1994 New York Yankees season

The 1994 New York Yankees season was the 92nd season for the Yankees. New York was managed by Buck Showalter and played at Yankee Stadium. The season was cut short by the 1994 player's strike, which wiped out any postseason aspirations for their first postseason appearance since losing the 1981 World Series and any postseason aspirations that their star player and captain, Don Mattingly, had for the first time in his career.^[1] On the day the strike began, the team had a record of 70–43, 6+1⁄2 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles, the best record in the American League and the second-best record in Major League Baseball.^[3] The Yankees were on pace to win at least 100 games for the first time since 1980.^[4] The Yankees' ace, 33-year-old veteran Jimmy Key, was leading the majors with 17 wins and was on pace to win 24 games.^[3] Right fielder Paul O'Neill was also having a career year, as he was leading the league with a .359 batting average.^[3]

1994 New York Yankees
League	American League
Division	East
Ballpark	Yankee Stadium
City	New York City
Owners	George Steinbrenner
General managers	Gene Michael
Managers	Buck Showalter
Television	WPIX (Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Murcer, Paul Olden, Suzyn Waldman[1][2]) MSG Network (Dewayne Staats, Tony Kubek, Al Trautwig)
Radio	WABC (AM) (Michael Kay, John Sterling)
← 1993 Seasons 1995 →

The strike is remembered bitterly by Yankees fans as it shook sports fans in New York City and the Yankees to the core,^[5][6] and has been named among the 10 worst moments in New York City sports history, primarily because Mattingly had not played in a postseason.^[7] It was also seen as the frustrating peak of the Yankees' downfall of the 1980s and early 1990s.^[5]

Many fans said that the strike and the lost Yankees season was another 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 the bad baseball at Shea Stadium during the late 1970s and early 1990s.^[5] 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.^[8][1]

Because the Yankees' last postseason appearance had been in a season cut short by a strike,^[9] the media often remarked on the parallels between the two Yankee teams (1981 and 1994), which included both teams having division leads taken away by strike.^[10][11] Throughout October, they continued to bombard the Yankees, making speculations about what might have been if there had not been a strike.^[12]

Offseason

• November 27, 1993: Andy Stankiewicz and Domingo Jean were traded by the Yankees to the Houston Astros for Xavier Hernandez.^[13]
• December 9, 1993: Spike Owen was traded by the Yankees with cash to the California Angels for Jose Musset (minors).^[14]
• December 20, 1993: Luis Polonia was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.^[15]
• December 22, 1993: Sam Horn was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.^[16]
• January 28, 1994: Bob Ojeda signed as a free agent by the Yankees.^[17]
• 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.^[18]
• February 15, 1994: Jeff Reardon was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.^[19]

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).^[20] 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.^[1] They did, however, tie the San Diego Padres for the most double plays grounded into, with 112.^[21]

The World Series, for which the Yankees appeared to be destined,^[22] was never played and contributed to fallouts both on and off the field. On the field, Buck Showalter did not have his contract renewed and Don Mattingly retired after the 1995 season.^[1] In addition, General Manager Gene Michael was fired as a result of the strike.^[23] Off the field, the Yankees broadcast team on MSG Network left due to the strike; play-by-play announcer Dewayne Staats didn't have his contract renewed and analyst Tony Kubek, himself a former Yankee, retired from broadcasting.^[24] Kubek cited "I hate what the game's become—the greed, the nastiness." He hasn't seen or broadcast a baseball game since.^[25]

The 1994 New York Yankees team that could have been remains a hot discussion point in both baseball and in New York City because of the team's revival and Mattingly had not played in a postseason.^[1][26][27] When reacting to the strike's cancellation of the season, the first words many people on the Yankees, including Owner George Steinbrenner, Michael, and Showalter all said was that they all felt bad for Mattingly, saying that he deserved a postseason.^[28][1] Mattingly led active players in both games played and at bats without ever appearing in the postseason.^[29]

