| 1995 MLB season | |
| League: | Major League Baseball |
| Sport: | Baseball |
| Duration: | April 25 – October 28, 1995 |
| No Of Games: | 144 |
| No Of Teams: | 28 |
| Draft: | Draft |
| Draft Link: | 1995 Major League Baseball draft |
| Top Pick: | Darin Erstad |
| Top Pick Link: | List of first overall MLB draft picks |
| Picked By: | California Angels |
| Season: | Regular Season |
| Mvp: | AL Mo Vaughn (BOS) |
| Mvp Link: | Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award |
| Playoffs: | Postseason |
| Playoffs Link: | 1995 Major League Baseball postseason |
| Conf1: | AL |
| Conf1 Link: | 1995 American League Championship Series |
| Conf1 Champ: | Cleveland Indians |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | Seattle Mariners |
| Conf2: | NL |
| Conf2 Link: | 1995 National League Championship Series |
| Conf2 Champ: | Atlanta Braves |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Cincinnati Reds |
| Finals: | World Series |
| Finals Link: | 1995 World Series |
| Finals Champ: | Atlanta Braves |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Cleveland Indians |
| World Series Mvp: | Tom Glavine (ATL) |
| World Series Mvp Link: | World Series Most Valuable Player Award |
| Seasonslist: | List of MLB seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | MLB |
| Prevseason Link: | 1994 Major League Baseball season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1994 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1996 Major League Baseball season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1996 |
The 1995 Major League Baseball season was the first season to be played under the expanded postseason format, as the League Division Series (LDS) was played in both the American and National leagues for the first time, since the 1981 strike-split season. However, due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike which carried into the 1995 season, a shortened 144-game schedule commenced on April 25, when the Florida Marlins played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Atlanta Braves became the first franchise to win World Series championships for three cities. Along with their 1995 title, the Braves won in 1914 as the Boston Braves, and in 1957 as the Milwaukee Braves.
After the 1994 season was ended due to the players' strike, there was still a deal that had to be worked out. However, it wasn't until major league owners parlayed plans to have replacement players play in 1995 that the players got into serious negotiations. Due to the strike, there was no official defending champion for the year. However, the negotiations pushed the start of the season back to late April, already 18 games into a regular season.
Despite the strike, which alienated many fans, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak when he played in his 2,131st straight game on September6. Games during the playoffs were also broadcast simultaneously, meaning that games were broadcast only regionally. Despite the oddities, the 1995 season is now considered a financial success where the two best teams in baseball (in their leagues) met up in the World Series, the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. For the first time since 1954, the Indians were the AL representatives in the World Series. This came on the heels of dominating the AL Central (beating second place Kansas City by 30 games).
They met the Boston Red Sox, who had AL MVP Mo Vaughn (39 home runs, 126 RBI) and got to start the series at home. Regardless, Cleveland swept the Red Sox. Meanwhile, in the other ALDS series between Seattle and Yankees, the Yankees stormed out to a quick 2–0 series lead at Yankee Stadium, winning game2 on a 15th inning walk-off home run by Jim Leyritz. However, as the series shifted to The Kingdome in Seattle, the Mariners, who had made a 13-game comeback on the California Angels to force a one-game playoff (which Randy Johnson got the win), the Mariners won games3 and4 to cause a classic game5, in which the Mariners came back three times to win on Edgar Martínez's famous double that scored Joey Cora and Ken Griffey Jr. In the ALCS, the Mariners surprised the Indians by taking game1, however, on the power of pitchers Dennis Martínez and Orel Hershiser, the Indians managed to knock off Seattle in 6.
In the NLDS, it was the near-opposite to the New York/Seattle series. The Cincinnati Reds, who'd run away with the NL Central, swept the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves took both games vs. Colorado at Coors Field before the Rockies finally won a game in game3. However, the Braves finished off the Rockies at home in game4. Then, in the NLCS, after taking both games at Riverfront Stadium, the Braves finished the sweep of the Reds at home.
