The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28.[1] This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since 1976, and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since 1990. The 82nd edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Chase Field inPhoenix, Arizona, on July 12 with the National League defeating the American League for the second straight year, by a score of 5–1. As has been the case since 2003, the league winning that game has home field advantage in the World Series. Accordingly, the2011 World Series began on October 19, and ended on October 28, with the St. Louis Cardinals winning in seven games over the Texas Rangers.[1]
Green backgrounds indicate teams that made the postseason. Numbers in parentheses indicate seedings for the postseason, determined by won-lost records.
The St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers squared off in a season long division race and by the beginning of August, they were only a few games apart in the division. The Brewers would pull away for the crown, and the Cardinals continued poorly until they were 10½ games back of the wild card on August 25. They made a historical comeback in September to win the wild card from the Atlanta Braves on the last day of the season. Both team would advance through the NLDS in five games setting up a 1982 World Series rematch.[2] The Cardinals won the pennant in six games, clinching the series on the road.
Cox announced in 2009 that the 2010 season would be his last as manager of the Braves. In two terms, first from1978 through 1981 and from mid-1990, replacing Russ Nixon as manager through 2010, Cox has led the team to fourteen division titles, five pennants and the 1995 World Championship. Cox retires as the manager with the fourth highest number of wins (2,504) along with the most ejections in baseball history (158).
After six decades in baseball as a player, coach, manager and television commentator, Piniella announced on June 19, 2010, his intentions to retire. He has managed the New York Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds (including their 1990 World Series championship), the Seattle Mariners (including a record 116 win season in 2001), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Cubs. The official retirement came on August 22 as Piniella stepped down due to his mother's failing health, and Quade, the Cubs' third base coach, was named interim manager, and was named permanent manager October 19.
Torre announced on September 17 that he would not be returning to the Dodgers for the 2011 season. With his contract expiring and club ownership being contested in divorce court, Torre chose not to negotiate an extension.[5]At the same time, the Dodgers announced that Mattingly, the team's hitting coach, will be promoted to manager.[5]Mattingly was best known as an outstanding first baseman with the New York Yankees.
After being lured out of retirement by team president Paul Beeston, Gaston announced on October 29, 2009, that he would step aside after the completion of the 2010 season and remain in a consulting position. In his first term as the Jays' skipper, he led the team to their greatest success, winning back-to-back Fall Classic in 1992 and 1993. His second term started as he replaced John Gibbons in the middle of the 2008 season. Farrell comes over after serving as the pitching coach for the AL East rival Boston Red Sox.
At the end of the 2010 season, three teams fired their managers and made replacements:
Macha announced to the Associated Press that the Milwaukee Brewers had declined to pick up his Club Option for 2011.[6] Roenicke was named in November 2010 as the team's new field leader coming over from the Los Angeles Angels serving 11 seasons as Mike Scoscia's third base coach.
Manuel, along with general manager Omar Minaya, were fired following the end of the 2010 season on October 4, 2010. Since making the 2006 National League Championship Series, the team has fallen short of expectations, which include back to back season ending collapses in 2007 and 2008, followed by back-to-back injury plagued seasons in 2009 and 2010.[7] Collins, a fiesty and intense manager, was named the team's new manager November 2010 and returned to being a field manager in the majors after 12 years. He previously managed theHouston Astros and the Anaheim Angels from 1994 to 1999.[8]
Russell was fired after three losing seasons, compiling a total record of 186–299 in those three seasons. The Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992, which was also the last time they made the playoffs. They have also endured six different managers during that span.[9][10] Hurdle last managed the Colorado Rockies in2009 before being replaced.
The following managers who were interim managers for 2010 will lead their respective teams in 2011:
Gibson, who started the season as bench coach, filled in for the final 83 games. New GM Kevin Towers made the decision to keep Gibson as the manager for 2011.[11] Hinch was "demoted" from his position as Director of Player Development in 2009 when he took over for Bob Melvin.
After coming to Kansas City to be a consultant, the Royals named Yost on May 13 to replace Hillman. Prior to that, Yost served as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers for much of the 2008 season, only to be sacked in mid-September when the team was struggling to make the post-season. Hillman had previous success in Japan, leading the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to the Japan World Serieschampionship in 2006.
The no-nonsense Showalter, who had previously managed the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangersand the Arizona Diamondbacks on the brink of success before being replaced, served as a commentator for ESPN's Baseball Tonight before agreeing to return to the dugout with the Orioles on August 3, and turned the fortunes of the Maryland ball club. Trembley was in the manager's seat until June 4, when third-base coach Samuel replaced him on an interim basis before Showalter's arrival.
On May 23, González, who had coached under Bobby Cox in Atlanta, was fired from his position. Rodríguez had spent the past 1½ years managing the New Orleans Zephyrs, the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate. Cox made discouraging comments about the handling of the dismissal shortly afterward, and as a result, was not honored by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria when the Braves visit to Miami in September as part of Cox's retirement tour.
Wakamatsu, the first MLB manager of Asian-American decent, was fired on August 9 and replaced by Brown, at the time in his fourth season managing the Mariners' AAA affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. The team was expected to contend for the American League West title with the addition of Chone Figgins and Cliff Lee, but stumbled out of the starting gate. Wedge, who last managed with the Cleveland Indians in 2009, was reportedly hired by the Mariners according to a report by SI.com on October 15, 2010,[12] and made official three days later.
After a losing streak and slump in June, Rodriguez announced his resignation on June 19.[14] McKeon at age 80 became the oldest manager since Connie Mack to manage in the majors; he had won the 2003 World Series with the Marlins. McKeon announced his second retirement allowing Ozzie Guillen to become Marlins' skipper.
McLaren, who was previously the Nationals bench coach, was named interim manager, but he is not expected to fill the role for the remainder of the season.[15] Davey Johnson was named the full-time manager three days after Riggleman resigned and two days after McLaren was named interim manager.[16]
Guillen was released from his contract after the White Sox game on September 26 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Guillen became the Marlins new manager with the retirement of Jack McKeon at the end of the season.[17] Cooper, the current pitching coach for the White Sox, managed the final two games of the season.[18]
Recorded his 350th career home run in the second inning against the Texas Rangers on April 2. He became the 82nd player to reach this mark.
Set the major league record for RBI by a designated hitter (1004) by driving in a run with a groundout in the fourth inning against theTexas Rangers on April 2. He broke the record that was previously held by Edgar Martinez.
Became the first person in Major League history to hit leadoff home runs in his team's first two games of the season.[19]
Became the 12th player in Major League history to record two 30 (home runs)/30 (stolen bases) seasons. He reached this mark on September 27 with his 30th stolen base against the Los Angeles Angels.
Became the third player in Major League history, joining Willie Mays and Mark McGwire, and the first American League player to hit a home run in his fourth straight game to begin the baseball season.
Became the first player in Major League history to hit an official walk-off grand slam in postseason history (against the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the 2011 American League Championship Series). With that, Cruz also became the first batter to hit a walk-off hit in postseason for the Texas Rangers.
