[Dukie98]

Frontier League: The heavily-favored Buffalo Fighting Elk, winners of 108 games during the regular season, struggled to put away the 83-win Golden Grizzlies in seven games. Buffalo was led by left fielder Nemo Leibold, who hit .387 with 2 homers, 4 RBI's, and 3 steals. First baseman Don Hurst hit .333 with a homer and 7 RBI's. Cy Young favorite Don Wilson went 1-0, winning the crucial Game 6, with a 2.40 ERA, fanning 19 hitters in 15 innings. Closer Gregg Olson notched two saves, pitching six innings with a 1.50 ERA. Pittsburgh's Bill Madlock took home MVP honors, setting the single-series record with a .586 batting average, as he ripped 17 hits in 7 games and drove in 6 runs. In a major upset, the Ottawa Parliamentarians won Games 6 and 7 to upend the 104-win Baltimore Robins. Ottawa first baseman Frank Thomas hit .346 with a .485 on-base percentage, ripping 2 homers in Game 7 and driving in 5 runs. Left fielder George Bell hit .368 with a longball and 4 RBI's, while catcher Ron Karkovice ripped 3 homers and drove in 8 runs. Chappie McFarland, who sported a 5-19 record on the season, twice outdueled 17-2 Randy Johnson, as McFarland posted a 2-0 record and a 2.77 ERA. Baltimore's Del Pratt was named MVP, however, as he hit .516 with 16 hits, 4 doubles, a homer, 5 RBI's, and 4 steals. Baltimore catcher Gary Sanchez slugged 6 homers and drove in 12 runs in defeat. The Milwaukee Raccoons outdueled the shorthanded Boston Minutemen in five games, as Boston was playing without injured center fielder Joe Dimaggio. Milwaukee center fielder Eric Davis was named MVP after hitting .500 with 2 homers and 6 RBI's. Left fielder Don Baylor hit .368 with 3 homers and a series-high 10 RBI's. Rookie southpaw Howie Pollet went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing just 6 hits in 10 innings. Boston was led by shortstop Red Rolfe, who hit .368 with 2 homers and 9 RBI's. In the final Wild Card series, the 83-win Chicago Mules swept the favored Seattle Whales. Chicago first baseman Eddie Murray won MVP honors, hitting .500 with 4 homers and 7 RBI's. Left fielder Mark Smith hit .375 with 2 homers and 8 RBI's. Second sacker Rich Dauer hit .412 with 5 runs scored. Chicago's bullpen was brilliant, allowing just 6 hits and 1 run in 17 innings while fanning 16 hitters. No Seattle hitter hit above .278, and they hit only a single homer in the series. Seattle righthander Jim Shaw pitched seven innings of one-run ball in Game 3.

The Buffalo Fighting Elk once again flirted with disaster, again needing to pull out wins in Games 6 and 7 to upend the Ottawa Parliamentarians. Buffalo third baseman Eric Chavez hit .357 with 2 homers and 7 RBI's, while second baseman John Knight hit .321 with 3 homers and also drove in seven. Don Wilson was brilliant, winning Games 3 and 7, and allowing just one run in 16 innings while striking out 17, including seven-plus innings of shutout ball in Game 7, allowing just 4 hits. Ottawa left fielder Raul Ibanez took MVP honors in defeat, hitting .462 with 4 homers and 8 RBI's, while Frank Thomas hit .310 with 3 homers and a series-high 11 RBI's. The Chicago Mules and Milwaukee Raccoons traded victories in a seven game series, with Chicago prevailing 2-1 in Game 7. Chicago first baseman Eddie Murray took home another trophy, hitting .296 with 3 homers and 6 RBI's. Center fielder Bobby Tolan hit .393 with 4 runs scored. Crafty southpaw Oscar Judd went 2-0 with 14 shutout innings, allowing just 4 hits and fanning 17. Left fielder Don Baylor led Milwaukee, hitting 3 homers and driving in 8 runs. Chicago continued their stunning run in the League Championship Series, winning four straight after dropping the first game to the heavily-favored Buffalo Fighting Elk, and holding Buffalo to just 6 runs in the four losses. Eddie Murray continued his torrid postseason, winning a third MVP trophy after hitting .611 with 4 homers and 7 RBI's. Third baseman Pie Traynor hit .476 with 2 RBI's. Righthander Chris Tillman hurled six shutout innings of two-hit ball in a Game 3 win. No Buffalo hitter drove in more than 2 runs in the series; third baseman Eric Chavez led the way for Buffalo, hitting .353 with a .476 on-base percentage while driving in 2 runs.

