2008 MLB season | |
---|---|
League | Major League Baseball |
Sport | Baseball |
Duration | March 25 – October 29, 2008 |
Number of games | 162 |
Number of teams | 30 |
TV partner(s) | Fox, TBS, ESPN |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Tim Beckham |
Picked by | Tampa Bay Rays |
Regular season | |
Season MVP | AL: Dustin Pedroia (BOS) NL: Albert Pujols (STL) |
Postseason | |
AL champions | Tampa Bay Rays |
AL runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
NL champions | Philadelphia Phillies |
NL runners-up | Los Angeles Dodgers |
World Series | |
Champions | Philadelphia Phillies |
Runners-up | Tampa Bay Rays |
World Series MVP | Cole Hamels (PHI) |
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 (in 10 innings) in the first game of a two-game series,[1][2] and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central. The Civil Rights Game, an exhibition, in Memphis, Tennessee, took place March 29 when the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox, 3–2.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays shortened their name to Tampa Bay Rays.
The All-Star Game was played on July 15 at the Old Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City, with the AL winning 4 to 3 in 15 innings. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series 4 games to 1 over the Tampa Bay Rays. This was Philadelphia's second championship, and also the first World Series appearance for the Rays.