San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bondswins the National League Most Valuable Player  for a record seventh time

San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bondswins the National League Most Valuable Player  for a record seventh time

ByThis Day in Baseball

San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who is the only player to be the National League Most Valuable Player more than three times, is named by the Baseball Writers Association of America for a record seventh time, including an unprecedented fourth consecutive season. Bonds finished 2004 with a .362 batting average, 45 home runs and 101 RBI. Winning the honor at the age of 40, Bonds surpasses Willie Stargell (39) as the oldest player to win the award.

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Johan Santana (20-6, 265, 2.61), winning the American League top pitching honor with 28 first-place votes, becomes the 18th unanimous Cy Young winner selected by the BBWAA. The 25 year-old Venezuelan southpaw joins Jim Perry (1970) and Frank Viola (1988) as the only Twin hurlers to earn the award.

ByThis Day in Baseball

Johan Santana (20-6, 265, 2.61), winning the American League top pitching honor with 28 first-place votes, becomes the 18th unanimous Cy Young winner selected by the BBWAA. The 25 year-old Venezuelan southpaw joins Jim Perry (1970) and Frank Viola (1988) as the only Twin hurlers to earn the award.

After piloting the third-place Rangers (89-73) to an 18 game improvement from the previous season, Buck Showalter wins his second American League Manager of the Year Award. The former Yankee manager also copped the honor in 1994, piloting the Bronx Bombers in the strike-shorten season.

ByBaseball

After piloting the third-place Rangers (89-73) to an 18 game improvement from the previous season, Buck Showalter wins his second American League Manager of the Year Award. The former Yankee manager also copped the honor in 1994, piloting the Bronx Bombers in the strike-shorten season.

9 Players are inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame including Wade Boggs and Dennis Eckersley
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9 Players are inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame including Wade Boggs and Dennis Eckersley

ByThis Day in Baseball

Bill Carrigan, skipper of the 1915-16 World Series champion teams, infielders Billy Goodman (1947-57) and Pete Runnels (1958-62), southpaw Bruce Hurst (1980-88), Pawtucket Red Sox owner Ben Mondor, and former GM Haywood Sullivan are inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. Also enshrined for their contributions to the team are Cooperstown Hall of Famers Wade Boggs (1982-92), Jimmy Collins (1901-07), and right-hander Dennis Eckersley (1978-84).

The BBWAA selects Bobby Cox as the National League Manager of the Year. Although the team lost Greg Maddux, Gary Sheffield, Javy López and Vinny Castilla to free agency, the Atlanta Braves, with a 96-58 record under Cox, still captured their 13th straight, and unexpected, NL East division flag.

ByThis Day in Baseball

The BBWAA selects Bobby Cox as the National League Manager of the Year. Although the team lost Greg Maddux, Gary Sheffield, Javy López and Vinny Castilla to free agency, the Atlanta Braves, with a 96-58 record under Cox, still captured their 13th straight, and unexpected, NL East division flag.

Buck Showalter wins his second American League Manager of the Year Award, after piloting the Rangers to an 89-73 record – an 18-game improvement from the previous season. He also copped the honor in 1994, managing the Yankees.

ByBaseball

Buck Showalter wins his second American League Manager of the Year Award, after piloting the Rangers to an 89-73 record – an 18-game improvement from the previous season. He also copped the honor in 1994, managing the Yankees.

Steve Stone is replaced by Bob Brenly after making harsh remarks about Dusty Baker

ByTom

“You want the truth. You can’t handle the truth. The truth of this situation is an extremely talented bunch of guys who want to look at all directions except where they should really look and kind of make excuses for what happened. At the end of the day, boys, don’t tell me how rough the water is, you bring in the ship.” – STEVE STONE, Cubs veteran broadcaster criticizing the team for making excuses during an October interview on WGN radio.The Cubs, hoping to fill the void created by Steve Stone’s resignation, hire former Diamondback manager and current Fox television analyst Bob Brenly to broadcast games on WGN. After spending twenty years in the broadcast booth, Stone left Chicago after his on-air comments concerning the team’s swoon in the wild-card race angered manager Dusty Baker and some of the players.

Roger Clemens becomes the oldest pitcher to win the Cy Young Award

Roger Clemens becomes the oldest pitcher to win the Cy Young Award

ByThis Day in Baseball

Roger Clemens (18-4, 218, 2.98), after coming out of retirement to pitch for his hometown team, becomes the oldest hurler to win the Cy Young Award. The 42 year-old ‘Rocket’ has received the honor a record seven times and becomes the first to win the award with four different teams: Red Sox (1986-87, 1991), Blue Jays (1997-98), Yankees (2001), and the Astros (2004).

Joining Seattle Mariners new manager, Mike Hargrove, Don Baylor is named the team’s batting coach, replacing Paul Molitor. The former major league manager became available after the Mets announced a new coaching staff would be put in place to work with recently-hired pilot Willie Randolph.

ByThis Day in Baseball

Joining Seattle Mariners new manager, Mike Hargrove, Don Baylor is named the team’s batting coach, replacing Paul Molitor. The former major league manager became available after the Mets announced a new coaching staff would be put in place to work with recently-hired pilot Willie Randolph.

Bobby Crosby wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award

ByThis Day in Baseball

Receiving 27 of 28 first-place votes, Bobby Crosby (.239, 22, 64) wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award. The Oakland shortstop, who is the son of former big leaguer infielder Ed Crosby, joins Harry Byrd (1952), Jose Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), Walt Weiss (1988), and Ben Grieve (1998) as the sixth A’s freshman to be honored by the BBWAA.