Today marked the 20th anniversary of one of the most infamous days in baseball history. The Strike. That's all that needs to be said. Suddenly, the 1994 season was over, a month and half early. The 1994 World Series did not exist. Baseball would never be the same. (I'll never forget that day. Because, in a freaky coincidence, August 12, 1994 was also the first time I visited the Hall of Fame.)
We all know what happened as a result of The Strike. The fans eventually came back thanks to the Great Home Run Chase of 1998, which has since been tainted because that was the height of the Steroid Era, another direct effect of Baseball's fifth work stoppage in 20 years. It's also because of The Strike that we have interleague play, which has been a resounding success. And, of course, the most lasting impact was the slow death of the Montreal Expos franchise. Who knows what would've happened if the Expos had been able to complete that magical season?
Well, I decided to have a little fun and draw up how the rest of the 1994 season might've played out. Thanks to Retrosheet, I was able to find the original schedule for all 28 teams (the Diamondbacks and Rays didn't exist yet), including all of the games that were cancelled on August 12 and beyond.
Some of the pennant race highlights that we were deprived of could've included the Rangers and A's fighting to both win the AL West and finish the season above .500. The AL Central was a great three-way race between the White Sox, Indians and Royals, with the Orioles joining in the fight for the first-ever wild card. And, of course, the Yankees were in first place, putting Don Mattingly on pace for the first playoff appearance of his career (which would come in 1995).
The Braves had their run of division titles from 1991-2006, but had the 1994 season played out, that streak wouldn't have reached 15. Because Montreal was going to win the NL East. And the NL Central would've been an incredible race between Cincinnati and Houston, with a team that was on pace for 90 wins likely missing out on the playoffs. (And I'm not even including any of the individual records that were in jeopardy, such as Tony Gwynn's pursuit of .400 and Matt Williams chasing the home run record, which was still 61.)
So, with all that as the backdrop, may I present the final standings for the 162-game 1994 season (actual 1994 final record in parentheses):
AL East: Yankees (70-43) 94-68; Orioles (63-49) 87-75; Blue Jays (55-60) 79-83; Red Sox (54-61) 76-86; Tigers (53-62) 76-86
AL Central: White Sox (67-46) 95-67; *Indians (66-47) 88-74; Royals (64-51) 86-76; Brewers (53-62) 75-87; Twins (53-60) 74-88
AL West: Rangers (52-62) 83-79; Athletics (51-63) 82-80; Mariners (49-63) 70-92; Angels (47-68) 69-93
NL East: Expos (74-40) 102-60; Braves (68-46) 92-70; Mets (55-58) 75-87; Phillies (54-61) 73-89; Marlins (51-64) 68-94
NL Central: Reds (66-48) 95-67; *Astros (66-49) 94-68; Cardinals (53-61) 80-82; Pirates (53-61) 74-88; Cubs (49-64) 69-93
NL West: Dodgers (58-56) 88-74; Giants (55-60) 81-81; Rockies (53-64) 75-87; Padres (47-70) 68-94
Our matchups for the inaugural Division Series would then be:
AL-White Sox vs. Rangers; Yankees vs. Indians
NL-Expos vs. Astros; Reds vs. Dodgers
With those AL pairings, I'd have White Sox in three and Yankees in four. Over in the NL, Expos-Astros would be a great series, but Montreal ultimately would prevail in five. In the other series, that very unheralded 1994 Cincinnati Reds team would knock off the Dodgers in four games to set up a great NLCS matchup against the Expos.
In the ALCS, that 1994 Yankees squad that seemed like it was a team of destiny would've needed six games, but Jim Abbott shuts down that vaunted White Sox lineup with a three-hit shutout in the Game 6 clincher at Comiskey.
Meanwhile, the NLCS would pit perhaps the two best teams in baseball against each other, as the Expos take on the Reds. Olympic Stadium is rocking for a Game 7 showdown, but, alas, there won't be three straight World Series in Canada. NLCS MVP Barry Larkin goes yard and Roberto Kelly drives in three, as Cincinnati advances to the World Series with a 5-2 victory.
This 1994 World Series is the Yankees' first in 13 seasons, while the Reds are looking for their second title in five years after their unexpected championship in 1990. It's also the rubber match between these two. The Yankees won in 1961, while the Reds swept the 1976 Fall Classic.
Game 1 (Cincinnati): Yankees 4, Reds 1
The Yankees draw first blood, as Jimmy Key is brilliant on the mound, giving up only a Reggie Sanders home run, and Cincinnati native Paul O'Neill, the AL batting champion and a former Red, breaks a 1-1 tie with an RBI double in the sixth.
Game 2 (Cincinnati): Reds 5, Yankees 3
Cincinnati pulls even thanks to Larkin and Hal Morris, who each have a pair of hits off Yankees starter Melido Perez. The Reds trailed 3-1 after four, but Morris tied the game with a two-run single in the sixth. Bret Boone (Aaron F*'s brother) then broke the tie with a solo home run in the seventh, and Cincinnati added one in the eight to go back to New York tied.
Game 3 (New York): Yankees 2, Reds 0
In the pivotal Game 3, it's a pitcher's duel between Jose Rijo and Jim Abbott. The game is scoreless into the seventh, when Wade Boggs draws a leadoff walk and Danny Tartabull, no doubt with help from George Costanza, crushes a two-run homer to account for the only runs in the Yankees' 2-0 victory.
Game 4 (New York): Reds 9, Yankees 3
Yankees starter Scott Kamienicki is roughed up to the tune of six runs in 2.1 innings. A pair of former Yankees (Roberto Kelly and Deion Sanders) go long in the rout, while Larkin drives in three. Mattingly homers in the bottom of the ninth for the Yankees.
Game 5 (New York): Yankees 5, Reds 2
Jimmy Key got the better of John Smiley in Game 1, and that was the case again in Game 5. The Yankees get to Smiley early, as the first inning goes Luis Polonia single, Wade Boggs walk, Bernie Williams RBI single, Don Mattingly walk, Danny Tartabull sac fly, Paul O'Neill two-run double. Staked to a 4-0 lead after one inning, Key cruises, earning his second win of the series and pushing the Yankees to the brink of a championship.
Game 6 (Cincinnati): Yankees 8, Reds 6
The clincher is a back-and-forth affair. The Yankees take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Cincinnati responds with a three-spot in the bottom of the second. After the Yankees tie it in the top of the third, the Reds strike right back on a Barry Larkin home run. It's 6-4 Yankees after Danny Tartabull's pinch-hit three run homer in the top of the seventh. Cincinnati ties it again before the Yankees' series-winning rally in the eighth. Fittingly, it's Mattingly who scores the winning run (coming around on a Mike Stanley single), and Stanley later adds an insurance tally on a base hit by Mike Gallego. Mattingly gets to make the last putout, as closer Steve Howe ends it by getting Hal Morris on a grounder to second.
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