Recorded his 250th career home run in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on April 6. He became the 201st player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,500th career hit in the sixth inning with a single against the Chicago White Sox on July 15. He became the 590th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 2,500th career hit in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 8. He became the 93rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,500th career RBI by hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Florida Marlins on April 13. He became the 51st player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 500th career double in the 12th inning against the San Diego Padres on April 25. He became the 52nd player to reach this mark.
Passed Mickey Mantle for second all-time for RBI by a switch-hitter by driving in his 1,510th run with a RBI groundout in the first inning against the San Diego Padres on April 27. Eddie Murray is the all-time leader with 1,917 RBIs.
Recorded his 4,500th total base with a single in the tenth inning against the Florida Marlins on August 9. He became the 43rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th extra base hit by hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs on August 12. He became the 34th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 450th career home run in the second inning against the Washington Nationals on August 31. He became the 34th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career run scored in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals on April 12. He became the 310th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 350th career stolen base in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals on May 5. He became the 108th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 100th career triple in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 19. He became the 161st player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 4,000th total base with a double in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on June 7. He became the 79th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 500th career double in the first inning against the Florida Marlins on June 18. He became the 53rd player to reach this mark. Damon also became the 11th player in Major League history to amass at least 500 doubles, 100 triples, 200 home runs and 2,500 hits for his career.[20]
Recorded his 400th career stolen base in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles on September 13. He became the 71st player to reach this mark. With his 400th stolen base, he also became the ninth player in Major League history to amass 200 home runs and 400 stolen bases over his career.
Became the all-time leader in doubles for the Senators/Rangers franchise on April 15 against the New York Yankees. Young hit his 353rd double in the third inning, breaking the team record that was previously held by Ivan Rodriguez.
Became the all-time leader in games played for the Senators/Rangers franchise on June 14 against the New York Yankees. Young played in his 1,574th game, breaking the team record that was previously held by Rafael Palmeiro.
Became the all-time leader in runs scored for the Senators/Rangers franchise on July 7 against the Oakland Athletics. Young scored his 959th run on a home run in the fifth inning, breaking the team record that was previously held by Rafael Palmeiro.
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians on August 7. He became the 265th player, and first Rangers player, to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career run in the third inning against the Oakland Athletics on September 20. He became the 313th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career walk on April 24 against the Detroit Tigers. He became the 112th player to reach this mark.
Tied the Major League record with his 16th game this season that he went hitless and struck out at least three times in the game on August 1 against the New York Yankees. He joins Mark Reynolds, who set the record in 2009. He set the Major League record with his 17th such game on August 10 against the Baltimore Orioles. He finished the season with 18 such games.
Set a Major League record by hitting in 23 consecutive games in April with a double in first inning against the Florida Marlins on April 26. He broke the record that was held by Joe Torre in 1971. Ethier extended his April hitting streak to 26 games on April 30.
Tied the franchise record for consecutive seasons with 30-plus doubles with his double on September 6 against the Washington Nationals. Ethier tied Jackie Robinson with five consecutive seasons.
Became the first player in franchise history to record 200 doubles, 100 home runs and 100 steals with a double in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals on April 26.
Set franchise record for RBI in a game by driving in eight runs on April 28 against the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. He broke the record of seven set by Carlos Peña in 2007.
Became the fourth player in Major League history to record at least seven hits and 10 RBIs in a single day since RBIs became an official stat in 1920. The other three are Jim Bottomley (1929), Pete Fox (1935) and Nate Colbert (1972).
Recorded his 1,500th career hit in the third inning with a single against the Los Angeles Angels on May 3. He became the 588th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 200th career home run in the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres on May 11. He became the 298th player to reach this mark.
With his 25th home run against the Houston Astros on August 6, Fielder set the Brewers franchise record with his sixth straight season of at least 25 home runs. He broke the record that was held by Jeromy Burnitz.
Became the second player in Major League history to hit a pinch-hit, game-tying homerun in the ninth inning and end the game in extra innings with another homerun on May 17 against the Houston Astros. Jeff Heath, of the Boston Braves accomplished this feat on August 27, 1949 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Became the fifth catcher (joining Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jody Davis, Wes Westrum and Walker Cooper) since 1920 to score five runs in a single game and just the second catcher (the other is Westrum in 1950) to score five runs, hit a home run and a triple in the same game on May 20 against the Baltimore Orioles.
With his 20th home run of the season, Cabrera joined Woodie Held and Jhonny Peralta as the only Indians shortstops with 20-homer seasons. Cabrera hit his 20th on August 13 against the Minnesota Twins.
His 25 home runs as a shortstop broke the team record of 24 that was set in 2008 by Jhonny Peralta.
Became the first position player to earn a win since Colorado Rockies catcher Brent Mayne on August 22, 2000 by recording the victory against the Cincinnati Reds on May 25.
Recorded his 350th career stolen base in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 28. He became the 109th player to reach this mark.
After 1,000 career major-league games, Reyes has 98 triples and 360 stolen bases. The only other player in history with that many triples and stolen bases in their first 1000 games is Ty Cobb, who had 106 triples and 391 steals.
Became the first player in the Mets' 50-year history to win the batting title by hitting .337.
Recorded his 1,000th career RBI by hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals on May 30. He became the 269th to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,500th career hit with a single in the seventh inning against the Florida Marlins on May 30. He became the 589th player to reach this mark.
With 11 home runs during the month of May, the most in the American League, it was the fifth straight month in which he led the American League in home runs (excluding March and October) joining Jimmie Foxx in 1933–1934.
Became the first rookie second-baseman in Major League history to hit 10 home runs before June 1.
Set the franchise record for home runs by a rookie with 21. He is also just the third rookie second baseman in Major League history with at least 20 home runs joining Dan Uggla (2006) and Alexei Ramirez (2008).
Became the second player in Major League history to have 17 or more home runs and five or more triples in a season before June 1. He joins Babe Ruth, who did it for the Yankees in 1928.
Became the third player in American League history (tenth in Major League history) to record at least 30 home runs, 20 steals and 10 triples in the same season with his triple on August 18 against the Minnesota Twins. The other American Leaguers were Ken Williams(1922) and Nomar Garciaparra (1997).
Became the second player in Major League history to have hit 40 home runs, 10 triples and have 20 stolen bases in a season on September 17 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Willie Mays accomplished this feat in 1955.
Recorded his 1,000th career RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 5. He became the 270th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 250th career home run in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves on September 7. He became the 203rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single in the second inning against the New York Yankees on June 12. He became the 262nd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 2,500th career hit with a double in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 16. He became the 94th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 4,500th total base with a single in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers on September 23. He became the 44th player to reach this mark.
With his single in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox on September 26, Guerrero became the all-time hits leader (2,587 hits) among Dominican-born players, passing Julio Franco.
Recorded his 300th career home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 30. He became the 130th player to reach this mark.
