Trisha Shetty (Editor)

1994 New York Yankees season

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Start date
  
1994

General manager
  
Gene Michael

Local televisions
  
WPIX, MSG Plus

Manager
  
Buck Showalter

Owner
  
George Steinbrenner

1994 New York Yankees season assetsnydailynewscompolopolyfs1189811814076

Local radio
  
WABC (AM) (Michael Kay, John Sterling)

Similar
  
1992 New York Yankees, 1997 New York Yankees, 1984 New York Yankees, 1922 New York Yankees, 1982 New York Yankees

The New York Yankees' 1994 season was the 92nd season for the Yankees. New York was managed by Buck Showalter and played at Yankee Stadium. The team finished with a record of 70-43 finishing  6 1⁄2 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles, having the best record in the American League and the second-best record in Major League Baseball. The season was cut short by the infamous 1994 player's strike, which wiped out any postseason aspirations for their first postseason appearance since losing the 1981 World Series and that their star player and captain, Don Mattingly, had. On the day the strike began, the Yankees were on pace to win at least 100 games for the first time since 1980. The Yankees' ace, 33-year-old veteran Jimmy Key, was leading the majors with 17 wins and was on pace to win 24 games. Right fielder Paul O'Neill was also having a career year, as he was leading the league with a .359 batting average.

Contents

The strike is remembered bitterly by Yankees fans as it shook sports fans in New York City and the Yankees to the core and made 1994 one of the worst years in New York City sports history, and has been named among the 10 worst moments in New York City sports history, primarily because Mattingly had not played in a postseason. It was also seen as the frustrating peak of the Yankees' demise and downfall of the 1980s and early 1990s.

When reacting to the strike, many fans said that the strike and the lost Yankees season was another to the blow to baseball backers in New York City, following the move of the Dodgers and the Giants to California for the 1958 season, the demise of the Yankees during the 1960s and early 1970s and 1980s and early 1990s, and the bad baseball at Shea Stadium during the late 1970s and early 1990s. They also said it was the latest to the demise and downfall of the 1980s and early 1990s. The strike ruined the chance for the Yankees to follow in the footsteps of the NHL Stanley Cup Champion Rangers and NBA Eastern Conference Champion Knicks by making the championship round of their respective sport.

Because the Yankees were last in a postseason in a season cut short by a strike, the news media constantly reminded the Yankees about the parallels between the two Yankee teams (1981 and 1994), which included both Yankee teams having division leads taken away by strike. Also, throughout October, they continued to bombard the Yankees, making speculations about what might have been if there had not been a strike, making references to the days games in the post-season would have been played.

Offseason

  • November 27, 1993: Andy Stankiewicz and Domingo Jean were traded by the Yankees to the Houston Astros for Xavier Hernandez.
  • December 9, 1993: Spike Owen was traded by the New York Yankees with cash to the California Angels for Jose Musset (minors).
  • December 20, 1993: Luis Polonia was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.
  • December 22, 1993: Sam Horn was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.
  • January 28, 1994: Bob Ojeda signed as a free agent by the Yankees.
  • February 9, 1994: Bobby Muñoz, Ryan Karp, and Kevin Jordan were traded by the Yankees to the Philadelphia Phillies for Terry Mulholland and a player to be named later. The Phillies completed the deal by sending Jeff Patterson to the New York Yankees on November 8.
  • February 15, 1994: Jeff Reardon was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.

    • Regular season

    By Friday, August 12, the Yankees had compiled a 70-43 record through 113 games. They were leading the AL East Division and had scored 670 runs (5.93 per game) and allowed 534 runs (4.73 per game).

    The World Series, for which the Yankees appeared to be destined, was never played and contributed to Buck Showalter being fired and Don Mattingly retiring after the 1995 season. The 1994 New York Yankees team that could have been remains a hot discussion point in both baseball and in New York City because Mattingly had not played in a postseason. When reacting to the strike's cancellation of the season, the first words many people on the Yankees, including Owner George Steinbrenner, General Manager Gene Michael, and Showalter all said was that they all felt bad for Mattingly, saying that he deserved a postseason. Mattingly led active players in both games played and at bats without ever appearing in the postseason.

    Yankees hitters were walked 530 times in the strike-shortened season: the most in the Majors. They also led the Majors in on-base percentage, with .374. They did, however, tie the San Diego Padres for the most double plays grounded into, with 112.

    Notable transactions

  • March 21, 1994: Paul Assenmacher was traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for Brian Boehringer.
  • March 29, 1994: Kevin Maas was released by the Yankees.
  • May 1, 1994: Kevin Elster was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.
  • May 5, 1994: Bob Ojeda was released by the New York Yankees.
  • May 6, 1994: Jeff Reardon was released by the New York Yankees.
  • June 23, 1994: Sam Horn was released by the New York Yankees.
  • July 3, 1994: Greg A. Harris was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.
  • July 13, 1994: Greg A. Harris was released by the New York Yankees.

    • Starters by position

    Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

    Other batters

    Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

    Starting pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    2 Jim Abbott 3 Mélido Pérez

    Other pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    Relief pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    Awards and honors

  • Paul O'Neill – American League Batting Champion (.359)

    • All-Star Game

  • Paul O'Neill, reserve

    • Farm system

    LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Tampa

    References

    1994 New York Yankees season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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