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Dec. 1, 1991 • Hall of Fame Edition

Reuschel, Grieve Elected
Big Daddy in on First Ballot
All-Decade, Two-Time MVP Grieve in on Fifth

A pair of players named to the 1970s All-Decade Team (one of which was also a member of the 80s ADT) were inducted in the UL Hall of Fame today. Rick Reuschel, a two-time Cy Young winner, six-time All-UL Team member, and most of the most dominant and durable pitchers in the history of the league, garnered 97 percent on his first ballot and becomes the fourth player to be enshrined as a Boston Federal. Tom Grieve, who won back-to-back MVPs in 1974 and 1975, and who hit 40 homers and 100 RBIs for seven straight season, took five tries owing concerns about his relatively low career totals, despite peak years that compared to or surpassed those of Orlando Cepeda, Mickey Mantle, and Frank Robinson.

As of his election, Reuschel ranked in the top 10 in win, complete games, shutouts, and strikeouts, and was fourth all-time in WHIP. His 15 seasons with double-digit wins and 263 career wins make him arguably the second-best pitcher of his generation, behind only Larry Dierker. Of his three seasons with fewer than 10 wins, two of them were 7-1 and 8-0 seasons cut short by injuries. His 1980 season (8-0, 1.88) was on pace to be one of his best, before it was shut by bone chips surgery in late June. Still, his contribution help lead the Federals to their first World Series title. Reuschel pitched with five different teams, and started over 100 games with four of them, but chose to go into Beachville as a Federal because Boston is where he had both the longest tenure and his best seasons. He was a key cog in the early 70s Cleveland teams that made a World Series appearance in 1973, and he ended his career with six World Series teams, and two rings: the second coming in 1985 with Los Angeles.

Grieve was not only the first undrafted player on the Hall of Fame ballot, but the first not drafted in the first two rounds. After a slow start his career as a light-hitting bench player, Grieve had the mother of all breakout years in 1974 with the expansion Denver 14ers. Grieve hit 50 homers for 139 RBIs, .976, and 7.0 WAR. After a trade to Manhattan, he again led the league with 46-129 for a second straight MVP. Between 1974 and 1980, he hit 329 HR and 832 RBIs, the best seven-year stretch in UL history. As of his retirement, he ranked 7th in home runs, 16th in RBIs, and 25th in total bases. despite playing in just 1830 games (53rd all-time). Grieve becomes the first Denver 14er in Beachville. He spent just under half of his career there and was the first Denver player to have his number retired when the club opened a new downtown ballpark in 1991.

1991 HALL OF FAME VOTING
% ∆ Ballot
Rick Reuschel 97 - 1
Tom Grieve 76 +3 5
Bill Freehan 73 +3 9
Vada Pinson 73 0 8
Tom Seaver 72 +6 4
Amos Otis 68 +4 2
Ernie McAnally 61 -4 6
Herm Wehmeier 58 -1 9
Curt Flood 56 -1 3
Don Sutton 55 +1 7
Jim Palmer 52 -5 7
Bobby Grich 51 -3 3
Darrell Evans 50 -5 3
Rennie Stennett 50 - 1
Rich Coggins 49 - 1

Catcher Bill Freehan jumped three points to 73 percent, his best showing on his ninth ballot. The three-time Gold Glove catcher for the Boston Federals and Atlanta Hilltoppers will get one more chance to earn enshrinment. Vada Pinson polled at 73 percent again this year, on his eighth try. SP Tom Seaver made the biggest jump, six points to 72 percent, on his fourth ballot, and like Freehan appears poised to jump above the required 75 percent next year. Amos Otis, on his second ballot, also made a big leap: four points to 68. The other nine candidates on the ballot got only bad—or at best, neutral—new. Ernie McAnally, after a jump of six points last year, dropped back down by four, to 61 percent, on his sixth ballot. Herm Wehmeier looks doomed to be dropped next year after collecting just 58 percent on his ninth try. Herm's candidacy appears to have peaked on his fifth ballot in 1987 when he won 64 percent. Don Sutton and Jim Palmer, both on their seventh ballot, appear to be treading water. Palmer's vote count dropped five to 52, the lowest of his seven ballots. First-timers Rennie Stennett and Rich Coggins, garnered 50 and 49 percent, respectively. Only Don Mossi and Carl Taylor had performed worse on their first ballot.

At the unveiling of the 1991 voting results, the Hall also announced 1992's new candidates: relief pitcher Terry Forster and starting pitcher Steve Rogers. Forster ranks second on the all-time save list and owns the single-season save record (45 in 1978). Rogers, the righthanded ace of the Manhattan Gray Sox during the dynasty years, won 181 games, four Gold Gloves, and five World Series rings (four with Manhattan and one with Montreal in 1982).

The Hall of Fame also made two landmark announcements about the institution in Beachville, Ontario. First, it revealed the creation of a Veterans Committee that will provide a second pathway to induction. The VC will be authorized to vote in one player every five years, beginning in 1995, the 25th anniversary of the first induction class. Second, the Hall announced the creation of a UL World Series Hall of Fame, which will memorialize the greatest World Series performers in league history. Details of that special wing to the Hall will be forthcoming.

As Mr. Nelson Said: “Controversy!”
HOF Voting Results Impacted by External Forces? Or “Who
Submitted 47 Ballots for Tom Grieve If There Are Only 18 GMs?”
by Sean “Steady On” Holloway, UL Beat Reporter

With another round of HOF voting upon us, the credibility of the entire vote has been called into question as a result of this year’s ballot. Well, it’s not the actual physical ballot that has UL observers up in arms. It is one particular name on said ballot that is threatening to tear the UL apart due to scandalous – I say scandalous! – preliminary results.

