Major League Baseball Then & Now: 1987

When looking back at the last twenty years in baseball, it is hard to imagine what it looked like then as many changes have taken place. Major League Baseball was at that time was peaking in fan interest and new television deals had brought in an even bigger audience.

1987:

Before the 1987 season, free agents were victims of owner's collusion, which meant that those players were not getting much interest of signing elsewhere. Because of this, the MLBPA filed a anti-collusion lawsuit against the owners, which they eventually would win. If players did not sign with another club by May 1 of that year, they would be allowed to sign back with their former teams.

The most notable victim of collusion by the owners was former Expo All-Star, Andre Dawson. Dawson wanted to play somewhere other than on the artificial surface that had made his already bad knees worse. Finally, Dawson signed a low salary deal with the Chicago Cubs after signing his name on a blank contract for the ownership to fill in the offer. Playing at Wrigley Field allowed Dawson to play on natural grass, and the small investment that the Cubs made paid off in a huge way. Dawson would become the first player in MLB history to win a MVP award for a last place team.

Baseball had seen a drastic increase in home runs from the previous year as four players wound up with at least 40 of them: Dawson with 49; Mark McGwire of Oakland with 49; George Bell of Toronto with 47; Dale Murphy of Atlanta with 44. Many critics pointed to the baseballs being "juiced" in that were more tightly bound for maximum distance after hitting them. Some also point at the number of alleged doctored bats, but it wasn't until September that a player had been suspended for a corked bat when Billy Hatcher of Houston received a ten-game suspension.

Mark McGwire had played for Oakland during a September call-up the previous season, and had won the starting job at first base for the team in 1987. McGwire's long arms with what was then a thinner body frame shattered rookie records for home runs in route to winning the American League Rookie of the Year. He was the second Oakland player in a row to win the Rookie of the Year as his teammate Jose Canseco won it the year before.

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt became the 15th player in MLB history to amass 500 career homers when he did so in April that year. Schmidt would have the last 30-homer season of his career that year.

Boston's Roger Clemens would follow up his very stellar 1986 season in which he won the AL MVP and Cy Young awards by reaching 20 wins for the second consecutive year. Clemens would not be able to help the Red Sox advance to the playoffs again, but he has established himself as quite possibly the best pitcher in the game at the time. Clemens did take home his second of what would be seven total Cy Young awards in his career.

The St. Louis Cardinals were able to win the National League East division after feeling the heat of the defending NL East champion New York Mets. The Cardinals were team that led all of baseball in stolen bases, and depended on first baseman Jack Clark to provide power in the lineup. The Cardinals would advance to the playoffs for the second time in three years.

The San Francisco Giants were in search of winning their first division title in sixteen seasons. They were able to beat out the Reds for the division crown as their offense had been a major reason why. First baseman Will Clark played very well in his second season on the roster while outfielders Jeffrey Leonard and Chili Davis provided power in the lineup, too.

The Detroit Tigers had trailed Toronto in the American League East by a single game going into the final weekend of the season. Detroit had won each of those games by one run, which included a 1-0 win over the Bluejays in the final game. Detroit was led on offense by Alan Trammell, who had an MVP-type season. Their pitching was strong with ace Jack Morris leading the way. The Tigers advanced to the American League Championship Series for the second time in four years.

The Minnesota Twins would end up winning the American League West by only having an 85-77 record on the campaign. The Twins advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1970. The Twins had become only the second team ever to win a division title despite being outscored by the opposition.

The Cardinals would shutout the Giants in the final two games of the National League Championship Series as it took them seven games to do so. The Twins on the other hand, had pulled off what many called an upset series win over the Tigers because of the Twins record compared to Detroit. However, Minnesota was able to close out the ALCS in five games as the Twins advanced to the World Series for the first time.

For the first time in the history of the game, the home team had each game in the playoffs. With the Twins having the first and last two games at home in the World Series, Minnesota is able to win their first World Series ever.

1987 Award Winners:
American League MVP: George Bell, Toronto
American League Cy Young: Roger Clemens, Boston
American League Rookie of the Year: Mark McGwire, Oakland
National League MVP: Andre Dawson, Chicago
National League Cy Young: Steve Bedrosian, Philadelphia
National League Rookie of the Year: Benito Santiago, San Diego

Now:

As a result of the collusion by owners, free agents in those years had won more money from them in court as the MLBPA won their case. Nowadays, many fans and critics are wanting a salary cap put in place as the difference in payrolls between big and small market teams are significant.

Andre Dawson would go on to play for five more years with the Cubs before finishing his career out in Boston and Florida. Dawson currently works in the front office for the Florida Marlins, and is currently waiting to see if he gets the call to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.

Baseball has seen a big increase in total home runs in the last twenty years but it doesn't have to do with "juiced" baseballs or bats. Steroids have been a huge issue in baseball since a book by Jose Canseco hit the shelves talking about the uncontrollled use of them. New policies have been put in place, but the damage to the game has been noticed.

Mark McGwire would go on to be one of the greatest sluggers in the history of the game. He would help bring fans back to the game with his 70-homer season in 1998. Since that time, McGwire has been under heavy scrutiny as he is linked to anabolic steroid use, which may prevent him from getting elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. McGwire retired in 2001 after playing 16 seasons in the big leagues.

Schmidt would injure his shoulder the following season in 1988, and after a slow start in 1989, he called it a career. Schmidt has remained close to the game in retirement as he worked in the Phillies organization as a coach between 2002-04.

Roger Clemens would go on to win one more Cy Young Award with the Red Sox before leaving to play for Toronto. He won two Cy Youngs with the Bluejays, then went on to win two for the Yankees as well as one for Houston.

St. Louis waited seventeen years to make it back to the World Series when they were swept by Boston in 2004. However, the Cardinals would make it back in 2006 to win their first World Series Championship since 1982.

The San Francisco Giants made the World Series in 2002, losing to the Angels. For the last several years, Barry Bonds has been the main focus of the franchise as he is setting many league records, even though he is another player that is under heavy scrutiny for steroid use.

The Detroit Tigers would finally make it back to the playoffs for the first time since that 1987 season in 2006. Detroit now has one of the league's most talented pitching staffs, and they should contend for for a World Series Championship again in 2007 and beyond.

The Minnesota Twins would go one to win the World Series again in 1991 over Atlanta in the same fashion the beat the Cardinals four years before. The Twins and Braves each won all of their home contests in the seven games played. The Twins have been a victim of a small market team having a tough time to compete with signing their players. However, the Twins organization has been a very team on the field, and will continue to do for a long time to come.

Baseball has seen four more teams added to what was 26 total teams in 1987 since then. Florida and Colorado came into the league in 1993 while Arizona and Tampa Bay began play in 1998. Also since that period of time, baseball has since put in a three division format with a wild card team making the playoffs as well. So now three rounds of playoffs begin compared to two league championships and a World Series before. The three division format was first used in 1994.

Speaking of 1994, MLB players went on strike which forced the cancellation of the World Series for the first time. Fans and media criticized the players for doing so, and the 1995 season was shortened as a result of strike. Baseball has seen labor disputes since that period of time, and is one of the many debates that is on-going in terms of a salary cap being put in place.

Who would have thought that baseball would have as many problems and issues as any sport out there in 1987? Baseball was seeing a significant increase in exposure in that period of time, but the controversies that currently exist in the game have caused the league to not be near as profitable. Baseball was arguably in the most competitive era in the history of the game in 1987. However, the competitive imbalance that is currently out there is one of the many problems the game faces today. What a difference twenty years can make.