American League
Texas Rangers (90-72) v Boston Red Sox (89-73)
Were Kenny Rogers fit, I would have given the Rangers a really good chance here. But the fact that he’s done for the year, with Charlie Hough also awaiting an injury diagnosis, leaves their pitching precariously thin against a Red Sox unit that, while perhaps not the equal of some of its precedents, is nevertheless a formidable one.
Chris Bosio gets them off to a good start, however, outduelling Clemens in a 2-0 Game 1 win but the Sox return serve with a 3-1 win the next day behind Pascual Perez and then go ahead with a 7-3 win at Fenway.
They post a big inning early in Game 4 and hold on for a 6-3 final, then finish them off with a hard-fought 4-3 win behind the Rocket.
For the second year running, Mike Greenwell is named ALCS MVP.
National League
Pittsburgh Pirates (102-60) v San Francisco Giants (92-70)
The Giants were the only team we had a losing record to this year and for good reason. With Clark and Williams out-and-out guns, Dave Parker cleaning up his act and finding a new lease of life, underrated guys like Brunansky and Pendleton and a sneaky good pitching staff at their disposal, we’ll need to be at our absolute best to handle them.
With only pitchers as other options, outfielder Jose Gonzalez makes his Pittsburgh debut in the most auspicious of circumstances.
To begin with, we are going to risk Gant at SS in the early innings and then switch him out for Foley in close and late. Hopefully his bat more than compensates for his glove.
Somewhat ironically it is Tom Foley’s bat that gets us out of jail in the opener after a wobbly start by Mike Scott, with his 2-run double with one out in the 9th off Jay Howell getting us a walkoff 6-5 win.
Another early stumble by JDL the next day but he steadies and again we overcome it for a tight 4-3 win and we fall behind early yet again over in San Fran for Game 3. This time, however, there’s no coming back as Tommy Greene 1-hits us with an absolute gem as Andy Van Slyke is hurt—adding injury to insult, so to speak.
His diagnosis is of the worst possible kind – gone for the season. We’re almost running on fumes here, doc.
The spotty offence continues the following game as we can manage only 6 hits, giving up an early lead to eventually lose it 5-4 in a walkoff. Barry Bonds is a dirty 1-for-13 at this point.
The lads show tremendous heart in Game 5, somehow getting a 6-4 win in 10 after giving up an early 4-0 lead, with Big Daddy Fielder belting his third homer of the series.
With two bites of the cherry at home and Jose De Leon up you’d have to like our chances but the bats go totally missing against Bryn Smith, who has a no-no going thru 7 and eventually pitches a 3-hitter, wasting a fine effort by JDL in a 1-0 final.
It all comes down to a deciding Game 7, which we start tentatively before the bats finally come to life with a 5-run 4th that proves enough in the end as we go on to win it 5-3 and book another WS meeting with our fierce arch-rivals.
Ellis Burks wins the MVP.