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Michael Jack Schmidt is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 18-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star and a three-time winner of the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player award (MVP), and he was known for his combination of power hitting and strong defense. As a hitter, he compiled 548 home runs and 1,595 runs batted in (RBIs), and led the NL in home runs eight times and in RBIs four times. As a fielder, Schmidt won the National League Gold Glove Award for third basemen ten times. Schmidt was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 and is widely considered to be the greatest third baseman in baseball history.
Jason Daniel Kendall is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He is the son of former catcher Fred Kendall, who played in the majors from 1969 to 1980.
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Stephen Charles Balboni is an American former Major League Baseball player, who played for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers. He was a player with home run power and a tendency to strike out. He was nicknamed "Bye Bye" because of his home run hitting prowess. He was also known by the nickname "Bones", which is a malapropism for Balboni. He is also known for the "Curse of the Balboni", an idea written about by Rany Jazayerli which said no baseball team with a player hitting more than 36 home runs for that team could win the World Series. Since Balboni was the last player to hit 36 home runs and win a World Series,, the curse bore his name. The curse ran from 1985 until Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series.
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The 1985 New York Mets season was the 24th regular season for the Mets. They went 98–64 and finished second in the National League East; the team stayed in contention to win the division title until the last week of the season. They were managed by Davey Johnson. They played their home games at Shea Stadium.
The Texas Rangers1989 season involved the Rangers finishing fourth in the American League West with a record of 83 wins and 79 losses. Nolan Ryan would achieve his 5,000th career strikeout during the season. He would finish as the American League leader in strikeouts.
The 1997 Kansas City Royals season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Royals finishing fifth in the American League Central with a record of 67 wins and 94 losses.
The 1993 Kansas City Royals season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Royals finishing third in the American League West with a record of 84 wins and 78 losses. This was George Brett's final season in the major leagues, as well as the team's final season in the AL West.
The 1990 Kansas City Royals season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Royals finishing sixth in the American League West with a record of 75 wins and 86 losses.
The 1989 Oakland Athletics season saw the A's finish in first place in the American League West, with a record of 99 wins and 63 losses, seven games in front of the Kansas City Royals. Oakland dominated the American League, earning their second consecutive AL West title, as well as marking the second straight year in which they finished with the best record in all of baseball. A's pitcher Dave Stewart recorded his third straight season of earning 20 or more wins while Rickey Henderson put on a dazzling offensive performance in the postseason as he approached the prospects of landing a three million dollar contract for the following season. The team defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the ALCS, then swept their cross-Bay rivals, the San Francisco Giants, in an earthquake-marred World Series. The Athletics looked to be a future dynasty by the close of the 1989 season.
The 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 93rd season of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise; the 88th in the National League. The Pirates finished first in the National League East with a record of 88–74. The Pirates were defeated three games to one by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
The 1995 Detroit Tigers finished in fourth place in the American League East with a record of 60–84 (.417). The strike-shortened 1995 season was the last for Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson and longtime second baseman Lou Whitaker, who each retired at the end of the season, as well as Kirk Gibson who retired in August 1995.
References
- ↑ "Insiders Say", The Sporting News, September 18, 1989, p. 10.
- ↑ "Baseball Report", The Sporting News, March 6, 1995, p. 51.