Set the Major League record for most switch-hitting home runs in the same game by hitting home runs from both sides of the plate for the 12th game of his career against the Chicago White Sox on August 2. He broke the record that he shared with Eddie Murray andChili Davis.
Recorded his 1,000th career RBI with a double in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins on August 19. He became the 271st player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 4. He became the 263rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 500th career double in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 15. He became the 54th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 4,500th total base with a home run in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 1. He became the 42nd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,700th career walk on July 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays. He became the 9th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 600th career home run in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers on August 15. Thome 600th home run came on his 8,167th at-bat, which is the second fastest in Major League history. Babe Ruth reached 600 home runs in 6,920 at-bats. Thome also became the first big-leaguer to his numbers 599 and 600 in consecutive at-bats. He became the 8th player to reach this mark.
Set the Red Sox record for most hits before the All-Star break with a single in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on July 8. His single, which was his 126th hit, broke the team record held by Wade Boggs (1987) and Nomar Garciaparra (2003). Gonzalez finished with 128 hits before the All-Star Game.
Recorded his 3,000th career hit with a home run in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 9. He became the 28th player to reach this mark.
Tied Mickey Mantle as the Yankees' all-time leader in games played (2401) on August 26 against the Baltimore Orioles. Two days later against the Orioles, Jeter surpassed Mantle with his 2402nd game with the Yankees.
Set the Padres franchise record for recording at least one stolen base in six consecutive games by stealing second base in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 24. He broke the record that was held by Alan Wiggins and Dave Roberts.
Became the first player in Major League history with a multiple-home run game for eight different teams by hitting two home runs against the Washington Nationals on July 27. He broke the record that he shared with Jeromy Burnitz and Reggie Sanders.
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a double in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs on July 29. He became the 264th player to reach this mark.
Reached 30 home runs for the 11th straight season with his home run on August 16 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Barry Bonds (13),Alex Rodriguez (13) and Jimmie Foxx (12) are the only other players to have streaks of more than ten seasons with at least 30 home runs.
Became the first player in Major League history to homer in four consecutive games within two weeks of his debut with his home run against the Boston Red Sox on August 3.
Became the first Indians rookie to record at least five hits, four runs scored and three RBIs in the same game on August 10 against the Detroit Tigers. Only thirteen other rookies have accomplished this feat.
Recorded his 4,000th total base with a home run in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on August 8. He became the 80th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 550th career double in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 12. He became the 24th player to reach this mark.
Became the fifth player in Major League history to have as many as four home runs and 12 RBIs through his first ten games in the majors. He joins Dino Restelli (1949 Pirates), Alvin Davis (1984 Mariners), Mark Quinn (1999 Royals) and Taylor Teagarden (2008 Rangers).
Set the Astros rookie record for most RBI in any month by recording 28 in the month of August. He broke the record of 27 held byChris Truby who set the mark in September 2000.
With a single in the first inning on August 10 against the Florida Marlins, Uggla extended his hitting streak to 31 games. This tied Uggla with Rico Carty (1970) for the longest hitting streak since the team moved to Atlanta. His hitting streak was stopped at 33 games by the Chicago Cubs on August 14.
With a home run on August 12 against the Chicago Cubs, Uggla became the fourth player in Major League history to have at least a 32-game hitting streak and 25-or-more home runs in the same season. The others were Roger Hornsby (1922), Joe DiMaggio (1941),Tommy Holmes (1945) and Chase Utley (2006).
With his 15th home run during his hitting streak on August 13 against the Chicago Cubs, Uggla tied the Major League record for most home runs during a hitting streak of any length. Joe DiMaggio hit 15 home runs during his 56-game hitting streak in 1941, Willie McCovey hit 15 home runs during his 24-game hitting streak in 1963 and Alex Rodriguez hit 15 home runs during a 23-game hitting streak that spanned the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
With his 30th home run on August 22 against the Chicago Cubs, Uggla became the first second baseman in modern baseball history (since 1900) with five seasons of at least 30 home runs.
Became the youngest player in Blue Jays franchise history to hit a grand slam on August 10 against the Oakland Athletics. At the age of 21 years, 204 days old, Lawrie broke the team record that was held by Junior Felix (21 years, 242 days old) when he connected for his grand slam against the Boston Red Sox on June 2, 1989.
Tied the Mets franchise record for total bases by collecting his 2,047th total base with a double against the San Diego Padres on August 10. He tied Ed Kranepool's franchise record.
Became the first player in Major League history to have hit eight walk-off home runs in his first seven seasons with his walk-off grand slam on August 19 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Played the 1,000th game of his big-league career on August 24. His 279 home runs is the most in Major League history through 1000 games breaking the old record of 277 that was held by Ralph Kiner.
Became the 55th player in Major League history to record a 30 (home runs)/30 (stolen bases) season. He reached this mark on August 26 with his 30th home run against the Colorado Rockies.
Became the second player in Major League history to record a season in which he hit .320 or better with at least 35 home runs, 125 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. The other was Ken Williams who accomplished this feat in 1922 for the St. Louis Browns.
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox on September 4. He became the 267th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 300th career home run in the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics on September 11. He became the 132nd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians on September 8. He became the 268th player to reach this mark.
Set the team record by reaching base in nine straight plate appearances on September 12 against the Baltimore Orioles. He had two doubles and two walks against the Orioles after having four hits and a walk the day before against the Boston Red Sox.
With two walks on September 12 against the Orioles, Upton became the franchise leader for walks, breaking the team record held byCarlos Pena.
Recorded his 200th career stolen base in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees on September 27. He became the 342nd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,500th career hit with a single in the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals on September 15. He became the 591st player to reach this mark.
Became the 56th player in Major League history to record a 30 (home runs)/30 (stolen bases) season. He reached this mark on September 16 with his 30th home run against the Cincinnati Reds.
Set the franchise record by striking out for the 196th time on September 18 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Stubbs struck out in the third inning to pass the record that was held by Adam Dunn in 2004. Stubbs finished with 205 strike outs.
Became the second player in Major League history to have struck out at least 200 times in a season on September 20 against theHouston Astros. He joins Mark Reynolds who accomplished this feat in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
With his 200th hit coming against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 23, he is the fifth youngest player in the last 100 years at the time of his 200th hit of a season. Castro was 21 years and 183 days. The four players that were younger than Castro at the time of their 200th hit in the season was Al Kaline, 1955 Detroit Tigers (20 years, 279 days), Vada Pinson, 1959 Cincinnati Reds (21 years, 39 days), Alex Rodriguez, 1996 Seattle Mariners (21 years, 48 days) and Buddy Lewis, 1937 Washington Senators (21 years, 50 days).
At 21-years-old, became the youngest player ever to lead the National League in hits with 207, breaking the record held by Charlie Hollocher (22 years, 83 days old on final day of season) in 1918.
