[Dukie98]

Frontier League: The 106-win Minneapolis Penguins narrowly avoided a first round upset at the hands of the 89-win Portland Skunks, erasing a 3-2 deficit by winning Games 6 and 7 by a combined 15 runs. Minneapolis catcher Javy Lopez earned MVP honors after leading all hitters with 10 hits, batting .345 with 2 homers and 5 RBI's. Left fielder Mike Greenwell hit .318 with 2 round-trippers and 4 RBI's. Third baseman Kevin Orie and first baseman Mark Grace each homered with five RBI's. Penguins righthander Wade Miller yielded a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings, striking out 20 while walking just 1 in two no-decisions. Portland was led by third baseman Hank Blalock, who hit .321 with 2 homers and 5 RBI's, while southpaw Steve Avery hurled 12 shutout innings, yielding just five hits while striking out 14. The Kansas City Mad Hatters ousted the Detroit Purple Gang in five games, with catcher Ramon Hernandez taking home the MVP honors after hitting .500 with 6 RBI's. Kansas City shortstop Dick Groat nearly matched Hernandez, hitting .450 with 6 RBI's. RighthanderJim Baskette went 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA, allowing just one earned run on four hits in 9.2 innings. Third baseman Nolan Arenado led Detroit with a .412 average and 2 RBI's, while Percy Jones hurled 6 shutout innings of four-hit ball in a losing effort. The Vancouver Viceroys dominated the Chicago Mules, holding the league's fifth ranked offense to just 16 runs in 5 games. Vancouver first baseman Aledmys Diaz earned MVP honors, hitting .350 with 2 homers and a series-high 8 RBI's. Center fielder Juan Beniquez hit .421 with a homer and 3 RBI's, while catcher Charles Johnson launched 4 round-trippers and drove in 5 runs. Southpaw Brett Oberholtzer went 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA, while Joe Presko earned a Game 2 win, yielding just 1 run in 7 innings. Rookie second baseman Carlos Baerga provided the lone bright spot for Chicago, hitting .500 with 3 RBI's. In the tightest series of the first round, the 102-win Buffalo Fighting Elk outlasted the pesky Milwaukee Raccoons in seven games, taking Game 7 by a 5-4 count. Buffalo backup catcher Jason LaRue, pressed into emergency service after star centerfielder Tris Speaker was injured, took home a most unexpected MVP award after hitting a series-high .435 with 3 homers and 4 RBI's. First baseman Don Hurst hit .379 and drove in 8 runs, while catcher Sherm Lollar hit .375 and slugged .750, blasting 2 round-trippers and driving in 5 runs. Ace righthander Don Wilson went 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings. Milwaukee was led by star right fielder Larry Walker, who played an admirable center fielder in place of the injured Eric Davis, and hit .370 with 4 homers and 11 RBI's.

In the Wild Card Round, the Minneapolis Penguins destroyed the overmatched staff of the Kansas City Mad Hatters, averaging nearly 8 runs per game in a five-game romp. Star catcher Javy Lopez added another trophy to his mantle, hitting .565 and slugging .957, with 2 homers and 7 RBI's. First baseman Mark Grace hit .350 with 2 longballs and 6 RBI's, while Darryl Strawberry hit .318 with 3 homers and 6 RBI's. Left fielder Mike Greenwell had only 4 hits, but managed to drive in 10 runs, including a 5 RBI performance in Game 7. Wade Miller won both his starts with a 2.92 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings. Kansas City was led by center fielder Jim Piersall, who hit .389 with a homer and 5 RBI's. After dropping Game 1 to Buffalo on a walk-off, pinch-hit 2-run double by Darrin Fletcher, the Vancouver Viceroys took the next four games. Shortstop Chris Speier was tabbed MVP after hitting .409 and slugging .727, ripping 2 homers and driving in 9 runs. Catcher Charles Johnson hit .350 with 2 homers and 8 RBI's, while right fielder Xavier Paul hit .471 with a homer, 3 RBI's, and 5 runs scored. Brett Oberholtzer notched a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings, but had two no-decisions. Shortstop Rico Petrocelli led Buffalo with a .333 average, 3 doubles, and 4 runs scored. The Viceroys continued their dominant postseason run in the League Championship Series, sweeping the favored Penguins while holding the powerful Minneapolis offense to just 10 runs. Vancouver shortstop Chris Speier earned another MVP trophy after hitting .400 and slugging .800, with 2 homers and 4 RBI's. Right fielder Xavier Paul popped 2 homers of his own and drove in 5 runs, while Charles Johnson managed to drive in 7 runs despite hitting just 2-for-16. Tom Milone hurled 5.1 shutout innings in Game 3, while Guy Cantrell earned 2 wins in relief. Mike Trout led Minneapolis, hitting .375 with a homer and 3 RBI's.

