2020 in baseball

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following are the baseball events of the year 2020 throughout the world.

Years in baseball

2020 in sports

Champions[]

Major League Baseball[]

  Wild Card Series
(ALWC, NLWC)
Division Series
(ALDS, NLDS)
League Championship Series
(ALCS, NLCS)
World Series
                                     
1 Tampa Bay 2
8 Toronto 0
1 Tampa Bay 3
5 NY Yankees 2
4 Cleveland 0
5 NY Yankees 2
1 Tampa Bay 4
American League
6 Houston 3
3 Minnesota 0
6 Houston 2
6 Houston 3
2 Oakland 1
2 Oakland 2
7 Chi White Sox 1
AL1 Tampa Bay 2
NL1 LA Dodgers 4
1 LA Dodgers 2
8 Milwaukee 0
1 LA Dodgers 3
4 San Diego 0
4 San Diego 2
5 St. Louis 1
1 LA Dodgers 4
National League
2 Atlanta 3
3 Chi Cubs 0
6 Miami 2
6 Miami 0
2 Atlanta 3
2 Atlanta 2
7 Cincinnati 0

Other Champions[]

International competition[]

Cancelled events[]

The following events and seasons scheduled to be played this year were cancelled or postponed to the following year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International Tournaments[]

Domestic seasons[]

College[]

Little League Tournaments[]

National Leagues[]

Awards and honors[]

Major League Baseball[]

  • Baseball Hall of Fame honors

Events[]

January[]

  • January 21 – Derek Jeter and Larry Walker are voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Jeter is named on all but one of the 397 votes cast or 99.7 percent; he misses joining 2019 inductee Mariano Rivera as unanimous Hall of Fame inductees. Meanwhile, Walker receives 304 votes, or 76.6 percent, in his 10th and final year on the ballot. Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, all in their eighth year on the ballot, are the only other players to be named on 60 percent of the vote at 70.0, 61.0 and 60.7 respectively.[44]
  • January 26 – John Altobelli, coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team is killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California that also kills NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and 6 others.

February[]

  • February 4 – The Philadelphia Phillies announce that they will retire Roy Halladay's number 34 on May 29, Halladay who was killed in a plane crash in November 2017 will be the ninth team member to have his number retired. It will be retired on the 10th anniversary of Halladay's perfect game.
  • February 26 – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, NPB announced that their remaining 72 preseason games would be held behind closed doors and would not allow spectators to attend.[45]

March[]

  • March 9 – NPB announces the postponement the March 20 start of the regular season because of coronavirus. The league ultimately set its return date for June 19.[46]
  • March 12 – MLB cancelled the remaining spring training games and announced that the start of the regular season would be delayed indefinitely, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[47]

April[]

May[]

June[]

  • June 10-11 – 2020 Major League Baseball draft
  • June 19 – 2020 Nippon Professional Baseball season
  • June 23 – Major League Baseball announces its plan for a 60-game regular season, including several rule changes – most notably, the universal designated hitter. Schedules will include 40 games against division opponents and 20 games against the corresponding division in the other league, i.e. A.L. East vs. N.L. East. Players will receive a pro-rated salary of approximately 37 percent. [48]
  • June 30 – Minor League Baseball announces the cancellation of its season.[49]

July[]

  • July 1 – First day of MLB Summer Camps, also known as "Spring Training 2.0".
  • July 10 – NPB begins allowing up to 5,000 fans in attendance at each game.
  • July 22 – Mookie Betts signs a 12-year, $365 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers. [50]
  • July 23 – MLB announces an expanded playoff structure that includes eight teams from each league, up from five in previous seasons. [51]
  • July 23 – 2020 Major League Baseball season begins with the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees. Dr. Anthony Fauci throws out the ceremonial first pitch at Nationals Park with no fans in attendance. Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is left off the Opening Day roster after testing positive for COVID-19. [52]
  • July 27 – Two games are postponed after as many as 13 members of the Miami Marlins test positive for COVID-19. The Marlins, who had just finished a three-game series in Philadelphia, were scheduled to return home to face the Baltimore Orioles. The Phillies' game against the New York Yankees is also postponed.[53]

August[]

