It Happened in 1989

You’ll Always Have 1988

Orel Hershiser, who finished the 1988 regular season with his consecutive scoreless inning streak intact at 59, has it immediate snapped in the first inning of his first start in 1989. The Reds will go on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati on April 5, 4-3, as Hershiser hurts his own cause with two throwing errors that lead to two unearned runs.

That’s B for Baseball—And a Billion

Major League Baseball initiates a four-year television deal with CBS and ESPN that will bring in a record-smashing $1.6 billion in revenue. The deal ends one era with the demise of NBC’s longstanding Game of the Week—CBS will continue with the Saturday affairs, but on a limited basis—and begins another with ESPN’s Sunday Night matchups, which continue to this day. The TV package will ultimately give CBS its second baseball-related headache, after its unsuccessful 1964-73 run as owner of the New York Yankees; the network loses so much cash on the deal that it ultimately asks MLB for some of it back—and will be denied.

Ryan and Rickey

Nolan Ryan, in his first year as a Texas Ranger, becomes the first major leaguer to strike out 5,000 batters in a career when he puts away Oakland’s Rickey Henderson on August 22 at Arlington Stadium. Ryan goes the distance and strikes out 13 on the night, but loses to the A’s, 2-0. Ryan will become an occasional thorn in Henderson’s ego; on the night the veteran speedster becomes the all-time stolen base king in 1991, his publicity thunder will be stolen by Ryan, who on the same night throws his seventh (and final) career no-hitter.

Black and White

Former St. Louis Cardinals standout Bill White becomes the highest-ranking African-American baseball executive when he is named National League president. Though the owners will deny it, his move may be a reaction to complaints that baseball is dragging its feet in hiring minorities to top positions, a complaint made very topical a few years earlier when Al Campanis made racially insensitive remarks on the ABC news program Nightline.

What Handicap?

Jim Abbott, born without a right hand, makes a strong impression as a rookie southpaw for the California Angels. The 21-year-old Michigan native will go 12-12 with a 3.92 earned run average in 29 starts, beginning a 10-year career that will include 18 wins in 1990 and a no-hitter in 1993.

Game of the Year

On August 23 at Montreal, the Dodgers defeat the Expos, 1-0, in a 22-inning affair that’s the second longest shutout in history and full of bizarre episodes. Among them: The ejection of the Expos’ mascot, Youppi, for needling Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda a bit too much; the nullification of an apparent game-winning Expos run off a 16th-inning sacrifice fly when Larry Walker is called out for leaving third too early; and the Dodgers’ lack of walks—none, in fact—for the longest such game without one by a team. Rick Dempsey, 39, scores the game’s only run with a solo home run off Dennis Martinez, plucked from the starting rotation for emergency relief.

Son of Game of the Year

Earlier on June 3, the Dodgers engage in another 22-inning epic at Houston that is an hour longer by time—seven hours and 14 minutes, the longest night game in NL history. The Dodgers’ roster is stretched so thin towards the end, pitcher Fernando Valenzuela is sent in to play first base for the final two innings. Orel Hershiser, on two days’ rest after his previous start, pitches seven innings of shutout relief; his replacement, third baseman Jeff Hamilton—the ninth Los Angeles pitcher on the night—tosses the final two innings and is charged with the loss when Rafael Ramirez singles home Bill Doran to give the Astros a 5-4 win.

Double Deion Duty

Deion Sanders, the flashy two-sport star using September to commute between the Yankees and football’s Atlanta Falcons, becomes the first person ever to hit a major league home run and score an NFL touchdown in the same week. Sanders will reach the bleachers at Seattle against the Mariners on September 5, and five days later will reach the end zone on a 68-yard punt return for the Falcons against the Los Angeles Rams. Although Sanders will become a highly respected, Hall-of-Fame defensive back on the gridiron, his baseball career will be largely erratic with occasional flashes of brilliance.

For Those Who May Have Showed Up Late…

The Reds set a major league record for hits in an inning when they wrap out 16 in the bottom of the first against the Astros on August 3. The offense barrage including three doubles and a home run, all of which leads to 14 runs. The Reds win 18-2 on 26 hits, with seven players collecting at least three hits each.

Nifty Fifty

Vince Coleman sets an all-time mark when he steals 50 consecutive bases without being caught. The streak begins on September 18, 1988 and ends July 28 at Montreal. For the year, Coleman steals 65 bases and is caught 10 times.

So Close, And Yet So Far

In a 2-0, 13-inning loss to the Reds at St. Louis on August 30, the Cardinals leave 16 men on base—the most ever by a team suffering a shutout. The Cardinals have runners in scoring position in six innings and twice leave the bases loaded. By comparison, the Reds leave only one man on base for the entire game. Starting St. Louis pitcher Jose DeLeon has an 11-inning, one-hit effort (with no walks) wasted.

Unassisted Victory

On June 25, the New York Mets become only the second team in modern big league history to record all of their outs unassisted in a 5-1 defeat of the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium. Thirteen of the 27 outs come courtesy of strikeouts from starting pitcher Sid Fernandez and reliever Rick Aguilera.

NEW BALLPARKS

Skydome, Toronto

The last of the multi-purpose stadiums, Skydome became an instant—if not expensive—jewel in the Toronto skyline, with a half-billion-dollar price tag over twice the original estimate; in 2000, it declared bankruptcy. Until then, Skydome is the place to be, catapulting the Blue Jays to the top of the team attendance charts with yearly totals of around four million from 1990-93. (That an exciting Blue Jays team wins back-to-back World Series in 1992-93 doesn’t hurt.) The facility is topped by a unique, massive and intimidating roof structure that contains four separate panels gyrating around one another into a closed position.

Skydome’s numerous amenities include a running track that encircles the stadium from the top of the upper deck; several eating establishments and bars, including McDonald’s and a Hard Rock Café; and a 348-room hotel located behind center field, with 70 rooms getting a glimpse of the action on the field—which on a few occasions has taken a backseat to the action in those hotel rooms, where couples have displayed conjugal relations in full view of the crowd. Skydome is the last new venue for big league baseball to open with artificial turf. Renamed Rogers Centre (after Rogers Communications, which bought the Blue Jays) in 2005.