American League
Minnesota Twins (100-62) v New York Yankees (97-65)
Which club is better off – the one who gets to cruise or the one who has to fight to their last drop of energy to get through? Clearly, we are about to find out.
Despite their different entry paths, only three regular-season wins separate these two and they are in fact very similar squads. More smallball than big, good starting pitching, BPs prone to wobbly spurts. I expect a few 6-5 type scorelines and actually think the Yanks will win this in a close one.
Blyleven gives the Twins a gem in Game 1 to open their account, allowing just 2 hits over 8 scoreless in a 1-0 victory, and then come from the clouds to take the next one as well as our old mate Terry Forster does his implosion trick and they score all their runs in the home 9th for a walkoff 4-3 win.
The Yanks get on the board with a strong 10-2 win back at their home park as young David Clyde’s dream run continues and they send it back to Minnesota for a decider with a 6-2 win in Game 4.
But Bert Blyleven lives up to his big-game reputation and squashes the Yanks as the Twins take out their 9th AL pennant courtesy of a 7-2 win.
Ron LeFlore is named series MVP.
National League
Cincinnati Reds (92-70) v New York Mets (88-74)
The Mets are a bit like we are at the moment—while they don’t do anything spectacularly well, nor do they do anything terribly. Cincy definitely has the class advantage here, but they also suffer periods where the bats can go quiet.
The longer New York is in this series, the more I like their chances but I’m tipping the Reds in four.
The Mets kick things off with a tidy 3-1 win behind Tom Terrific but the Reds tie it at one the next day, running over the top of them for a 6-2 final.
On a heady night for New York sports fans, the Mets follow the lead of their “big brother” across in the Bronx and edge ahead again by winning Game 3 with Al Cowens going yard twice in a 6-2 final and suddenly the possibility of a Subway Series is the talk of the town.
Larry Volkening holds his nerve with 8 scoreless as the Reds level things up again with a 2-0 win and this one, too, is going the distance.
The Mets give it everything they’ve got but in the end the Reds’ class shines through and they take a hard-fought 5-3 win in the decider to book their spot in the World Series and keep their hopes of a second title alive.
I can’t remember this happening before. George Foster, who like Ron LeFlore, won the batting title, follows it up with an LCS MVP nod.