  • August 13- Mookie Betts ties an MLB record with his sixth three homer game.
  • August 25 - At Guaranteed Rate Field, Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox no-hits the Pittsburgh Pirates 4–0. He strikes out 13 batters and yields only one baserunner, a walk to Erik González in the fourth inning. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the no-hitter is the first to be pitched in a game without fans. The no-hitter is the 19th in White Sox history, the most recent having been Philip Humber's perfect game on April 21, 2012, and the most recent by a White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field since Mark Buehrle's perfect game on July 23, 2009. [54]
  • August 30 - In defeating the Cincinnati Reds 10–1 at Great American Ball Park, the Chicago Cubs become the first team to have all three of its starting outfielders hit two home runs in one game. Left fielder Kyle Schwarber, center fielder Ian Happ and right fielder Jason Heyward hit the home runs; the former's second is a grand slam in the ninth inning. The Cubs also have three players homer twice in the same game for the first time since April 16, 1955; in that game, Ernie Banks, Randy Jackson and Dee Fondy each had hit two home runs in a 12–11 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. [55]

September[]

  • September 9 – the Atlanta Braves defeat of the Miami Marlins by a score of 29–9 becomes the first Scorigami (a final score that has never occurred before) in MLB since 1999.[56]
  • September 13 – At Miller Park, Alec Mills of the Chicago Cubs no-hits the Milwaukee Brewers, 12–0. He throws 74 of 114 pitches for strikes, walking three and striking out five for the 16th no-hitter in Cubs history. Jake Arrieta had pitched the Cubs' last no-hitter prior to this game, doing so for the second of his second career on April 21, 2016. The no-hitter is also the Cubs' second at Miller Park, Carlos Zambrano having pitched it against the Houston Astros almost a full 12 years earlier, on September 14, 2008; that game had been moved to Milwaukee from Houston due to Hurricane Ike.[57]

October[]

  • October 27 – At Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 3–1 in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series to win the series 4–2. Corey Seager wins the World Series MVP.

November[]

  • November 5 – Evan White of the Seattle Mariners and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs won their first ever Golden Glove Awards.
  • November 10 – Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners and Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers Respectively win the AL And NL Rookies of the Year.
  • November 11 – Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians and Trevor Bauer of the Cincinnati Reds Respectively win the AL And NL CY Young Awards.
  • November 12 – Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox and Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves Respectively win the MLB MVP Awards.
[58]

Deaths[]

January[]

  • January 1 – Don Larsen, 90, pitcher renowned for his perfect game in the 1956 World Series,[59] at the time of his death the only perfect game and no-hitter in World Series history; although most known as a New York Yankee, his MLB career lasted 14 years (1953–1965 and 1967) as a member of seven different clubs, compiling an 81–91 career record in 412 appearances.
  • January 9 – David Glass, 85, owner of the Kansas City Royals from 2000 to 2019 who helped lead the team to back-to-back pennants in 2014 and 2015 while winning the World Series in the latter year.
  • January 9 – Hal Smith, 89, infielder, catcher and utilityman for five clubs between 1955 and 1964, best known as a member of the 1960 World Series Pittsburgh Pirates.[60]
  • January 28 – Don Hasenmayer, 92, infielder in 11 total games for 1945–1946 Philadelphia Phillies.

February[]

  • February 4 – Gil Coan, 97, speedy outfielder who appeared in 918 games between 1946 and 1956 for Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and New York Giants; placed in top ten among American League base-stealers six times between 1948 and 1954.
  • February 4 – Dick Koecher, 93, left-handed pitcher who appeared in seven games during three trials for Philadelphia Phillies (1946–1948).
  • February 11 – Katsuya Nomura, 84, Hall of Fame NPB catcher and manager who played for 26 seasons with three teams, primarily the Nankai Hawks, and managed four teams, including Yakult Swallows, who he led to three Japan Series titles.
  • February 15 – Tony Fernández, 57, a shortstop who played for seven major league baseball franchises and winning a championship with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 and currently ranks first in Blue Jays history in hits and games played.[61]
  • February 23 – Ramón Conde, 85, third baseman and pinch hitter who appeared in 14 games for 1962 Chicago White Sox.
  • February 28 – Johnny Antonelli, 89, left-handed pitcher primarily for the New York/San Francisco Giants who posted a 21–7 record with a National League best 2.30 ERA in 1954 while helping the team win the World Series that year.

