YEAR IN REVIEW : 2001 National League

Off the field...

For the second time in the nation's history, a president's son followed in his father's footsteps as George W. Bush (Jr.) was sworn in as the United State's 43rd leader.

On September 11 the world changed forever as two hijacked airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center's twin towers and a third airplane hit the Pentagon in Washington DC. A fourth plane was brought down before reaching its intended target by a heroic group of passengers in a field in western Pennsylvania. In the end, over 3,300 innocent people were killed and the United States along with a collalition of over sixty countries declared war on terrorism.

The New York Yankees weren't the only baseball team from the Bronx that played well in 2001, only to come up short in the end. The Little League team from the South Bronx stole the show at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but was later disqualified after it was discovered that star pitcher Danny Almonte was actually a fifteen year-old ringer.

In the American League...

Baltimore Orioles icon "Iron Man" Cal Ripken re-enacted the final scene from "The Natural" with a dramatic home run blast in the third inning off of Chan Ho Park during his final All-Star Game appearance.

Despite losing three of their greatest players (Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez) the resilient Seattle Mariners set the record for most wins in a season for an American League club, bettering the mark of one-hundred fourteen set by the already legendary 1998 Yankees. Japanese sensation Ichiro Suzuki sweetens the deal by winning Rookie of the Year as well as the Most Valuable Player.

The New York Yankees' Mike Mussina comes within one batter of perfection, but Carl Everett's two-out, ninth-inning single spoiled the Moose's bid for a perfect game. In the end, the right-handed veteran finished with a one-hitter and the Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox at Fenway.

In the National League...

A new era of baseball in Pittsburgh began with the opening of PNC Park resembling the classic stadiums of old. The park served as the fifth home for the Buccos replacing Three Rivers Stadium, which had replaced the sacred grounds at Forbes Field. Unfortunately, Pirate legend Willie Stargell died the evening before its Opening Day casting a dark shadow over the debut festivities.

Barry Bonds of the Giants broke St. Louis Cardinals' slugger Mark McGwire's single-season home run record. Before an ecstatic throng at San Francisco's Pac Bell Park, the Hall-of-Fame-bound outfielder took Chan Ho Park deep for No. 71. He would later go on to reset the record at seventy-three.

In one of the most exciting editions of the World Series, the adolescent Arizona Diamondbacks beat the 3x defending champion New York Yankees after Luis Gonzalez lined a Series-winning single off closer Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 7.

Around the League...

Major League Baseball rose to the occasion as part of the post 9/11 healing process. After taking center stage with patriotic tributes throughout the remainder of the regular season, the national pastime returned to the Big Apple to host the World Series. With the city's emotions running high and the American flag pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center flying overhead, President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch symbolizing the unwavering strength of America.

The 1-2 pitching combination of Arizona Diamondbacks Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson results in the first World Series Co-Most Valuable Players.

The 2001 season ended bittersweet as fans say goodbye to two future hall-of-famers in Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres and Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles.

The Baseball Hall of Fame congratulated its newest inductees including Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield, Hilton Smith and Bill Mazeroski (who finally opened the door for defensive players).

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"People will come out to see great players, but you know you're looking at a very special player when they come out like this just to watch him (Mark McGwire) take batting practice." - Dave Parker

2001 National League Player Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Barry Bonds San Francisco 177 Top 25
Batting Average Larry Walker Colorado .350 Top 25
Doubles Lance Berkman Houston 55 Top 25
Hits Rich Aurilia San Francisco 206 Top 25
Home Runs Barry Bonds San Francisco 73 Top 25
On Base Percentage Barry Bonds San Francisco .515 Top 25
RBI Sammy Sosa Chicago 160 Top 25
Runs Sammy Sosa Chicago 146 Top 25
Slugging Average Barry Bonds San Francisco .863 Top 25
Stolen Bases Juan Pierre Colorado 46 Top 25
Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia
Total Bases Sammy Sosa Chicago 425 Top 25
Triples Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia 12 Top 25

2001 National League Pitcher Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Curt Schilling Arizona 6 Top 25
ERA Randy Johnson Arizona 2.49 Top 25
Games Steve Kline St. Louis 89 Top 25
Saves Robb Nen San Francisco 45 Top 25
Shutouts Greg Maddux Atlanta 3 Top 25
Javier Vazquez Montreal
Strikeouts Randy Johnson Arizona 372 Top 25
Winning Percentage Roy Oswalt Houston .824 Top 25
Wins Curt Schilling Arizona 22 Top 25
Matt Morris St. Louis

2001 National League

Team Standings

Atlanta Braves 88 74 .543 0 $91,851,587
Philadelphia Phillies 86 76 .531 2 $41,664,167
New York Mets 82 80 .506 6 $93,174,428
Florida Marlins 76 86 .469 12 $35,504,167
Montreal Expos 68 94 .420 20 $34,774,500
Houston Astros 93 69 .574 0 $60,382,667
St. Louis Cardinals 93 69 .574 0 $77,270,855
Chicago Cubs 88 74 .543 5 $64,015,833
Milwaukee Brewers 68 94 .420 25 $43,089,333
Cincinnati Reds 66 96 .407 27 $45,227,882
Pittsburgh Pirates 62 100 .383 31 $52,698,333
Arizona Diamondbacks 92 70 .568 0 $81,206,513
San Francisco Giants 90 72 .556 2 $63,332,667
Los Angeles Dodgers 86 76 .531 6 $108,980,952
San Diego Padres 79 83 .488 13 $38,333,117
Colorado Rockies 73 89 .451 19 $71,068,000
National League Team Standings

2001 National League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls San Diego 678
Batting Average Colorado .292
Doubles Florida 325
Hits Colorado 1,663
Home Runs San Francisco 235
On Base Percentage Colorado .354
Runs Colorado 923
Slugging Average Colorado .483
Stolen Bases Philadelphia 153
Triples Colorado 61

2001 National League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Arizona 12
ERA Atlanta 3.59
Fewest Hits Allowed Arizona 1,352
Fewest Home Runs Allowed San Francisco 145
Fewest Walks Allowed New York 438
Saves Houston 48
New York
Shutouts New York 14
Strikeouts Chicago 1,344
Seasonal Events: All-Star Game | All-Star Game | All-Star Game | World Series
Navigation: Year in Review Menu | Previous Season | Next Season
Miscellaneous: A.L. Leaderboard
Retirements | Rookies List
Average Salary: $2,654,403.00
Minimum Salary: $200,000.00
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baseball almanac fast facts

The Chicago Cubs began playing National League baseball in 1876 and this particular pitching staff set the franchise record for most strikeouts during a single season with 1,344.

On October 4, 1999, the Cincinnati Reds were shutout 5-to-0 by the New York Mets in a one game playoff that cost them a postseason berth. The Reds were not shutout again, for a National League record 208 games, until May 24, 2001 when the Chicago Cubs beat them 3-to-0 behind a 1 hit / 1 walk Jon Leiber gem.

Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants had one of the most amazing seasons by any player in Major League history and Baseball Almanac is pleased to list a handful of his accomplishments in 2001: On April 17, 2001, Bonds joined the 500 Home Runs Club and set new single season records for fastest to reach 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 home runs before breaking the all-time single season mark. Bonds also broke Babe Ruth's record for slugging percentage in a season, Roger Maris' record for home runs in a season by a left-handed hitter, and at his age became the oldest player to reach 50, 60, and 70 as well as the oldest player to lead the Major Leagues in home runs.