Champions
Major League Baseball Regular Season Champions
League Eastern Division Champion Central Division Champion Western Division Champion Wild Card Qualifier American League Boston Red Sox Cleveland Indians Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim New York Yankees National League Philadelphia Phillies Chicago Cubs Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies World Series Champion – Boston Red Sox Postseason – October 2 to October 28
Higher seed had home field advantage during Division Series and League Championship Series. The American League champion has home field advantage during the World Series as a result of the AL victory in the All-Star Game.
Postseason MVPs World Series MVP – Mike Lowell (Boston Red Sox) ALCS MVP – Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox) NLCS MVP – Matt Holliday (Colorado Rockies) All-Star Game, July 10 at AT&T Park – American League, 5–4; Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners), MVP State Farm Insurance Home Run Derby, July 9 – Vladimir Guerrero (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
Other champions Minor League Baseball Triple-A Championship: Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) International League: Richmond Braves (Braves) Pacific Coast League: Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) Mexican League: Sultanes de Monterrey AA Eastern League: Erie SeaWolves Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits Texas League: San Antonio Missions A-Advanced California League: San Jose Giants Carolina League: Frederick Keys Florida State League: Clearwater Threshers Class A Midwest League: West Michigan Whitecaps South Atlantic League: Columbus Catfish Class A Short Season New York–Penn League: Auburn Doubledays Northwest League: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Rookie Appalachian League: Elizabethton Twins Gulf Coast League: Gulf Coast Yankees Pioneer League: Orem Owlz Arizona League: AZL Mariners Independent baseball leagues Alaska Baseball League: Fairbanks AIA Fire American Association: Fort Worth Cats Atlantic League: Newark Bears Canadian-American Association: Nashua Pride Frontier League: Windy City ThunderBolts Golden Baseball League: Chico Outlaws Northern League: Gary SouthShore RailCats United League Baseball: Alexandria Aces Amateur College baseball College World Series: Oregon State University def. University of North Carolina 2 games to 0 NCAA Division II: University of Tampa NCAA Division III: Kean University NAIA: Lewis-Clark State College Youth Big League World Series: Easley, South Carolina Junior League World Series: Warner Robins, Georgia Little League World Series: Pearl City, Hawaii Senior League World Series: Cartersville, Georgia International National teams Baseball World Cup: United States Asian Baseball Championship: Japan European Baseball Championship: Netherlands Pan-Am Games: Cuba International club team competitions Caribbean Series: Águilas Cibaeñas (Dominican Republic) European Cup: Corendon Kinheim (Netherlands) Konami Cup Asia Series: Chunichi Dragons (Japan) Domestic leagues Australia – Claxton Shield : Victoria Aces China Baseball League – Tianjin Lions Cuban National Series: Santiago de Cuba Dominican Winter League: Águilas Cibaeñas Holland Series: Corendon Kinheim Italian Serie A1 Scudetto – Grosseto Japan Series: Chunichi Dragons Korean Series – SK Wyverns Mexican Pacific League: Naranjeros de Hermosillo Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League: Gigantes de Carolina Taiwan Series – Uni-President Lions Venezuelan Professional Baseball League: Tigres de Aragua
1 – The appearance by the Huskies of Rouen, France in the final marks the first time since 1976 that a team from outside the professional leagues of the Netherlands or Italy has finished in the top two.
Awards and honors Baseball Hall of Fame honors Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn are elected by the BBWAA in their first year of eligibility. Rick Hummel, columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who covered the St. Louis Cardinals for three decades, received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award. Denny Matthews, broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals since the team's 1969 formation, received the Ford C. Frick Award. MVP Awards National League Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies American League Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees Cy Young Awards National League Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres American League CC Sabathia, Cleveland Indians Rookie of the Year Awards National League Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers American League Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox Manager of the Year Awards National League Bob Melvin, Arizona Diamondbacks American League Eric Wedge, Cleveland Indians Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league): Shari Massengill, Kinston Indians, Carolina League Silver Slugger Awards American League DH: David Ortiz C: Jorge Posada 1B: Carlos Peña 2B: Plácido Polanco 3B: Alex Rodriguez SS: Derek Jeter OF: Vladimir Guerrero OF: Magglio Ordóñez OF: Ichiro Suzuki National League P: Micah Owings C: Russell Martin 1B: Prince Fielder 2B: Chase Utley 3B: David Wright SS: Jimmy Rollins OF: Carlos Beltrán OF: Matt Holliday OF: Carlos Lee
Gold Glove Awards American League P: Johan Santana C: Iván Rodríguez 1B: Kevin Youkilis 2B: Plácido Polanco 3B: Adrián Beltré SS: Orlando Cabrera OF: Torii Hunter OF: Grady Sizemore OF: Ichiro Suzuki National League P: Greg Maddux (his record 17th) C: Russell Martin 1B: Derrek Lee 2B: Orlando Hudson 3B: David Wright SS: Jimmy Rollins OF: Carlos Beltrán OF: Jeff Francoeur * OF: Andruw Jones OF: Aaron Rowand * * Francoeur and Rowand finished tied in the voting
Major league baseball final standings
