2014 Major League Baseball season


The 2014 Major League Baseball season began on March 22 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The North American part of the season started on March 30 and ended on September 28.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game's 85th edition was held on July 14 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of the Minnesota Twins. The American League beat the National League 5–3. With the win, the AL champion earned home-field advantage during the World Series.
This year the Houston Astros hosted the Civil Rights Game on May 30 at Minute Maid Park. They played host to the Baltimore Orioles.
This was also the final season of Bud Selig as the Commissioner of Baseball. Selig served as the Executive Council Chairman from 1992 to 1998, acting as the commissioner, and then was appointed as the official commissioner in 1998. On August 14, 2014, the franchise owners selected Rob Manfred to become the new Commissioner, starting in 2015.

Standings

Division

Postseason

Bracket

Schedule

No significant changes were made to the 2014 schedule. As was the case in 2013, each team played 19 games against each division opponent for a total of 76 games, and six or seven games against each team from the other two divisions in its league for a total of 66 games. All teams played 20 interleague games, with the majority of match-ups following the divisional rotation in place since 2004. For 2014, the matchups were AL East vs. NL Central, AL Central vs. NL West, and AL West vs. NL East. Teams played four games against a designated "rival" in two back-to-back two-game series, one home and one away. Unlike in 2013, when all of these series were played during the same week, these rivalry series were spread from early May through mid-August. The table below shows the interleague rivals for the 2014 season.
AL EastNL EastAL CentralNL CentralAL WestNL West
Red SoxBravesWhite SoxCubsMarinersPadres
YankeesMetsIndiansRedsAngelsDodgers
Blue JaysPhilliesTigersPiratesAthleticsGiants
RaysMarlinsTwinsBrewersRangersRockies
OriolesNationalsRoyalsCardinalsAstrosDiamondbacks

Rule changes

On August 15, 2013, Major League Baseball announced that it would expand its video review process for the 2014 season, and MLB clubs unanimously approved the new rules on January 16, 2014. Managers were now able to challenge certain plays no more than twice per game, including force plays, fair or foul balls, and batters hit by a pitch, among others. If a manager exhausted his ability to challenge plays during the game and after the beginning of the seventh inning, the umpire crew chief could choose to invoke instant replay on any reviewable call. Calls that were challenged were reviewed by an umpiring crew at MLB headquarters in New York City, which made the final ruling.
On December 11, 2013, the Playing Rules Committee voted overwhelmingly to outlaw home-plate collisions between runners and catchers. On February 24, 2014, the new rule was put into effect as Rule 7.13 was released.

Managerial changes

General managers

In-season

Field managers

In-season

Off-season

At the end of the 2013 season, the following teams made replacements to their managers.
TeamFormer managerNew managerReason for leavingStory/Accomplishments
Seattle MarinersEric WedgeLloyd McClendonResignedWedge declined to return on September 27, 2013 as he missed part of the season with a partial stroke. He finished with a 213–273 record in three seasons. McClendon was announced as the new manager on November 5, 2013. McClendon previously managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001 to 2005 and compiled a 336–446 record.
Chicago CubsDale SveumRick RenteriaFiredSveum was fired by the Cubs after two seasons and a record of 127–197. Rentería was named manager on November 7, 2013 after being the bench coach for the San Diego Padres the last two seasons.
Washington NationalsDavey JohnsonMatt WilliamsRetiredJohnson announced on November 12, 2012 that the 2013 season would be his last. He finished with a record of 224–183 in his three seasons. Matt Williams was announced on October 31, 2013 as the new manager.
Cincinnati RedsDusty BakerBryan PriceFiredBaker was fired by the Reds after six seasons and a record of 509–463. Price served as the Reds pitching coach for four seasons.
Detroit TigersJim LeylandBrad AusmusResigned and RetiredLeyland resigned on October 21, 2013 and then retired the next day with a record of 700–597 with three division titles, one AL wild card and two AL pennants. Ausmus was announced as the next manager on November 3, 2013.

