1998 American League
| 1998 in baseball |
|---|
| 1998 American League |
| Cuban National League |
| Japanese baseball |
| National League |
| << 1997 1999 >> |
The 1998 season of the American League was the ninety-eighth season of the league.
Season summary[edit]
Standings[edit]
- An asterisk (*) indicates the team won its league's wild card, Bold indicates league champion, Italics indicates World Series champion
| Rank | Team | G | W | L | T | WPCT | GB | RS (RS/G) | RA (RA/G) | AVG | OBP | SLG | ERA | FPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Division | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Cleveland Indians | 162 | 89 | 73 | 0 | .549 | -.- | 850 (5.25) | 779 (4.81) | 0.272 | 0.346 | 0.448 | 4.45 | 0.982 |
| 2 | Chicago White Sox | 163 | 80 | 82 | 1 | .491 | 9.0 | 861 (5.28) | 931 (5.71) | 0.271 | 0.337 | 0.444 | 5.24 | 0.977 |
| 3 | Kansas City Royals | 161 | 72 | 89 | 0 | .447 | 16.5 | 714 (4.43) | 899 (5.58) | 0.263 | 0.321 | 0.399 | 5.16 | 0.980 |
| 4 | Minnesota Twins | 162 | 70 | 92 | 0 | .432 | 19.0 | 734 (4.53) | 818 (5.05) | 0.266 | 0.326 | 0.389 | 4.76 | 0.982 |
| 5 | Detroit Tigers | 162 | 65 | 97 | 0 | .401 | 24.0 | 722 (4.46) | 863 (5.33) | 0.264 | 0.319 | 0.415 | 4.93 | 0.982 |
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Yankees | 162 | 114 | 48 | 0 | .704 | -.- | 965 (5.96) | 656 (4.05) | 0.288 | 0.362 | 0.460 | 3.82 | 0.984 |
| 2 | Boston Red Sox* | 162 | 92 | 70 | 0 | .568 | 22.0 | 876 (5.41) | 729 (4.50) | 0.280 | 0.343 | 0.463 | 4.19 | 0.983 |
| 3 | Toronto Blue Jays | 163 | 88 | 74 | 1 | .540 | 26.0 | 816 (5.01) | 768 (4.71) | 0.266 | 0.333 | 0.448 | 4.29 | 0.979 |
| 4 | Baltimore Orioles | 162 | 79 | 83 | 0 | .488 | 35.0 | 817 (5.04) | 785 (4.85) | 0.273 | 0.343 | 0.447 | 4.73 | 0.987 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 162 | 63 | 99 | 0 | .389 | 51.0 | 620 (3.83) | 751 (4.64) | 0.261 | 0.319 | 0.385 | 4.35 | 0.985 |
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Texas Rangers | 162 | 88 | 74 | 0 | .543 | -.- | 940 (5.80) | 871 (5.38) | 0.289 | 0.356 | 0.462 | 5.00 | 0.980 |
| 2 | Anaheim Angels | 162 | 85 | 77 | 0 | .525 | 3.0 | 787 (4.86) | 783 (4.83) | 0.272 | 0.332 | 0.415 | 4.49 | 0.983 |
| 3 | Seattle Mariners | 161 | 76 | 85 | 0 | .472 | 11.5 | 859 (5.34) | 855 (5.31) | 0.276 | 0.341 | 0.468 | 4.95 | 0.979 |
| 4 | Oakland Athletics | 162 | 74 | 88 | 0 | .457 | 14.0 | 804 (4.96) | 866 (5.35) | 0.257 | 0.334 | 0.397 | 4.83 | 0.977 |
League leaders[edit]
- Bold indicates league record, Italics indicate all-time record
Batting[edit]
Pitching[edit]
All-Star Game[edit]
The American League won the sixty-ninth midsummer classic at Coors Field in Denver, CO on Tuesday, July 7, 1998 by a score of 13 to 8. The league's manager was Mike Hargrove.
Postseason[edit]
The 1998 American League playoffs featured the champions of the league's three divisions along with a wild card team. The teams competed in a best-of-five Division Series, followed by a best-of-seven League Championship Series. The winner of the League Championship Series represented the league in the World Series.
| Division Series | Championship Series | |||||||
| Cent. | Cleveland Indians | 3 | ||||||
| WC | Boston Red Sox | 1 | ||||||
| Cent. | Cleveland Indians | 2 | ||||||
| East. | New York Yankees | 4 | ||||||
| East. | New York Yankees | 3 | ||||||
| West. | Texas Rangers | 0 | ||||||
In the World Series, the American League champion New York Yankees defeated the National League's San Diego Padres, 4 games to 0.
Award winners[edit]
The winner of the league's Most Valuable Player Award, given its Most Valuable Player, was Juan Gonzalez, an outfielder with the Texas Rangers. In the award's voting, he had 357 out of a possible 392 points and 21 first place votes.
The winner of the league's Cy Young Award, given its best pitcher, was Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays. In the award's voting, he had 140 out of a possible 140 points and 28 first place votes.
The winner of the league's Rookie of the Year Award, given its best rookie player, was Ben Grieve, an outfielder with the Oakland Athletics. In the award's voting, he had 130 out of a possible 140 points and 23 first place votes.
Gold Gloves[edit]
The following players won the Gold Glove Award, given to the league's best fielders as voted upon by its managers and coaches, at their respective position.
Silver Sluggers[edit]
The following players won the Silver Slugger Award, given to the league's best fielders as voted upon by its managers and coaches, at their respective position.
Monthly Awards[edit]
- Player of the Month Award
- April: Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers
- May: Bernie Williams, New York Yankees
- June: Rafael Palmeiro, Baltimore Orioles
- July: Albert Belle, Chicago White Sox
- August: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
- September: Albert Belle, Chicago White Sox
- Pitcher of the Month Award
- April: Chuck Finley, Anaheim Angels
- May: Hideki Irabu, New York Yankees
- June: Bartolo Colon, Cleveland Indians
- July: David Cone, New York Yankees
- August: Roger Clemens, Toronto Blue Jays
- September: Rick Helling, Texas Rangers
Hall of Fame Game[edit]
The fifty-second annual Hall of Fame Game was played on July 27 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY near the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In the game, the American League's Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays of the National League by a score of 7 to 1.
Notable events[edit]
Umpires[edit]
- Larry Barnett
- Ted Barrett
- Joe Brinkman
- Gary Cederstrom
- Al Clark
- Drew Coble
- Eric Cooper
- Derryl Cousins
- Terry Craft
- Fieldin Culbreth
- Don Denkinger
- Laz Diaz
- Ray DiMuro
- Doug Eddings
- Jim Evans
- Mike Everitt
- Dale Ford
- Marty Foster
- Rich Garcia
- Ted Hendry
- Ed Hickox
- John Hirschbeck
- Mark Johnson
- Jim Joyce
- Ken Kaiser
- Greg Kosc
- Tim McClelland
- Larry McCoy
- Jim McKean
- Chuck Meriwether
- Durwood Merrill
- Bill Miller
- Dan Morrison
- Brian O'Nora
- Dave Phillips
- Rick Reed
- Mike Reilly
- Rocky Roe
- Dale Scott
- John Shulock
- Tim Tschida
- Tim Welke
- Larry Young
Further Reading[edit]
- Will Leitch: "1998 was amazing, don't let anyone say otherwise: Year defined by a historic HR race and the near-perfect Yankees", mlb.com, May 8, 2020. [1]
- Brad Null and Dave Kaval: The Summer That Saved Baseball, Cumberland House Publishing, Nashville, TN, 2000. ISBN 978-1581821871
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