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.
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.
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.
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.
"Playing baseball for a living is like having a license to steal." - Pete Rose
1990 National League Player ReviewHitting Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Name | Team | # | Top 25 |
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 |
Statistic | Name | Team | # | Top 25 |
1990 National League Pitcher ReviewPitching Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Name | Team | # | Top 25 |
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 |
Statistic | Name | Team | # | Top 25 |
1990 National LeagueTeam Standings |
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East | Team [Click for roster] | Wins | Losses | WP | GB | Payroll |
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 | |
West | Team [Click for roster] | Wins | Losses | WP | GB | Payroll |
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 ReviewHitting Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Team | # |
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 ReviewPitching Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Team | # |
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 |
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.