Became the 57th player in Major League history to record a 30 (home runs)/30 (stolen bases) season. He reached this mark on September 25 with his 30th home run against the New York Yankees. Ellsbury also became the first player in Red Sox history to join the 30/30 club.
With his single in the seventh inning on September 24 against the Detroit Tigers, Markakis has recorded at least 180 hits for the fifth consecutive season, setting an Orioles team record.
Became the third player in Major League history to hit multiple home runs in the first game that he had started behind the plate on September 27 against the Baltimore Orioles. The others were J.P. Arencibia (August 7, 2010) and Bobby Pfeil (July 27, 1971). Lavarnway also became the first player in Major League history to hit his first two big-league homers in the same game for a team trying to earn a postseason berth, in either of the season's last two scheduled games (excluding tie-breaker games).
With his ground out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning on September 28 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he set a modern-day record for non-pitchers with his 46th straight hitless at-bat breaking the record that was held by Bill Bergen, Dave Campbell and Craig Counsell. He finished the season hitless in 37 at-bats, which broke the record of 35 that was set by Hal Finney in 1936.
Threw the fifth no-hitter in Minnesota Twins history and the seventh in franchise history (the other two came when the club was known as the Washington Senators) in a 1–0 win over the Chicago White Sox in Chicago on May 3. It was also Liriano's first complete game in 95 major league starts.[21] Liriano also became just the fifth pitcher in the last 30 years to throw a no-hitter that included more walks (6) than strikeouts (2). In addition, he carried the second-highest ERA (minimum three starts) of 9.13 into the outing of any pitcher to go on to throw a no-hitter, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.[22]
Threw the seventh no-hitter in Tigers history by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on May 7. This was Verlander's second no-hitter, his first coming against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. Verlander allowed one walk but still faced the minimum of 27 batters. He became the second Tigers pitcher (Virgil Trucks) and the 30th pitcher in Major League history to throw multiple career no-hitters.
Threw the ninth no-hitter in Angels history by defeating the Cleveland Indians 3-1 in Cleveland on July 27. This was Santana's first career no-hitter. Santana walked only one batter while striking out 10, but he allowed one unearned run, a wild pitch in the 1st. His no-no improved him to 6-8 on the year.[23]
Recorded his 1,500th career strikeout against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 6. Josh Rodriguez was the victim as he struck out in the second inning. Carpenter became the 178th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 15. Aaron Miles was the victim as he struck out in the seventh inning. Lohse became the 442nd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 100th victory by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 28. He became the 583rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Chicago White Sox on April 22. A.J. Pierzynski was the victim as he struck out in the seventh inning. Verlander became the 443rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 100th career victory by defeating the Cleveland Indians on August 11. He became the 582nd player to reach this mark.
Became the first pitcher in Major League history with six wins by April 25. He defeated the Oakland Athletics to set this record. He also became the sixth pitcher since 1900 with six wins by the end of April joining Vida Blue (1971), Dave Stewart (1988), Randy Johnson (2000, 2002) and Brandon Webb (2008).
Recorded his 150th career victory by defeating the Baltimore Orioles on May 2. He became the 246th player to reach this mark.
Set the White Sox franchise record for consecutive seasons with ten or more wins by defeating the Baltimore Orioles on August 11. He has won ten or more games in 11 consecutive seasons.
Tied the franchise record for consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer that was previously held by Frank Smith in 1909. Buehrle has done this in 18 consecutive games after his performance against the Baltimore Orioles on August 11.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Boston Red Sox on May 5. Kevin Youkilis was the victim as he struck out in the fourth inning. Piñeiro became the 444th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 100th career victory by defeating the New York Mets on June 17. He became the 580th player to reach this mark. He also became the fourth Puerto Rico-born pitcher to win at least 100 games in the major leagues, joining Javier Vázquez, Juan Pizarroand Jaime Navarro.
Recorded his 200th career save by closing out a win against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 8. He became the 41st player to reach this mark.
Set the franchise record for most consecutive saves on August 11 against the Cleveland Indians. His 33rd save in a row broke the record that was previously held by Guillermo Hernández who set the team record in 1984.
Set the franchise record for most saves in a season by recording his 43rd save on September 11 against the Minnesota Twins. He broke the record that was held by Todd Jones, who set the record in 2000. Valverde finished with 49 saves and no blown saves.
Recorded his 1,500th career strikeout against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 10. José Tábata was the victim as he struck out in the first inning. Lilly became the 179th player to reach this mark.
According to The Elias Sports Bureau, Mazzaro became the first pitcher to give up at least 14 runs in fewer than three innings (2.1) in baseball's modern era (since 1900) against the Cleveland Indians on May 16.[24]
Recorded his 1,500th career strikeout against the Cleveland Indians on May 24. Carlos Santana was the victim as he struck out in the first inning. Beckett became the 180th player to reach this mark.
Tied the major league record by making his 28th consecutive start without recording a win on May 25 against the New York Yankees. He ties the record that is currently held by Matt Keough (1978–79) and Cliff Curtis (1910–11).
Reyes was acquired off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles on August 2.
Became the first pitcher in Major League history to have appeared in 1000 games for one team by closing out the Yankees win on May 25 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rivera became the 15th pitcher overall to reach this plateau.[25]
Recorded his 20th save of the season by closing out a win against the Colorado Rockies on June 26. This is the 15th time that Rivera has reached 20 saves in one season, tying Trevor Hoffman for the most 20-plus save seasons in Major League history.
Recorded his 25th save of the season by closing out a win against the Oakland Athletics on July 24. This extends his record to 15 consecutive seasons with 25 or more saves.[26]
Set a Major League record for consecutive 30-save seasons with nine by closing out the win against the Los Angeles Angels on August 11.
With his save on September 5 against the Baltimore Orioles, Rivera set the Major League record for the most saves by any pitcher against any team. His 69th save against the Orioles broke the record that Trevor Hoffman had against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Recorded his 600th career save by closing out a win against the Seattle Mariners on September 13. He became the 2nd player to reach this mark.
With his save on September 19 against the Minnesota Twins, Rivera became the all-time saves leader in Major League history with his 602nd save, breaking Trevor Hoffman's record.
Recorded his 100th career victory by defeating the Kansas City Royals on June 3. He became the 579th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 26. Prince Fielder was the victim as he struck out in the fifth inning. Pavano became the 448th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 200th career save by closing out a win against the New York Yankees on June 7. He became the 42nd player to reach this mark. He also became the fastest pitcher to do so, accomplishing this feat in his 359th appearance, surpassing Mariano Rivera, who did so in 382 appearances.
Recorded his 1,500th career strikeout against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 10. Jimmy Rollins was the victim as he struck out in the fourth inning. Zambrano became the 181st player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Chicago Cubs on June 16. Alfonso Soriano was the victim as he struck out in the fifth inning. Greinke became the 446th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Seattle Mariners on June 19. Miguel Olivo was the victim as he struck out in the fourth inning. Hamels became the 447th player to reach this mark.
