[Dukie98]

Frontier League: In a major upset, the 90-win Boston Minutemen, returning to the postseason after a six-year absence, ousted the 110-win Detroit Purple Gang in five games. Even more surprising, Boston prevailed despite not having the services of injured third baseman Chipper Jones, who was recovering from a torn finger tendon. The Minutemen held Detroit's third-ranked offense to just 12 runs in 5 games. Boston left fielder Alex Johnson earned MVP honors, hitting .455 with 3 doubles, a homer, 4 RBI's, and 5 runs scored. Center fielder Chris Taylor hit .364 with 4 doubles, 4 runs scored, 3 RBI's, and 2 steals. First baseman John Briggs ripped 2 homers and plated a series-high 7 runs. Red Ruffing paced the staff, going 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings, and homering in the Game 5 clincher to boot. Center fielder Jose Cardenal led Detroit, hitting .450 with a homer and 3 RBI's. In a matchup of 98-win squads, the London Werewolves outlasted the Denver Spikes in 6 games, erasing an early 2-1 deficit. London right fielder Harry Heilmann capped a terrific regular season by winning the MVP of the Wild Card round, hitting .360 with 3 homers and 6 RBI's. London right fielder Jay Buhner chipped in with two round-trippers and 8 RBI's. Elmer Riddle hurled a complete-game two-hit shutout in Game 2, and Jack Sanford threw 8 shutout innings, yielding just 5 hits, in Game 4. First baseman Ryon Healy bashed 3 homers and drove in 7 runs to lead Denver, while Greg Swindell notched a 2.19 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 12.1 innings, but came away with two no-decisions. In a wild-card matchup with the most star power, the Buffalo Fighting Elk outlasted the Minneapolis Penguins in 6 games. Buffalo shortstop Rico Petrocelli nabbed MVP honors after hitting .400 with 5 doubles and 5 RBI's. Third baseman Eric Chavez hit .381, leading all hitters with 7 RBI's. Righthander Hal Carlson was brilliant, going 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. Minneapolis was led by first baseman Joe Judge, who hit .462 with a .632 on-base percentage and center fielder Mike Trout, who hit .333 with a homer and 5 RBI's. The Chicago Mules knocked off the Omaha Falcons in six games, led by second sacker Carlos Baerga, who ripped 13 hits, batting .520, slugging .760, and driving in 10 runs. Center fielder Gil Flores hit .500 and plated 8 runs. Remarkably, Chicago scored 40 runs in six games without hitting a single homer. Hard-luck Odalis Perez yielded only a single unearned run in 13 innings, allowing just 5 hits, but came away with an 0-1 record. Center fielder Joe Pepitone paced Omaha, hitting .316 with 2 longballs and 7 RBI's.

Star third baseman Chipper Jones returned for Boston in the Division Series, and he didn't miss a beat, earning MVP honors as Boston swept London, outscoring the Werewolves 37-13 in four games. Jones hit .471 and slugged .882, ripping 4 doubles, a homer, driving in 3 runs and scoring 4. Second baseman Rob Mackowiak hit .333 with a homer and 7 RBI's, while right fielder Manny Ramirez hit .353 and plated 6 runs. Red Ruffing led the staff, hurling a four-hit shutout in Game 2, fanning 9. Harry Heilmann led London in defeat, hitting .375 with 2 jacks and 4 RBI's. The Chicago Mules outlasted the Buffalo Fighting Elk in 7 games. Once again, Chicago second baseman Carlos Baerga starred, hitting .485 and slugging 1.061, as he ripped an incredible 16 hits, including 5 homers and drove in 10 runs. Pie Traynor matched Baerga with 16 hits, as he hit .516 with 3 round-trippers and drove in 7 runs. First baseman Jimmie Foxx hit "just" .296, but ripped 3 homers and drove in 11 runs. Mule relievers Julio Machado and Bill Lee dominated, yielding just 1 hit in a combined 8.1 shutout innings, fanning 11. First baseman Don Hurst led Buffalo, ripping 4 homers and driving in 10 runs. Boston's storybook season crashed to an unfortunate demise in the League Championship Series, as Chicago won the first three games on their way to a 5-game series win. Chicago right fielder Hal McRae took home the hardware, hitting .529 with 2 homers, 4 runs scored, and 5 RBI's. Third baseman Wilmer Flores, who stepped in after Pie Traynor broke his elbow, hit .462 and slugged .846, ripping a homer and driving in 4 runs. Catcher Ted Simmons hit .333 and knocked in 4 runs. Southpaw Odalis Perez led the staff, earning a Game 3 win, surrendering just 1 run in 7 innings. Chipper Jones led Boston, hitting .375 and driving in 4 runs, while Manny Ramirez drilled 3 longballs and knocked in 5 runs.