March[]

  • March 25 – William Bartholomay, 91, owner of the Braves from 1962 to 1975 who spearheaded the club's controversial move from Milwaukee to Atlanta, finally completed in 1966; continued to serve as Braves' board chairman after Ted Turner purchased the team.
  • March 26 – Jimmy Wynn, 78, All-Star outfielder nicknamed the "Toy Cannon" who hit 291 home runs in 15 major league seasons, who was most prominently known for his time with the Houston Astros.

April[]

  • April 6 – Al Kaline, 85, Hall of Fame right fielder who spent his entire 22-season career with the Detroit Tigers from 1953 to 1974, collecting 3,007 hits and hitting 399 home runs while winning 10 Gold Glove Awards along the way.
  • April 12 – Jim Frey, 88, manager who led the Kansas City Royals to their first pennant in 1980 and the 1984 Chicago Cubs to their first postseason appearance in 39 years; he later led the Cubs to the playoffs again as general manager five years later; previously, a minor league outfielder and longtime Baltimore Orioles coach under Earl Weaver.
  • April 15 – Dámaso García, 63, second baseman who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos.

May[]

  • May 1 – Matt Keough, 64, pitcher who played nine seasons in Major League Baseball, six of which with the Oakland Athletics, and three seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Hanshin Tigers; son of Marty Keough.
  • May 3 – Salty Saltwell, 96, longtime executive for Chicago Cubs who spent the 1976 season as the club's general manager.
  • May 8 – Ben Johnson, 88, pitcher who appeared in 21 games for 1959–1960 Cubs.
  • May 14 – Bob Watson, 74, first baseman-outfielder who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves who also became the first African-American general manager to win a World Series in 1996 with the Yankees.
  • May 24 – Biff Pocoroba, 66, catcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, all with the Atlanta Braves.

June[]

  • June 10 – Claudell Washington, 65, outfielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball with seven different teams; two-time All-Star and member of the World Series champion 1974 Oakland Athletics.

July[]

  • July 3 – Tyson Brummett, 35, pitcher who appeared in one game with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012.
  • July 28 – John McNamara, 88, manager for six different MLB teams over 19 seasons between 1969 and 1996; led Boston Red Sox to 1986 American League pennant, and Cincinnati Reds to 1979 NL West Division title.

August[]

  • August 31 – Tom Seaver, 75, Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox who won 311 games, struck out 3,640 batters, 1967 National League Rookie of the Year, and 3 Cy Young Awards during his career.[62]

September[]

  • September 6 – Lou Brock, 81, Hall of Fame outfielder for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals whose 938 stolen bases at the time of his retirement was the most all-time.[63]
  • September 19 – Gary Hughes, 79, scout and front office executive for ten MLB organizations, notably the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs.
  • September 28 – Jay Johnstone, 74, outfielder who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball with eight different teams; member of 1978 New York Yankees and 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship teams.
  • September 30 – Lou Johnson, 86, outfielder who played parts of 8 seasons in Major League Baseball with seven different teams, winning a World Championship with the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers.

October[]

  • October 2 – Bob Gibson, 84, Hall of Fame pitcher who spent his entire MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals; nine-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and MVP, two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, and 1968 NL MVP.
  • October 2 – Ron Perranoski, 84, pitcher who played 13 seasons in MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and California Angels. Was the Dodgers pitching coach from 1981 to 1994 and a coach for the San Francisco Giants from 1997 to 1999.
  • October 3 – Charlie Haeger, 37, knuckleball pitcher for three MLB teams from 2006 to 2010.
  • October 7 – Kim Batiste, 52, infielder who spent parts of five seasons in MLB with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants.
  • October 8 – Whitey Ford, 91, Hall of Fame pitcher nicknamed "The Chairman of the Board" spent his entire MLB career with the New York Yankees; ten-time All-Star, six-time World Series champion and 1961 World Series MVP, and AL Cy Young Award winner in 1961.
  • October 11 – Joe Morgan, 77, Hall of Fame second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds who won back to back World Series in 1975 and 1976, being named NL MVP during both championship seasons, and ten-time All-Star.
  • October 20 – Derryl Cousins, 74, Major League Baseball umpire whose career spanned 34 seasons.