Became the first pitcher in Tampa Bay's 14-year Major League history to toss three consecutive complete games by going the distance against the Houston Astros on June 24.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Texas Rangers on August 31. David Murphy was the victim as he struck out in the seventh inning. He became the 452nd player to reach this mark.
Became the first pitcher in Yankees history to register four strikeouts in one inning. He accomplished this feat on June 24 against theColorado Rockies in the sixth inning.
Became the first Braves rookie since 1900 to record 20 or more strikeouts while winning consecutive starts by striking out nine batters in the Braves' win against the Seattle Mariners on June 27. Beachy struck out 11 in his previous start against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Chicago Cubs on June 30. Koyie Hill was the victim as he struck out in the fifth inning. Cain became the 449th player to reach this mark.
Tied the Major League record for most saves by a rookie before the All-Star break since 1969 that was set by Jonathan Papelbon in 2006 by closing out the game against the Colorado Rockies on July 5. It was Kimbrel's 26th save. He set the rookie record on July 7 with his 27th save by closing out a win against the Colorado Rockies. He finished with 28 saves before the All-Star Game.
Tied the Major League record for most saves by a rookie by recording his 40th save on August 23 against the Chicago Cubs. He tied the record that was set by Neftali Feliz that was set in 2010. He then broke the record with his 41st against the Washington Nationalson August 31. He finished with 46 saves.
Recorded his 1,500th career strikeout against the Minnesota Twins on July 10. Drew Butera was the victim as he struck out in the second inning. Peavy became the 182nd player to reach this mark.
Became the second pitcher in Red Sox history, joining Roger Clemens, to record 2,000 strikeouts on July 24 against the Seattle Mariners. Wakefield struck out Mike Carp in the sixth inning.
Recorded his 200th career win by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays on September 13. He became the 108th player to reach this mark. Wakefield is also the second-oldest pitcher ever to reach that milestone.
Became the first pitcher in Red Sox history to reach 3000 innings pitched on September 18 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Became the first player in Major League history to allow eight-or-more runs while lasting less than an inning in each of two consecutive starts. He allowed eight runs in two-thirds of an inning on July 8 against the Boston Red Sox and then in his next start on July 30 against the New York Yankees allowed nine runs in one-third of an inning.
Became the Astros' franchise leader for strikeouts by a lefty with 947 by striking out Drew Stubbs of the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning on August 2. He broke the record that was held by Bob Knepper.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Cincinnati Reds on September 21. Joey Votto was the victim as he struck out in the sixth inning. Rodriguez became the 453rd player to reach this mark.
Became the third rookie in Yankees franchise history to record ten or more strikeouts in a game in which he did not walk a batter on August 4 against the Chicago White Sox. He struck out ten batters. The other two rookies were Russ Ford on August 9, 1910 andStan Bahnsen on August 1, 1968.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Los Angeles Angels on August 5. Torii Hunter was the victim as he struck out in the seventh inning. Wright became the 450th player to reach this mark.
Set the Major League record for most consecutive scoreless road games to begin a season on August 11 against the Baltimore Orioles. He hasn't been charged with a run in 25 appearances in road games this year. He broke the record that was previously held by Mariano Rivera.
Recorded his 300th career save by closing out a win against the San Diego Padres on August 15. He became the fourth-oldest pitcher at his time of his 300th save, behind Doug Jones, Dennis Eckersley and Todd Jones. He became the 23rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Texas Rangers on August 17. Michael Young was the victim as he struck out in the first inning. He became the 451st player to reach this mark.
With his victory in relief against the Oakland Athletics on August 27, Aceves lifted his career record to 23–2. This set the Major League record for the most wins by a pitcher in his first 25 decisions, breaking the record held by Larry Corcoran who had 22 wins in his first 25 decisions in 1880.
Set the Rays franchise record with 14 strikeouts in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 28. He broke the record that was held by James Shields and Scott Kazmir.
Recorded his 2,500th career strikeout against the New York Mets on August 30. Lucas Duda was the victim as he struck out in the sixth inning. He became the 30th player to reach this mark and the fourth pitcher born outside the United States to do so. The others are Bert Blyleven (Netherlands), Ferguson Jenkins (Canada) and Pedro Martinez (Dominican Republic).
Became the first pitcher in Major League history to have two months in one season with at least five wins, no losses and an ERA under 0.50. Lee went 5–0 with a 0.21 ERA in June and then went 5–0 with a 0.45 ERA in August.
Became the second player in Major League history to allow grand slams to consecutive batters faced. He gave up a grand slam toCarl Crawford on September 3 then in his next appearance on September 10, allowed a grand slam to the first batter he faced, Scott Sizemore. Greg McCarthy did this in 1998.
Recorded his 2,000th career strikeout against the Los Angeles Angels on September 10. Torii Hunter was the victim as he struck out in the third inning. Sabathia became the 65th player to reach this mark.
Became the sixth player in Major League history to finish at least seven games over .500 in seven consecutive seasons. The other pitchers to do that are in the Hall of Fame: Tim Keefe (seven years, 1883–89), John Clarkson (nine, 1884–92), Kid Nichols (nine, 1890–98), Christy Mathewson (12, 1903–14) and Lefty Grove (seven, 1927–33).
With his 16th victory against the Seattle Mariners on September 25, Holland (age 24) became the youngest pitcher in Senators/Rangers franchise history to win 16 or more games in one season. He broke the franchise mark set by Steve Comer who won his 16th game on September 17, 1979 at the age of 25.
Became the second pitcher in modern Major League history to earn a victory in which he recorded three-or-fewer outs while allowing five-or-more runs on September 27 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jack Knott was the other pitcher who accomplished this on May 22, 1934.
Became the 56th manager in Major League history to have 1,000 or more victories as his Angels defeated the Cleveland Indians on May 8. Scioscia is also the 23rd manager to get 1000 or more victories with a single team. He began his career as a manager in 2000, and reached this mark in 1817 games.
Became the first team in Major League history to sweep a homestand of six games or more without scoring more than four runs in any of the games. They defeated the Colorado Rockies 4–3, 3–2, and 3–0 and defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 1–0, 4–3, and 3–2. The games took place May 6 through May 12.
Tied the Major League record for consecutive solo home runs by hitting their 19th consecutive on August 10 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pablo Sandoval home run matched the record set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1914. The Giants finished with 21 straight solo home runs when Cody Ross hit a 2-run home run on August 14 against the Florida Marlins.
Became the first team in Major League history to avoid having more than one error in its first 49 games, according to statistics provided by the Rays from the Elias Sports Bureau. The streak stopped after 52 games.
Set the American League record for consecutive starts by a pitcher under the age of 30 on July 27 against the Oakland Athletics.James Shields start gave the Rays their 705th consecutive start which broke the record set by the Washington Senators from 1913 to 1917. The last Rays pitcher that was at least 30-years-old to start was Jae Seo on May 24, 2007, which happened to be his 30th birthday.