Opening Day lineup

Game log

1994 Regular Season Game Log (70-43) (Home: 33-24; Road: 37-19)
April (15-8) (Home: 9-4; Road: 6-4) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report 1 April 4 Rangers 2 April 7 Rangers 3 April 8 Tigers 4 April 9 Tigers 5 April 10 Tigers 6 April 12 @ White Sox 7 April 13 @ White Sox 8 April 14 @ White Sox 9 April 15 @ Tigers 10 April 16 @ Tigers 11 April 17 @ Tigers 12 April 19 Mariners 13 April 20 Mariners 14 April 21 Mariners 15 April 22 Athletics 16 April 23 Athletics 17 April 24 Athletics 18 April 25 Angels 19 April 26 Angels 20 April 27 @ Mariners 21 April 28 @ Mariners 22 April 29 @ Athletics 23 April 30 @ Athletics
May (18-7) (Home: 12-2; Road: 6-5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report 24 May 1 @ Athletics 25 May 3 @ Angels 26 May 4 @ Angels 27 May 6 Red Sox 28 May 7 Red Sox 29 May 8 Red Sox 30 May 9 Indians 31 May 10 Indians 32 May 11 Indians 33 May 12 Indians 34 May 13 @ Brewers 35 May 14 @ Brewers 36 May 15 @ Brewers 37 May 17 @ Twins 38 May 18 @ Twins 39 May 20 Orioles 40 May 21 Orioles 41 May 22 Orioles 42 May 24 Blue Jays 43 May 25 Blue Jays 44 May 27 @ Royals 45 May 28 @ Royals 46 May 29 @ Royals 47 May 30 White Sox 48 May 31 White Sox
June (14-13) (Home: 4-6; Road: 10-7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report 49 June 1 White Sox 50 June 3 Royals 51 June 4 Royals 52 June 5 Royals 53 June 6 @ Rangers 54 June 7 @ Rangers 55 June 8 @ Rangers 56 June 9 @ Blue Jays 57 June 10 @ Blue Jays 58 June 11 @ Blue Jays 59 June 12 @ Blue Jays 60 June 13 @ Orioles 61 June 14 @ Orioles 62 June 15 @ Orioles 63 June 16 @ Orioles 64 June 17 Brewers 65 June 18 Brewers 66 June 19 Brewers 67 June 20 Twins 68 June 21 Twins 69 June 22 Twins 70 June 24 @ Indians 71 June 26 @ Indians 72 June 27 @ Red Sox 73 June 28 @ Red Sox 74 June 29 @ Red Sox 75 June 30 @ Red Sox
July (17-10) (Home: 7-9; Road: 10-1) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report 76 July 1 Mariners 77 July 2 Mariners 78 July 3 Mariners 79 July 4 Athletics 80 July 5 Athletics 81 July 6 Athletics 82 July 7 Angels 83 July 8 Angels 84 July 9 Angels 85 July 10 Angels All-Star Break: NL def. AL at Three Rivers Stadium, 8–7 (10) 86 July 14 @ Mariners 87 July 15 @ Mariners 88 July 16 @ Mariners 89 July 17 @ Mariners 90 July 18 @ Athletics 91 July 19 @ Athletics 92 July 20 @ Athletics 93 July 21 @ Angels 94 July 22 @ Angels 95 July 23 @ Angels 96 July 24 @ Angels 97 July 26 Red Sox 98 July 27 Red Sox 99 July 28 Red Sox 100 July 29 Indians 101 July 30 Indians 102 July 31 Indians
August (6-5) (Home: 1-3; Road: 5-2) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report 103 August 1 @ Brewers 104 August 2 @ Brewers 105 August 3 @ Brewers 106 August 4 @ Twins 107 August 5 @ Twins 108 August 6 @ Twins 109 August 7 @ Twins 110 August 8 Orioles 111 August 9 Orioles 112 August 10 Orioles 113 August 11 Blue Jays

Legend
Yankees win	Yankees loss	All-Star Game	Game postponed

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

AL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
New York Yankees	70	43	.619	—	33‍–‍24	37‍–‍19
Baltimore Orioles	63	49	.562	6½	28‍–‍27	35‍–‍22
Toronto Blue Jays	55	60	.478	16	33‍–‍26	22‍–‍34
Boston Red Sox	54	61	.470	17	31‍–‍33	23‍–‍28
Detroit Tigers	53	62	.461	18	34‍–‍24	19‍–‍38

