[luckymann]

We’re on the back foot immediately with a few losses and, were it not for a couple tight extra-inning wins against the Cards, we may have lost touch with the Cubs for good in this period.

Still, for the next bit we do just enough not to lose our hold on the WC or fall any further behind and when we suddenly catch fire with a 10-1 run, we finally get some traction and cut the deficit to 3 with plenty of distance left to run.

We keep it going and, by the first couple days of September, have caught them.

Or, should I say, have got within a half-game of them before we hit the wall and an oblique injury for Bonds that will see him miss a month doesn’t help matters.

A home sweep loss to the Padres puts a serious dent in our hopes but we regroup and come at the Cubs again with a 6-game run of wins that cuts their lead to 2 with 12 to play.

That is unchanged – although we have by this time secured the NL Wild Card – as we enter the final week and, after a longer wait than expected, we get Barry Back from the IL.

3 wins from 4 at Shea keep us alive trailing by 2 going into a 3-game series at Wrigley to finish the regular season.

We get a thrilling 9-6 win in 10 to makes things interesting and an 8-2 win the following day means the final game is for all the bickies, although with both of us guaranteed our spot and with our records how they are it will merely decide home-field advantage in another series between us in the first round of the playoffs.

Denny Neagle gets the big assignment up against Jason Bere and it proves too big for him and us as we manage just 3 hits and they do it easily with the final score 10-4.




So dominant are the Red Sox this season that it is still August when they book a playoff berth and they clinch the AL East early in September.

They finish with an MLB-record 117 Wins, beating the Dodgers' 111 in 1980.

The Yankees are the MLB’s first-ever Wild Card, locking it down in mid-September.

The Royals make their move with a strong September and are next to clinch in the new Central Division, with the Mariners winning the West a few days later.

It’s a little tighter across the board in the NL but the Dodgers and Braves eventually lock down division titles.




Final Leaders and Top 20s

Batting titles to Raul Mondesi and John Olerud.

Albert Belle's 39 HR and Kevin Mitchell's 114 RBI lead both leagues, as do Alex Cole's 69 SB.

Three Cs in Clemens, Cone and Candiotti lead the MLB with their 21 Wins.

This season's low ERA belongs to Shane Reynolds with 2.05.

Another comfortable King of K title to Big Unit Randy Johnson.

Lee Smith sets a new MLB high mark with 57 Saves.




Monthly Award Winners

August

American League

Batter – Raul Mondesi (Royals): 404 / 7 HR / 23 RBI
Pitcher – Don Robinson (Red Sox): 5-0 / 0.86 / 17 K / 42 IP
Rookie – Chad Ogea (Red Sox): 5-1 / 2.77 / 20 K / 39 IP


National League

Batter – Mike Piazza (Mets): 360 / 8 HR / 22 RBI
Pitcher – Doug Drabek (Pirates): 4-1 / 1.83 / 29 K / 44.1 IP
Rookie – Toby Borland (Expos): 2-1 / 2.92 / 9 SV / 10 K / 12.1 IP


September

American League

Batter – Edgar Martinez (Mariners): 347 / 5 HR / 18 RBI
Pitcher – Pete Harnisch (Yankees): 4-0 / 1.22 / 27 K / 37 IP
Rookie – Carl Everett (Mariners): 333 / 8 HR / 19 RBI


National League

Batter – Jose Valentin (Reds): 341 / 7 HR / 28 RBI
Pitcher – Jose Rijo (Reds): 5-0 / 1.12 / 40 K / 48 IP
Rookie – Ismael Valdez (Padres): 4-2 / 2.62 / 37 K / 44.2 IP


Milestones and Observations of Note

300 HR: Fred McGriff

Raul Mondesi of the Royals hits safely in 34 straight games.