Set a franchise record for allowing three hits or fewer in three consecutive games. The Boston Red Sox were the victims on August 17–18. August 17 was a doubleheader.
Won their 1,000th game against the Texas Rangers on September 7. The Rays have lost 1245 games.
Set a franchise record for most walk-off wins in a season with their twelfth by defeating the Boston Red Sox on September 10. Their previous record of eleven was set in 2000 and 2008. They finished with 13 walk-off wins with the last one clinching the wild card.
Became the first American League team to start a season 0–6 and make the postseason.
Became the first team in Major League history to enter the month of May with at least a 6½-game deficit in their league (pre 1969) or division (since 1969) and gain sole possession of first place during the month on May 29.
With their 90th win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 21, the Diamondbacks become the eighth team in Major League history to win 90 games in a season after losing at least 90 games in each of the previous two seasons.
With their division clinching victory on September 23, the Diamondbacks tied the Major League record for most losses in the previous season (65–97) by a team that finished in first place. The other two teams were the 1991 Atlanta Braves and the 1999 Diamondbacks.
Joins Connie Mack (7,755 games) as the only manager or coach in American professional sports history to reach 5,000 games managed on June 10 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Pirates (six) and Astros (four) used ten pitchers in the Pirates 1–0 victory on June 14. That is the most pitchers used in a 9-inning 1–0 game played without expanded rosters in Major League history.
Became the third team in modern Major League history (since 1900) to issue no walks while sweeping a four-game series. They swept the Chicago White Sox from August 1–4. They join the Boston Red Sox who accomplished this feat against the White Sox in 1968 (August 5–8) and against Washington in 1905 (June 29–July 3).
Set the Major League record (since 1900) for best winning percentage in day games with a 44–12 (.786) record. This broke the record of .748 that was held by the 1906 Chicago Cubs.
On July 3, Melky Cabrera went 4-for-5 with five RBIs and Eric Hosmer went 4-for-6 with four RBIs as the Royals defeated the Colorado Rockies. This is the first time in franchise history the Royals had a pair of players each with at least four hits and four RBIs in the same game.
On September 15, Melky Cabrera hit his 40th double as a outfielder (he had one as a designated hitter) to become the first team in Major League history to have three outfielders with 40 or more doubles in a season. Joining him is Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur.
On September 21, Billy Butler hit his 40th double this season to become the fourth Royals player to reach 40 doubles in a season. The Royals become the fourth team in Major League history to have four player reach that many doubles in a season, joining theTexas Rangers (2006), Philadelphia Phillies (1932) and the Detroit Tigers (1929).
The Padres (17) and Giants (19) pitching staffs combined to strike out 36 batters in their 14-inning game on July 6. This is the most combined strikeouts in a game of 14 or fewer innings since 1900. The previous record was 35, that was set in August 2007, by theOakland Athletics (21) and Texas Rangers (14) in 13-innings.
By playing in their 1660th game together (regular-season only) on July 14, Jeter and Posada set the Yankees franchise record for most games played together by teammates. They broke the record that was held by Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri.
Became the second franchise in Major League history to record 10,000 losses in league history by losing to the Florida Marlins on July 31. They join the Philadelphia Phillies as the only other franchise to reach this mark.
The Red Sox (five) and Rays (three) combined for only eight hits in Boston's 16-inning, 1–0 victory on July 17. This is the lowest hit total in any Major League game of 14 or more innings in the live-ball era (since 1920).
Became the 57th manager in Major League history to have 1,000 or more victories as his Red Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners on July 23. Francona reached this mark in 1880 games.
With Upton's six RBI and Montero's five RBI, it marked the first time in Arizona's franchise history that it had two players each drive in at least five runs in the same game.
Both pitchers allowed five home runs on August 12. This was the second time in Major League history that two pitchers allowed at least five home runs on the same day. The other was September 21, 1996 and Jeff D'Amico and Dave Telgheder were the pitchers.
Became the first team in Major League history to earn a shutout win, hit at least three home runs, and execute a triple play in the same game on August 15 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With their victory on September 25 against the Florida Marlins, the Brewers set a team-record with their 55th victory at home. This broke the record of 54 that was set by the 1978 team. They finished with 57 home wins.
With their win on September 2 against the Florida Marlins, the Phillies stood 42 games above the .500 mark (88–46). This is the first time in their 129-year franchise history that they have stood this many games above the .500 mark.
With their loss to the New York Mets on September 24, the Phillies extended their losing streak to eight games. This set a Major League record for most consecutive losses by a team that had at least 95 wins breaking the old record of seven that was held by the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays.
With their win over the Atlanta Braves on September 28, the Phillies set their franchise record for most wins in a season with 102.
With their shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays on September 6, they set their franchise record for most shutouts in a season with 18, breaking the team record that was set in 1977. They finished with 19 shutouts.
With their victory on September 27 against the Los Angeles Angels, the Rangers tied a franchise record with their 95th victory that was set in 1999. They finished with 96 wins.
With their loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on September 14, the Pirates extended their record for most consecutive losing season to 19. Their last winning record was in 1992.
With their loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on September 14, the Astros set a franchise record for most losses in a season with 98. They lost 97 games in 1965, 1975 and 1991. They achieved their first 100-loss season with a loss to the Chicago Cubs on September 17. They finished the season with 106 losses.
Both rookies went 5-for-5 on September 20. This marked the first time in modern Major League history (since 1900) that two rookies both went 5-for-5 or better on the same day.
With their extra-inning victory on September 22 against the Los Angeles Angels, it was their 14th consecutive extra-inning win at theRogers Centre, which tied the Major League record that was set by the Chicago Cubs from July 1928 to August 1930.
The 200,000th regular-season game in Major League Baseball history was recognized on September 24 at Minute Maid Park as theColorado Rockies and Houston Astros game became official around 8:45pm EDT. The Rockies won the game in extra-innings.[27]
Set a franchise record, that was held by the 1984 team, with 52 saves when José Valverde closed out the win on September 28 against the Cleveland Indians.
With their 20th loss (in 27 games) to the Baltimore Orioles on September 28, the Red Sox tied a Major League record for most losses from September 1 to the end of a season by a team that entered the month in first place. The 1914 New York Giants went 21–20 to finish the season.
Two more teams have joined the growing cable-exclusive telecast teams in 2011. Fox Sports Midwest will produce and televise all St. Louis Cardinals games on the cable station, along with selected areas of the Cardinals' DMA outside St. Louis including Fox Sports Tennessee in Tennessee, Fox Sports Indiana in parts of Indiana, and SportsSouth in Arkansas and parts of Oklahoma.[28] The 2010 season was their last season of splitting games with KSDK.[29]
The Minnesota Twins will also join the group, with Fox Sports North becoming their exclusive local home starting this year.[30] The 2010 season was their last season of splitting games with WFTC.
