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The 2003 Major League Baseball season ended when the Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in a six-game World Series. The Detroit Tigers set the American League record for losses in a season, with 119, and the Marlins became the first team to win the championship twice as a wild card.
| 2003 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 30 – October 25, 2003 |
| Number of games | 162 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox, ESPN |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Delmon Young |
| Picked by | Tampa Bay Devil Rays |
| Regular Season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Alex Rodriguez (TEX) NL: Barry Bonds (SF) |
| Postseason | |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
| NL champions | Florida Marlins |
| NL runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Florida Marlins |
| Runners-up | New York Yankees |
| World Series MVP | Josh Beckett (FLA) |
American League
National League
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Bob Brenly | |
| Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | |
| Chicago Cubs | Dusty Baker | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Bob Boone | Replaced during the season by Dave Miley |
| Colorado Rockies | Clint Hurdle | |
| Florida Marlins | Jeff Torborg | Replaced during the season by Jack McKeon, won World Series |
| Houston Astros | Jimy Williams | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Jim Tracy | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Ned Yost | |
| Montreal Expos | Frank Robinson | |
| New York Mets | Art Howe | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Larry Bowa | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Lloyd McClendon | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | |
| San Diego Padres | Bruce Bochy | |
| San Francisco Giants | Felipe Alou |
±hosted the MLB All Star Game
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) New York Yankees | 101 | 61 | .623 | — | 50–32 | 51–29 |
| (4) Boston Red Sox | 95 | 67 | .586 | 6 | 53–28 | 42–39 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 86 | 76 | .531 | 15 | 41–40 | 45–36 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 71 | 91 | .438 | 30 | 40–40 | 31–51 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 63 | 99 | .389 | 38 | 36–45 | 27–54 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) Minnesota Twins | 90 | 72 | .556 | — | 48–33 | 42–39 |
| Chicago White Sox | 86 | 76 | .531 | 4 | 51–30 | 35–46 |
| Kansas City Royals | 83 | 79 | .512 | 7 | 40–40 | 43–39 |
| Cleveland Indians | 68 | 94 | .420 | 22 | 38–43 | 30–51 |
| Detroit Tigers | 43 | 119 | .265 | 47 | 23–58 | 20–61 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Oakland Athletics | 96 | 66 | .593 | — | 57–24 | 39–42 |
| Seattle Mariners | 93 | 69 | .574 | 3 | 50–31 | 43–38 |
| Anaheim Angels | 77 | 85 | .475 | 19 | 45–37 | 32–48 |
| Texas Rangers | 71 | 91 | .438 | 25 | 43–38 | 28–53 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Atlanta Braves | 101 | 61 | .623 | — | 55–26 | 46–35 |
| (4) Florida Marlins | 91 | 71 | .562 | 10 | 53–28 | 38–43 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 86 | 76 | .531 | 15 | 49–32 | 37–44 |
| Montreal Expos | 83 | 79 | .512 | 18 | 52–29 | 31–50 |
| New York Mets | 66 | 95 | .410 | 34½ | 34–46 | 32–49 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) Chicago Cubs | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 44–37 | 44–37 |
| Houston Astros | 87 | 75 | .537 | 1 | 48–33 | 39–42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3 | 48–33 | 37–44 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 75 | 87 | .463 | 13 | 39–42 | 36–45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 69 | 93 | .426 | 19 | 35–46 | 34–47 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 68 | 94 | .420 | 20 | 31–50 | 37–44 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) San Francisco Giants | 100 | 61 | .621 | — | 57–24 | 43–37 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 85 | 77 | .525 | 15½ | 46–35 | 39–42 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 84 | 78 | .519 | 16½ | 45–36 | 39–42 |
| Colorado Rockies | 74 | 88 | .457 | 26½ | 49–32 | 25–56 |
| San Diego Padres | 64 | 98 | .395 | 36½ | 35–46 | 29–52 |
Bracket
| Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | World Series | ||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Yankees | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Minnesota | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Yankees | 4 | ||||||||||||
| American League | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Boston | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Oakland | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Boston | 3 | ||||||||||||
| AL1 | NY Yankees | 2 | ||||||||||||
| NL4 | Florida | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Chicago Cubs | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Chicago Cubs | 3 | ||||||||||||
| National League | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Florida | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | San Francisco | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Florida | 3 | ||||||||||||
Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVG | Bill Mueller BOS | .326 | Albert Pujols STL | .359 |
| HR | Alex Rodriguez TEX | 47 | Jim Thome PHI | 47 |
| RBI | Carlos Delgado TOR | 145 | Preston Wilson COL | 141 |
| Wins | Roy Halladay TOR | 22 | Russ Ortiz ATL | 21 |
| ERA | Pedro Martínez BOS | 2.22 | Jason Schmidt SF | 2.34 |
| SO | Esteban Loaiza CWS | 207 | Kerry Wood CHC | 266 |
| SV | Keith Foulke OAK | 43 | Éric Gagné LA | 55 |
| SB | Carl Crawford TB | 55 | Juan Pierre FLA | 65 |
Other awards
- Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: David Ortiz (BOS)
- Hank Aaron Award: Alex Rodriguez (TEX), American); Albert Pujols (STL), National).
- Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Jamie Moyer (SEA).
- Rolaids Relief Man Award: Keith Foulke (OAK, American); Éric Gagné (LAD, National).