In the 1995 World Series, the Braves took the first two at home vs. Cleveland. Then, during the three games at Jacobs Field, the Indians won games3 and5 but those games sandwiched around the Braves 5–2 game4 victory. In game6, the Braves, on the power of an 8-inning, one-hitter thrown by Tom Glavine and David Justice hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning, won 1–0 and won the World Series. The victory made the Braves the first team to win World Series in three home cities (Boston (1914), Milwaukee (1957), and Atlanta (1995)).
| Statistic | American League | National League | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgar Martínez SEA | .356 | Tony Gwynn SD | .368 | ||
| Albert Belle CLE | 50 | Dante Bichette COL | 40 | ||
| Albert Belle CLE Mo Vaughn BOS | 126 | Dante Bichette COL | 128 | ||
| Mike Mussina BAL | 19 | Greg Maddux ATL | 19 | ||
| Randy Johnson SEA | 2.48 | Greg Maddux ATL | 1.63 | ||
| Randy Johnson SEA | 294 | Hideo Nomo LA | 236 | ||
| José Mesa CLE | 46 | Randy Myers CHC | 38 | ||
| Kenny Lofton CLE | 54 | Quilvio Veras FLA | 56 | ||
See main article: article and 1995 MLB Postseason.
José Mesa (CLE, American); Tom Henke (STL, National).
| Month | American League | National League | |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | Matt Williams | ||
| June | Jeff Conine | ||
| July | Dante Bichette | ||
| August | Mike Piazza | ||
| September | Dante Bichette |
| Month | American League | National League | |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | Heathcliff Slocumb | ||
| June | Hideo Nomo | ||
| July | Greg Maddux | ||
| August | Sid Fernandez | ||
| September | Greg Maddux |
| Team | Manager | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Regan | |||
| Boston Red Sox | |||
| Marcel Lachemann | |||
| Chicago White Sox | |||
| Won American League Pennant | |||
| Sparky Anderson | |||
| Bob Boone | |||
| Milwaukee Brewers | Phil Garner | ||
| AL Manager of the Year | |||
| Johnny Oates | |||
| Cito Gaston |
| Team | Manager | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Cox | Won World Series | ||
| Jim Riggleman | |||
| Colorado Rockies | Don Baylor | NL Manager of the Year | |
| Terry Collins | |||
| Tommy Lasorda | |||
| Felipe Alou | |||
| Dallas Green | |||
| Jim Fregosi | |||
| Jim Leyland | |||
| Bruce Bochy | |||
| Dusty Baker |
| Team name | Wins | Home attendance | Est. payroll | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies[1] | 77 | 45.3% | 3,390,037 | 3.3% | 47,084 | $34,154,717 | 43.0% | |
| Baltimore Orioles[2] | 71 | 12.7% | 3,098,475 | 22.2% | 43,034 | $43,942,521 | 13.1% | |
| Cleveland Indians[3] | 100 | 51.5% | 2,842,745 | 42.5% | 39,483 | $38,057,835 | 24.8% | |
| Toronto Blue Jays[4] | 56 | 1.8% | 2,826,483 | -2.8% | 39,257 | $50,590,000 | 16.5% | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers[5] | 78 | 34.5% | 2,766,251 | 21.4% | 38,420 | $39,273,201 | 3.4% | |
| Atlanta Braves[6] | 90 | 32.4% | 2,561,831 | 0.9% | 35,581 | $47,235,445 | -4.3% | |
| Boston Red Sox[7] | 86 | 59.3% | 2,164,410 | 21.9% | 30,061 | $32,455,518 | -14.3% | |
| Philadelphia Phillies[8] | 69 | 27.8% | 2,043,598 | -10.8% | 28,383 | $30,555,945 | -3.3% | |
| Texas Rangers[9] | 74 | 42.3% | 1,985,910 | -20.7% | 27,582 | $34,581,451 | 4.9% | |
| Chicago Cubs[10] | 73 | 49.0% | 1,918,265 | 4.0% | 26,643 | $29,505,834 | -18.7% | |
| Cincinnati Reds[11] | 85 | 28.8% | 1,837,649 | -3.2% | 25,523 | $43,144,670 | 5.0% | |