Amongst some of the players that have shown up over the past several years on the ballot, there is one intriguing newcomer that has fans calling for Special Prosecutor and Enforcer of All Things Good and Holy, ATL GM Andy Chaney, to immediately introduce more security at stadiums. Wait. That’s for the USSF – not only did those morons keep a coach around longer than they should have, they apparently had no idea that a fight may break out amongst football teams from South America, or that fans may just rush the gates regardless of whether they had tickets. I mean – who knew?

Anyways, at a recent presser in Conference Room C at UL HQ, Chaney was adamant that “this will not do” and that he will investigate and leave no stone unturned. That’s great, but what, pray tell, is the issue?

Chaney continued that as a result of hardcore investigative work (and some hardcore hardcore work on the side thanks to Dickie Thon’s new movie), he is looking into a possible connection between HOF votes cast for Tom Grieve and a certain, yet-to-be-named GM who, per his own bio, stated that he “owns and operates a CPA firm that works primarily in the legal cannabis space. Hoping that, someday, Tom Grieve and his merry band of pranksters become investors.”

Stated Chaney: “Now, this unnamed GM who may or may not have a pitching ace by the name of Bert Saberhagen, has not been found guilty of any crimes yet, so I would hate to besmirch his reputation. But it is interesting that immediately after a certain CPA’s clientele received seed money (marijuana seed money, that is), an inordinate number of ballots were submitted, all with ‘10’ for Grieve.”

Holy crikey! Can one say “holy crikey!”? Regardless, I cannot wait to see how and if this burgeoning scandal impacts the HOF voting!

I’m Gonna Take a Freight Train….to Seattle
Holloway’s “Weekend at Bernie’s” Presser Convinces Beat
Reporter to Check Out New Seattle GM
by Sean “Steady On” Holloway, UL Beat Reporter

Your friendly neighborhood beat reporter was at UL HQ in Broomfield, Colorado for Winter Meetings and related festivities, and as always, the offseason allows me the chance to attend numerous events. Two interesting questions for which I was seeking answers were “How will the Griffins fair in 1992?” and “is the Griffins’ GM still on the wagon?”

As to the first, the jury is still out, as the Griffins pitching seems to be maturing, but unfortunately, the team—typically known for its offense—has watched its bats become soft with no EET in sight. As to the second, it was quite clear the stress of trying to build a winner had caught up with Holloway and that he’d fallen off the wagon again, as he rambled through a series of non-sequiturs that left attendees in Conference Room D at UL HQ confused.

As Holloway’s ramblings became more and more disjointed, suddenly a chant of “Let’s go, Brandon! Let’s go, Brandon!” pierced the air! What was this? A comment on Holloway’s cognitive ability? A dig at his nonsensical moves which seem to only hurt the Griffins? No! It was a chant coming from Conference Room E, where the Seattle Rainiers had just introduced their new GM, Brandon “Marshall Tucker Band” Tucker! I quickly left the morass of bad moves and mediocrity of the Griffins and scooted over to the adjoining conference room.

While the mood for the Griffins’ presser was like a wake, the Seattle crowd was rocking. Tucker had not even been introduced, and yet fans were already singing his praises. Alex “No, not James Remar” Cremar, the Rainiers understanding and generous owner, introduced Tucker to the hopeful and stoked crowd.

“We know times have been tough for Rainiers’ fans. It has been difficult to attract and keep talented GMs, so we made a concerted effort to not be ‘Ramblin’ in this search. No more ‘Running Like the Wind’ for us. I undertook the most comprehensive and extensive search ever for a UL GM. I had to ‘ride me a southbound, all the way to Georgia now’, and I am positive I found our guy. Tucker is an intelligent, pro-active manager who bases his strategic approach on the Atlanta Braves of the 1980s and 1990s. ‘Can’t You See’ that this time the Rainiers have found their man to take them to the WS!!!

And with his fist raised in the air and as Tucker took to the stage, the SEA fans erupted again into chants of “Let’s go, Brandon!”

Will a GM obsessed with Kenpo karate, pickleball and Rush lead the Rainiers to the promised land? The UL world waits with baited breath. And this reporter is pulling for Tucker and hopes he can get SEA rolling consistently again.

Nov. 11, 1991 • Awards Edition

Burks, Higuera Capture Top Honors

Ellis Burks won Most Valuable Player a year after Roberto Alomar took the award. A 26-year-old center fielder, Burks was the third overall pick in 1987 (after Tom Glavine and Joe Magrane) and has averaged just under 40 HR and 100 RBI in his first five UL seasons. Burks led the league with .644 SLG, 1.051 OPS, and 9.7 WAR. Toronto is the first team with two different MVPs since Tom Grieve and Craig Robinson of the Manhattan Gray Sox in 1975-76.

Just as Toronto now has two MVPs on its roster, Washington now has two Cy Young winners. Teddy Higuera took 1991 honors, four years after Bret Saberhagen won the award. The first overall pick in 1985, the 33-year-old Mexican southpaw led the league with 19 wins, a 2.35 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Higuera’s last win of the season was his 100th career win. Higgy is the franchise’s six different Cy Young Award winner, joining Larry Jansen (1952), Stu Miller (1953), Carl Erskine (1958), Whitey Ford (1964), and Saberhagen (1987).

Keystone 2B Carlos Baerga won Rookie of the Year, after leading all rookies in most offensive categories. Baerga hit .341 with 217 hits, a .873 OPS, and 6.5 WAR, and beat out Montreal’s Luis Gonzalez for the award.

Alan Trammell won his record ninth Willie Mays Award, the league's most prestigious award for outstanding defensive play. The Colts shortstop won his first Willie 12 years ago and was honored with Player of the Decade earlier this year.