- Warren Spahn Award (Best left-handed pitcher): Andy Pettitte (NYY)
Player of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Alfonso Soriano | Todd Helton |
| May | Edgar Martínez | Albert Pujols |
| June | Jason Giambi | Albert Pujols |
| July | Magglio Ordóñez | Barry Bonds |
| August | Alex Rodriguez | Vladimir Guerrero |
| September | Alfonso Soriano | Jim Thome |
Pitcher of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Esteban Loaiza | Shawn Chacón |
| May | Roy Halladay | Kevin Brown |
| June | Freddy García | Dontrelle Willis |
| July | José Lima | Liván Hernández |
| August | Johan Santana | Mark Prior |
| September | Roy Halladay | Mark Prior |
Rookie of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Rocco Baldelli | Hee-seop Choi |
| May | Rocco Baldelli | Xavier Nady |
| June | Hideki Matsui | Dontrelle Willis |
| July | Ángel Berroa | Miguel Cabrera |
| August | Rafael Soriano | Scott Podsednik |
| September | Reed Johnson | Miguel Cabrera |
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees[1] | 101 | −1.9% | 3,465,600 | 0.0% | 42,263 | $152,749,814 | 21.3% |
| Seattle Mariners[2] | 93 | 0.0% | 3,268,509 | −7.7% | 40,352 | $86,959,167 | 8.3% |
| San Francisco Giants[3] | 100 | 5.3% | 3,264,898 | 0.4% | 40,307 | $82,852,167 | 5.8% |
| Los Angeles Dodgers[4] | 85 | −7.6% | 3,138,626 | 0.2% | 38,748 | $105,872,620 | 11.6% |
| Anaheim Angels[5] | 77 | −22.2% | 3,061,094 | 32.8% | 37,330 | $79,031,667 | 28.0% |
| Chicago Cubs[6] | 88 | 31.3% | 2,962,630 | 10.0% | 36,576 | $79,868,333 | 5.5% |
| St. Louis Cardinals[7] | 85 | −12.4% | 2,910,386 | −3.4% | 35,931 | $83,786,666 | 12.2% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks[8] | 84 | −14.3% | 2,805,542 | −12.3% | 34,636 | $80,657,000 | −21.6% |
| Boston Red Sox[9] | 95 | 2.2% | 2,724,165 | 2.8% | 33,632 | $99,946,500 | −7.8% |
| Baltimore Orioles[10] | 71 | 6.0% | 2,454,523 | −8.5% | 30,303 | $73,877,500 | 14.6% |
| Houston Astros[11] | 87 | 3.6% | 2,454,241 | −2.5% | 30,299 | $71,040,000 | 12.0% |
| Atlanta Braves[12] | 101 | 0.0% | 2,401,084 | −7.8% | 29,643 | $106,243,667 | 13.7% |
| Cincinnati Reds[13] | 69 | −11.5% | 2,355,259 | 26.9% | 29,077 | $59,355,667 | 31.8% |
| Colorado Rockies[14] | 74 | 1.4% | 2,334,085 | −14.7% | 28,816 | $67,179,667 | 18.2% |
| Philadelphia Phillies[15] | 86 | 7.5% | 2,259,948 | 39.6% | 27,901 | $70,780,000 | 22.1% |
| Oakland Athletics[16] | 96 | −6.8% | 2,216,596 | 2.2% | 27,365 | $50,260,834 | 25.6% |
| New York Mets[17] | 66 | −12.0% | 2,140,599 | −23.7% | 26,757 | $117,176,429 | 23.8% |
| Texas Rangers[18] | 71 | −1.4% | 2,094,394 | −11.0% | 25,857 | $103,491,667 | −2.1% |
| San Diego Padres[19] | 64 | −3.0% | 2,030,084 | −8.6% | 25,063 | $45,210,000 | 9.1% |
| Minnesota Twins[20] | 90 | −4.3% | 1,946,011 | 1.1% | 24,025 | $55,505,000 | 37.3% |
| Chicago White Sox[21] | 86 | 6.2% | 1,939,524 | 15.7% | 23,945 | $51,010,000 | −10.6% |
| Toronto Blue Jays[22] | 86 | 10.3% | 1,799,458 | 9.9% | 22,216 | $51,269,000 | −33.3% |
| Kansas City Royals[23] | 83 | 33.9% | 1,779,895 | 34.5% | 22,249 | $40,518,000 | −14.3% |
| Cleveland Indians[24] | 68 | −8.1% | 1,730,002 | −33.9% | 21,358 | $48,584,834 | −38.4% |
| Milwaukee Brewers[25] | 68 | 21.4% | 1,700,354 | −13.7% | 20,992 | $40,627,000 | −19.2% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[26] | 75 | 4.2% | 1,636,751 | −8.3% | 20,207 | $54,812,429 | 29.5% |
| Detroit Tigers[27] | 43 | −21.8% | 1,368,245 | −9.0% | 16,892 | $49,168,000 | −10.7% |
| Florida Marlins[28] | 91 | 15.2% | 1,303,215 | 60.3% | 16,089 | $49,450,000 | 17.8% |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays[29] | 63 | 14.5% | 1,058,695 | −0.7% | 13,070 | $19,630,000 | −42.9% |
| Montreal Expos[30] | 83 | 0.0% | 1,025,639 | 26.3% | 12,662 | $51,948,500 | 34.3% |
This was the third season that national TV coverage was split between ESPN and Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected weeknight and Sunday night games, and selected Division Series playoff games. Fox televised Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games, both League Championship Series, and the World Series.
- April 2 – The Detroit Tigers become the first team to have four pitchers make their Major League debut in the same game. Jeremy Bonderman, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling and Matt Roney all played in the 8–1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.[31]
- May 23 – During the Atlanta Braves 15–3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, Braves players Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa and Gary Sheffield hit consecutive home runs to start the game.[32]
- June 23 – Barry Bonds steals his 500th career base, becoming the only member of baseball's 500 home run/500 stolen base club
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