Editing Bud Selig (section)

== Acting Commissioner (1992–1998) ==
Selig became an increasingly vocal opponent of Commissioner [[Fay Vincent]], and soon became the leader of a group of owners seeking his removal. Selig has never stated that the owners [[Baseball collusion|colluded]], while Vincent has:

{{blockquote|The [[Major League Baseball Players Association|Union]] basically doesn't trust the ownership because [[Baseball collusion|collusion]] was a US$280 million theft by Selig and [[Jerry Reinsdorf]] of that money from the players. I mean, they rigged the signing of [[free agent]]s. They got caught. They paid $280 million to the players. And I think that's polluted labor relations in baseball ever since it happened. I think it's the reason [[MLBPA]] executive director [[Donald Fehr]] has no trust in Selig.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1173&Itemid=81 |title=Interview with Fay Vincent |publisher=Bizofbaseball.com |date=November 9, 2005 |access-date=October 17, 2009 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713054852/http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1173&Itemid=81 |archive-date=July 13, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>|Fay Vincent}}

Following an 18-9 [[no-confidence vote]], Vincent resigned. Selig had by this time become chairman of the '''Executive Council of Major League Baseball''', and as such became de facto acting commissioner.

His first major act was to institute the [[MLB Wild Card|Wild Card]] and divisional playoff play, which has created much controversy amongst baseball fans. Those against the Wild Card see it as diminishing the importance of the [[pennant race]] and the regular season, with the true race often being for second rather than first place, while those in favor of it view it as an opportunity for teams to have a shot at the playoffs even when they have no chance of a first-place finish in their division, thus maintaining fan interest later in the season.

Selig suspended [[Cincinnati Reds]] owner [[Marge Schott]] for a year in 1993 for repeated racially insensitive and prejudicial remarks and actions. The same year, Selig reinstated [[New York Yankees]] owner [[George Steinbrenner]] from a lifelong suspension that was instituted by Selig's predecessor [[Fay Vincent]]. [[Pete Rose]] has claimed that he applied for reinstatement over the years and received no such consideration. Rose, along with his close friend and former teammate [[Mike Schmidt]] (who is a strong supporter of Rose's reinstatement into baseball), met with Selig in 2002, where Rose privately admitted to Selig (two years before going public with his admission) about [[Dowd Report|betting on baseball]]. Bud Selig was a close friend of the late [[A. Bartlett Giamatti|Bart Giamatti]], who was the commissioner when Rose was first banned from the sport in 1989.

As acting commissioner, Selig represented MLB owners during the [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|1994 strike]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-08-12 |title=The Strike: Who was right, who was wrong and how it helped baseball |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/08/12/1994-strike-bud-selig-orel-hershiser |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=SI |language=en-US}}</ref> On September 15, he cancelled the [[1994 World Series|World Series]], marking the first time the annual event had not been staged since [[1904 World Series|1904]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newhan |first=Ross |date=1994-09-15 |title=Baseball Season, Series Canceled: Owners say failure to reach bargaining accord and 34-day players' strike made it impossible to resume play. World Series won't be played for first time since 1904. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-15-mn-38736-story.html |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=}}</ref>

While serving as acting commissioner, MLB also implemented [[interleague play]] in 1997.<ref name=":0" />