The 1994 World Series was canceled on September 14, 1994, owing to a strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association that had began on August 12. The Fall Classic was not played for only the second time in its existence (and the first time since 1904). It had been scheduled to begin on October 3 with Game 1 of the series between the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates. However, due to the cancellation, Games 1 through 5 were never completed.
The players went on strike after negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement broke down. They were unhappy with their share of revenue from baseball's television contract with Fox and were seeking a larger percentage. The owners countered with a proposal to reduce the players' share of income from 42% to 37%. No agreement was reached before or during the season and therefore no games could be played.
The cancellation resulted in $280 million being lost for both teams. The loss amounted to about 20% of each team's annual revenue. Both MLB and the MLBPA issued statements regarding the cancellation of the Series. Commissioner Bud Selig said: "This is a sad day for all of baseball. A day will come when we will look back on this as a classic series." Players Association executive director Michael Weiner said: "We believe this is a fair settlement and hope so too does Major League Baseball."
1994 World Series The 1994 World Series would have been the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1994 season, but it was canceled on September 14 of that year owing to an August 12 strike by the MLB Players Association. The labor dispute prevented the opening of baseball games for five weeks, and so the season lasted only 86 games instead of its usual 154. The cancellation also caused the 1994 All-Star Game to be played without fans watching it live or on television.
The cancellation was the result of a labor dispute between the players' union and the league. At the time of the cancellation, there were two remaining scheduled games of the season: the Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers. The last game was started by starting pitcher Greg Maddux of the Cubs, who had a record of 5-1 with a 1.80 earned run average (ERA). Maddux went eight innings while giving up just three hits and one unearned run. He received a no-decision due to a late exit from Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves.
In the ninth inning of that game, Maddux gave up a single to Mark Lemke and a double to Jeff King that scored both runners. After a brief conference between their managers, Joe Girardi called upon closer Kevin Appier to save the day.
The contemporary World Series, sometimes known as the "Fall Classic," has been played every year since 1903, with two exceptions: in 1904, when the NL champion New York Giants refused to play the AL champion Boston Americans, and in 1994, when the series was canceled due to a player strike. The National League won each of these games by shutout scores.
Before then, the World Series wasn't held annually; instead, it was played in October (1871), November (1872), December (1873), January (1874) and September (1875).
There were also no World Series in 1882 or 1886. In 1881, Charles Byrne's record-setting Louisville Grays beat John Montgomery's Chicago Pirates four games to one for their first championship. But because there was no National League the next year, Judge Lucius Fairchild's Boston Red Caps had to play in an open league against all comers. They finished second behind the Philadelphia Athletics - who had beaten them in five games - and so didn't get to play in any more postseason tournaments.
In 1886, a new National League was formed after the American Association folded. It started its season on April 16th and ended on August 14th, with eight teams playing each other in a single-elimination format. The Pittsburgh Stogies defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the final game to win their first championship.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