Trammell also earned a nomination to his ninth All-UL Team [the All-UL Team, chosen by the Commissioner, honors the 10 best position players and five best pitchers in the league], tying him with Bob Horner for second most all-time, just two behind UL legend Joe Torre. Trammell was also the only player named this year to both the All-UL and Gold Glove teams. Dwight Gooden is fast on his heels; the Toronto ace captured his seventh Ullie—at the tender age of 27. First-time Ullie winners include Junior Felix, Charles Nagy, Bip Roberts, Cory Snyder, and Mike Stanley.

Minors on the Move
IL, AA Abandon Mexico and Puerto Rico

The recent financial crisis in Mexico that has devalued the peso by 50 percent has prompted UL owners to move baseball operations out of the troubled country. The Mexico City Diablos, the farm team of the expansion Florida Flamingos, announced their move to Vancouver, British Columbia, filling the cap left by the relocation of the B.C. Blizzards to Winnipeg. Florida owner, former Montreal Voyaguers owner, and architecture magnate Jo Lima reportedly coveted the Vancouver market for its multicultural flair and larger income prospects, and reportedly missed his Canadian health care, which he lost when he took over the Miami expansion team in 1990.

At the Double-A level, the Monterrey Sultanes have had a team in the American Association since 1988 and were the Triple-A affiliate of the Brooklyn Superbas in 1974-76. Shortly after the Diablos announced their move to Vancouver, the Sultanes press office annouced that the Sultanes would be relocating to Albuquerque, NewMexico for the 1992 season. The Double-A American Association is home to nine clubs comprise of players not affiliated with UL organizations and essentially free agents. The league originated in the Deep South but has expanded to markets in the Midwest and California in recent years, with the San Diego Admirals winning four league titles from 1984-88.

Speaking of San Diego, "America's Finest City" claimed a Triple-A prize out of the recent financial distress. The Havana Leones' farm club in Puerto Rico, the San Juan Cocodrilos, were another victim of the recent financial distress. Havana GM Lance Mueller, a California native, jumped on the opportunity to move his Triple-A club to San Diego, one of the largest markets not served by a UL or IL ballclub. The Havana farm team will take over the San Diego Admirals name, albeit with a different logo.

The Double-A San Diego team will be relocated to Anaheim for the 1992 season. After winning four titles in their first five years in the American Association, the Admirals have struggled of late, with their first losing season in 1991 (43-53). The next iteration of the franchise will play in Anaheim Stadium as the Anaheim Amigos. The club features former UL players who were born in southern California, including Claudell Washington, Gary Ward, and Mike Witt.

The American Association was thrilled with the addition of Albuquerque and Anaheim to the league and also welcomed the prospect of a tenth team, reportedly to be located in Calgary, Alberta. Details were still being worked out, and the viability of the franchise depended on the size of the Double-A player pool, but Calgary has strong supported from the Canadian Players Union (CPU), an influential under-the-radar organization that was behind the recent move of the Triple-A Blizzards from Vancouver to Winnipeg. If the reports are corroborated and Calgary wins a team, then the number of Canadian teams in organized baseball will jump from four to six in one year.

The Birmingham Vulcans won the American Associaton crown in 1991, their first in nine years. The Vulcans, whose origins in the "Pittsburgh of the South" date to 1970, defeated the Fort Worth Cats 3-2 in the championship series behind the pitching of Jimmy Key and the hitting of Jason Thompson. Fort Worth won the title in 1990 after a 74-22 regular season.

Oct. 28, 1991 • World Series Edition

L.A. Wins Third Title
Outlaws Routs P-Bears in Five

The individual games may have been close, but the series was not. Four of five were one-run games, and four of five were won by Los Angeles, which erupted for a 19-run outburst in Games 4 and 5 in Toronto to roll to its third United League title. Darrell Porter was named Lew Burdette Playoff MVP after batting .282-4-8 with a 1.005 OPS in 11 games. The Outlaws 38-year-old catcher was instrumental in the last two wins; he had three hits and a homer in each of the Game 4 and Game 5 wins, driving in five runs after driving in a pair in Game 2.

Los Angeles now adds a 1991 banner to its 1981 and 1986 UL titles, and also claim their first "league and cup" double, having won the President's Trophy with a 101-59 regular season record. Since the playoffs expanded in 1974, only 7 of 18 President's Trophy winners have gone on to win the playoff tournament. Manhattan did it twice in the '70s and St. Louis were the only to win the "Quad" - back-to-back Doubles in 1988-89.

LEAGUE AND CUP DOUBLES
1977 - Manhattan
1979 - Manhattan
1980 - Boston
1983 - Detroit
1988 - St. Louis
1989 - St. Louis
1991 - Los Angeles

Playoff Fun Facts
• For just the second time in 24 playoff appearances, GM Glen Reed exited without a win, after a 4-0 sweep by the Chicago Colts. The only other time was in 1983, when St. Louis was swept by Los Angeles in the Semi Series.
• GM Tim Widholm's Brooklyn Superbas made the playoff for the first time since 1984. It was Widholm's fifth playoff appearance, and fifth loss in five playoff series.

GAME 1 - TOR 3, LA 2
Roberto Alomar delivered a two-run single in the fifth and Dave Stieb was solid, allowing just two runs in eight innings, as the defending champions got their World Series title defense off to a good start with a 3-2 win in California. Greg Swindell struck out seven and Tom Brunansky hit an RBI double for the homestanding Outlaws.

GAME 2 - LA 4, TOR 3
In the game of his life (against his high school buddy), Floyd Youmans fanned 14 and defeated Dwight Gooden to level the series 1-1. Toronto led 2-0 until the fifth, when the home team plated four runs, capped by Darrell Porter's two run homer. Gooden was solid outside of that inning, with seven strikeouts and five hits in the other seven innings. Rafael Palmeiro and Mickey Tettleton each hit solo shots in the second, but Youmans was essentially unhittable after that.

GAME 3 - LA 2, TOR 1
At the Wrench for Game 3, Dave Beard and two relievers held the Polar Bears to nine hits and one run. Kirby Puckett's RBI triple in third scored Rey Sanchez, Kirby was brought home by Andy Van Slyke's sac fly, and that was all the runs they needed. Wally Joyner was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Scott Sanderson took the hard-luck loss for the hosts.

GAME 4 - LA 10, TOR 1
Hoping to get back on track and level the series at two apiece, Toronto's pitching instead imploded, giving up seven runs in the first four innings to put the game out of reach. Brunansky homered and drove in three, Porter homered again, and the Outlaws tallied 15 hits to score 10 runs. Starter Kelly Downs took the brunt of the damage, with six earned runs in 2.1 innings, and pinch hitter Mookie Wilson had Toronto's one and only RBI.

GAME 5 - LA 9, TOR 8
Los Angeles blew a 4-1 lead, Toronto tied it up 5-5, but a parade of Polar Bear relievers could not stop the steady flow of Los Angeles offense, as the Outlaws tallied 11 hits for nine runs, to bring their two-game total to 19. Cory Snyder, Van Slyke, and Porter each homered, Porter's a two-run shot that put the visitors up 8-5 in the sixth and prompted the moving of the bubbly into the visitor's locker room. Ellis Burks was 3-for-5 with a homer and Palmeiro was 3-for-5, bringing his playoff average to .371. Brian Holman lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing four runs, and Rod Nichols allowed three more in the middle innings, as Toronto's pitching came completely unraveled in the face of an unrelenting Los Angeles attack.

Oct. 22, 1991 • Playoff Edition

World Series Preview
LA-Toronto Rematch

TORONTO vs. LOS ANGELES

For the first time since 1979, the same two teams will face off in the Fall Classic, as the league's two most dominant teams roll through the playoffs to set up a rematch of the 1990 Series.

Toronto won last year's contest 4-1, averaging eight runs a game in the series, and if the Semi Series in any indication, their offense shows no signs of slowing down. Toronto is just the fifth team in league history to make it to three straight World Series, while L.A. makes their sixth appearance in 11 years and eighth overall, which moves them ahead of Manhattan for third-most all-time.

Los Angeles won the regular season series 5-3, which includes 9-2 and 9-7 wins. Toronto scored seven runs twice, and five runs once, but was held to four runs or less in their last five meeting. Gooden struggled against Los Angeles this year, posting a 5.02 ERA in two starts, but fared slightly better than Floyd Youmans, who had a 6.00 ERA in three starts. Palmeiro led Toronto hitters with 3 HR and 9 RBI, while Ken Caminiti had 3 HR and 10 RBI in the contests for L.A.

Surprisingly, Los Angeles was second in scoring this year, for the first time since 1982, setting up a matchup of the league's top two offenses for just the fifth time in 35 World Series, and the first since 1979. In case you were wondering, the top two pitching teams have also met five times, most recently in 1985, the last time Los Angeles won the title.

WORLD SERIES between 1-2 Scoring Teams
1962 - Brooklyn vs. Chicago
1964 - Brooklyn vs. Chicago
1976 - Manhattan vs. Brooklyn
1979 - Manhattan vs. Boston
1991 - Toronto vs. Los Angeles

WORLD SERIES between 1-2 Pitching Teams
1957 - Brooklyn vs. St. Louis
1962 - Brooklyn vs. Chicago
1963 - Brooklyn vs. Chicago
1973 - Chicago vs. Cleveland
1985 - Los Angeles vs. St. Louis

LA Rallies From 0-2
Colts Demolish Outlaws, Then Collapse

After losing the first two games at home by a combined 17-2, things were looking back for the Los Angeles Outlaws. But the defending West champs got their pitching back in order, held Chicago to eight runs in the last four games, and took four straight to book their sixth trip to the World Series in the last 11 years.

GAME 1 - CHI 12, LA 1
In a dream start for the visiting Colts, they put up a five-spot on Floyd Youmans, who was pulled after one inning, and led 8-1 after two. Albert Belle homered twice, driving in five runs, and Charles Nagy gave up just five hits and one run in eight innings.

GAME 2 - CHI 5, LA 1
Melido Perez and three relievers held the hosts to six hits and one run, and five different batters drove in a run, as Chicago rolled to a 5-1 win to sweep the first two games at Arroyo Seco Stadium. Marquis Grissom and Benito Santiago hit RBI singles off Derek Lilliquist in the sixth to double a 2-0 Colts lead.

GAME 3 - LA 5, CHI 4
Alan Trammell's two-run homer put Chicago up 4-3 in the fifth, but a hit batsman and an error led to two unearned runs off Jose Nunez in the seventh, and Greg Lucas and Jeff Robinson put the game away with three shutout innings, as the Outlaws stole won back at Comiskey.

GAME 4 - LA 7, CHI 3
The 3-4-5 hitters had six of L.A.'s 12 hits and Ron Karkovice and Cory Snyder homered as Los Angeles smothered Terry Mulholland and the Chicago bullpen for a 7-3 win, levelling the series at two games apiece.

GAME 5 - LA 2, CHI 0
Floyd Youmans made amends for his Game 1 thrashing, and then some. The 27-year-old righthander went the distance, shutting out Chicago on six hits, and striking out eight. Charles Nagy was solid, but let in runs in the first and second that held up for the Los Angeles win. Kirby Puckett's leadoff homer put the Outlaws ahead on the fourth pitch of the game and Rey Sanchez singled in Brunansky in the second to double the lead.

GAME 6 - LA 5, CHI 1
Back home in southern California, the Outlaws rolled to a 5-1 win, their fourth straight after being outscored 17-2 in the first two games. Darrell Porter homered in the three-run fifth inning that put the hosts ahead 5-0, and Dave Beard allowed a single run in 6.1 innings, as Melido Perez took his first playoff loss.

Toronto to 3rd World Series
Polar Bears Use Blowouts, Shutouts to Ease Past Washington, With an Assist From an Epic Meltdown

A pair of 3-0 shutouts and a pair of 12-run outburst was all it took for Toronto to make quick work of the Washington Monuments in the East Semi Series. Dwight Gooden and Scott Sanderson authored the shutouts in Games 1 and 3, and Howard Johnson and Rafael Palmeiro were the stars in the blowouts. Ryne Sandberg hit a grand slam in Game 4 at Griffith Stadium to give Mons' fans a moment of glory. But a playoff record 11-run ninth inning turned back a 5-1 Washington lead to end the series—and the season—on a sour note for the Monuments, as the P-Bears head to their straight UL World Series.

GAME 1 - TOR 3, WAS 0
Dwight Gooden, with 14 days of rest, tossed a four-hit shutout with no walks and seven Ks, cutting through the Washington lineup like a hot knife through butter. Roberto Alomar was 3-for-3 with a homer and Howard Johnson homered for the home team.

GAME 2 - TOR 12, WAS 3
HoJo homered again, on a 3-for-5, 4 RBI day, as Toronto's bats buried Bret Saberhagen early and piled on the bullpen. Ellis Burks also homered for the Bears and Kelly Downs got the well-supported win.

GAME 3 - TOR 3, WAS 0
Teddy Higuera and Scott Sanderson dueled at Griffith Stadium and Higgy blinked first. Mariano Duncan tripled in the third, scoring on Alomar's double, and Burks' second homer of the series put the visitors ahead 2-0 in the sixth. Sanderson finished with a seven-hit shutout while Higuera suffered the quality-start loss.

GAME 4 - WAS 6, TOR 1
With the score tied 1-1 in the seventh in a pitchers duel between Charlie Lea and Larry McWilliams, Ryne Sandberg broke the game open with a dramatic grand slam—which proved to be the only big moment for Washington in the whole series. McWilliams allowed just three hits and one run in 6.2 innings and Chili Davis had four hits in the lone Monuments win.

GAME 5 - TOR 12, WAS 5
Washington led 5-1 in the ninth and Griffith Stadium was rocking. The Mons were on the verge of extending the series and sending it back to Toronto. The starter Bob Tewksbury popped up Roberto Alomar to shortstop. A four-run lead with two outs to go, the win probability was well north of 99 percent. What happened next was the biggest meltdown in UL playoff history. Walk-single-single/single-double-K-single-single-walk-walk-single/single-double-flyout. Toronto sent 15 men to the plate, Joyner, Palmeiro, and HoJo each had two hits in the inning, and Toronto plated 11. A dumbstruck Griffith Stadium crowd trickled out of the ballpark in stunned silence, and the champagne poured in the visitors locker room. Palmeiro had four hits in the game, Juan Gonzalez had four RBIs, and Paul Assenmacher gave up 7 earned runs in 0.1 innings for a 189.00 ERA on the day.

Oct. 13, 1991 • Playoff Edition

East Preview
Polar Bears Begin Title Defense

TORONTO vs. WASHINGTON

For the fourth straight year, Toronto enters the postseason tournament in the Semi Series, and they will face their fourth different opponent. The Sailors of the Floe made their playoff debut in 1988 and were bounced 4-1 by Seattle. In 1989 they defeated L.A. 4-1, only to lose to St. Louis in the World Series. And last year, they defeated Boston 4-2, then beat Los Angeles 4-1 for their first World Series title.

Washington has advanced to the final four eight previous times, with a 5-3 record. They lost in the Semi Series in 1989 in seven games to the eventual champions St. Louis.

Toronto won 8 of the 11 regular season meetings, and generally feasted on Washington pitching, with four players batting .350 or better: Mariano Duncan (17-39), Ellis Burks (16-40), Wally Joyner (14-37), and Roberto Alomar (14-40). Burks had 5 HR and 11 RBI, and Alomar had 4 HR and 9 RBI. Washington's two best hitters in their 11 Toronto games were Chili Davis (.356-4-7) and Bob Horner (.351-2-7). Bret Saberhagen split his two starts with a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings. Higuera was roughed up for 10 hits and 4 runs in 6.1 innings in his only start on June 3, and McWilliams struggled in his three starts (4.05). For Toronto, Gooden dominated his lone start (1 R, 8 K in 8.0 IP), Sanderson was average (2-1, 3.68), Kelly Downs was bad (4.15 in 13 IP), and Charlie Lea was horrible (10.80 in 5 IP).

Despite their 3-8 overall record against the defending champs, the Monuments will be heartened by their recent success: they are 3-1 in the last four meetings after losing seven straight through Aug. 3.

West Preview
Colts Seek Revenge After Last Year's Rout

LOS ANGELES vs. CHICAGO

The 1990 West Semi Series saw two Floyd Youmans shutouts and two huge rallies, as the Outlaws rolled to a 4-1 series win. This, after Los Angeles edged the Colts by just two games for the regular season pennant. This year, L.A. dominated the West Division all year and ended 10 games ahead of Chicago with their second President's Trophy in a row, and third overall.

