1989 Season

26 teams competing across 6 divisions

The 1989 Major League Baseball season was played by 26 teams. The Oakland Athletics won the World Series, defeating the San Francisco Giants. Kevin Mitchell led with 47 home runs, Kevin Mitchell led with 125 RBI, and Kirby Puckett led with 215 hits. This page carries the 1989 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1989 Bracket
World Series OAK def. SFN (4-0)
AL Championship OAK def. TOR (4-1)
NL Championship SFN def. CHN (4-1)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1989 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 502 plate appearances at 162 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Kirby Puckett .339 2 Tony Gwynn .336 3 Carney Lansford .336 4 Will Clark .333 5 Wade Boggs .330

OPS qualified

1 Kevin Mitchell 1.023 2 Will Clark .953 3 Lonnie Smith .948 4 Howard Johnson .928 5 Fred McGriff .924

Home Runs all players

1 Kevin Mitchell 47 2 Howard Johnson 36 3 Fred McGriff 36 4 Joe Carter 35 5 Eric Davis 34

RBI all players

1 Kevin Mitchell 125 2 Ruben Sierra 119 3 Pedro Guerrero 117 4 Don Mattingly 113 5 Will Clark 111

Hits all players

1 Kirby Puckett 215 2 Wade Boggs 205 3 Steve Sax 205 4 Tony Gwynn 203 5 Will Clark 196

Runs all players

1 Wade Boggs 113 2 Rickey Henderson 113 3 Will Clark 104 4 Howard Johnson 104 5 Ryne Sandberg 104

Stolen Bases all players

1 Rickey Henderson 77 2 Vince Coleman 65 3 Cecil Espy 45 4 Devon White 44 5 Gary Pettis 43
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1989 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 162 innings at 162 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Bret Saberhagen 2.16 2 Scott Garrelts 2.28 3 Orel Hershiser 2.31 4 Chuck Finley 2.57 5 Mike Moore 2.61

WHIP qualified

1 Bret Saberhagen 0.96 2 Scott Garrelts 1.01 3 Jose DeLeon 1.03 4 Mike Scott 1.06 5 Sid Fernandez 1.06

Wins all pitchers

1 Bret Saberhagen 23 2 Dave Stewart 21 3 Mike Scott 20 4 Storm Davis 19 5 Greg Maddux 19

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Nolan Ryan 301 2 Mark Langston 235 3 Roger Clemens 230 4 Frank Viola 211 5 Jose DeLeon 201

Saves all pitchers

1 Mark Davis 44 2 Jeff Russell 38 3 Mitch Williams 36 4 Bobby Thigpen 34 5 Dennis Eckersley 33
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

AL East

Toronto Blue Jays ★ 89-73 Baltimore Orioles 87-75 Boston Red Sox 83-79 Milwaukee Brewers 81-81 New York Yankees 74-87 Cleveland Indians 73-89 Detroit Tigers 59-103

AL West

Oakland Athletics ★ 99-63 Kansas City Royals 92-70 California Angels 91-71 Texas Rangers 83-79 Minnesota Twins 80-82 Seattle Mariners 73-89 Chicago White Sox 69-92

NL East

Chicago Cubs ★ 93-69 New York Mets 87-75 St. Louis Cardinals 86-76 Montreal Expos 81-81 Pittsburgh Pirates 74-88 Philadelphia Phillies 67-95

NL West

San Francisco Giants ★ 92-70 San Diego Padres 89-73 Houston Astros 86-76 Los Angeles Dodgers 77-83 Cincinnati Reds 75-87 Atlanta Braves 63-97

The 1989 season in brief

No 1989 club finished with a better record than the Oakland Athletics at 99-63. Nobody in 1989 fared worse than the Detroit Tigers (59-103). Race by race in 1989, the Baltimore Orioles (87-75) chased the Toronto Blue Jays (89-73) to the end in the American League East, the San Francisco Giants topped the National League West at 92-70, a few games clear of the San Diego Padres, the National League East was not close, the Chicago Cubs finishing 93-69 to the New York Mets's 87-75, and the Oakland Athletics owned the American League West with a 99-63 mark, the Kansas City Royals next at 92-70. The San Francisco Giants reached the 1989 World Series and lost it to the Oakland Athletics, 4 games to 0. Before that, the bracket shows the Oakland Athletics over the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series (4-1) and the San Francisco Giants over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series (4-1). Kevin Mitchell led the majors with 47 home runs, ahead of Howard Johnson with 36. The qualified batting-average board starts with Kirby Puckett at .339, with Tony Gwynn next at .336. Kirby Puckett cleared the 502-plate-appearance line that 1989's 162 team games set. The batting tiles keep returning to Kevin Mitchell, first in OPS, home runs, and RBI. Beyond the top five in each tile, the 1989 leaders page ranks the whole 1989 field.

1989 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1989?
The Oakland Athletics won the 1989 World Series, beating the San Francisco Giants.
How many teams played in 1989?
26 teams played in the 1989 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1989?
Kevin Mitchell led with 47 home runs in 1989.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1989?
Kevin Mitchell led with 125 RBI in 1989.
Who led MLB in hits in 1989?
Kirby Puckett led with 215 hits in 1989.
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