Greg Maddux (P) (NL) MLB statistical leaders Major League Baseball final standings The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league. The Chicago Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3 in a one-game playoff to determine the NL wild card. Events January January 5 – Don Sutton, a 324-game winner, is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his fifth try. Sutton, who missed election by nine votes in 1997, is named on 81.6% of the ballots. January 8 – The New York Yankees sign Darryl Strawberry as a free agent. February February 2 – New York Yankees general manager Bob Watson announces his resignation. He is replaced by 30-year-old Brian Cashman. February 6 – The Minnesota Twins trade Chuck Knoblauch to the New York Yankees in exchange for Cristian Guzman, Brian Buchanan, Eric Milton, Danny Mota and cash considerations. February 18 – The New York Mets sign Nelson Cruz as an amateur free agent. March March 3 – Larry Doby, Lee MacPhail, George Davis and Bullet Joe Rogan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. March 23 – The New York Yankees sign Orlando Hernandez as an amateur free agent. March 31 : The Tampa Bay Devil Rays lose to the Detroit Tigers 11–6, in their first game ever. Pitcher Wilson Álvarez takes the loss for Tampa while third baseman Wade Boggs hit the first home run in team history and drives in three runs. The Arizona Diamondbacks drop a 9–2 decision to the Colorado Rockies in their first game ever. Andy Benes is tagged with the loss. Rookies Travis Lee and Karim García hit home runs, while Vinny Castilla drives in five runs for Colorado. The New York Mets beat their division rival Philadelphia Phillies, 1–0, in the longest scoreless opening day game in the National League and the longest one in Major League Baseball since , when the Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics 1–0 in 15 innings. Mets backup catcher Alberto Castillo delivered a full-count, two-out, pinch-hit single to right with the bases loaded off Philadelphia closer Ricky Bottalico to finish the game. In their National League debut, the Milwaukee Brewers fall 2–1 at Turner Field in Atlanta to the team that preceded them in Milwaukee, the Atlanta Braves. The Atlanta victory came in walk-off fashion following an errant throw to second base by catcher Mike