However, Chicago won the regular season series, 6-5, including their last four meetings. Melido Perez and Erik Hanson, slated the be the 2 and 3 starters in the Semi Series had 2.51 and 2.05 ERAs in three starts each, and Albert Belle (.390-3-12) powered the offense. For L.A., #3 man Greg Swindell was the most effective started against Chicago, with a 1.42 ERA in 12.2 innings, while Floyd Youmans struggled (0-2, 5.93 in 13.2 IP). Jay Bell was the top hitter, with a .370 average in eight games.

Chicago has made three trips to the Semi Series since their last title in 1973, and was bounced on all three occasions (1978 by Manhattan, 1979 by Boston, and last year by Los Angeles). L.A. has participated in 10 straight final fours, with a 5-5 record at this stage.

Colts Sweep Maroons
Chicago's First Sweep in Club History

In contrast to last year's seven-game series, the Chicago Colts made quick work of the St. Louis Maroons this year, sweeping the Dark Reds behind strong starting pitching and timely hitting. All four games were close, but the Colts had a knack for adding tack-on runs every time St. Louis pulled close, and their bullpen held while the Maroons' pen faltered. Benito Santigo took Series MVP honors with a 7-14 series with a 1.133 OPS.

GAME 1- CHI 5, STL 3
The Maroons struck first and built a 2-0 lead, but the home team plated four in the fifth, chasing Tom Glavine, and the bullpen held the lead with Rob Dibble getting the save. Glavine, the 24-year-old lefthander from Concord, California,
was making his playoff debut and was poised out of the gate. He had four shutout innings heading into the fifth, when the playoff jitters suddenly hit. Glavine walked the bases loaded, then balked, then threw a wild pitch. Presto! Two runs in without surrendering a hit. Calvin Schiraldi then came it to put out the fire—with his can of gasoline. Calvin served up a two-run single to #8 hitter Bill Spiers, and the Colts led 4-2. Charles Nagy got his first playoff win after going 0-1 in three playoff starts last year.

GAME 2 - CHI 5, STL 2
Melido Perez, age 24, held St. Louis to five hits and one run in five-plus innings and Player of the Decade Alan Trammell delivered a two-run bomb off Steven Ontiveros to give the Colts a commanding 2-0 series lead. Santiago had a pair of hits and a stolen base.

GAME 3 - CHI 3, STL 1
Back at Sportsmans Park for Game 3, the two clubs engaged in a pitching duel for the ages, Erik Hanson, Scott Garrelts, and their respective bullpens battling to a 0-0 draw through nine innings. The staring contest ended when Steve Howe blinked in the 10th. Howe, who led the league with a .950 save percentage and 45 Shutdowns, put all the behind him in a three-run 10th inning. He started the frame by serving a single to Benito Santiago and beaning #8 hitter Bill Spiers, setting up John Kruk's two-run double and Ivan Calderon's spare-rib single. Gary Carter homered in the bottom of the 10th to put lipstick on the pig, as the Maroons stare down the prospect of their first playoff sweep loss since 1983.

GAME 4 - CHI 6, STL 5
St. Louis again took an early 2-0 lead and again squandered it swiftly with a crooked-number inning. Mike Scott was masterful, allowing just one hit in 5.2 shutout innings before he hit his pitch count and was replaced by Calvin Schiraldi, who pissed it all away faster than a Russian race horse. In the top of 7th the Colts batted around. The inning featured a #8 hitter Bill Spiers bunt single, Benito Santiago stealing third, and an Albert Belle bases-loaded RBI walk, before "Pope" Donn Pall came in to complete the fiasco by serving up a two-run single to Gary Sheffield and RBI single to Santiago. When the dust cleared, it was 6-2 Chicago and the cushion was sufficient to withstand a minor bullpen meltdown as the Maroons clawed three back off Anthony Young in the 8th. Jose Nunez locked it down in the ninth, giving the Colts their first playoff sweep in franchise history.

Next up for the Ponies is a Semi Series rematch with the Los Angeles Outlaws, who shut out Chicago twice last year on their way to a 4-1 series win.

Mons Rally from 3-1 Down
Washington Spoils Brooklyn Playoff Party

Brooklyn took a 3-1 series lead and look poised for its first playoff series win since 1976, when it all came crashing down. Washington rallied for three straight wins, including Games 6 at 7 at Brooklyn, to punch their ticket to the East Semi Series with Toronto.

GAME 1 - BRO 4, WAS 3

Washington silenced a raucous Frank Thomas Memorial Stadium by putting up a deuce in the first inning, but the home team went ahead on Ken Landreaux's two-run double in the third and the Superbas pitching shut the Monuments down. Britt Burns got the win, allowing just five hits in 6.1 innings, and Joe Boever and Jim Wetteland were even more unhittable, giving up just one hit it 2.2, as Wetteland got the save. In the fourth, Burns doubled and scored what proved to be the winning run. Winfield homered for Washington, his 16th career playoff homer. tying Bob Horner for the fourth most among active players.

GAME 2 - BRO 3, WAS 1
Kevin Brown had Monuments hitters off-balance all day, allowing a single run and striking out seven en route to an easy 3-1 win. Teddy Higuera was solid for Washington, but the bullpen less so. With the score tied 1-1 in the 8th, Robin Ventura hit a run-scoring double off Barry Jones and Tom Foley singled him in off Scott Service, capping off a 3-for-4 day at the plate.

GAME 3 - WAS 9, BRO 4
At home in the friendly confines of Griffith Stadium, the Mons exploded for 12 hits and nine runs, including a home run by Kent Hrbek, three hits and two RBIs for Stan Javier, and a two-hit, two-steal day for leadoff man Chili Davis. Joe Boever let the dam break, allowing five runs in the seventh and eighth that put the game out of reach for Brooklyn.

