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The four division winners in the National Association were within four wins of each other, making for a tough fight for the #1 seed. Even trickier was the top two overall records coming from the same division. At 100-62, Washington won the East Division and top seed. It was the Admirals’ first playoff appearance since 1981. They only beat Philadelphia by one game for the division title. 99-63 was plenty good to give the Phillies the first wild card, ending a four-year playoff drought. New York, who had a four-year postseason streak entering 1995, saw it snapped as they fell to 83-79.

The Upper Midwest champ Cleveland and the Lower Midwest champ Columbus both finished at 97-65. The tiebreaker gave the defending NA winner Cobras the first round bye, while the Chargers were seeded third. In the Northeast Division, Boston (96-66) was back in the playoffs after missing in back-to-back seasons. It was also the Red Sox’s first division title since 1978. Buffalo (92-70) was second in the division, but good enough to earn the wild card and a repeat playoff berth. Wichita (90-72) and Toronto (87-75) were the only squads that gave them chase towards the end.

Washington RF Nathaniel D’Attilo won his third National Association MVP in a row and had his best season yet. The 25-year old lefty led in the triple slash (.388/.472/.723), OPS (1.195), wRC+ (267), WAR (11.6), total bases (365), and runs (107). D’Attilo’s .472 OBP set a new MLB single season record that still stands as of 2037. His 1.195 OPS also broke the record and stood as the top mark until 2026. D’Attilo also had 46 home runs and 119 RBI. Winnipeg’s Dirk Hughes won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also done it in 1992. The 28-year old English lefty led in ERA (2.11), FIP- (63), and WAR (9.2). Hughes added a 17-13 record over 277.1 innings and 208 strikeouts.

In the first round of the playoffs, Boston swept Philadelphia and Buffalo edged Columbus 2-1. The Red Sox then ousted defending champ Cleveland with a road sweep, while Washington beat the Blue Sox 3-1. It was Boston’s second National Association Championship Series appearance in four years, while the Admirals last made it in 1981. The NACS was a seven-game classic with the Red Sox winning only their third NA pennant (1955, 1967, 1995).



The American Association’s Southwest Division ended up loaded with arguably its three best teams. Defending World Series Champion San Francisco was first at 104-58. Even though the Gold Rush won it all the prior year and earned a third straight playoff berth, this was their first division title since 1990. Las Vegas (97-65) and Los Angeles (94-68) won the wild card spots by a solid margin. The Angels earned a fifth playoff spot in seven years, while it was the second in four years for the Vipers. Albuquerque and Phoenix, both playoff teams last year, both dropped below .500 in 1995.

The other first round bye went to 94-68 Tampa, who snapped Atlanta’s eight-year streak as Southeast Division winners. The Thunderbirds got their first playoff spot since 1991 and first division win since 1986. The Aces (89-73) and Charlotte (88-74) were both in the mix, but fell short. Houston (92-7) cruised to the South Central Division to end a four-year playoff drought. New Orleans, the winner the prior two years, stunk at 75-87.

The Northwest Division had the weakest division winner, but five teams had a legitimate shot at it entering the final week. Denver and Seattle finished tied for the top spot at 85-77, while both Calgary and Edmonton ended 84-78 and Vancouver was 83-79. The Dragons downed the Grizzlies in the tiebreaker game, putting Denver in the playoffs for the sixth time in eight years. The Cheetahs had won the division the prior three seasons and had three straight 100+ win seasons, but they came up just short in 1995. Calgary had been a regular contender in the 1980s and 1990s, but they wouldn’t see the AACS again in the next 40 years.

American Association MVP went to Seattle first baseman Bryson Wightman. The 25-year old hometown hero led in runs (135), hits (206), and RBI (135). Wightman added 39 home runs, a .330/.395/.590 slash, and 7.5 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was second-season San Antonio lefty Kentavious McCalister. The 21-year old led in quality starts (27), and shutouts (5). He added a 21-9 record, 2.39 ERA, and 170 strikeouts over 290 innings with 6.9 WAR.

Denver downed Las Vegas 2-0 and Houston topped Los Angeles 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Both the Dragons and Hornets pulled off round two upsets with Houston topping Tampa 3-1 and Denver sweeping San Francisco. This was the fourth American Association Championship Series appearance in seven years for the Dragons, while Houston hadn’t gotten that far since 1980. Despite having the weakest record among all of the 1995 MLB playoff teams, Denver cruised to an AACS sweep over the Hornets. This was the sixth pennant for the Dragons (1925, 38, 62, 89, 91, 95).



In the 95th World Series, Denver defeated Boston 4-2 to become five time MLB champs (1925, 38, 62, 89, 95). The Dragons are one of six franchises with five or more World Series rings, joining San Diego, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Philadelphia (7), and Houston (7). In his 15th season as a Dragon, first baseman Hunter Emerald was World Series MVP. The steady 34-year old had 19 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 5 RBI, and 6 walks in 15 playoff starts. Denver pitcher James Ferron also had a notable postseason, setting a playoff record with five complete games. The 33-year old French export was 5-0 over 45 innings with a 2.40 ERA and 27 strikeouts. His 5 wins tied the MLB playoff record and his 1.8 WAR was fifth most by a pitcher.



Other notes: Edmonton’s Nico Lemmens struck out 16 in a no-hitter against Charlotte. This was tied for the third most Ks in a MLB no-hitter. T.J. Nakabayashi became the 36th pitcher to reach 250 wins.