YEAR IN REVIEW : 1991 American League

Off the field...

In February, the Gulf War conflict between Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and a coalition of thirty-two nations including the United States, Britain, Egypt, France, and Saudi Arabia took place. The main coalition forces invaded southern Iraq on February 24 and, over the next four days, encircled and defeated the Iraqis while liberating Kuwait. By the time U.S. President George Bush Sr. declared a cease-fire on February 28, most of Hussein's forces had either surrendered or fled.

The "Cold War" between the United States and Russia finally came to an end as Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was ousted by a group of communist radicals. The ill-planned coup soon faltered as infuriated citizens took to the streets of Moscow and other cities in support of Russian President Boris Yeltsin. After Gorbachev reluctantly resigned, the Soviet Union was officially dissolved and fourteen regions became independent nations ending seventy-four years of communist rule.

Basketball icon Magic Johnson stunned the world shortly before the start of the 1991 season after announcing his retirement due to testing positive to the HIV Virus. He later accepted an invitation by the NBA players to his twelfth All-Star Game in which he won the MVP honors.

In the American League...

The Detroit Tigers' Cecil Fielder hit a 502-foot home run out of the Milwaukee Brewers' County Stadium, for what was believed to be the first ball ever truly knocked "out of the park". The tape measure blast traveled even further after it landed in the back of a truck that didn't stop until it reached Madison.

On June 6th, the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers combined for eighteen-innings to tie a Major League mark by leaving forty-five stranded runners on base. The Royals also set an American League record with twenty-five of the "castaways" belonging to them.

Thirty-nine year-old Dave Winfield went five-for-five and hit for the cycle as the California Angels defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-4. He completed the sequence in the eighth with a triple becoming the oldest player ever to accomplish the feat.

In the National League...

Darryl Strawberry tied a National League record by striking out five times in a single game as his Los Angeles Dodgers fell 9-3 to the Montreal Expos. The struggling slugger also stumbled in the outfield dropping a fly ball for a three-base error.

Atlanta Braves ace Tom Glavine won a league leading twenty games for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. His nine complete games were tied for first, and he finished third in strikeouts and earned run average, on his way to his first-of-two career Cy Young Awards.

Fellow Brave Otis Nixon set a new National League record by stealing six bases during a 7-6 loss to the Montreal Expos and tied the major league record previously set by Eddie Collins, who did it twice in 1912.

Around the league...

Pete Rose continued to make headlines when he was released from a federal prison after serving five months for tax evasion. He was also required to provide 1,000 hours of community service at several of Cincinnati's inner-city schools.

The Major League's Umpires Union voted to sit out Opening Day resulting in amateur officials reporting as replacements. The arbiters, whose contract had expired on December 31st, returned to work the following day with better benefits and an increased starting salary.

During a straw vote held at the owner's meetings in California, the National League voted unanimously to admit Denver, Colorado and Miami, Florida into the league as expansion teams in 1993.

The Committee for Statistical Accuracy righted a thirty year wrong after officially removing the asterisk attached to Roger Maris' single-season homerun record of 61 in 1961. The committee also defined a no-hit game as one; which ends after nine or more innings with one team failing to get a hit. The decision erased fifty games (mostly shortened) from the list that had previously been considered no-hitters.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

" - Nolan Ryan

1991 American League Player Review

1990 | 1991 Hitting Statistics League Leaders | 1992

Base on Balls Frank Thomas Chicago 138 Top 25
Batting Average Julio Franco Texas .341 Top 25
Doubles Rafael Palmeiro Texas 49 Top 25
Hits Paul Molitor Milwaukee 216 Top 25
Home Runs Jose Canseco Oakland 44 Top 25
Cecil Fielder Detroit
On Base Percentage Frank Thomas Chicago .454 Top 25
RBI Cecil Fielder Detroit 133 Top 25
Runs Paul Molitor Milwaukee 133 Top 25
Slugging Average Danny Tartabull Kansas City .593 Top 25
Stolen Bases Rickey Henderson Oakland 58 Top 25
Total Bases Cal Ripken, Jr. Baltimore 368 Top 25
Triples Lance Johnson Chicago 12 Top 25
1991 A.L. History | 1991 N.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1991 American League Pitcher Review

1990 | 1991 Pitching Statistics League Leaders | 1992

Complete Games Jack McDowell Chicago 15 Top 25
ERA Roger Clemens Boston 2.62 Top 25
Games Duane Ward Toronto 81 Top 25
Saves Bryan Harvey California 46 Top 25
Shutouts Roger Clemens Boston 4 Top 25
Strikeouts Roger Clemens Boston 241 Top 25
Winning Percentage Scott Erickson Minnesota .714 Top 25
Wins Scott Erickson Minnesota 20 Top 25
Bill Gullickson Detroit
1991 A.L. History | 1991 N.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1991 American League Standings

1991 All-Star Game | 1991 A.L. Final Standings | 1991 World Series

Toronto Blue Jays 91 71 .562 0 $31,016,809
Detroit Tigers 84 78 .519 7 $24,169,179
Boston Red Sox 84 78 .519 7 $35,501,537
Milwaukee Brewers 83 79 .512 8 $23,771,616
New York Yankees 71 91 .438 20 $31,390,000
Baltimore Orioles 67 95 .414 24 $14,396,669
Cleveland Indians 57 105 .352 34 $13,133,428
Minnesota Twins 95 67 .586 0 $22,514,814
Chicago White Sox 87 75 .537 8 $16,694,979
Texas Rangers 85 77 .525 10 $22,525,314
Oakland Athletics 84 78 .519 11 $39,906,167
Seattle Mariners 83 79 .512 12 $16,431,833
Kansas City Royals 82 80 .506 13 $31,117,661
California Angels 81 81 .500 14 $31,996,561
1991 American League Team Standings

1991 American League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Detroit 699
Batting Average Minnesota .280
Doubles Boston 305
Hits Minnesota 1,557
Home Runs Detroit 209
On Base Percentage Minnesota .347
Runs Texas 829
Slugging Average Texas .424
Stolen Bases Oakland 151
Triples Milwaukee 53

1991 American League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Chicago 28
ERA Toronto 3.50
Fewest Hits Allowed Toronto 1,301
Fewest Home Runs Allowed Kansas City 105
Fewest Walks Allowed Cleveland 441
Saves Toronto 60
Shutouts Toronto 16
Strikeouts Texas 1,022
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

On May 1, 1991, Rickey Henderson stole third base during the fourth inning for career theft nine-hundred thirty-nine — breaking Lou Brock's all time stole base record.

The ageless Nolan Ryan, also on May 1st, who was "only" forty-four years old that day, pitched his record seventh no-hitter against Toronto, striking out sixteen Blue Jay batters.

Did you know that slugging sensation / record setting Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians was sent down to the Minor Leagues on June 6, 1991, for failing to run out a ground ball?