeles Dodgers logo made its way to the Dodgers dugout wall at Dodger Stadium and for their "Social September" promotion in September 2011. [132] The baseball and flight lines have been thickened, while the "o" in the script "Dodgers" no longer has a line on the bottom left. The home uniform script continues to use the previous script, though.
After reviving the popular Northwest Green jerseys at home, the Seattle Mariners are bringing back their navy with teal bill caps, last worn in 2002, for Monday and Friday home contests. Also, their navy road alternate will now have "SEATTLE" on the jersey front. [133]
The Royals unveiled minor tweaks to their light blue home alternate jersey, with all numbers and lettering now white with royal trim, and a revamped away uniform (changed to a darker blue-gray color and a revamped "Kansas City" script). In addition, the team has dropped their light blue caps. [134]
The Cleveland Indians made minor tweaks to the home and alternate uniforms. The white home uniform features navy collar piping and the 'Indians' script in red and navy trim, removing the white inner trim as well as the navy piping on the button lines. The navy alternate features gray collar piping and the 'Indians' script in red and white trim, removing the navy inner trim as well as the grey piping on the button lines. [135]
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim revert to the silver halo after changing it to gold the previous year. They also added a sleeve patch that says 'Angels Baseball' with the foundation year (1961) separated by the current logo in between. The logo is wrapped in a red, navy and silver circle. This patch will be placed on all uniforms.
As part of their 40th anniversary in Arlington, the Texas Rangers will wear replicas of the four different uniforms they've worn throughout the team's history, the most notable of which are the two uniforms worn during the ownership of then-future President of the United States George W. Bush.
As part of their 50th anniversary, the Astros will wear throwbacks throughout the season, including a game with Colt .45s uniforms.
The Red Sox and the Yankees wore 1912 throwbacks on April 20 to mark the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. It marked only the second time the Yankees have worn throwbacks; the first was in 1996, when they wore New York Black Yankees uniforms at a Negro leagues tribute game in Detroit.
The Red Sox and Athletics wore 1936 uniforms on May 2 at Fenway Park.
The Twins wore Minneapolis Millers uniforms on June 30 in the second game of a make-up doubleheader against the Royals, who wore the uniforms of the Kansas City Blues.
The Nationals wore the uniforms of the 1924 Washington Senators on July 5 against the Giants, who wore the 1924 New York Giants uniforms.
The Athletics wore the PCL Oakland Oaks uniforms, and the Mariners the Rainiers, on July 8.
The Brewers will wear Milwaukee Bears Negro leagues uniforms on July 28.
The Diamondbacks will wear a throwback uniform on September 15. Fans decided online that their 1998 purple uniform will be worn.
The White Sox are wearing 1972 uniforms on Sundays at home this season.
The Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates wore throwback uniforms paying tribute to the Negro league baseball teams Detroit Stars and Pittsburgh Crawfords on May 19.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Seattle Mariners wore throwback uniforms of defunct Pacific Coast League teams Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Rainiers on May 26.
The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants wore 1912 throwback uniforms on June 2.
The Pirates and Royals wore Negro leagues uniforms on June 9 – the Pirates, the Homestead Grays and the Royals, the Kansas City Monarchs.
The Tampa Bay Rays wore 'faux-back' 1979 throwback jerseys on June 30 against the Tigers, who also wore throwback jerseys from the same year. Due to the fact the Rays did not exist as a franchise in 1979, their uniform design was inspired from popular uniform styles such as pullovers and two-tone caps. [136]
The San Diego Padres and New York Mets wore 1989 throwback uniforms on August 3.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1982 World Series by wearing throwback uniforms on August 4. The Cardinals also added a 30th anniversary patch commemorating their World Series victory, exclusive to their throwback uniforms. [137] The next night, the Cardinals wore their road blue uniforms against the Brewers. [138]
The Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies wore throwback uniforms from the 1991 season on August 22. Ironically, on June 16, 1991, the Reds and Phillies had worn 1957 uniforms at Veterans Stadium. The Reds won both games.
The Cardinals wore special uniforms to commemorate their 2011 World Series win on April 13–14. The 'STL' on the caps was gold with navy trim, while the word 'Cardinals' and the block numbers on the uniforms were gold with navy trim. The Cardinals wore them during the unfurling of their championship flag on April 13, and the presentation of the Commissioner's Trophy and World Series rings on April 14.
