YEAR IN REVIEW : 1999 American League

Off the field...

President Bill Clinton was acquitted of impeachment charges and remained in office despite originally denying that he had improper relations with a White House intern. After a thorough investigation it was later discovered that the President had lied under oath and he eventually confessed and apologized to the American people.

The disturbing trend of violence in American schools reached an all-time high as two students entered Columbine High School with an arsenal of weapons and explosives killing thirteen of their classmates before taking their own lives.

John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife and sister in-law were killed as their plane, piloted by JFK Jr., crashed en route to a Kennedy cousin's wedding ceremony.

In the American League...

In a surprise move, the New York Yankees traded pitcher David Wells to the Toronto Blue Jays for five-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Both are later reunited in pinstripes on the same Yankee rotation.

Texas Ranger Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez tied the highest batting average for a catcher since Bill Dickey batted .332 in 1937. He also added thirty-five home runs, twenty-five stolen bases and one-hundred thirteen runs batted in to his cumulative stats.

The Baltimore Orioles traveled to Havana Cuba to play the national team in an exhibition game witnessed by the attending Fidel Castro. The Blackbirds defeated the Cubans 3-2 in an eleven inning affair. Two months later, the tables were turned though as the national team traveled to Camden Yards and crushed the home team 12-6 in the first game ever played between the two countries on American soil.

In the National League...

"The Big Unit", Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks, continued to dominate on the hill winning the National League Cy Young with a 17-9 record, 2.48 ERA, twelve complete games and an astonishing three-hundred sixty-four strike outs.

On April 23rd, St. Louis Cardinal Fernando Tatis set a Major League record as the only player ever to hit two grand slams in a single inning as well as the only player ever to drive-in eight runs during a single frame. Both slams are off of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Chan Ho Park who had certainly seen better days on the mound.

Another Cardinal, Mark McGwire continued to set a new standard at the plate by following up his record-breaking seventy-home run season with sixty-five more. The St. Louis slugger now held the #1 and #2 spots for single-season performances and belted his 500th career homer only a year after slamming number four-hundred.

Around the League...

Commissioner Bud Selig announced baseball's newest annual award created for the leading hitter in each respective league. Named after Hank Aaron, the citation recognizes the leader in hits, home runs and runs batted in.

The Associated Press reported that the average salary for a Major League ball player had grown to an astonishing $1.7 million dollars a year. The New York Times later printed that the average salary for a New York Yankee was $3 million much to the dismay of the rest of the league.

Baseball announced its twenty-five man All-Century Team as selected by fan balloting. The line-up included: Lou Gehrig (1B), Jackie Robinson (2B), Cal Ripken Jr. (SS), Mike Schmidt (3B), Babe Ruth (OF), Hank Aaron (OF), Ted Williams (OF), Johnny Bench (C), Nolan Ryan (RHP) and Sandy Koufax (LHP).

Baseball and the world bid farewell to Joe DiMaggio who passed away on May 8th. During his fabled thirteen-year career, "The Yankee Clipper" captured three Most Valuable Player trophies and became one of the most revered players ever to lace up a pair of cleats.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"You measure the value of a ballplayer by how many fannies he pits in the seats." - George Steinbrenner

1999 American League Player Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Jim Thome Cleveland 127 Top 25
Batting Average Nomar Garciaparra Boston .357 Top 25
Doubles Shawn Green Toronto 45 Top 25
Hits Derek Jeter New York 219 Top 25
Home Runs Ken Griffey, Jr. Seattle 48 Top 25
On Base Percentage Edgar Martinez Seattle .447 Top 25
RBI Manny Ramirez Cleveland 165 Top 25
Runs Roberto Alomar Cleveland 138 Top 25
Slugging Average Manny Ramirez Cleveland .663 Top 25
Stolen Bases Brian Hunter Seattle 44 Top 25
Total Bases Shawn Green Toronto 361 Top 25
Triples Jose Offerman Boston 11 Top 25

1999 American League Pitcher Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games David Wells Toronto 7 Top 25
ERA Pedro Martinez Boston 2.07 Top 25
Games Buddy Groom Oakland 76 Top 25
Bob Wells Minnesota
Saves Mariano Rivera New York 45 Top 25
Shutouts Scott Erickson Baltimore 3 Top 25
Strikeouts Pedro Martinez Boston 313 Top 25
Winning Percentage Pedro Martinez Boston .852 Top 25
Wins Pedro Martinez Boston 23 Top 25

1999 American League

Team Standings

New York Yankees 98 64 .605 0 $91,990,955
Boston Red Sox 94 68 .580 4 $72,330,656
Toronto Blue Jays 84 78 .519 14 $48,847,300
Baltimore Orioles 78 84 .481 20 $75,443,363
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 69 93 .426 29 $37,860,451
Cleveland Indians 97 65 .599 0 $73,531,692
Chicago White Sox 75 86 .466 21½ $24,535,000
Detroit Tigers 69 92 .429 27½ $36,954,666
Kansas City Royals 64 97 .398 32½ $16,557,000
Minnesota Twins 63 97 .394 33 $15,845,000
Texas Rangers 95 67 .586 0 $80,801,598
Oakland Athletics 87 75 .537 8 $25,208,858
Seattle Mariners 79 83 .488 16 $45,351,254
Anaheim Angels 70 92 .432 25 $51,340,257
American League Team Standings

1999 American League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Oakland 770
Batting Average Texas .293
Doubles Toronto 337
Hits Texas 1,653
Home Runs Seattle 244
On Base Percentage Cleveland .373
Runs Cleveland 1,009
Slugging Average Texas .479
Stolen Bases Cleveland 147
Triples Kansas City 52

1999 American League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Baltimore 17
ERA Boston 4.00
Fewest Hits Allowed Boston 1,396
Fewest Home Runs Allowed New York 158
Fewest Walks Allowed Boston 469
Saves Boston 50
New York
Shutouts Baltimore 4
New York
Strikeouts Boston 1,131
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: $1,720,050.00
Minimum Salary: $200,000.00
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

In 1999, Pedro Martinez won the Cy Young Award, but did you know he also accomplished the unusually rare feat of a Triple Crown?

Only a handful of American League pitchers have ever struck out four batters during a single inning. On May 12, 1999, Chuck Finley of Anaheim joined that elite group. Three months later, on August 15, 1999, Chuck Finley became the first pitcher to do it twice!

On May 10, 1999, Nomar Garciaparra became one of the few hitters to ever hit two grand slams during one game!