Wisdom of the Game
“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”
Yogi Berra
Famous for his "birdy" home run trot, this slugger broke out with Toronto after earlier time in Cincinnati, and then later played briefly for the White Sox.
Edwin Encarnacion
Famously 1994 is called 'The Year Without a World Series,' being the first year that America went without the beloved Fall Classic since this year.
1904
American League, 2009
.365
Joe Mauer
With over 100 ABs against King Felix, this superstar hit 8 homers and slugged for almost .550 over the course of their matchups.
Mike Trout
"Let's play two."
Ernie Banks
This pitcher's career never really made it out from down under, though he did fit the category; playing for the Red Sox, White Sox, and Blue Jays over his 14 year career.
Liam Hendriks
One of the greatest offensive campaigns of the modern era came in 1994 when Tony Gwynn posted this batting average in...AUGUST...?
.394
American League, 2004
.372
Ichiro
Despite their close friendship, Big Papi got the last laugh on the diamond against this other Dominican-born fan favorite, slugging over .600 with 6 homers in 74 at-bat's in their career.
Bartolo Colon
“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”
Babe Ruth
Well, well, well, you play in this league for 21 years and you're bound to get around a little bit. This lefty led the league in Wins, WHIP, Innings Pitched, and Games Started, several times while with the Blue Jays. But did you know he spent one year in Boston and one year in Chicago as well?
David Wells
When the strike officially started on August 12th, 1994, this player was well on pace to beat Roger Maris' single-season home run record, having 43 bombs to his name on strike day.
Matt Williams
National League, 1959
.355
Hank Aaron
This well-rounded batsman for the Giants hijacked the Ryan Express regularly; hitting over .300 career against Nolan, while torching him in the 1989 NLCS. His career slugging verses the flamethrower from Texas is nearly .600.
Will Clark
“Good pitching will always stop good hitting and vice versa.”
Casey Stengel
This Venezuelan-born catcher suited up for the Reds, the White Sox, and the Blue Jays over a 13 year career, officially taking off the chest protector in 2016.
Dioner Navarro
This team was on pace to finish with the best record before the strike-shortened season, going 74-40 through 114 games.
Montreal Expos
National League, 1911
.334
Honus Wagner
Not many people can say they did what this man did to Clayton Kershaw over the years. With 11 homers in 80 at-bats, he's slugging over .800 against Clayton in a career that lasted from 2005 to 2021.
Ryan Zimmerman
“The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three-run homers.”
Earl Weaver
This catcher has only been in the league since 2018 and has already played for the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and White Sox, though he has yet to play more than 90 games in a season...
Reese McGuire
Several MLB strikes took place before the famous 1994 season-ending strike, though they almost always lasted only a day or two. The last time too many games were lost to be able to make up, was in the middle of this year.
1981
American League, 1979
.333
Fred Lynn
Look, Pujols torched everybody, but this poor closer had it particularly bad. In just 5 career matchups, Pujols hit 4 extra base hits against him--2 for homers--slugging a whopping 1.600 against this World Series champ.
Brad Lidge