Continental League: The 101-win Los Angeles Kangaroos easily dispatched the New Orleans Crawfish in five games, averaging six runs per game. Los Angeles third baseman Frank Baker took home the hardware, hitting .476 with 3 homers, 6 runs scored, and 4 RBI's. Shortstop Corey Seager hit .316 while launching 3 longballs and driving in 9 runs. First baseman Wes Parker hit .375 and slugged .750, with a homer and 2 RBI's. Smoky Joe Wood dominated with 2 wins, a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings, and 22 strikeouts. Left fielder Tommy Davis led New Orleans in defeat, hitting .318 with 3 homers and 5 RBI's. The San Diego Zookeepers, perhaps the least likely postseason participant, easily dispatched the Oklahoma City Otters in five games, including two extra-inning victories. San Diego shortstop Luis Aguayo was named MVP after hitting .364 with 2 homers and 4 RBI's. Second sacker Jerry Lumpe hit .391 and drove in 5 runs, while right fielder Carlos Peguero hit two homers in the decisive Game 5. Rick Porcello pitched 8.1 shutout innings of two-hit ball in Game 3. Rookie righthander Ron Herbel went 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 11 innings. The defending champion Hartford Huskies swept the Anaheim Antelopes, outscoring Anaheim 29-12. Center fielder Tris Speaker received MVP honors after hitting .389 and slugging .889, with 2 homers, 3 doubles, and 6 RBI's. DH Jay Johnstone hit .389 with a homer and 5 RBI's, while Ryan Rua hit .500 with a series-high 9 hits. Ace Steve Barber hurled seven innings of one-run ball in a Game 1 victory, and Hartford coasted from that point onward. Anaheim was led by right fielder George Whiteman, who hit .462 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. In a divisional showdown, the Atlanta Ducks outlasted the injury-ravaged Miami Flamingos in six games. Atlanta first baseman Dots Miller earned MVP honors after hitting .364 with 3 homers and 7 RBI's. Second baseman Roberto Alomar hit .429 with 9 runs scored. Right fielder Gary Roenicke hit .333 with 3 longballs and 5 RBI's. Bob Moose won both his starts, posting a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings with 19 whiffs. Left fielder Bob Cerv led Miami, hitting .333 with a pair of homers and 6 RBI's.

The Los Angeles Kangaroos easily dispatched the San Diego Zookeepers in five games in the Divisional Series. Los Angeles shortstop Corey Seager won MVP honors after hitting .381 with two homers and 5 RBI's. Third baseman Frank Baker hit .353 and slugged .529. Righthander Steve Woodard went 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14 innings, while Ricky Romero threw seven shutout innings in a Game 3 win. San Diego was led by first baseman Dick Burrus who hit .353 with a homer and 4 RBI's, while right fielder Carlos Pegeuro popped a pair of round-trippers while driving in 7 runs. The Hartford Huskies hunted down the Atlanta Ducks in 5 games, with right fielder Ron Northey taking home the MVP trophy after hitting .429 with 2 homers and 7 RBI's. Left fielder Ryan Rua hit .474 with 4 RBI's. Star center fielder Tris Speaker hit .381 with 4 doubles, 8 runs scored, and 4 RBI's. Steve Barber continued his multi-year string of postseason dominance, whiffing 15 hitters in 14 innings with a 1.26 ERA. Atlanta was led by third baseman Ken Reitz, who hit .429 with 4 RBI's, and by Jason Vargas, who allowed just 3 hits and 1 run in 8 dominant innings in Game 4. The Los Angeles Kangaroos outlasted the Hartford Huskies in six games in the League Championship Series, outhomering the Huskies 10-4. Left fielder Matt Stairs was tabbed MVP after hitting .304 with 3 homers and 6 RBI's. Corey Seager had another strong series for Los Angeles, hitting .333 with 2 homers and 5 RBI's. Second sacker Jerry Priddy hit .370 and drove in 4 runs. Steve Woodard went 2-0, including a win in the decisive Game 6, with a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings. Center fielder Tris Speaker led Hartford with a .370 average with 2 steals and 4 runs scored.