Continental League: In a major upset, the 92-win Jacksonville Gulls, owners of the second-highest scoring offense in baseball, ousted the 110-win New Orleans Crawfish, who had the stingiest pitching staff in the Continental League in six games. Although Jacksonville was outscored 35-22 in the series, surrendering 30 runs in their two losses, the Gulls yielded just 5 runs in their four victories. Right fielder Dan Ford earned MVP honors after hitting .333 with three solo homers and an .857 slugging percentage. Catcher Keith Moreland hit .348 with a pair of RBI's, and center fielder Rick Miller hit .280 with four extra-base hits, including a homer and 5 RBI's. Jim Lonborg set the tone with eight shutout innings in a 1-0 Game 1 victory, while posting a 1.86 ERA for the series. New Orleans was led by center fielder Austin Kearns, who hit .500 with 12 hits and 5 RBI's, and by first baseman George Brett, who hit .320 with 3 longballs and 4 RBI's. The El Paso Armadillos sunk the Virginia Beach Admirals in 5 games, outscoring the outclassed Admirals 35-14. El Paso first baseman Rafael Palmeiro took home the hardware after hitting .500 with 9 hits, a homer, and 6 RBI's. Center fielder Joe DiMaggio hit .429 with a homer and 5 runs scored. Shortstop Casey Blake and right fielder Benny Kauff each hit .316 with 6 RBI's apiece, with Kauff blasting two jacks and Blake launching one. Righthander Javier Vazquez was brilliant, winning both his starts while yielding just four hits in 14.2 innings, fanning 21 with a 0.61 ERA. Reggie Jackson led a punchless Admirals's attack with a pair of homers and 4 RBI's. The 106-win Phoenix Lizards outclassed the Atlanta Ducks in 5 games, as DH Charlie Blackmon hit .400 with 3 homers, 9 RBI's, 8 runs scored, and 2 steals to earn MVP honors. Right fielder Billy Conigliaro hit .421 and plated 3 runs, while second sacker Jim Viox hit .412 with a round-tripper and 3 RBI's. Southpaw Cliff Lee went 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA, allowing just 7 hits in 13 innings. Third baseman Ken Reitz paced Atlanta, hitting .526 with 4 RBI's. The Charlotte Aviators erased a 2-1 deficit by winning the final three games of their six-game series against their division rival New York Emperors. Charlotte's Dick Groat took home the hardware after hitting .500 with a series-high 11 hits, including 4 doubles, and 5 RBI's. Left fielder Matt Stairs hit .391 with a homer and 4 RBI's, and center fielder Stan Spence hit .350, smacking a homer and knocking in 5 runs. Southpaw Bob Ojeda was brilliant, going 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings, fanning 14 without a walk. Second baseman Aaron Hill led the Emperors, hitting .333 with 5 RBI's in a losing effort.

Jacksonville's magic ran out in the Division Series, as the El Paso Armadillos swept the Gulls, outscoring them 38-11. El Paso left fielder Kal Daniels was tabbed MVP after hitting .533 with 5 extra-base hits, including a homer, scoring 8 runs and driving in 5. Four Armadillos (Joe DiMaggio, Benny Kauff, Rougned Odor, and Rafael Palmeiro) hit two homers apiece, with DiMaggio batting .429 and Palmeiro plating a team-high 7 RBI's. Javier Vazquez continued his hot postseason, earning a Game 2 victory by allowing just 2 runs and 5 hits in 8 innings. Alex Wood hurled 6.1 shutout innings for the Gulls in Game 2, yielding just 2 hits, while Jim Thome hit .357 with a round-tripper and 3 RBI's. What appeared to be an even matchup on paper between the 106-win Phoenix Lizards and the 108-win Charlotte Aviators turned into a laugher, as the Lizards swept the Aviators. Right fielder Billy Conigliaro earned MVP honors after hitting .529 with a homer, 5 runs scored, and 7 RBI's for the Lizards. Third baseman Carlos Guillen hit .529 as well, knocking in 5 runs, while Charlie Blackmon hit .389 with 2 longballs and 6 RBI's. Cliff Lee won Game 2, allowing just one run in 7 innings. First baseman Mark Teixeira led Charlotte, hitting .412 and scoring a pair of runs. El Paso's red-hot postseason continued in the League Championship Series, as the Armadillos swept the equally-hot Phoenix Lizards, bringing El Paso's postseason record to 12-1. El Paso held Phoenix's best-in-baseball offense to just 8 runs in 4 games. DH Rougned Odor, after hitting .313 with 3 homers and 6 RBI's, was tabbed MVP. Joe DiMaggio hit .357 with a solo homer for the Armadillos. Javier Vazquez continued his brilliant postseason run, hurling 8 shutout innings in Game 1, allowing just 4 hits while whiffing 7. James Paxton threw a complete game in Game 3, allowing just one run. Billy Conigliaro provided Phoenix's offense, homering twice and driving in 4 of their 8 runs in the series.