Continental League: In the biggest upset of the postseason, the 90-win Anaheim Antelopes, who did not clinch a postseason berth until extra innings on the final game of the year, upended the 114-win New York Emperors in seven games. Anaheim right fielder Jarrett Parker hit .500, including 3 doubles, 3 homers and 7 RBI's. Center fielder Dale Murphy hit .321 with a pair of homers and 4 RBI's. Righthander Ryan Drese went 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings, including 7 shutout innings of 3-hit ball in Game 7. Second sacker Bill Wambsganss led New York, hitting .433 with 13 hits, a homer, 4 RBI's, and 5 runs scored. Catcher Yadier Molina matched Wambsganss with 13 hits, hitting .419 with a homer and 3 RBI's. The Phoenix Lizards swept the Jacksonville Gulls and their record setting offense, averaging nearly 8 runs per game. Center fielder Jackie Brandt took home the hardware after hitting .444 with 3 homers and 7 RBI's. Right fielder Billy Conigliaro hit .412 with 2 homers and plated 3 runs. DH Richie Sexson, a trade deadline acquisition, hit .400 with a round-tripper and 4 RBI's. Southpaw Zane Smith set the tone with six shutout innings in a Game 1 victory. In a revenge matchup from last year, the Atlanta Ducks ousted division rival and the defending champion New Orleans Crawfish in seven games. DH Mike Fiore was an out-of-nowhere MVP winner, hitting .370 with 2 homers and 4 RBI's. First baseman Hank Greenberg hit .333 with 2 jacks and 4 RBI's as well, and catcher Keith Moreland hit .400 and drove in 5 runs while scoring 7. Righthander Stan Coveleski notched a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings, going the distance in a 5-2 Game 7 victory. Wilbur Cooper was brilliant in defeat for New Orleans, going 2-0 in 15.2 shutout innings, while fanning 22, including a 15-whiff shutout in Game 1. Eddie Murray hit .407 with 3 longballs and 9 RBI's for the Crawfish. The El Paso Armadillos shot down the Charlotte Aviators in six games, outscoring Charlotte 25-5 in the first 3 games as the Armadillos coasted to victory. First baseman Eric Hinske was tabbed MVP after hitting .423 with 3 homers and 6 RBI's. Left fielder Kal Daniels matched Hinske in run production, while hitting .360. Right fielder Kevin McReynolds hit .393 with 2 longballs and 5 RBI's. Crafty southpaw Fred Link earned a win and posted a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings. Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier led Charlotte, hitting .296 with a pair of homers and 4 RBI's in defeat.

