Welcome to our community

Be apart of something great, join today!

What if MLB didnt strike in 1994........?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

moxacaine

Active member
Administrator
Aug 7, 2008
17,349
2
Fredericksburg, VA
I saw a reference today to the 94 strike season discussing the possibility of Griffey and Matt Williams breaking the HR record. This has been discussed a million times.

It did get me thinking, are there any players career that would have changed significantly had they played out the last 48 games?

The only one that came to mind for me was Fred McGriff. He likely would have hit at least 7 home runs which would have put him over 500 at the end of his career. Would that have made the difference for the hall of fame?
 

Austin

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
5,706
41
Dallas, Texas
Tony Gwynn hit .394 that season. He had a legitimate shot to hit .400 for the first time since Ted Williams in 1941.
 
Jul 12, 2017
170
0
Gwynn stands out the most in terms of breaking records, but in terms of changing a player's perceived career McGriff getting 7 more HRs would almost certainly get him in the Hall and it wouldn't take until the last year of eligibility to realize how good he was.

Sent from my [device_name] using Freedom Card Board mobile app
 

gt2590

Super Moderator
Aug 17, 2008
38,655
3,239
Near Philly
The Expos not moving was my first thought and also it might help them keeping a loaded, relatively young together for years. With Vladdy in the pipeline? Wow.

And maybe I wouldn't hate Bud Selig so much. Still would but maybe not so much...
 

smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
Plus the first 18 games of 1995.

Jeff Bagwell may not have won MVP. Didn't he get hit on the hand and broke a bone or something the last day? Bags was the unanimous MVP, but missing the last 2 months might have allowed Matt Williams or someone to take it.

Cal Ripken's record would be a little longer, probably, or he might've gotten smashed on a double-play and broken a leg.

John Kruk may or may not have retired the way he did.

Late season card products wouldn't have had the same scarcity we chased after over the winter. I don't recall off-hand any products being cancelled but things like Flair Series 2 were hot.
 

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
Michael Jordan played minor league and AZ fall league in 1994. While he struggled, he was determined to stick with it and report to Sox spring training 1995. With the strike on, he called it quits on baseball, and returned to basketball.

Dave Henderson stated that having the summer off in 1994 and spending time with his family gave him a new perspective, and he felt like he had nothing left to prove in the game, so with the strike on he announced his retirement before 1995.
 

MatthewN

Active member
Sep 30, 2015
257
47
Coralville, IA
Kirby Puckett led the AL in RBI in 1994. 1995 Topps Cyberstats says Frank Thomas and Albert Belle would've tied for the lead league well ahead of Puckett had the season played out. This makes sense in part due to the fact that 1994 ended with the White Sox leading the AL Central, and Cleveland just a game back, so those guys would've had more opportunities to drive in runs than the somebody on the fourth place Twins. It also makes me wonder if a 1994 playoff appearance for Cleveland would've changed anything that happened for the Tribe teams that followed.
 

dano7

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
13,324
3,846
Roanoke, VA
Would MLB have turned such a blind eye toward steroid use and the home runs they generated without the strike?
 

gt2590

Super Moderator
Aug 17, 2008
38,655
3,239
Near Philly
Would MLB have turned such a blind eye toward steroid use and the home runs they generated without the strike?

Yep.

Selig never really cared.

By the time it got REALLY bad, '96/97 IMO, most fans were back, at least in part to Ripken's streak.
 

Members online

Latest posts

Top