YEAR IN REVIEW : 1990 National League

Off the field...

The Hubble Space Telescope was originally due to be launched in 1986, but the explosion
of the Space Shuttle Challenger delayed the launch until April of 1990. The twelve-ton telescope was equipped with a ninety-four inch mirror and was sent into orbit by the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Within two months, a flaw in the mirror was discovered, placing in jeopardy the largest investment ever in astronomy. Three years later, the defect was finally repaired by specialists aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor who restored the telescope to its full optical capabilities.

Microsoft Corporation introduced their new operating system Windows 3.0 which featured a graphical user interface similar to the Macintosh platform from Apple. The PC version of the software was geared towards the novice home user and forever changed the world of personal computers. Some of the new features included the use of a mouse, which allowed the user to navigate the screen with a pointer and manipulate data with one hand.

America's favorite dysfunctional cartoon family, The Simpsons debuted as a half hour-comedy on the FOX Network. Created by Matt Groening in 1987, the characters of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie were featured as thirty-second spots on The Tracey Ullman Show before going solo in 1990. The controversial series had been repeatedly confirmed by fans and critics to be one of the most humorous and lifelike portraits of the average American family and it received the 1990 and 1991 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program.

In the American League...

The Seattle Mariner's Randy Johnson tossed the franchise's first no-hitter with a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The "Big Unit", who earned his nickname as the tallest pitcher in Major League history at six feet ten inches, struck out eight batters and walked six with fifty of his pitches clocked at ninety-four miles per hour or above.

As a tribute to days gone by, the Chicago White Sox held a throwback tribute to honor their 1917 World Championship team. The players donned old-fashioned uniforms and the promoters at Comiskey Park scaled all concessions back to World War I prices. The home team went on to lose 12-9 at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers in a thirteen inning nail-biter.

The Minnesota Twins set a Major League record by pulling off two triple plays in the same game, one in the fourth and another in the eighth. Both were started on grounders to third baseman Gary Gaetti who had started five of the Twins' last six triple efforts. Despite the record, the Red Sox went on to win 1-0. The following day both teams combined to set yet another major league mark for defensive plays when Boston hit into six double plays and Minnesota grounded into four. The previous mark of nine double plays was last accomplished on April 15, 1961.

In the National League...

The National League announced it plans to expand from twelve to fourteen teams for the 1993 season opening the doors for expansion franchises in Denver and Miami. The price of admission into the National League was set at a whopping ninety-five million dollars.

Eddie Murray of the Los Angeles Dodgers homered from both sides of the plate during a 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. In doing so he became the first major leaguer to pull the feat in both the National and American Leagues.

Chicago Cubs' ace Greg Maddux set a Major League record for pitchers when he recorded seven putouts in a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over the course of the season he recorded thirty-nine putouts for the year to tie Vic Willis for the National League mark set in 1904. Maddux went on to match it again both in 1991 and 1993.

Around the league...

The Boston Red Sox hired Elaine Weddington as their newest assistant General Manager, making her the highest-ranking black female in the major leagues.

The Major League owners unanimously refused to open Spring Training camps without a new Basic Agreement with the Players' Association. The standoff resulted in a thirty-two day lockout that postponed the start of the regular season by one week.

Both players and owners eventually reached a collective-bargaining agreement that increased the clubs' contributions to the players' pension fund, raised the minimum major league salary to $100,000 and also set a compromise on salary arbitration that left seventeen percent of the players with two and three years experience eligible.

On April 10th, President George Bush Sr. became the first U.S. president to throw out a first pitch on foreign soil after he was invited to the Toronto home opener by the Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The Blue Jays later went on to beat the Texas Rangers (who were owned by a group led by George Bush Jr.) by a score of 2-1.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Playing baseball for a living is like having a license to steal." - Pete Rose

1990 National League Player Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Jack Clark San Diego 104 Top 25
Batting Average Willie McGee St. Louis .335 Top 25
Doubles Gregg Jefferies New York 40 Top 25
Hits Brett Butler San Francisco 192 Top 25
Lenny Dykstra Philadelphia
Home Runs Ryne Sandberg Chicago 40 Top 25
On Base Percentage Dave Magadan New York .425 Top 25
RBI Matt Williams San Francisco 122 Top 25
Runs Ryne Sandberg Chicago 116 Top 25
Slugging Average Barry Bonds Pittsburgh .565 Top 25
Stolen Bases Vince Coleman St. Louis 77 Top 25
Total Bases Ryne Sandberg Chicago 344 Top 25
Triples Mariano Duncan Cincinnati 11 Top 25

1990 National League Pitcher Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Ramon Martinez Los Angeles 12 Top 25
ERA Danny Darwin Houston 2.21 Top 25
Games Juan Agosto Houston 82 Top 25
Saves John Franco New York 33 Top 25
Shutouts Bruce Hurst San Diego 4 Top 25
Mike Morgan Los Angeles
Strikeouts David Cone New York 233 Top 25
Winning Percentage Doug Drabek Pittsburgh .786 Top 25
Wins Doug Drabek Pittsburgh 22 Top 25

1990 National League

Team Standings

Pittsburgh Pirates 95 67 .586 0 $14,740,000
New York Mets 91 71 .562 4 $21,786,834
Montreal Expos 85 77 .525 10 $15,776,055
Philadelphia Phillies 77 85 .475 18 $14,013,500
Chicago Cubs 77 85 .475 18 $13,654,500
St. Louis Cardinals 70 92 .432 25 $19,225,834
Cincinnati Reds 91 71 .562 0 $14,870,166
Los Angeles Dodgers 86 76 .531 5 $20,449,377
San Francisco Giants 85 77 .525 6 $18,804,272
San Diego Padres 75 87 .463 16 $16,677,834
Houston Astros 75 87 .463 16 $17,123,000
Atlanta Braves 65 97 .401 26 $10,914,834
National League Team Standings

1990 National League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Philadelphia 582
Pittsburgh
Batting Average Cincinnati .265
Doubles Pittsburgh 288
Hits Chicago 1,474
Home Runs New York 172
On Base Percentage Pittsburgh .334
Runs New York 775
Slugging Average New York .408
Stolen Bases Montreal 235
Triples Montreal 43

1990 National League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Los Angeles 29
ERA Montreal 3.37
Fewest Hits Allowed Cincinnati 1,338
Fewest Home Runs Allowed St. Louis 98
Fewest Walks Allowed Pittsburgh 413
Saves Cincinnati 50
Montreal
Shutouts New York 14
Strikeouts New York 1,217
Seasonal Events: All-Star Game | Draft | Home Run Derby | World Series
Navigation: Year in Review Menu | Previous Season | Next Season
Miscellaneous: A.L. Leaderboard | Retirements | Rookies List
Average Salary: $578,930.00
Minimum Salary: $100,000.00
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

On April 20, 1990, Pete Rose, the all-time hit king, plead guilty to two felony counts of filing false income tax returns.

On April 29, 1990, Greg Maddux, who will win several Gold Glove Awards in the future, had a record seven putouts against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On May 22, 1990, Andre Dawson was intentionally walked a record five times during one game.