World Series: Although the Chicago Mules won 102 games in the regular season, compared to just 94 for the El Paso Armadillos, the Mules were walking wounded in the postseason, losing starter Tyler Duffey against Omaha, and starting infielders Pie Traynor and Bucky Dent against Boston. El Paso continued its dominant postseason run, winning the World Series in five games, taking the final three games after splitting the first two games to bring their postseason record to an incredible 16-2.

El Paso jumped out to an early series lead, taking Game 1 by a 7-1 tally, as Javier Vazquez outdueled Danny McDevitt. Vazquez surrendered just one run on four hits in 7 innings, fanning nine, while Gil Heredia hurled two hitless innings for the save. Kal Daniels started the scoring with a first-inning solo shot off McDevitt -- one of three hits Daniels had on the day. First baseman Rafael Palmeiro also rapped three hits and drove in a run. Chicago second sacker Carlos Baerga ripped a solo homer to provide the Mules' only run production. The Mules erased a 3-1 deficit in Game 2, prevailing 6-3 as Odalis Perez earned the win over Charley Hall, with Carl Bouldin notching the save. Baerga ripped four singles and drove in 2 runs, while catcher Ted Simmons ripped three hits (including a double) and drove in two runs. Center fielder Cameron Maybin broke the game open with an eighth-inning homer. El Paso was led by catcher Victor Martinez, who drilled a solo homer, and backup second baseman Ray Morgan, who ripped two singles. El Paso seized control of the series in Game 3, winning 2-1. Armadillos righthander James Paxton threw 7 shutout innings, scattering 8 hits, and Charlie Hough earned the save. Lary Sorensen took the loss for Chicago despite yielding just 2 runs in 6.1 innings. Catcher Victor Martinez led El Paso with three singles, while right fielder Benny Kauff rapped two hits and swiped two bags. Ted Simmons paced Chicago with a single, a double, and scored their lone run in the ninth inning.

El Paso took a commanding lead with a 4-3 win in Game 4, extending their series edge to 3-1. Jesse Foppert allowed just 4 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings for the win over Jim Slaton, and Emilio Pagan earned the save. Rafael Palmeiro led El Paso with 2 hits, while Rougned Odor hit a two-run homer. Once again, Simmons led Chicago with two hits and a walk, including a homer, while driving in 2 runs. After a pair of squeakers, El Paso left nothing to chance in Game 5, clinching the series with a 13-3 win, allowing Chicago to score only after building up a 13-run lead. Palmeiro broke the game open with a 3-run homer in the first inning; he ended with 2 hits and 5 RBI's. Benny Kauff rapped 3 hits, including a triples, and scored 4 runs. Javier Vazquez earned his sixth win in six postseason starts, taking a shutout into the ninth inning before surrendering a pinch-hit homer to Ramon Castro. Chicago's Danny McDevitt left the game in the first inning with an abdominal strain, and the Armadillos teed off on Chicago's middle relievers.

In a controversial decision, Rafael Palmeiro was named World Series MVP after hitting .381 with a homer and 7 RBI's. Right fielder Benny Kauff hit .364 with 8 runs scored, 4 steals, and 2 RBI's. Kal Daniels hit .333 with a homer and 4 RBI's. But Javier Vazquez put on the best show of the Series, going 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings, fanning 15 hitters without allowing a single walk. Catcher Ted Simmons put up a valiant effort for the Mules in defeat, hitting .500 with a homer and 4 RBI's.