GAME 4 - BRO 5, WAS 0
Ramon Martinez got the Supberas' pitching back on track, combining with three relievers for a six-hit shutout to give Brooklyn a 3-1 series lead. Landreaux was 3-for-5 with two RBI and Ken Griffey Jr. homered. Bob Tewksbury took the loss and Chili Davis had half of Washington's six hits.

GAME 5 - WAS 6, BRO 1
Bret Saberhagen beat Britt Burns, allowing one run, striking out seven, and contributing two RBIs at the plate as Washington sent the series back to Red Hook. Bob Horner hit a two-run homer and Rich Gedman scored twice.

GAME 6 - WAS 9, BRO 6
With their first playoff series win in 15 years within sight, and a 4-1 lead after three innings, Brooklyn squandered the lead as its pitching collapsed at just the wrong moment. Kevin Brown, author of a Game 2 gem, fell apart in the top of the fourth, allowing six runs, including a three-run homer by Bob Horner. When Brooklyn had climbed back within a run, the Monuments added two insurance runs of Joe Boever to lock down a 9-6 win. Dave Winfield had four hits in the game, and Rich Gedman had three hits and three RBIs. The win set up a Game 7 between Larry McWilliams and David Cone.

GAME 7 - WAS 5, BRO 2
In a see-saw battle with three lead changes, the Monuments completed their three game surge to turn back a 3-1 deficit. A walk and a wild pitch put Ryne Sandberg in scoring position in the top of the fourth, and Stan Javier drove him in to put Washington up 1-0. Larry McWilliams took a five-hit shutout into the bottom of the sixth, and the Monuments appeared to be cruising to victory, when Brooklyn struck back, taking a 2-1 lead on Andres Galarraga's two-run homer. Then in the top of the seventh, Washington seized the lead again on Kent Hrbek's two-out homer with Winfield aboard. Javier added a two-run double in the eighth, but it was the Washington bullpen that finished off the win, holding Brooklyn to two hits and no walks in three scoreless innings, including a six-out save by Paul Assenmacher. Chili Davis was named series MVP with a .400 average, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs, though Assenmacher played a key role, with 5.1 shutout innings and two saves across four appearances.

Washington next faces off against the defending champion Toronto Polar Bears in a battle pitting the top hitting team against the top pitching team. Toronto won the season series 8-3 and will open at home with a well-rested Dwight Gooden on the mound for Game 1.

Nightsimming

Toronto May Turn GM into Next Instagram Sensation!

by Sean “Steady On” Holloway, UL Beat Reporter

With the Polar Bears in the East crushing all mere mortal teams that stand in its path, let us dive deep into GM Dr. Eric Clemons’ mind and see if we can discern what the Toronto skipper could pondering during sims. And what better way to do that than in song! Come and let us hear how Clemons rightfully revels in a downright brilliant goof and already has ideas as to picture #2, opines as to how Iron Mike’s priorities have changed, and dreams about WS trophy #2.

Nightsimming deserves a quiet night

The photograph on my desktop, taken one year ago

Turned around backwards and my ass would show!

The next trophy reveals a picture that’s much worse!

And the next one will be clearer

I’ll “forget” clothes sitting on my bed’s edge!

My moon hangs low that night!

Nightsimming deserves a quiet night

I'm not sure all these GMs understand

Mike's not like years ago

Don’t draft guys like Don Slaught

Or stock up on just starters…

If I win they see me naked!

Pitch ratings go away

My offense’s here to stay!

Nightsimming, remembering that night

September's coming soon

If I win, they’ll see my moon!

And what if there were two? (trophies)

Back-to-back that’s so lit!

Toronto’s number 1!

I’ll show my bright, white bum!

Only after nightsimming

Mike, I think I know you

I’m drafting Aaron Judge…

Mike, I know you know me

I am laughing quietly underneath my breath

Nightsimming

The photograph reflects

Every trophy a reminder

Nightsimming deserves a quiet night

Deserves a quiet night

Season Milestones

2500 HITS (15 in this club)
LA Darrell Porter

2000 HITS (43 in this club)
BRO Ken Landreaux
WAS Wade Boggs
ATL Tony Gwynn

300 HOME RUNS (37 in this club)
MAN Eric Davis

500 STOLEN BASES (17 in this club)
MAN Eric Davis

400 STOLEN BASES (28 in this club)
HAV Vince Coleman
STL Lenny Dykstra
ATL Tony Gwynn
BOS Otis Nixon
MAN Terry Puhl

2000 STRIKEOUTS (35 in this club)
LA Dave Beard
TOR Dwight Gooden
TOR Scott Sanderson
ATL Fernando Valenzuela

Oct. 2, 1991 • Playoff Edition

P-Bears, Outlaws Repeat
Brooklyn Surges in East, Washington Rallies for 3rd

In a relatively uneventful and anticlimactic pennant race, the Toronto Polar Bears and Los Angeles Outlaws defended their division crowns, and Chicago and St. Louis finished second and third again. The Brooklyn Superbas completed their two-year climb from 100 losses to the third best team in baseball, and the only real pennant race drama was Washington's late season surge and Montreal's collapse to send the Monuments to the postseason for the sixth time in eight years.

Montreal was the surprise package of the season. Picked to finish near the bottom in both major preseason previews, Montreal instead surged starting in May and owned at least a share of third from June 19 until an 11-game skid starting in late August opened the door for Washington's rise. The Monuments had been tapped as preseason favorite, but were just two games over .500 on Aug. 21 before rattling off 10 wins in a row to seize third place for good.

