[Dukie98]

Frontier League: After a dominant, 100-win regular season, the London Werewolves easily disposed of the Chicago Mules, allowing only five runs to the Mules in a four-game sweep. The Werewolves won three straight one-run games -- including a 12-inning 1-0 shutout where George Earnshaw and two relievers combined to allow just three hits -- before winning the clinching game in a romp. Catcher Blake Swihart was named MVP of the series after hitting .400 with a pair of RBI's. In a back-and-forth series, the Cleveland Rocks prevailed in seven games over the Minneapolis Penguins. After winning the first two games, the Rocks dropped the next three to the Penguins -- only to win extra-innings nail-biters in both Games 6 and 7. Penguin rightfielder Roy Foster hit .323 with two homers and 6 RBI's to take home the MVP trophy in defeat, while teammate Chad Kreuter ripped two homers and drove in 10 runs -- including a dramatic two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 to force extra innings. The Buffalo Fighting Elk needed seven games to knock off the upstart Cincinnati Spiders, surrendering just one run in their four victories. Catcher Dave Nilsson led the way by hitting .462 with a homer, 4 RBI's, and 3 steals, while Bill Bevens went 2-0 in 15 shutout innings, including the decisive Game 7. Although the Kansas City Mad Hatters' pitching staff wasn't as dominant as in past seasons, they locked down the powerful offense of the Seattle Whales, holding Seattle to just 16 runs in six games. Kansas City left fielder Rabbit Nill hit .364 with a homer and 3 RBI's, star second baseman George Grantham had six steals, and the Mad Hatters' bullpen, led by Joe Hesketh, threw 11 shutout innings.

In the Divisional Round, the Werewolves coasted to an easy victory over the Rocks, winning their first three games (bringing their postseason winning streak to seven games) before prevailing in five games. London ace pitcher Cy Blanton won both of his starts, throwing 15 innings without allowing an earned run, while center fielder Josh Devore and third baseman Matt Chapman ripped two homers apiece. Buffalo dominated Kansas City, outscoring the Mad Hatters 26-7 in a four-game sweep. Buffalo left fielder Dan Gladden hit .562 with two triples and two RBI's, while Mark Wohlers had three saves, allowing just one hit in 4.2 shutout innings. The Fighting Elk dismantled the Werewolves in five games in a League Championship Series matchup of the top two pitching staffs in the Frontier League, with Buffalo allowing just five runs in its four victories. Catcher Dave Nilsson took home the hardware again after hitting .444 with 2 homers, 8 RBI's, and 2 steals, while Jair Jurrjens won both of his starts, allowing just one earned run in 17 innings, including a four-hit shutout in the series clincher.

Continental League: After dropping the first game to the El Paso Armadillos, the defending champion Los Angeles Kangaroos swept the next four games, allowing just eight runs in the five-game series. Kangaroo right fielder Gary Sheffield hit .364 with 2 homers and 4 RBI's, while second baseman Glenn Hubbard hit .471 with a homer of his own. Jhoulys Chacin threw a complete game two-hitter in Game 4. In the tightest series of the Wild Card Round, the San Antonio Marksmen outlasted the New Orleans Crawfish in seven games- five of which were decided by a single run. After New Orleans forced a seventh game with a dramatic comeback in Game 6, scoring two games in the bottom of the ninth inning to force extra innings and then winning on a solo homer by Colby Rasmus, the Marksmen prevailed 3-1 in Game 7, as backup infielder Logan Watkins -- who didn't have an extra-base hit all season -- hit an RBI double in the 8th inning and drove in two more runs with a tiebreaking double in the 9th inning. Marksmen second baseman Bill Doran hit .355 with a homer and 6 RBI's. The Las Vegas Aces blew a three-games-to-one lead, dropping the final three games to the explosive Charlotte Aviators. Aces shortstop Eugenio Suarez took the MVP in defeat, leading all hitters with 14 hits, a .560 average, 2 homers, 9 runs scored, and 4 RBI's. Charlotte shortstop Pumpsie Green hit .400 with a pair of homers and 3 RBI's, and slugging left fielder Bill Howerton hit 2 homers and drove in a series-high 10 runs despite a .214 average. In the final wild card series, the Houston Pythons outlasted the San Diego Zookeepers in six games, as Pythons second baseman Paul Molitor hit .440 with 3 homers and 7 RBI's, including a walk-off single in the decisive Game Six, and first baseman Jake Daubert hit .400 with three homers of his own and 5 RBI's.

In the Divisional Series, the Kangaroos overcame a superhuman performance by star Marksman centerfielder J.D. Drew, who hit .500 with four homers and 7 RBI's in a five-game Los Angeles victory. The Kangaroos were led by veteran third baseman Simon Nicholls, who hit .450 with three RBI's, as well as by left fielder Mike Davis, first baseman Glenn Davis, and second baseman Glenn Hubbard, who smashed two homers apiece. Houston ripped Charlotte in six games, with Paul Molitor enjoying another brilliant series, hitting .407 with two homers and 7 RBI's. Junkballer Jeff Sellers went 2-0 with an 0.67 ERA. The Kangaroos earned a return trip to the World Series, knocking off the Pythons in six games, as Hubbard hit .300 with a homer and 4 RBI's, while southpaw Brett Anderson went 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA.

World Series: The 111-win Los Angeles Kangaroos were heavily favored over the Buffalo Fighting Elk, who had outscored their opponents by just 31 runs all season. But that's why they play the games... Buffalo righhander Jair Jurrjens continued his brilliant postseason, scattering six hits in locking down the Kangaroos 6-1. The Fighting Elk eked out a tense 2-1 win in 11 innings in Game 2, in a tight pitching duel between Buffalo's Bill Bevens and Los Angeles's Mike Krukow. Buffalo took a commanding 3-0 series lead as crafty southpaw Frank Viola outdueled Jimmy Anderson 4-1, and Fighting Elk first baseman Jose Abreu drove in 2 runs with a homer and a double. The Kangaroos did not roll over, however, as they erased an early 2-0 deficit in Game 4 by scoring four runs in the last four innings to win 4-2, with catcher J.T. Realmuto hitting a two-run eighth-inning single to take the lead, and Jhoulys Chacin held on for the win. Los Angeles took Game 5 5-2, as Jimmy Anderson outdueled Jair Jurrjens and Kangaroo second baseman Joe Panik homered. But Buffalo slammed the door on the Kangaroos' dreams of a miraculous comeback, prevailing 4-0 in Game Six as Bill Bevens hurled a six-hit shutout. The Fighting Elk broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning on a Dan Gladden double and an Abreu single, and they tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth, including a homer by DH Rick Renick. Bevens was named World Series MVP after yielding just one earned run and nine hits in 16 innings. Abreu led the Fighting Elk offense by hitting .292 with a homer and 5 RBI's, while Glenn Davis led the Kangaroos by hitting .364 with a homer and 2 RBI's.