World Series: The 101-win Los Angeles Kangaroos were heavy favorites over the Chicago Mules, who won 83 games -- fewer than any playoff team in HRDL history. While Los Angeles matched an above-average, veteran driven lineup with a big-name pitching staff, Chicago featured a subpar lineup which finished 18th in the Frontier League in scoring, while their no-name pitching staff ranked third in the league in runs allowed. Although Chicago took the first two games of the series, Los Angeles stormed back to win four straight to take the series in six games. Los Angeles third baseman Frank Baker, a five-time regular season MVP, added a postseason trophy to his mantel, hitting .500 and slugging .864, with a homer and 4 RBI's.

Chicago stormed out of the gate with a 6-2 win in Game 1, scoring five runs in the sixth inning as right fielder Augie Bergamo hit a 2-run double. Chicago DH Chris James ripped 3 hits and scored 2 runs, while Baker and second baseman Jerry Priddy had 3 hits apiece for Los Angeles. Chicago relievers Mike Kekich and Randy Choate hurled 4.1 innings without allowing an earned run, with Kekich getting the win in relief of Oscar Judd. Chicago extended their lead by taking Game 2 by a 2-0 tally, with Chris Tillman outdueling Smoky Joe Wood. Second baseman Clint Barmes provided all the offense Chicago would need with a two-run homer. Tillman pitched 5.2 scoreless innings of 2-hit ball and earned the win. Los Angeles fought their way back into the series in Game 3, winning 6-2 in 10 innings, as Adam Jones smacked a 3-run homer in the 10th inning. Corey Seager ripped 3 hits, while veteran right fielder Jack Clark had two hits, including a 2-run homer. Odalis Perez struck out 10 in just six innings in defeat.

Los Angeles evened the series with a 3-1 win in Game 4. Jerry Priddy popped 3 hits, while Frank Baker ripped two hits and drove in a run. Barmes homered again for Chicago. Righthander Rich Gale was solid, going six innings and allowing just a single run. The Kangaroos seized control of the series with a 9-6 victory in Game 5. Baker set a postseason record with 4 doubles, and he drove in 2 runs, while Jack Clark drove in 3. Chicago catcher Fran Healy homered and drove in three runs. Los Angeles clinched the series with a 7-2 Game 6 win. First baseman Danny Espinosa homered , singled, and drove in four runs, while Seager had 2 hits and drove in 2 more runs. Smoky Joe Wood earned the win, allowing just 2 runs in 6.1 innings. Chicago third baseman Pie Traynor had two hits, including an RBI double.

Baker took home MVP honors after a stellar all-around series, where he hit .500 with 5 doubles, a homer, 5 runs scored, and 4 RBI's. Priddy hit .360 with a .448 on-base percentage and 5 runs scored. Clark and Espinosa each homered and tied for the team lead with 5 RBI's. Smoky Joe Wood was solid on the mound, going 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA , allowing just 9 hits in 14.2 innings. Greg McMichael was brilliant in relief, allowing just one hit in 5 shutout innings. Chicago was led by DH Chris James, who hit .375, and by Barmes, who hit a team-high 2 homers with 4 RBI's.