On Friday, August 12, 1994, the Yankees were 70-43. That was good enough to be six and a half games up on the second-place Orioles. They had the second-best record in the major leagues behind the Montreal Expos. Most were projecting the Yankees as favorites to win the World Series.
That same day was also the day the players went on strike. Then manager Buck Showalter was convinced it would be short lived. So convinced, that he didn’t even pack up his office. However, the strike lingered into the next season and finally ended just as the owners were prepared to start the year with replacement players.