MLB players wore No. 42 on April 15, the 65th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's MLB debut. The Dodgers wore a Brooklyn-era cap and batting helmet that day, as well.
The Pirates and Orioles donned camouflage uniforms during Memorial Day weekend.
The Brewers wore an Italian-language batting practice uniform with the word "Birrai" on July 1; their opponents Arizona Diamondbacks ('I D-Backs') also wore Italian-language uniforms. They also wore the Cerveceros uniforms on June 2 against the Pirates ('Piratas').
Players wore special caps on Memorial Day and Independence Day; the Blue Jays also wore special caps on Canada Day, along with a specialized red uniform. This year, a camouflage design was used in lieu of the American and Canadian flags.
In commemoration of the September 11 attacks, all American teams wore caps with the American flag sewn on the left; the Blue Jays sported both the American and Canadian flags on both sides of their caps.
As part of Cinco de Mayo the San Francisco Giants ("Gigantes") and Houston Astros ("Los Astros") wore Spanish-language home uniforms for the game.
On July 6, the New York Mets ("Los Mets") wore blue Spanish-language jerseys for the game against the Chicago Cubs. They wore the uniforms again on August 24 against the Astros.
The Chicago White Sox wore a variation of their home uniforms on September 7 against the Royals, as part of the "Halfway to St. Patty's" promotion. The uniform substitutes the traditional black color for green.
The Athletics and Diamondbacks wore Spanish-language uniforms in celebration of Mexican Independence Day on September 16, against the Orioles and Giants, respectively. The A's used their primary home uniform, with "Atléticos" substituting for "Athletics", while the D-Backs used their black alternate uniform, with "Los D-Backs" substituting for the secondary "A" logo.
The following teams will wear commemorative patches for special occasions:
Team | Special occasion |
---|---|
Boston Red Sox | 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park and #6 patch after the death of Johnny Pesky |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 50th Anniversary of Dodger Stadium |
Baltimore Orioles | 20th Anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards |
Houston Astros | 50th Anniversary of the franchise |
New York Mets | 50th Anniversary of the franchise |
Seattle Mariners | 35th Anniversary of the franchise |
Texas Rangers | 40th Anniversary in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex |
Kansas City Royals | Host city of the 2012 MLB All-Star Game |
St. Louis Cardinals | To commemorate their 2011 World Series championship 30th Anniversary of their 1982 World Series championship (worn only from August 4–5) |
Miami Marlins | Inaugural season of Marlins Park |
Colorado Rockies | 7-20 patches to remember all who lost their lives during the Aurora shooting. (Worn only on the night of July 20.) |
The Florida Marlins vacated Sun Life Stadium at the end of the 2011 season and moved into Marlins Park, which was built on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium. The team officially adopted its new name of Miami Marlins on November 11, 2011.
The 2012 season marked the 100th anniversary of the opening of Boston's Fenway Park. In addition, Dodger Stadium—home of the Los Angeles Dodgers—celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the Baltimore Orioles home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, also celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The 2012 season also marked the 50th anniversary for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros, but the 51st season for both teams.
The Mets began play four years after the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved west in 1958, leaving New York City with only one MLB team in the Yankees. In 1959, New York City attorney William Shea, with support from baseball figures including former Dodgers executive Branch Rickey, proposed a third major league called the Continental League. Houston and New York City were both among the announced CL cities. MLB responded to the threat by placing new franchises in several of these cities, and offered a National League franchise to the owners of the proposed New York CL team, who accepted. With Shea's goal of bringing a second major-league team to New York successful, he abandoned the new league, which officially folded in 1960 without ever playing a game. The Mets began play in 1962 at the Giants' former home of the Polo Grounds in Manhattan, moved in 1964 to Shea Stadium (named after the aforementioned William Shea) in Queens, and opened their current home of Citi Field, adjacent to the former Shea Stadium site, in 2009.
The Astros were also enfranchised as a direct response to the plans to launch the CL. They began play in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45s; following a dispute with Colt Firearms over revenues from souvenir sales and licensing fees, the team moved to the Astrodome in 1965 and renamed itself the Astros. In 2000, they opened their current home, now known as Minute Maid Park. In honor of the Astros' 50th anniversary, they donned different throwback uniforms at home on Friday night themed to each decade.