• v
• t
• e

Division leaders

Team	W	L	Pct.
New York Yankees	70	43	.619
Chicago White Sox	67	46	.593
Texas Rangers	52	62	.456

• v
• t
• e

Wild Card team
(Top team qualifies for postseason)

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Cleveland Indians	66	47	.584	—
Baltimore Orioles	63	49	.562	2½
Kansas City Royals	64	51	.557	3
Toronto Blue Jays	55	60	.478	12
Boston Red Sox	54	61	.470	13
Minnesota Twins	53	60	.469	13
Detroit Tigers	53	62	.461	14
Milwaukee Brewers	53	62	.461	14
Oakland Athletics	51	63	.447	15½
Seattle Mariners	49	63	.438	16½
California Angels	47	68	.409	20

Record vs. opponents

1994 American League record Source: MLB Standings Grid – 1994 v t e
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	4–2	8–4	2–4	4–6	3–4	4–1	7–3	4–5	4–6	7–5	4–6	3–3	7–2
Boston	2–4	—	7–5	2–4	3–7	4–2	4–2	5–5	1–8	3–7	9–3	6–6	1–5	7–3
California	4–8	5–7	—	5–5	0–5	3–4	6–4	3–3	3–3	4–8	3–6	2–7	6–4	3–4
Chicago	4–2	4–2	5–5	—	7–5	8–4	3–7	9–3	2–4	4–2	6–3	9–1	4–5	2–3
Cleveland	6–4	7–3	5–0	5–7	—	8–2	1–4	5–2	9–3	0–9	6–0	3–2	5–7	6–4
Detroit	4–3	2–4	4–3	4–8	2–8	—	4–8	6–4	3–3	3–3	5–4	6–3	5–7	5–4
Kansas City	1–4	2–4	4–6	7–3	4–1	8–4	—	5–7	6–4	4–2	7–3	6–4	4–3	6–6
Milwaukee	3–7	5–5	3–3	3–9	2–5	4–6	7–5	—	6–6	2–7	4–1	4–2	3–3	7–3
Minnesota	5–4	8–1	3–3	4–2	3–9	3–3	4–6	6–6	—	4–5	2–5	3–3	4–5	4–8
New York	6–4	7–3	8–4	2–4	9–0	3–3	2–4	7–2	5–4	—	7–5	8–4	3–2	3–4
Oakland	5–7	3–9	6–3	3–6	0–6	4–5	3–7	1–4	5–2	5–7	—	4–3	7–3	5–1
Seattle	4–6	6–6	7–2	1–9	2–3	3–6	4–6	2–4	3–3	4–8	3–4	—	9–1	1–5
Texas	3–3	5–1	4–6	5–4	7–5	7–5	3–4	3–3	5–4	2–3	3–7	1–9	—	4–8
Toronto	2–7	3–7	4–3	3–2	4–6	4–5	6–6	3–7	8–4	4–3	1–5	5–1	8–4	—

Notable transactions

• March 21, 1994: Paul Assenmacher was traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for Brian Boehringer.^[30]
• March 29, 1994: Kevin Maas was released by the Yankees.^[31]
• May 1, 1994: Kevin Elster was signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees.^[32]
• May 5, 1994: Bob Ojeda was released by the New York Yankees.^[17]
• May 6, 1994: Jeff Reardon was released by the New York Yankees.^[19]
• June 23, 1994: Sam Horn was released by the New York Yankees.^[16]
• July 3, 1994: Greg A. Harris was signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees.^[33]
• July 13, 1994: Greg A. Harris was released by the New York Yankees.^[33]