The national telecast breakdown is as follows, along with the maximum number of appearances per team:
Fox: Saturday afternoon Game of the Week on a regional basis; up to nine appearances per team. In addition, the network will broadcast the All-Star Game, ALCS, and World Series. Fox Deportes holds Spanish broadcast rights to the World Series. Most Saturday games are scheduled to start at 4 PM US EDT/1 pm PDT, except for games on April 9, April 30 and May 7, when those telecasts began at 1 PM US EDT/10 AM US PDT due to NASCAR coverage and on May 14, 21 and 28, the latter because of the UEFA Champions League final as those games are tenatively scheduled to start at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT.
ESPN/ESPN2:Sunday Night Baseball on a weekly basis; five appearances per team. A new broadcast team will be in the booth as Dan Shulman and Orel Hersheiser will join Bobby Valentine, replacing Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. In addition, there are games on Monday andWednesday nights (with the Monday games moving to either Wednesday nights to form a doubleheader or Friday nights when the 2011 NFL season begins), Opening Day games on both March 31 and April 1, and the Home Run Derby on July 11. ESPN Deportes holds Spanish rights to the Sunday night package.
TBS: Sunday afternoon games starting on April 3; 13 appearances per team. In addition, the network will carry the announcement of the All-Star Teams in the National and American Leagues on July 3 as well as the Division Series and the NLCS as per the alternating contract with Fox. Blackout rules will again apply here as HLN will be broadcast in the teams' markets during the regular season.
MLB Network: The network will again air a Thursday Night Game of the Week, games on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights, and selected afternoon games. Thursday Night games are mostly produced in-house, while all other games come off the home team's video production. Blackouts will once again apply here, as viewers in the competing teams' markets will see an alternate game off the home team feed of selected teams. In addition, holiday games on Memorial Day (May 30), day games on July 4, Labor Day (September 5) and in addition, commencing in August, expanded coverage of the pennant races will be taking place.
In Canada, Toronto Blue Jays games will be televised on Rogers Sportsnet. RSN also holds the Canadian rights to air the Fox and ESPN/ESPN2 games if they do not conflict with Blue Jays games, and additional regular season games on a regional basis on Rogers Sportsnet One as well as the All-Star Game and the entire postseason. TSN2 holds rights to the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts.
In Australia, it is free to air channel One HD and shows up to five games live per week, and European channel ESPN America broadcasts games as well.
For international viewers, MLB International will broadcast the All-Star Game, the NLCS and the World Series.
ESPN Radio will once again serve as MLB's national radio network, broadcasting Sunday Night Baseball as well as selected Saturday and holiday games during the regular season, the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, and all postseason series. ESPN Deportes Radio holds the Spanish language rights to the Fall Classic.
The San Diego Padres have changed the color of their road uniforms from the khaki/sand color to the standard gray road uniform in 2011.[32]
The Washington Nationals unveiled new uniforms on November 10. The road uniform remains untouched, except for the minor modifications in the letter W and a navy cap with red bill. The home and alternate uniforms will feature the 'pretzeled W' logo exclusively on the left side, with the number on the right side. The gold accents were also removed. The blue alternates will feature the 'pretzeled W' in the Stars and Stripes motif and will be used on holiday games, and will be accompanied with the official MLB commeretive cap.[33]
The Cleveland Indians will feature a new road uniform featuring 'Cleveland' in block lettering and in navy with red trim. The accompanying cap will feature a red block 'C' in navy blue, previously accompanying the cream retro home alternates, which will now be dressed with an alternate cap featuring a navy block 'C' in red.[34]
The Chicago White Sox added the Old English Sox logo on the left sleeve of the road uniforms, replacing the 'Pale Hose' logo.
The Braves and Phillies wore Negro League uniforms for the May 14th with the Braves donning the Atlanta Black Crackers replicas, and the Phillies wearing Philadelphia Stars uniforms.[35] In addition, for the Civil Rights Game the following day, both teams donned 1974uniforms.
The Padres were involved in four Turn Back the Clock games, their first was on June 11 at home against the Nationals as both donned 1936 uniforms (The Pacific Coast League version) and the Nats wore 1936 American League forerunners unis. On July 1, the Padres donned their brown, orange and yellow 1984 championship unis against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, then honored their late manager Dick Williams wearing a patch with his initials ("RHW") on July 14 at home against the Giants, and again on July 22 in Philadelphia with the Ray Kroc initials.
Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers chose in an online survey the 1944 light blue uniforms worn in Brooklyn for night games, which were made of satin; however, they will wear these for six weekday day games at Dodger Stadium and they will be made from polyester.[36] The opponents for all the weekday games will wear throwbacks as well, starting with the Atlanta Braves on April 21, the Chicago Cubs on May 4, the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, the Detroit Tigers on June 22, and the Padres on August 31. The Phillies and Padres opted to wear their regular uniforms for their August 10 and 31 games.[37]
On May 21, the Red Sox and Cubs wore 1918 uniforms to mark the Cubs' first visit to Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series.
The Minnesota Twins announced on May 16 that they will wear the 1961 throwbacks at all their home games for the remainder of the season, as a tribute to Harmon Killebrew.
On July 2, the Tampa Bay Rays wore 1950s throwback uniforms of the minor league team Tampa Smokers at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, who wore their 1950s throwbacks as well. The cigar located at the bottom of the Smokers wordmark was removed to avoid connotations with smoking.
July 9 saw a tribute to the Negro Leagues in Milwaukee, with the Brewers donning the 1921 Milwaukee Bears set, while the Cincinnati Reds wore 1930s Cincinnati Tigers uniforms. A week later, during the 9th Annual Negro League weekend at Detroit, the Chicago White Sox wore the jerseys of the Chicago American Giants and the Detroit Tigers honored the Detroit Stars during the 17th Annual Negro League Tribute Game.[38] Another Nego League tribute game was held at PNC Park where the Pirates (Homestead Grays) faced the Cardinals (St. Louis Stars).
On July 17, the A's and Angels wore 1980s throwbacks for "80's Day" at Oakland. As part of the promotion, fans got a MC Hammerbobblehead, who was once an executive under Charles O. Finley's ownership in the late 1970s.
On September 9–11, the Diamondbacks wore their purple pinstripe uniforms that were used in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. They wore the old uniforms in honor of the 10th anniversary reunion of the 2001 team that defeated the Yankees to win their only World Series.
Besides the Diamondbacks wearing the All-Star Game logo on their uniforms, the following teams have added several memorial patches:
Both the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers honored Sparky Anderson with a memorial on their sleeves. Cincinnati will feature "SPARKY", while the Tigers will not only wear "Sparky", but also add his uniform #11 on a patch. In addition, the Tigers retired Anderson's #11;[39]
The Indians honored Bob Feller with a patch featuring his retired #19 and an illustration of him in his famous windup;
The Dodgers saluted Duke Snider with a patch in a black circle with his retired #4 in white on their right sleeve;
The Mariners honored their long-time play-by-play announcer Dave Niehaus with a patch on their sleeve, featuring his famous call "My Oh My!";
The Phillies honored the Buck Brothers, Alexander and John, who both died in the winter by wearing a black patch with a white Phillies script "B" on their left chest;
Following the passing of Harmon Killebrew, the Twins added his retired number 3 to the right sleeve, and wore their pinstriped throwback alternate home uniforms for the rest of the season at Target Field.