| St. Louis Cardinals[12] | 62 | 17.0% | 1,756,727 | -5.9% | 24,399 | $37,101,000 | 26.7% | |
| California Angels[13] | 78 | 66.0% | 1,748,680 | 15.6% | 24,287 | $31,223,171 | 24.1% | |
| New York Yankees[14] | 79 | 12.9% | 1,705,263 | 1.8% | 23,360 | $48,874,851 | 6.2% | |
| Florida Marlins[15] | 67 | 31.4% | 1,700,466 | -12.2% | 23,950 | $24,515,781 | 13.3% | |
| Seattle Mariners[16] | 79 | 61.2% | 1,643,203 | 48.8% | 22,510 | $36,481,311 | 24.8% | |
| Chicago White Sox[17] | 68 | 1.5% | 1,609,773 | -5.2% | 22,358 | $46,961,282 | 19.8% | |
| Houston Astros[18] | 76 | 15.2% | 1,363,801 | -12.6% | 18,942 | $34,169,834 | 3.2% | |
| Montreal Expos[19] | 66 | -10.8% | 1,309,618 | 2.6% | 18,189 | $12,473,000 | -34.7% | |
| New York Mets[20] | 69 | 25.5% | 1,273,183 | 10.6% | 17,683 | $27,674,992 | -10.6% | |
| San Francisco Giants[21] | 67 | 21.8% | 1,241,500 | -27.2% | 17,243 | $36,462,777 | -14.5% | |
| Kansas City Royals[22] | 70 | 9.4% | 1,233,530 | -11.9% | 17,132 | $29,532,834 | -27.2% | |
| Detroit Tigers[23] | 60 | 13.2% | 1,180,979 | -0.3% | 16,402 | $37,044,168 | -10.6% | |
| Oakland Athletics[24] | 67 | 31.4% | 1,174,310 | -5.5% | 16,310 | $37,739,225 | 10.4% | |
| Milwaukee Brewers[25] | 65 | 22.6% | 1,087,560 | -14.3% | 15,105 | $17,798,825 | -26.9% | |
| Minnesota Twins[26] | 56 | 5.7% | 1,057,667 | -24.4% | 14,690 | $25,410,500 | -10.6% | |
| San Diego Padres[27] | 70 | 48.9% | 1,041,805 | 9.2% | 14,470 | $26,382,334 | 76.9% | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[28] | 58 | 9.4% | 905,517 | -25.9% | 12,577 | $18,355,345 | -24.2% |
This was the second and final season of The Baseball Network, the joint venture between MLB, ABC, and NBC. Meanwhile, ESPN continued to air Sunday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball.
The long-term plans for The Baseball Network began to crumble after the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike[29] began on August 12, 1994,[30] [31] forcing the cancellation of the rest of the 1994 regular season, the postseason, and that year's World Series,[32] [33] Both networks elected to dissolve the partnership with Major League Baseball on June 22, 1995.[34] [35] [36] [37] Both networks figured that as the delayed 1995 baseball season opened without a labor agreement,[38] there was no guarantee against another strike. Under the terms of the agreement, it could be voided by any party if the venture did not produce a minimum of $330 million in revenue over the first two years.[39]
ABC and NBC were able to air their full respective slates of 1995 Baseball Night in America regular season games. To salvage the remains of the partnership, ABC and NBC elected to share coverage of the 1995 postseason[40] including the World Series.[41] MLB would then replace The Baseball Network with new deals with NBC and Fox beginning in 1996.[42]
| Network | Day of week | Announcers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Saturday nights Monday nights | See also: The Baseball Network announcers. | |
| NBC | Friday nights | See also: The Baseball Network announcers. | |
| ESPN | Sunday nights Wednesday nights |
| Country | Network | |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | Prime Sports | |
 Australia | Nine Network | |
 Canada | CBC, CTV, TSN, SRC, RDS | |
 Japan | NHK | |
| Latin America | ESPN | |
| MBC | ||
 United Kingdom | Sky Sports |