League leaders

American League

StatPlayerTotal
AVGJosé Altuve .341
HRNelson Cruz 40
RBIMike Trout 111
RMike Trout 115
HJosé Altuve 225
SBJosé Altuve 56

StatPlayerTotal
WCorey Kluber
Max Scherzer
Jered Weaver
18
LColby Lewis 14
ERAFélix Hernández 2.14
KDavid Price /271
IPDavid Price /248.1
SVFernando Rodney 48

National League

StatPlayerTotal
AVGJustin Morneau .319
HRGiancarlo Stanton 37
RBIAdrián González 119
RAnthony Rendon 111
HBen Revere
Denard Span
184
SBDee Gordon 64

StatPlayerTotal
WClayton Kershaw 21
LA. J. Burnett 18
ERAClayton Kershaw 1.77
KJohnny Cueto
Stephen Strasburg
242
IPJohnny Cueto 243.2
SVCraig Kimbrel 47

Milestones

Batters

No-hitters">List of Major League Baseball no-hitters">No-hitters

Regular season

Other awards

Player of the Month

MonthAmerican LeagueNational League
AprilJosé AbreuTroy Tulowitzki
MayEdwin EncarnaciónYasiel Puig
JuneMike TroutAndrew McCutchen
JulyJosé AbreuJayson Werth
AugustVíctor MartínezJosh Harrison
SeptemberMiguel CabreraMatt Kemp

Pitcher of the Month

MonthAmerican LeagueNational League
AprilSonny GrayJose Fernandez
MayMasahiro TanakaMadison Bumgarner
JuneFélix HernándezClayton Kershaw
JulySonny GrayClayton Kershaw
AugustMatt ShoemakerMadison Bumgarner
SeptemberCorey KluberAdam Wainwright

Rookie of the Month

MonthAmerican LeagueNational League
AprilJosé AbreuChris Owings
MayGeorge SpringerKolten Wong
JuneJosé AbreuBilly Hamilton
JulyJosé AbreuJacob deGrom
AugustMatt ShoemakerKyle Hendricks
SeptemberCollin McHughJacob deGrom

Uniforms

Wholesale changes

Anniversaries and special events

The following teams will wear commemorative patches for special occasions:
TeamSpecial occasion
Atlanta BravesTo commemorate the 40th anniversary of Hank Aaron's 715th home run
Remembrance of the life of longtime announcer Pete Van Wieren
Baltimore Orioles60th anniversary in Baltimore
Remembrance of the life of former part-owner Tom Clancy
Boston Red SoxTo commemorate their 2013 World Series championship
Chicago CubsWrigley Field's 100th anniversary
Chicago White SoxRemembrance of the life of David Reinsdorf, son of owner Jerry Reinsdorf
Los Angeles Angels of AnaheimRemembrance of the life of former shortstop and manager Jim Fregosi
Milwaukee BrewersRemembrance of the life of scouting director Bruce Seid
Minnesota TwinsHost city of the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
New York MetsRemembrance of the life of long time broadcaster Ralph Kiner
Remembrance of the life of former general manager Frank Cashen
Oakland Athletics25th Anniversary World Series champions reunion
Remembrance of the life of former pitcher Bob Welch
Philadelphia PhilliesRemembrance of the life of part-owner Claire Betz
Remembrance of the life of former manager Jim Fregosi
Pittsburgh PiratesRemembrance of the life of Hall-of-Fame OF Ralph Kiner
San Diego PadresRemembrance of the life of long time broadcaster Jerry Coleman
Remembrance of the life of Hall-of-Fame OF Tony Gwynn
Tampa Bay RaysRemembrance of the life of senior adviser Don Zimmer
All 30 teamsMay 11, Mother's Day – Breast cancer awareness
All 30 teamsJune 15, Father's Day – Prostate cancer awareness
All 30 teamsJuly 4 – patches with ALS and Lou Gehrig in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Gehrig's speech
All 30 teamsJuly 27–75th anniversary of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Cardinals and Cubs wore the patches July 26.

