[Dukie98]

Frontier League: The Baltimore Robins won 10 of their final 11 games to eke out the Northeast Division title by two games over Buffalo, winning 91 games behind a league-leading offense that blasted a franchise-record 282 games. Outfielder JD Martinez hit .318 and slugged .646, setting franchise records with 56 homers and 155 RBI's, while scoring 130 runs. Third baseman Charlie Hayes hit .301 and slugged .587, ripping 51 longballs for the second straight year, while driving in 140 runs and scoring 108 runs. First baseman Mark McGwire smacked 44 homers and drove in 102 runs, while drawing a league-high 134 walks. Veteran Denny Galehouse went 11-7 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Walter Johnson came back after two injury-shortened seasons to go 12-6 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, as he topped the 350-victory threshold. The Buffalo Fighting Elk collapsed down the stretch, losing 12 of their final 17 games, including an 8-game losing streak, finishing second in the Northeast Division with 89 victories. Rookie third baseman Randy Jackson starred, hitting .291 with 42 dingers and 131 RBI's. Right fielder Willard Marshall hit .275 and slugged .557, ripping 42 homers and knocking in 120 runs. Left fielder Juan Soto hit .286, drilling 30 longballs, knocking in 102 runs, and scoring 110 runs. Righthander Steve Parris led an otherwise subpar pitching staff, going 18-8 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.

The Ottawa Parliamentarians took a double-digit divisional lead in July, peaking with a 69-41 record, but a late-season collapse nearly cost them a playoff spot. Ottawa went 19-32 in August and September, winning the Great Lakes Division by one game. with 88 victories. First baseman George Scott starred, hitting .323 and slugging .658, with 96 extra-base hits, including 56 homers, a franchise-record 168 RBI's, and 123 runs scored. Right fielder Mookie Betts hit .332 and slugged .578, with 24 homers, 86 RBI's, 91 runs scored, and 19 steals in just 111 games. Slap-hitting second baseman Joe Gedeon hit .346 with a .421 on-base percentage, scoring 87 runs in just 125 games. Righthander Josh Johnson sported a modest 12-13 record despite a solid 3.52 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 210 strikeouts. Southpaw Steve Trout notched an 11-5 mark with a 3.01 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP, despite missing the last month of the season with an inflamed forearm. Ottawa narrowly held off the Detroit Purple Gang, who used a red-hot second half to over come a slow start. Detroit won 87 games, led by shortstop Leo Cardenas, who hit .290 with 24 dingers and 98 RBI's. Righthander Trevor Bauer posted a 16-7 mark with a 2.75 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and fanned 231 batters.

The Omaha Falcons rode a red-hot start to a Great Plains Division title, making the playoffs for just the second time in 16 seasons. Omaha jumped out to a 50-19 start on their way to a 98-win season. First baseman Hal Trosky, a free agent signee, hit .328 and set several franchise records, as he slugged .656, blasted 52 homers, knocked in 150 runs, and scored 137 runs. Left fielder Charlie Keller hit .336 with a league-best .449 on-base percentage, ripping 47 homers, 120 RBI's, and scored 132 runs. Second-year second sacker Daniel Murphy hit .359 and slugged .627, ripping 24 longballs and plating 95 runs in just 108 games. Right fielder Lyman Bostock hit .319 with 43 doubles, 22 homers, 78 RBI's, and scored 121 runs. Righthander Rick Reuschel was the lone bright spot in an otherwise erratic rotation, going 22-3 with a 2.12 ERA, an 0.93 WHIP, and 228 strikeouts, while leading the league in wins, ERA, innings pitched, and WHIP. Closer Jimmy Zinn notched 35 saves, 6 wins, a 1.97 ERA, and an 0.93 WHIP. Omaha barely held off the Kansas City Mad Hatters, who won 95 games, including a 36-15 record over the last two months of the season, to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Center fielder Vada Pinson flirted with the batting title, hitting .355 with 51 doubles, 31 homers, 120 RBI's, and 113 runs scored. Right fielder Lou Piniella hit .320 with 42 doubles, 20 dingers, 118 RBI's, and 90 runs scored. Catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr. hit .294, ripping 23 longballs and knocking in 100 runs. Righthander Vern Law led a solid, if unspectacular, pitching staff, going 17-6 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, yielding just 11 walks in 215 innings. Virgil Barnes posted a 12-12 mark with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.

The Denver Spikes overcame a rash of injuries to their stars to earn a league-best 108 victories. Right fielder Carl Everett hit .272 with 49 longballs, 118 RBI's, and 116 runs scored. Shortstop Cecil Travis hit .341 with a league-high 57 doubles and knocked in 89 runs. Catcher Wally Schang hit .281 with a .400 on-base percentage, along with 16 homers, 68 RBI's, and 91 runs scored. Southpaw Bruce Robbins went 17-7 with a 3.02 ERA, an 0.96 WHIP, and 223 strikeouts. Yovani Gallardo notched a 15-4 mark with a 3.25 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, while fanning 212 batters. Denver overcame season-ending injuries to slugger Ron Gant, third baseman Alvin Dark, ace Vinegar Bend Mizell, and closer Pete Richert. Denver held off the defending champion Calgary Cattle Rustlers, who won 105 games. Right fielder Ellis Valentine starred, winning the batting title by hitting .360 with a league-high 231 hits, along with 51 homers, 133 RBI's, 129 runs scored, and 27 steals. Rookie left fielder Jay Payton hit .330 and slugged .612, ripping 30 round-trippers and knocking in 90 runs in just 119 games, but tore his labrum in late August and would likely miss the playoffs. Third baseman Eddie Mathews rebounded from two off-years to hit .270 with 37 longballs, 101 RBI's, and score 100 runs. Calgary featured the league's best pitching staff, led by Wandy Rodriguez, who went 16-7 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, but his season ended prematurely in mid-August when he was saddled with bone spurs. Juan Guzman notched a 17-7 mark with a 3.12 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, while fanning 232 batters. Closer Bryan Clark led the league with 45 saves while notching a 1.92 ERA and an 0.88 WHIP. The Portland Skunks returned to the playoffs after a four-year hiatus, winning 89 games. Left fielder Bobby Abreu led a middling offense, hitting .347 and slugging .635, smacking 26 longballs and knocking in 82 runs in just 106 games. Veteran third baseman Evan Longoria hit .307 with 20 dingers and 91 RBI's. First baseman Pat Tabler hit .336 and scored 81 runs, while popping 8 longballs. Rookie Red Munger was a hard-luck 12-10 despite a 2.79 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, 214 strikeouts, and yielded just 7 homers in 197 innings. Southpaw Fred Norman went 10-7 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, but suffered a season-ending hamstring strain in mid-September.

Continental League: The New York Emperors won 102 games, combining a top-three offense with the stingiest pitching staff in the league. Right fielder Dino Restelli had a career year, hitting .309 and slugging .614, blasting 49 homers, driving in a league-high 157 runs, and scoring 128 runs. Second baseman Ray Durham hit .278 with 26 longballs, 112 RBI's, 107 runs scored, and 33 steals. Left fielder Tim Raines hit .307 with a .407 on-base percentage, with 10 homers, 82 RBI's, and 45 steals in just 113 games. Southpaw Mike Hampton notched a 20-7 record with a 2.52 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and fanned 211 batters, yielding just 8 homers in 196 innings. Billy O'Dell sported a 17-6 record with a 2.72 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and whiffed 194 batters, hurling a perfect game for the second straight season. Righthander Ray Benge went 13-5 with a 2.95 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, striking out 202 batters. New York held off the 98-win Virginia Beach Admirals, who returned to the postseason for the first time in eight years. Center fielder Bernie Williams had a breakout season, posting a .351/ .441/ .619 slash line, ripping 42 doubles, 36 homers, driving in 104 runs, scoring 114, while swiping 43 bags. First baseman John Jaha hit .301, blasting 44 round-trippers, driving in 119 runs, scoring 118 runs, and stealing 26 bases. Third baseman Freddie Lindstrom hit .302 with 28 homers, 8 triples, 89 RBI's, 98 runs scored, and 20 steals. Free agent signee Vida Blue led a deep pitching staff, going 16-9 with a 3.42 ERA, an 0.92 WHIP, and 260 whiffs. Sam Jones sported a 14-5 record with a 3.47 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, while fanning 225 batters. Rookie righthander Joe Dobson notched a 13-6 record with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

The Atlanta Ducks won 90 games to pull out the Southeast Division, returning to the postseason for the first time in nine years. Catcher Rudy York led the way, hitting .294 and slugging .596, with 39 longballs, 100 RBI's, and 98 runs scored in just 133 games. Left fielder Justin Upton hit .298 with 45 round-trippers, 129 RBI's, and 111 runs scored. First baseman George Burns hit .292 with 37 doubles, 14 homers, 70 RBI's, and 93 runs scored. Hard-luck Ismael Valdez went just 11-14 despite a 3.07 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 239 strikeouts in a league-best 240 innings. Ray Keating notched a 13-6 mark with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, with 193 strikeouts. Atlanta held off the New Orleans Crawfish, who won 87 games but missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. First baseman Freddie Freeman led New Orleans, hitting .300 with 25 longballs and 105 RBI's. New Orleans's fortunes took a tumble after All-Star shortstop Alan Trammell suffered a season-ending meniscus tear while tying his shoes (!), going 31-44 the rest of the way. The Crawfish's pitching staff was uncharacteristically mediocre, as Carlos Martinez led the way with a 13-10 record and a middling 4.00 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.

The Oklahoma City Otters earned their third straight playoff appearance, winning 88 games to take the Texas Division by six games over the Austin Mustangs. First baseman Cecil Cooper continued his late-career renaissance, hitting .281 with 34 homers, 116 RBI's, and 108 runs scored. Rookie right fielder Phil Plantier hit .291 with a .407 on-base percentage, launching 37 longballs and driving in 104 runs. DH Jeromy Burnitz hit .275 with 35 dingers in just 122 games, knocking in 90 runs. Rookie Don Schwall led an otherwise below-average pitching staff, going 18-5 with a 2.50 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and 190 strikeouts, yielding just 9 homers in 195 innings. Veteran southpaw Bob Kuzava posted a 9-6 record with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.

The San Diego Zookeepers won 101 games, blasting a franchise-record 220 homers. Right fielder Ellis Burks was a MVP favorite, hitting .348 and slugging .659, leading the league with 51 homers and 145 runs scored, while driving in 134 runs and stealing 35 bases. First baseman Tony Perez hit .328 and slugged .586, ripping 44 homers and driving in 142 runs. Second baseman Johnny Evers hit .315 and posted a .398 on-base percentage, scoring 90 runs and swiping 24 bags. Southpaw Dutch Ruether won a league-high 22 games, going 22-8 with a 2.51 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 230 strikeouts. Righthander Dennis Martinez posted a 13-7 record with a 3.54 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, while fanning 190 batters. The Albuquerque Conquistadors returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2050, winning 95 games. Albuquerque led baseball in runs scored, and drilled 335 homers - the second-highest team total in history - as four players topped 40 homers and two more cleared 30. Defending MVP Jonathan Schoop had another stellar campaign, hitting .349 and slugging .624, blasting 48 longballs, driving in 141 runs, and scoring 129 runs. Right fielder Carl Furillo hit .319 with 48 round-trippers, 129 RBI's, and 137 runs scored. First baseman Travis Hafner notched a .300/ .400/ .602 slash line, drilling 47 dingers, driving in 129 runs, and scoring 125. Center fielder Jody Gerut hit .296 with a league-high 44 doubles, 41 longballs, 115 RBI's, and 132 runs scored. Southpaw John Tudor was the lone bright spot on a subpar pitching staff, going 19-6 with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. The Phoenix Lizards overcame a slow start to win 93 games. Third baseman Mike Mowrey hit .325 with 39 doubles, 29 homers, 109 RBI's, 114 runs scored, and swiped 23 bases. Right fielder Derek Bell hit .300 with 32 homers, 89 RBI's, 127 runs scored, and 31 steals. Center fielder Victor Robles hit .295 with 21 homers, 69 RBI's, 112 runs scored, and a league-high 66 steals in 71 attempts. Righthander Eddie Cicotte sported a 21-7 mark with a 2.86 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, while fanning 216 batters. Kevin Millwood notched a 16-6 record with a 3.45 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 250 whiffs. The Los Angeles Kangaroos overcame a 9-20 start to win 92 games, seizing the final wild-card spot. Veteran right fielder Wayne Comer hit .302, with 37 round-trippers, 108 RBI's, 112 runs scored, and a league-high 130 walks. Rookie shortstop Marco Scutaro hit .306 with 12 homers and 70 RBI's. The Kangaroos' pitching staff ranked third in the league, led by Hugh Bedient, who went 15-5 with a 2.34 ERA, an 0.98 WHIP, while fanning 196 batters. Southpaw Whitey Ford went 15-10 with a 3.87 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, striking out 240 batters. Closer Mike Soroka led a deep bullpen, saving 34 games with a 2.15 ERA.