November[]

  • November 8 – Johnny Paredes, 58, second baseman who played parts of four seasons in MLB with the Montreal Expos and Detroit Tigers.

December[]

  • December 7 – Dick Allen, 78, slugger who played 15 seasons in MLB, winning the National League Rookie of the Year in 1964 with the Philadelphia Phillies and the American League MVP in 1972 with the Chicago White Sox.
  • December 26 – Phil Niekro, 81, Hall of Fame knuckleball pitcher who played 24 seasons in MLB, 20 of them with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves; five-time All-Star.

References[]

  1. ^ Hogg, Curt (September 17, 2020). "Champs! The Milwaukee Milkmen defeat Sioux Falls to win the American Association championship". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  2. ^ Dunsmore, Ryan (August 29, 2020). "Skeeters win Constellation Energy League title". Fort Bend Herald. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "BRILLIANCE SOX WIN EMPIRE PLAYOFF SERIES, LOOK AHEAD TO 2021". indyballisland. September 30, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  4. ^ "Houston We Have a Champion". Pecos League. August 25, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Evans, Jim (October 1, 2020). "Bidding a fond farewell to the USPBL's 2020 season". Macomb Daily. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Dominican Republic defeats Venezuela and crowns champion of the Caribbean Series". Dominican Today. February 8, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  7. ^ "Espoo Expos win National Baseball Championship 2020 in Finland". Mister-Baseball. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "Heidenheim Heidekoepfe win German Ben's Baseball-Bundesliga 2020". Mister-Baseball. October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  9. ^ Donnelly, Gareth (October 2, 2020). "Baseball Ireland: Mar-winners end five years of hurt to be crowned champions of Ireland". Dublin Live. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Unipol Bologna wins Italian Baseball Championship 2020". Mister-Baseball. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  11. ^ "Baseball: SoftBank Hawks win 4th straight Japan Series championship". Kyodo News. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Coskrey, Jason (October 28, 2020). "Hawks capture predictable pennant in unpredictable season". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Giants wrap up pennant race by winning franchise's 38th Central League crown". The Japan Times. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Koster, Kyle (November 24, 2020). "NC Dinos Win Korean Series, Celebrate With Enormous Sword". The Big Lead. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  15. ^ "Astros Valencia win Spanish Division de Honor 2020". Mister-Baseball. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Sölvesborg Firehawks win 2020 Swedish Baseball Championship". Mister-Baseball.com. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  17. ^ {[cite web|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2020/11/09/2003746612%7Ctitle=Lions defeat Brothers to clinch series|Taipei Times|first=Jason|last=Pan|date=November 9, 2020}}
  18. ^ Jacobson, Lance (February 11, 2020). "Melbourne Aces clinch first ABL title". Star Weekly. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  19. ^ "Vaqueros de Montería is the new Colombian baseball champion". El Espectador. January 17, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  20. ^ González, Jhonah Díaz (January 21, 2020). "Víctor Mesa's legacy of Matanzas baseball success in Cuba". Breaking News. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  21. ^ "La Romana's Toros win Dominican Winter Baseball crown". Dominican Today. January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Venn, David (January 31, 2020). "Team-by-team preview for 2020 Caribbean Series". mlb.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  23. ^ Rayo, Fernando (January 14, 2020). "León repeats the title of the Professional League". TN8. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  24. ^ "Chiriquí astronauts make history and win Probeis to go to the Caribbean Series". rcpctv.com. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  25. ^ Rosa Rosa, Carlos (January 20, 2020). "The Cangrejeros revalidate as champions in winter baseball". elnuevodia.com. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  26. ^ Tariq Panja and Motoko Rich (March 30, 2020). "Summer Olympics in Tokyo to Start on July 23, 2021". New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  27. ^ "CEB cancels 2020 European Cup Tournaments for Clubs, scheduled for June". Mister-Baseball. April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  28. ^ Edwards, Jensen (April 22, 2020). "Organizers cancel 2020 Grand Forks International baseball tournament due to COVID-19". nelsonstar.com. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  29. ^ "Officials cancel NAIA World Series". Mister-Baseball. March 24, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b "WBSC postpones 2020 Women's and U-15 Baseball World Cups, U-18 Women's Softball World Cup". Mister-Baseball. April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  31. ^ @Joelsherman1 (May 11, 2020). "Source: The WBC is going to be moved from next March to 2023, pending approval by the tournament board" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ J.J. Cooper and Josh Norris (June 30, 2020). "The 2020 Minor League Season Is Canceled. So What Happens Next?". Baseball America. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  33. ^ Norris, Josh (September 21, 2020). "Arizona Fall League Cancels 2020 Season". Baseball America. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  34. ^ "Skeeters Intend to Host Four-Team Pro Baseball League at Constellation Field". sugarlandskeeters.com. June 13, 2020.
  35. ^ Chris Dugan Sports editor dugan@observer-reporter.com. "Frontier League season canceled". Observer-Reporter. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  36. ^ "Pacific Association Cancels 2020 Regular Season". Pacific Association. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b c Brew, Tom (March 12, 2020). "Breaking: NCAA Cancels All College Sports Through End of School Year". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  38. ^ Clark, Colton (March 17, 2020). "Officials cancel NAIA World Series". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  39. ^ Arnold, Patti (March 17, 2020). "NJCAA cancels JUCO World Series". The Daily Sentinel. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  40. ^ "Cape Cod Baseball League Cancels 2020 Season Due To Coronavirus". CBS Boston. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Little League® Cancels 2020 World Series and Region Tournaments". littleleague.org. April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  42. ^ "Baseball and Softball Season in Netherlands ends abruptly". Mister-Baseball. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  43. ^ "French Division I cancels 2020 Season". Mister-Baseball. May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  44. ^ https://sports.yahoo.com/derek-jeter-and-larry-walker-voted-into-hall-of-fame-232200672.html
  45. ^ "Japanese baseball to play remainder of preseason without spectators due to virus fears". The Japan Times. Kyodo News. February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  46. ^ "Japan's pro baseball league delays season start over coronavirus". Kyodo News. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  47. ^ "Opening Day delayed at least 2 weeks; Spring Training games cancelled". MLB.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  48. ^ Feinsand, Mark. "Play Ball: MLB announces 2020 regular season". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  49. ^ https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/06/30/minor-league-baseball-season-canceled-2020-coronavirus
  50. ^ Acquavella, Katherine; Perry, Dayn (22 July 2020). "Los Angeles Dodgers sign Mookie Betts to massive 12-year contract extension worth $365 million". CBS Sports. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  51. ^ "MLB, MLBPA agree to expand 2020 postseason". MLB.com.
  52. ^ "Nats' Soto tests positive for virus, misses opener". ESPN.com. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  53. ^ Adams, Steve. "Eight Marlins Players, Two Coaches Test Positive For COVID-19; Tonight's Game Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors.
  54. ^ https://sports.yahoo.com/lucas-giolito-no-hitter-white-sox-pirates-first-of-2020-023458807.html
  55. ^ https://www.mlb.com/news/jason-heyward-ian-happ-kyle-schwarber-hit-2-hrs-in-win
  56. ^ Werle, Andy (September 10, 2020). "For 1st time since '99, a score not seen before". MLB. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  57. ^ https://www.mlb.com/news/alec-mills-cubs-no-hitter-vs-brewers
  58. ^ Important Dates - Upcoming Events on the MLB calendar Archived 2015-03-05 at the Wayback Machine. MLB.com
  59. ^ Metro US Yankees World Series hero Don Larsen dies 90
  60. ^ Houston Chronicle, Former Colt 45 Pirates Catcher Hal Smith dead
  61. ^ ."NY Tony Fernandez Baseball Death 57 Years Old". NYDaily News.com. February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  62. ^ "Tom Seaver, Pitcher Who Led 'Miracle Mets' to Glory, Dies at 75". The New York Times. September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  63. ^ Hummel, Rick (September 6, 2020). "Cardinals Legend Lou Brock Dies Sunday Afternoon at 81". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 6, 2020.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""