Following the death of Paul Splittorff, the all-time winningest pitcher in the history of the Kansas City Royals, as well as one of their color commentators, the team started wearing a black circular patch as of May 26 with "SPLITT" in white lettering.
Both the Royals and Cardinals wore patches during their interleague series from June 17 to 19 that remembered the May 22 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, killing over 150 people. The patches featured a outline of the state of Missouri, both teams' logos and the words "TEAMS UNITE FOR JOPLIN".
The Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics sported black ribbons on their uniforms on July 8, 2011, in memory of Rangers fan Shannon Stone, who died from a 20-foot fall after catching Josh Hamilton's toss into the left field stands off the foul ball during the second inning of Texas' 6–0 win over the A's at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington the night before. They sported the ribbons for the remainder of their series.
The Atlanta Braves wore "Ernie" patches on their sleeves starting with their August 21 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks to honor former pitcher and longtime broadcaster Ernie Johnson Sr., who died on August 12 at the age of 87.
The Baltimore Orioles honored the late pitcher and broadcaster Mike Flanagan by sporting a black circular patch with his nickname "FLANNY" on their right sleeve. Orioles broadcasters also wore it on their jackets.
The Milwaukee Brewers honored long-time groundskeeper Gary Vanden Berg by sporting a navy blue patch with the initials "GV" in the front left of their uniforms. Vanden Berg died on October 12.
The Seattle Mariners wore their teal alternative jerseys from the 90's on Monday and Friday home games. Their navy jerseys will only be worn on the road.[40]
The Oakland Athletics revealed their new yellow alternate home jersey on January 27, marking the first time the team has had a gold jersey since 1986.[41] The A's also began to wear their yellow alternates on select road games, beginning on June 21 with the interleagueseries against the New York Mets, instead of their customary green alternates.
The Minnesota Twins had a new alternate for the road based on the same concept as the navy jersey except it will feature "Minnesota" across the chest in the same font as the gray jersey.
The Padres also updated their camouflage jerseys to the current MARPATdigital pattern used by the Marine Corps and eliminated the green tones.
In honor of Hispanic Night, the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals wore special uniforms on June 11 at Miller Park. The Cardinals wore their gray road uniforms, but with the word "Cardenales", while the Brewers wore special gold uniforms with the word "Cerveceros." On August 13, the Brewers and Pirates celebrated German Heritage Day donning jerseys with German names ("Bierbrauer" for Milwaukee and "Piraten" for Pittsburgh.) The team will once again wear gold jerseys (with the "Brewers" name) on September 10 as part of a "gold out" against the Philies.
On August 5, the New York Mets wore special alternate jerseys against the Atlanta Braves for Fiesta Latina night at Citi Field honoring Latino culture. They are similar to their black alternate jerseys, but are blue with orange piping and feature "Los Mets" written in orange lettering and white trim. The Mets wore the blue "Los Mets" jerseys again on September 1 against the Florida Marlins for Hispanic Heritage Night.
On August 20, the Houston Astros also wore Latin-inspired jerseys against the San Francisco Giants at Minute Maid Park. They used their non-pinstriped white home jerseys, with the addition of the word "Los" atop the word "Astros" in brick red with sand trim.
On September 24, the Arizona Diamondbacks also wore Latin-inspired jerseys for Hispanic Heritage Day against the Giants at Chase Field. The jersey is similar to their black alternate uniforms, but with "Los D-Backs" substituting for the 'A' logo.
Majestic Athletic will provide new button-down front spring training/batting practice jerseys with a modified design, and new jackets for all teams that started with the 2010 postseason.
On April 15, all players on all teams – and all umpires – wore #42 on the commemoration of the 64th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in the majors.
Special caps were worn on Memorial Day and July 4 (For the Blue Jays, also on Canada Day as well). The caps were either red or blue with a white front and the team's logo in a Stars-and-Stripes motif (Toronto's caps have a Canadian flag). A portion of the proceeds made from sales of the caps will help Welcome Home Veterans. The New York Mets fittingly hosted Sunday night game on ESPN on September 11 to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks; their city was targeted by the terrorists on September 11, 2001 and they hosted the first major professional sporting event held in New York City since the attacks, on September 21, 2001.[42]
Originally the Major League teams will be wearing their special patriotic caps on September 11, but it was decided that they will wear their regular caps with a few alterations. All American-based Major League teams sported a patch of the American flag behind their uniforms as well as on both sides of their baseball caps, in commemoration of the aforementioned September 11 attacks. The Toronto Blue Jayssported a patch containing both the American and Canadian flags crossing each other on their uniforms, while their caps contained the American flag on the left and the Canadian flag on the right.
Selected players who participated in the All-Star Game wore uniforms with two stars on each side of the MLB logo as well as the All-Star Game patch on the baseball cap to indicate their All-Star status. They wore these on the games played from July 4–10, the week before the All-Star Game.
The Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins wore green caps in honor of Earth Day. The game, originally scheduled on April 22 but postponed due to rain, was held July 18 as part of a day-night doubleheader.
The Los Angeles Angels celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2011. Founded by Gene Autry in 1961, the team played at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field in their first season, then shared Dodger Stadium (called "Chavez Ravine" by Angels management) with the Dodgers before moving toAnaheim in 1966 and their own stadium, Anaheim Stadium (later to become Edison International Field of Anaheim and finally Angel Stadium of Anaheim). That year, the team name was altered to the California Angels. After being purchased by The Walt Disney Company in 1997, the team name was changed to the Anaheim Angels and after Arte Moreno purchased the team, the name was changed to its current moniker to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005. For the season, in addition to the patch, the Angels changed the color of the halo from silver to gold on their uniforms, just as it looked from 1971 through 1996.[43] In addition, on selected Friday night games, the team donned replicas of five of the six styles of uniforms they have worn, the most notable omission being that of the "Periwinkle Blue" era from 1997 to 2001, when Disney owned the team.
Due to the U2360° Tour concert scheduled June 29 at Sun Life Stadium and the needed time to set up the stage, the Marlins were forced to move their scheduled home games for June 24–26 against the Seattle Mariners to the Mariners' park at Safeco Field. As the Marlins were the home team, NL rules (no designated hitter) were applied.
Bert Blyleven, elected to the Class of 2011 of the Baseball Hall of Fame, was honored with the retirement of his uniform #28 by the Twins on July 16.[46]
Roberto Alomar, also a 2011 Hall of Fame class member, became the first member of the Toronto Blue Jays to have his number (#12) retired on July 31.[47]
Trevor Hoffman, who had been the all-time saves leader until Mariano Rivera surpassed him on September 19, had his #51 retired by the San Diego Padres on August 21.[49]
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