Major League Baseball enters the 6th year of seven-year contracts it signed with its broadcast partners prior to the 2007 season. This year, Fox will televise the Saturday Game of the Week (which will be shown in prime time each week from May 19 to July 7), the All-Star Game, the National League Championship Series, and the World Series. TBS will show a Sunday Game of the Week, the All-Star Selection Show, all but two Division Series games, the American League Championship Series, and the new wild card elimination games. ESPN will show games on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday nights (with Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball airing on ESPN2 during April, May and early June due to ESPN's priority to the NBA regular season and playoff coverage, and then Monday Night Baseball moving to form either a Wednesday night doubleheader or a simultaneous airing of a Monday Night game on ESPN and a Wednesday Night game on ESPN2 when the NFL season starts, to accommodate Monday Night Football), and the All-Star Home Run Derby. They will also air 10 spring training games, as well as five nationally televised games on Opening Week from April 4–6. The MLB Network will air a national Game of the Week broadcast every Thursday and the two Division Series games not shown on TBS. Major League Baseball International will air in syndication the All-Star Game, the ALCS, and the World Series to global markets.
The Padres have switched from Cox Cable-owned 4SD to a new channel called Fox Sports San Diego, which the Padres also have a minority stake in. [140]
This is the last season of Houston Astros games on Fox Sports Houston and KTXH. Starting next season, all games will be on Comcast SportsNet Houston, a new channel the Astros will co-own with the Houston Rockets. [141]
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which broadcasts Orioles and Nationals games, became the latest network to adjust its score box to the 16:9 aspect ratio for high-definition television broadcasts. The adjustment, which began with Fox Sports' MLB coverage in 2010, was later adopted to other networks, notably ESPN, TBS, Fox Sports Net (except Fox Sports South and some terrestrial television broadcasts produced by Fox Sports), and Root Sports during the 2011 season. As of this season, only the YES Network, New England Sports Network, Comcast SportsNet, SportsNet New York and SportsTime Ohio have yet to move to the newly adjusted high definition broadcast.
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division, having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL). They are one of two major league clubs based in Texas; the Texas Rangers belong to the same division.
The 2007 Major League Baseball season began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1. The regular season concluded with seven teams entering the postseason who had failed to reach the 2006 playoffs including all National League teams, with only the New York Yankees returning; a dramatic one-game playoff between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres; and the largest September collapse for a leading team in baseball history, with the Mets squandering a 7-game lead with 17 to play, losing on the final day of the regular season, and the Philadelphia Phillies capturing the National League East for the first time since 1993. The season ended on October 28, with the Boston Red Sox sweeping the World Series over the Rockies, four games to zero.
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central. The Civil Rights Game, an exhibition, in Memphis, Tennessee, took place March 29 when the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox, 3–2.
The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on April 5, 2009; the regular season was extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins for the American League Central title. The postseason began the next day with the Division Series. The World Series began on October 28, and ended on November 4, with the New York Yankees defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. This was the second time the season was completed in November. The only other occasion was the 2001 World Series, because of the delaying of the end of that season due to the September 11 attacks as November baseball would be guaranteed when Game 4 was played on Sunday, November 1. Had the 2009 World Series gone the full seven games, Game 7 would've been played on November 5, the latest date ever scheduled for a World Series game. It became the latest date for a World Series game in 2022. The American League champion had home field advantage for the World Series by virtue of winning the All-Star Game on July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, 4–3. In addition, the annual Civil Rights Game became a regular season game, and was played June 20 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, when the host Cincinnati Reds lost to the Chicago White Sox in an interleague game, 10–8. Both teams wore replicas of their 1965 uniforms in the contest.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season began April 4, with the regular season ending on October 3. The 2010 All-Star Game was played on July 13 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. The National League ended a 13-game winless streak with a 3–1 victory. Due to this result, the World Series began October 27 in the city of the National League Champion, the San Francisco Giants, and ended November 1 when the Giants defeated the American League Champion Texas Rangers, four games to one.
The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since 1976, and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since 1990. The 82nd edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 12 with the National League defeating the American League for the second straight year, by a score of 5–1. As had been the case since 2003, the league winning that game had home field advantage in the World Series. Accordingly, the World Series began on October 19, and ended on October 28, with the St. Louis Cardinals winning in seven games over the Texas Rangers.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2012 throughout the world.
The 2013 Major League Baseball season started on March 31 with a Sunday night game between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. Opening Day for most clubs was a day later on April 1. The regular season ended on September 30, extended one day for a one-game playoff between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers to decide the second American League Wild Card winner.