Throwbacks

In addition to ten Cubs throwback uniforms to mark the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field, selected teams wore throwbacks throughout the season:

National

United States

This was first year of the new eight-year TV contracts with ESPN, Fox Sports, and TBS. ESPN will air Sunday night games, some Monday Night games and Wednesday night games, while Fox Sports will air Saturday games and TBS will air Sunday games.
Contract provisions in ESPN's contract virtually eliminated local blackouts among the network's Monday and Wednesday night games, allowing ESPN coverage to co-exist with that of the local broadcasters in home markets. Sunday Night Baseball blackout rules will still apply.
Fox Sports' contract also covers Fox Sports 1, which began its first year of Major League Baseball coverage. Fox Sports 1 televised 40 regular-season games and possibly up to 15 playoff games. The increase in televised games from previous years is due to a provision in the contract that allows for Fox Sports 1 to take a game between two teams in which Fox operates the teams' individual RSNs and elevate it into a national broadcast. As a result, MLB regular season coverage on the Fox network was reduced to 12 weeks beginning in 2014.
In the post-season, TBS and ESPN aired two Wild Card Games. TBS, Fox Sports 1 and MLB Network aired the Division Series, while TBS aired the American League Championship Series. The Fox network and Fox Sports 1 aired the National League Championship Series, and the Fox network exclusively aired the All-Star Game and the World Series.

Canada

This is the first year of eight-year contracts for national broadcasts in Canada. Sportsnet, owned by Rogers Communications, continues to be the primary rightsholder, retaining rights to the All-Star Game, the Home Run Derby, and most postseason games. In total, Sportsnet's various channels will carry almost 300 MLB games per season until 2021. As part of the deal, Rogers Cable became the Canadian launch partner for MLB Network, which was not previously available in Canada, and did not secure carriage on any Canadian providers other than Rogers that year. Despite this, MLB Network's Division Series telecasts were kept exclusive to that channel in Canada as well.
Separately, TSN announced its own eight-year deal to expand its MLB coverage. Having carried ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball since 2010 under sublicense from Sportsnet, TSN and TSN2 will now carry all of ESPN's regular-season coverage, adding Monday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball, totalling over 75 games per year.
French-language rights, previously held exclusively by TSN's French-language sister channels RDS and RDS2, will now be split with TVA Sports, with each group airing approximately 70 games per season. RDS will continue to carry the All-Star Game and the World Series, but the remaining postseason rights will be split equally between RDS and TVA Sports.

Local

aired its 17th season of national coverage, including Sunday night games, Saturday games, Opening Day and holiday games, the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, and the entire postseason.

Local

The New York Yankees left WCBS, which was their radio home for 12 years, but the rights remained with CBS Radio's New York cluster, as they moved to WCBS's sister station WFAN with a new rights agreement, which allows an FM simulcast with WFAN-FM, which would mark the first time the Yankees are heard on FM radio in their hometown. The move to WFAN means that the New York Mets moved to WOR for the 2014 season, as they had been on WFAN since the station had adopted the all-sports format in 1987.
This will be the final year in which the Chicago Cubs will air on WGN. WGN has had some form of broadcast relationship with the Cubs since 1925 and has been the exclusive broadcaster of the team since 1958; for many years, the Cubs and WGN were both owned by Tribune Company. The spin-off of the Cubs to new ownership, combined with continued financial losses, the Cubs' persistent on-field futility and the pending end of the rival Chicago White Sox's contract with WSCR after the 2015 season, prompted Tribune to end its relationship with the Cubs. Cubs broadcasts will move to CBS Radio's WBBM for 2015 and, if the White Sox do not renew with WSCR, to WSCR for 2016 and beyond.

Retirements