American League Rank Club Wins Losses Win % GB East Division 1st Boston Red Sox 96 66 .593 – 2nd New York Yankees† 94 68 .580 2.0 3rd Toronto Blue Jays 83 79 .512 13.0 4th Baltimore Orioles 69 93 .426 27.0 5th Tampa Bay Devil Rays 66 96 .407 30.0 Central Division 1st Cleveland Indians 96 66 .593 – 2nd Detroit Tigers 88 74 .543 8.0 3rd Minnesota Twins 79 83 .488 17.0 4th Chicago White Sox 72 90 .444 24.0 5th Kansas City Royals 69 93 .426 27.0 West Division 1st Los Angeles Angels 94 68 .580 – 2nd Seattle Mariners 88 74 .543 6.0 3rd Oakland Athletics 76 86 .469 18.0 4th Texas Rangers 75 87 .463 19.0
National League Rank Club Wins Losses Win % GB East Division 1st Philadelphia Phillies 89 73 .549 – 2nd New York Mets 88 74 .543 1.0 3rd Atlanta Braves 84 78 .519 5.0 4th Washington Nationals 73 89 .451 16.0 5th Florida Marlins 71 91 .438 18.0 Central Division 1st Chicago Cubs 85 77 .525 – 2nd Milwaukee Brewers 83 79 .512 2.0 3rd St. Louis Cardinals 78 84 .481 7.0 4th Houston Astros 73 89 .451 12.0 5th Cincinnati Reds 72 90 .444 13.0 6th Pittsburgh Pirates 68 94 .420 17.0 West Division 1st Arizona Diamondbacks 90 72 .556 – 2nd Colorado Rockies† 90 73 .552 0.5 3rd San Diego Padres 89 74 .546 1.5 4th Los Angeles Dodgers 82 80 .506 8.0 5th San Francisco Giants 71 91 .438 19.0
†Denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league. The Rockies defeated the Padres 9–8 (13) in a one-game playoff for the NL wild card.
The 90 wins by the Diamondbacks and Rockies were the fewest to lead the NL since 1959, with the exception of the strike-shortened seasons of 1981, 1994 and 1995. No NL team won or lost 95 games for the first time since 1983.
Also, this was the second consecutive season in which no team won at least 60% of its games, the first time that this has happened in Major League Baseball history.
Events
January–March January 9 – As the result of questions regarding his involvement in the ongoing steroids investigations, Mark McGwire falls well short in his first effort to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, meanwhile, are elected easily. January 11 – The New York Daily News reports that Barry Bonds tests positive for amphetamines at some point during the 2006 season and that Bonds initially cites a supplement he receives from San Francisco Giants teammate Mark Sweeney as a possible reason for the positive test. Testing rules established in 2006 require that first positive tests must remain confidential. February 4 – The Israel Baseball League announces the official teams of the inaugural season: Bet Shemesh Blue Sox, Modi'in Miracle, Netanya Tigers, Petach Tikva Pioneers, Ra'anana Express, Tel Aviv Lightning. Dropped from the league are the Haifa Stingrays and Jerusalem Lions. March 31 – The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Cleveland Indians 5–1 in the inaugural Civil Rights Game, held at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee.
April April 2: Bruce Froemming works behind home plate for the opener between the Athletics and Mariners, tying Bill Klem's major league record of 37 seasons as an umpire. The Tribune Company, after agreeing to a buyout of $8.2 billion by real estate magnate Sam Zell, announces that the Chicago Cubs are to be sold following the 2007 season. April 10 – 12 – In a case of life imitating art, the Cleveland Indians, displaced by a freak spring snowstorm, play a series against the Los Angeles Angels in Milwaukee. Most of the game action in the 1989 film Major League, in which the Indians are the featured team, is actually filmed in Milwaukee at the Brewers' home at that time, County Stadium. April 15 – To celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first major league game, dozens of players wear his league-wide retired number, 42. The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of six teams whose entire roster wears number 42 for their games. April 15 – Marco Scutaro hits a three-run, walk-off home run against Mariano Rivera with two outs in the bottom of ninth inning to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 5–4 victory against the New York Yankees. April 17 - The Washington Nationals pay tribute to the victims of the school shooting at Virginia Tech. The Nationals take the field in the second inning of a game versus the Atlanta Braves wearing Virginia Tech hats. The hat of Chris Snelling currently resides in the hall of fame at Cooperstown. April 18 – Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitches a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, becoming the team's first pitcher since Wilson Álvarez in , and the 16th in franchise history, to throw a no-hitter. April 20 – Bruce Froemming umpires at first base in the Cleveland Indians-Tampa Bay Devil Rays game, passing Bill Klem to become – at age 67 years, 204 days – the oldest umpire in major league history. April 22 – Chase Wright of the New York Yankees gives up four consecutive home runs in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox, joining Paul Foytack to become only the second player to accomplish this dubious feat. Manny Ramírez, J. D. Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek hit the home runs. April 23 – Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees hits two home runs, his 13th and 14th of the season, in a 10–8 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, surpassing the American League record and tying the Major League record for most home runs hit in the month of April. April 29: Manny Ramírez becomes the fifth player to hit at least 50 career home runs against the New York Yankees, leading his Red Sox to a 7–4 victory. Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies performs the 13th unassisted triple play in MLB history, catching a Chipper Jones line drive, tagging second base to force Kelly Johnson out off the bag, then tagging out Édgar Rentería in the 7th inning of an 11-inning 9–7 Rockies victory over the Atlanta Braves. The Sunday night game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs is postponed due to the death of Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock early that morning.
May May 6 – Roger Clemens announces to the crowd at Yankee Stadium that he has signed a contract to play for the New York Yankees for the remainder of the season. May 13: