In 1994, his first full season in the majors, Ramirez had a strong start to the season, hitting six home runs during the month of April. Despite a weak start to May, he rebounded in the latter half of the month, finishing the month with a .300 batting average. During the season, the Indians were chasing the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central (AL Central) division all the way until the end of the season. However, the team's season ended in August due to the 1994 MLB strike. Ramirez finished second in the Rookie of the Year award voting after batting .269 with 17 home runs and 60 RBIs in 91 games.