In the Divisional Series, the Phoenix Lizards nearly blew a 3-1 lead to their division rival, the Anaheim Antelopes, but romped to victory in Game 7. Phoenix center fielder Jackie Brandt continued his explosive postseason, earning MVP honors after hitting .452 and slugging .871 with 2 homers, 3 triples, 9 runs scored, and 14 RBI's. Right fielder Billy Conigliaro hit .379 with 4 homers and 12 RBI's. Speedy left fielder Clyde Milan hit .387 with 7 steals and 9 runs scored. Southpaw Cliff Lee went 1-0, including a Game 7 victory, with a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings. First baseman JT Snow led Anaheim, hitting .321 with 2 longballs and 4 RBI's. The El Paso Armadillos eliminated the Atlanta Ducks in 5 games, in a closer-than-it-seemed series, winning three one-run games and one game by two runs. In a controversial decision, left fielder Kal Daniels was named MVP after hitting .350 with 4 extra-base hits, 3 RBI's, and 4 runs scored. DH Sal Bando hit .353 with a homer and 3 RBI's. But Randy Johnson was brilliant, going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings. Third baseman Ken Reitz led Atlanta, hitting .353 with 2 homers and 5 RBI's. Atlanta reliever Kent Mercker starred, yielding just one hit in 5.1 shutout innings. In the League Championship Series, El Paso took the first two games from Phoenix, but the Lizards stormed back to win the next four games and advance to the World Series. Phoenix third baseman Butch Hobson earned MVP honors after hitting .364 with 2 homers and 7 RBI's. Left fielder Clyde Milan set the table, hitting .375 with 5 steals and 4 runs scored. Shortstop Kevin Bell hit .333 with a ninth-inning tiebreaking homer in Game 6, and drove in 3 runs. Gene Walter won 3 games in relief, yielding just 2 hits and 1 run in 5 innings. Randy Johnson continued his brilliant postseason for the Astros, going 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 11 innings, including a 14-strikeout, 5 hit-shutout in Game 2.

World Series: The 99-win Phoenix Lizards were mild favorites over the 92-win Vancouver Viceroys based on their won-lost record and run differential, but Vancouver had dominated superior competition in the first three rounds, losing just one game to 96-win Chicago and 102-win Buffalo, and sweeping the 106-win Minneapolis Penguins. Although they split the first four games, Phoenix won Games 5 and 6 to take their first World Series in franchise history. Rookie third baseman Butch Hobson earned MVP honors, hitting .417 with 2 round-trippers and 6 RBI's.

Phoenix won Game 1 6-2, as Hobson ripped two doubles and a homer, driving in 3 runs. Southpaw Pete Wilson notched the win over Vancouver veteran Brett Oberholtzer, fanning 7 in 5 innings. In Game 2, Phoenix scored 7 second-inning runs, cruising to a 9-4 victory. Center fielder Jackie Brandt ripped 3 hits and scored 2 runs, while first baseman Richie Sexson blasted a three-run homer. Cliff Lee earned the win with 5 solid, if unspectacular, innings, while Vancouver's Joe Presko surrendered 9 runs in 3.1 innings. Vancouver avoided disaster in Game 3, erasing a 5-0 deficit, as first baseman Aledmys Diaz hit a walk-off grand slam off George Susce, giving Vancouver a 7-5 victory. Left fielder Bernard Gilkey had two hits, including a double, for the Viceroys. Phoenix center fielder Jackie Brandt continued hit blistering postseason, ripping 3 hits including a double, while catcher Pat Borders homered and singled.

Vancouver evened the series in Game 4, winning 4-1, as second baseman Juan Uribe hit a two-run homer, and shortstop Chris Speier had two hits and 2 RBI's. Righthander Milt Wilcox outdueled Josh Fogg, yielding just one run in 6.1 innings, and Guy Cantrell hurled two perfect innings for the save. Hobson punched three hits, and Borders hit a solo homer to lead Phoenix. Phoenix pulled out the win in Game 5, prevailing 6-5, as Hobson ripped a solo homer off Frankie Montas in the tenth inning. Second baseman Jim Viox ripped three hits, including two doubles, and drove in a run. Vancouver was led by Aledmys Diaz, who homered, doubled, and drove in three runs. Phoenxi left no doubt in Game 6, winning 9-3, as they pulled away with five runs in the seventh inning, as Borders hit a grand slam, and Sexson homered and drove in three runs. Although Phoenix starter Cliff Lee departed early with a third-inning injury, long reliever Jack Creel hurled four shutout innings, fanning six. Center fielder Juan Beniquez led Vancouver with two doubles.

Hobson was named World Series MVP after hitting .417 and slugging .792, with 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 6 RBI's. Borders hit .280 with 3 homers and a series-high 11 RBI's. Left fielder Clyde Milan scored 5 runs and swiped 7 bags, bringing his total for the postseason to an all-time record 18 steals. On the mound, Creel went 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 7 strikeouts in 7.1 innings, while Zane Smith yielded a 1.68 ERA. Aledmys Diaz led Vancouver with 3 homers and 9 RBI's, despite hitting just .238, while Milt Wilcox went 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA.