YEAR IN REVIEW : 1987 American League

Off the field...

U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the I.N.F. (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces) treaty marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War. As a result, Soviets were able to quicken the pace of what was known as "glasnost" (openness and reform), which ultimately caused the end of the Soviet empire.

The largest stock-market drop in Wall Street history occurred on October 19, otherwise known as "Black Monday" when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508.32 points, losing 22.6% of its total value. That fall far surpassed the one-day loss of 12.9% that began the great stock market crash of 1929 and foreshadowed the Great Depression.

The Iraqi Air Force attacked the U.S.S. Stark, a United States Navy ship in the Persian Gulf, initiating an ongoing hostile relationship that would eventually result in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

In the American League...

A high school outfielder named Ken Griffey, Jr. was selected by the Seattle Mariners as their first overall pick in the 1987 Amateur Draft.

After hitting a meager .220 with fifteen home runs for the Oakland Athletics, forty-one year old Reggie Jackson finally retired. "Mr. October" had played twenty-one years in the Major Leagues and totaled five-hundred sixty-three home runs, one-thousand seven-hundred two runs batted in and a .262 batting average. He also held the all time record for strikeouts with two-thousand five-hundred ninety-seven and the best slugging average in World Series play with .755.

At an exhibition game in Toronto, the Blue Jays became the first team ever to hit ten home runs in a single game as they bombed the Baltimore Orioles 18-3. The previous team record was originally set by the Yankees in 1939 and equaled by several other teams over the years. The combined eleven home runs in the contest also tied a two-team Major League record.

In the National League...

The New York Mets' Dwight "Doc" Gooden entered a twenty-eight day drug rehabilitation program at the Smithers Alcoholism Treatment Center. The 1985 Cy Young Award winner had tested positive for cocaine use and would not return to start the season until June 5th.

On April 18th, Mike Schmidt, of the Philadelphia Phillies, launched a three-run blast over the wall at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium for his 500th career home run. The historic shot put the All-Star third baseman in the company of just thirteen other players in Major League history.

The Cincinnati Reds' Eric Davis set two National League records in April and May with three grand slam home runs in a single month as well as nineteeen home runs in two months.

Around the league...

The Major League Players Association filed a grievance accusing the owners of acting together to restrict player's salaries. The association cited the lack of offers to free agents from 1985-1987, which resulted in them returning to their original teams. In a study from the 1985 season, it was estimated that free agents lost between $70 and $90 million dollars.

The "Rookie of the Year Award" was renamed "The Jackie Robinson Award" in both the American and National Leagues.

On October 17th, the Minnesota Twins welcomed the St. Louis Cardinals to the Metrodome for the first World Series game ever played indoors. The home team dominated the visitors 10-1 in front of a capacity crowd of 55,171.

Major League attendance reached an all-time high in 1987 with a combined 52,029,664 people going out to the ballparks.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"If you had a pill that would guarantee a pitcher twenty wins but might take five years off his life, he'd take it." - Jim Bouton

1987 American League Player Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Dwight Evans Boston 106 Top 25
Batting Average Wade Boggs Boston .363 Top 25
Doubles Paul Molitor Milwaukee 41 Top 25
Hits Kirby Puckett Minnesota 207 Top 25
Kevin Seitzer Kansas City
Home Runs Mark McGwire Oakland 49 Top 25
On Base Percentage Wade Boggs Boston .467 Top 25
RBI George Bell Toronto 134 Top 25
Runs Paul Molitor Milwaukee 114 Top 25
Slugging Average Mark McGwire Oakland .618 Top 25
Stolen Bases Harold Reynolds Seattle 67 Top 25
Total Bases George Bell Toronto 369 Top 25
Triples Willie Wilson Kansas City 15 Top 25

1987 American League Pitcher Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Roger Clemens Boston 18 Top 25
ERA Jimmy Key Toronto 2.76 Top 25
Games Mark Eichhorn Toronto 89 Top 25
Saves Tom Henke Toronto 34 Top 25
Shutouts Roger Clemens Boston 7 Top 25
Strikeouts Mark Langston Seattle 262 Top 25
Winning Percentage Roger Clemens Boston .690 Top 25
Wins Roger Clemens Boston 20 Top 25
Dave Stewart Oakland

1987 American League

Team Standings

Detroit Tigers 98 64 .605 0 $12,557,881
Toronto Blue Jays 96 66 .593 2 $13,194,734
Milwaukee Brewers 91 71 .562 7 $7,687,724
New York Yankees 89 73 .549 9 $18,569,714
Boston Red Sox 78 84 .481 20 $13,211,873
Baltimore Orioles 67 95 .414 31 $13,434,895
Cleveland Indians 61 101 .377 37 $7,955,250
Minnesota Twins 85 77 .525 0 $13,271,956
Kansas City Royals 83 79 .512 2 $13,188,384
Oakland Athletics 81 81 .500 4 $12,292,250
Seattle Mariners 78 84 .481 7 $5,624,500
Chicago White Sox 77 85 .475 8 $8,987,415
Texas Rangers 75 87 .463 10 $6,342,718
California Angels 75 87 .463 10 $12,985,489
American League Team Standings

1987 American League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Detroit 653
Batting Average Boston .278
Doubles Chicago 283
Hits Boston 1,554
Home Runs Detroit 225
On Base Percentage Boston .355
Runs Detroit 896
Slugging Average Detroit .451
Stolen Bases Milwaukee 176
Triples Seattle 48

1987 American League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Boston 47
ERA Toronto 3.74
Fewest Hits Allowed Toronto 1,323
Fewest Home Runs Allowed Kansas City 128
Fewest Walks Allowed Seattle 497
Saves New York 47
Shutouts Boston 13
Strikeouts Texas 1,103
Seasonal Events: All-Star Game | Draft | Home Run Derby | World Series
Navigation: Year in Review Menu | Previous Season | Next Season
Miscellaneous: N.L. Leaderboard | Retirements | Rookies List
Average Salary: $412,454.00
Minimum Salary: $62,500.00
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

On July 18, 1987, Don Mattingly hit a home run in his eighth consecutive game tying the Major League record!

Did you know that on September 14, 1987, the Toronto Blue Jays hit ten home runs during one game and set a new American League record for home runs in a game by one team?

On September 29, 1987, Don Mattingly hit his sixth grand slam of the season and set a new Major League record for grand slams during a single season!