Roster

1994 New York Yankees
Roster
Pitchers 25 Jim Abbott 54 Joe Ausanio 35 Paul Gibson 34 Greg Harris 31 Xavier Hernandez 41 Sterling Hitchcock 57 Steve Howe 52 Mark Hutton 28 Scott Kamieniecki 22 Jimmy Key 46 Terry Mulholland 34 Rob Murphy 19 Bob Ojeda 39 Donn Pall 33 Mélido Pérez 54 Jeff Reardon 27 Bob Wickman		Catchers 13 Jim Leyritz 43 Bob Melvin 38 Matt Nokes 20 Mike Stanley Infielders 12 Wade Boggs 24 Russ Davis 50 Robert Eenhoorn 19 Kevin Elster  2 Mike Gallego 14 Pat Kelly 23 Don Mattingly 47 Dave Silvestri 18 Randy Velarde		Outfielders 26 Daryl Boston 21 Paul O'Neill 17 Luis Polonia 45 Danny Tartabull 51 Bernie Williams 29 Gerald Williams		Manager 11 Buck Showalter Coaches  6 Clete Boyer 55 Brian Butterfield (First Base) 40 Tony Cloninger 36 Billy Connors 48 Rick Down 30 Willie Randolph (Third Base) 53 Glenn Sherlock (Bullpen Catcher)

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

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

Pos	Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Mike Stanley	82	290	54	87	.300	17	57
1B	Don Mattingly	97	372	62	113	.304	6	51
2B	Pat Kelly	93	286	35	80	.280	3	41
SS	Mike Gallego	89	306	39	73	.239	6	41
3B	Wade Boggs	97	366	61	125	.342	11	55
LF	Luis Polonia	95	350	62	109	.311	1	36
CF	Bernie Williams	108	408	80	118	.289	12	57
RF	Paul O'Neill	103	368	68	132	.359	21	83
DH	Danny Tartabull	104	399	68	102	.256	19	67

^[34]

Other batters

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

Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Randy Velarde	77	280	47	78	.279	9	34
Jim Leyritz	75	249	47	66	.265	17	58
Gerald Williams	57	86	19	25	.291	4	13
Matt Nokes	28	79	11	23	.291	7	19
Daryl Boston	52	77	11	14	.182	4	14
Kevin Elster	7	20	0	0	.000	0	0
Dave Silvestri	12	18	3	2	.111	1	2
Russ Davis	4	14	0	2	.143	0	1
Bob Melvin	9	14	2	4	.286	1	3
Robert Eenhoorn	3	4	1	2	.500	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Jimmy Key	25	168.0	17	4	3.27	97
Jim Abbott	24	160.1	9	8	4.55	90
Mélido Pérez	22	151.1	9	4	4.10	109
Terry Mulholland	24	120.2	6	7	6.49	72
Scott Kamieniecki	22	117.1	8	6	3.76	71
Bob Ojeda	2	3.0	0	0	24.00	3

Other pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Sterling Hitchcock	23	49.1	4	1	4.20	37

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Steve Howe	40	3	0	15	1.80	18
Bob Wickman	53	5	4	6	3.09	56
Xavier Hernandez	31	4	4	6	5.85	37
Paul Gibson	30	1	1	0	4.97	21
Donn Pall	26	1	2	0	3.60	21
Joe Ausanio	13	2	1	0	5.17	15
Jeff Reardon	11	1	0	2	8.38	4
Greg A. Harris	3	0	1	0	5.40	4
Rob Murphy	3	0	0	0	16.20	0
Mark Hutton	2	0	0	0	4.91	1

Awards and honors

• Buck Showalter – American League Manager of the Year, 1995 American League All Star Manager (In honor of best record in American League in 1994)
• Paul O'Neill – American League Batting Champion (.359)

All-Star Game

• Paul O'Neill, reserve
• Wade Boggs, third base
• Jimmy Key, pitcher

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Columbus Clippers	International League	Stump Merrill
AA	Albany-Colonie Yankees	Eastern League	Bill Evers
A	Tampa Yankees	Florida State League	Jake Gibbs
A	Greensboro Bats	South Atlantic League	Trey Hillman
A-Short Season	Oneonta Yankees	New York–Penn League	Ken Dominguez
Rookie	GCL Yankees	Gulf Coast League	Héctor López

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Tampa^[35]