The 2014 Major League Baseball season began on March 22 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The North American part of the season started on March 30 and ended on September 28.
The 2015 Major League Baseball season began on April 5 with a Sunday night game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and ended on November 1 with the Kansas City Royals winning the World Series. This was Rob Manfred's first season serving as Commissioner of Baseball.
The 2016 Major League Baseball season began on April 3, 2016, with a Sunday afternoon matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two teams with the best regular-season records in 2015, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The regular season ended on Sunday, October 2, 2016, and the postseason on Wednesday, November 2, 2016, with the Chicago Cubs coming back from a three games to one deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series and win their first championship since 1908.
The 2017 Major League Baseball season began on April 2 with three games, including the 2016 World Series champions Chicago Cubs facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals, the regular season ended in late September. The postseason began on October 3. The World Series began October 24 and Game 7 was played on November 1, in which the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, to capture their first World Series championship in franchise history.
The 2018 Major League Baseball season began on March 29. The regular season ended on October 1, extended a day for tiebreaker games to decide the winners of the National League Central and National League West. The postseason began on October 2. The World Series began on October 23, and ended on October 28 with the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to win their ninth World Series championship.
The 2019 Major League Baseball season began on March 20, while the regular season ended on September 29. It was the 150th anniversary of professional baseball, dating back to the 1869 foundation of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The postseason began on October 1. The World Series began October 22 and ended October 30 with the Washington Nationals defeating the Houston Astros in seven games to win their first World Series championship. The entire schedule was released on August 22, 2018.
The 2020 Major League Baseball season began on July 23 and ended on September 27 with only 60 games amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The full 162-game regular season was planned to begin on March 26, but the pandemic caused Major League Baseball (MLB) to announce on March 12 that the remainder of spring training was canceled and that the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks. On March 16, MLB announced that the season would be postponed indefinitely, following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to restrict events of more than 50 people. This was the first time that MLB games had been put on hold since the 2001 season, when the season was paused for over a week after the September 11 attacks.
The 2021 Major League Baseball season began on April 1, while the regular season ended on October 3. The postseason began on October 5. The World Series then began on October 26 and ended on November 2 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the Houston Astros in six games to win their second title since moving to Atlanta.
The 2022 Major League Baseball season (MLB) was originally scheduled to begin on March 31 and end on October 2. The 2021–22 lockout caused the season to be delayed by one week, starting on April 7. The regular season ended on October 5. The start of the season was delayed by a lockout of players, which commenced on December 2, 2021, following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). On March 10, 2022, MLB and the MLBPA reached a deal on a five-year CBA, with Opening Day being held on April 7, and a full 162-game schedule played. Under the new CBA, universal designated hitter was adopted, the postseason was expanded to 12 teams, and the regular season tie-breaker game was eliminated. In November 2021, the Cleveland Indians announced their new team name, the Cleveland Guardians. The 2022 MLB All-Star Game was held on July 19 and hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The 2023 Major League Baseball season (MLB) began on March 30. The 93rd All-Star Game was played on July 11, hosted by the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, with the National League winning, 3–2. The regular season ended on October 1, and the postseason began on October 3, and ended with Game 5 of the World Series on November 1. This season saw the introduction of several rule changes: in an effort to create a quicker pace of play, a pitch clock was introduced along with other minor changes, while limits on defensive shifts and larger bases were also introduced.
The 2024 Major League Baseball season (MLB) began on March 20–21 with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres held in Seoul, South Korea, before the regular season proper ran from March 28 to September 30. The 94th All-Star Game was played on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, with the American League winning, 5–3. The postseason then began on October 1 and concluded with Game 5 of the World Series on October 30. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Texas Rangers from the 2023 season. During the offseason, the Oakland Athletics were approved by MLB owners to relocate to Las Vegas in 2028. It was also the team's final season in Oakland as they will leave the Oakland Coliseum to temporarily play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for three years.
Nolan Ryan ... extended his major league record by pitching a sixth no-hitter ... leading the Texas Rangers to a 5–0 triumph over the World Series champion Oakland Athletics
Santana got the Cardinals' David Freese to swing and miss at a changeup–what else?–for strike three, completing the first no-hitter in Mets' history in their 8,020th game, an 8–0 victory over the world champion St. Louis Cardinals
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)