Bip Roberts won the batting title handily, but the home run and RBI races came down to the last days, as Los Angeles' Cory Snyder went on a slugging spree to catch up to a slumping Rafael Palmeiro. Raffy hit his 51st home run on Sept. 28, pulling him one ahead of Snyder, and edged him for the RBI title. In 1989, Palmeiro hit one less than 50 and lost the HR title by one. This year, he hit one more than 50, and won the HR title by one. He becomes just the fifth hitter to win back-to-back joint HR and RBI titles:

Back-to-back joint HR/RBI titles
Orlando Cepeda (1972-73)
Tom Grieve (1974-75)
Craig Robinson (1977-78)
Bob Horner (1981-82)
Rafael Palmeiro (1990-91)

Washington's success rode largely on the shoulder of Mexican southpaw Teddy Higuera (19-7, 2.35), who captured two-thirds of the Triple Crown. Higgy was particularly dominant down the stretch, going 5-0, 1.99 in his last six starts as Washington went 15-9 in September.

Other notable events:
• Ken Griffey Jr. and Cory Snyder each hit homer hat tricks on May 23.
• Fernando Valenzuela struck out 17 on May 14. Won the strikeout title with 296, the second most since 1966.
• Seattle's Ricky Jordan and Havana's Shane Mack had 22-game hitting streaks.
• Seattle's Delino DeShields hit for the cycle on June 28.
• Alvaro Espinoza (HAV) and Luis Polonia (DEN) had six-hit games on May 28 and 29—both against Manhattan.
• L.A.'s backup catcher Ron Karkovice, who hit .212 for the year, had a five-hit game on May 19.
• Washington's Dave Winfield hit the first All-Star Game grand slam, but the West rallied for an 8-7 win at Kiner Field.

Clash of Former Titans
East Hex Series Preview

BROOKLYN vs. WASHINGTON

The Superbas and Monuments are the most storied franchises in UL history, with 15 UL titles between them, including 12 of the first 16. But Washington has just one ring since 1972 and Brooklyn has none since 1966.

Their only playoff meeting was in the 1976 Semi Series, with Brooklyn winning in six after losing the first two games. The series featured one of the best playoff performances in UL history: Rick Rhoden's Game 5. Rhoden threw a one-hit shutout, struck out nine, and was 2-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs. He did everything but fuck the babysitter.

Washington won the season series 7-4, including all three games in September. Ryne Sandberg had 10 RBIs and Rich Gedman and Stan Javier both batted .357 against Brooklyn, while lefties Larry McWilliams and Teddy Higuera were a combined 4-1 with 1.42 and 2.57 ERAs, respectively. For Brooklyn, #1 starter Britt Burns did not face Washington this year, but #2 man Kevin Brown struggled, with a 1-2 record and 6.75 ERA in three starts. Griffeywas held to a relatively tame .294 average with just 2 homers in 51 at-bats.

CHI-STL Rematch
West Hex Series Preview

CHICAGO vs. ST. LOUIS

After their first playoff meeting a year ago—despite both clubs being founding franchises and playing in the same division for the better part of four decades—the Chicago Colts and St. Louis Maroons are set for a rematch of the 1990 Hex Series. In a Jekkyl-Hyde series a year ago, Chicago outscored St. Louis 38-13 in three wins, interspersed between a pair of Maroons wins that forced the series to seven games, including 15-7 and 13-5 wins in games started by Ed Whitson.

Fortunately for Maroons fans, Whitson is not on the playoff roster. In fact, the Hex Series rotation features two new faces that were not on the 1990 club: lefty Tom Glavine and righty Mike Scott.

The Maroons were 6-5 vs. the Colts, but 1-5 in their last six meetings. The hot hitters in those tilts were Lenny Dykstra (.390) and Marquis Grissom (.375). Steven Ontiveros had a 1.65 ERA, and Erik Hanson led the Colts with a 2.73 ERA.

Griffins Farm Club on the Move, Part III!
Detroit GM Announces Move, Then Proceeds to Bust a Move

In Conference Room A at UL HQ, Griffins GM Sean Holloway took to the dais to make the announcement that many UL fans assumed was coming: the B.C. Blizzards were moving! But to where? The room was thick with a palpable tension as attendees waited in great anticipation. Instead of announcing the city, Holloway reminded the room that the Griffins had a contest running for anyone that could guess the location, and that it was the winner that would complete the announcement.

After inviting the winner onstage, Cream’s “I’m So Glad” began blaring out of the sound system and Holloway went into a very unique and lively interpretive dance that—according to him expressed his utter contentment with having his farm club in this new city (Note: Cream’s live performance at Albert Hall is insane; unfortunately, it is also one of the worst-filmed concerts you’ll ever see, hence why I didn’t use that clip).

Onto the dais stepped Colts GM Chicago Steve! Who would have seen this coming? GM and Musicologist and Audiophile Haugh explained that it was rather easy to determine the location based upon the clues Holloway let slip. “Hockey, Elton John and the song ‘Benny and the Jets’— there’s only one place that meets the criteria: Winnipeg, Manitoba.”

According to sources inside the UL league office and the Canadian Players Union (CPU), some Canucks were apparently rather irked because there rarely happens a blizzard in Vancouver. The Canadian Centre for Climate Services (CCCS) got roped into the bruhaha, helpfully noting "The city of Vancouver has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb)."

The CPU, wanting another minor league team in Canada, and desiring for the name and logo to better match the city, pushed for relocating the team to a city that actually has blizzards. The CCCS then chimed in again that Winnipeg could be considered one of the coldest large cities in the world. It’s by no means Yakutsk, but it’s still "pretty chilly" and gets "way more" snow than Vancouver. (Manhattan GM and resident UL meteorologist Eric Holthaus was unavailable for comment.)

Holloway sauntered back to the microphone and continued, explaining that the only minor
issue was what to name the club. Initially, the Detroit GM wanted the team to be the Wolverines, but he scrapped that when he remembered that would tarnish the memory of the Micro League Wikwemikong Wolverines. Hence the team will be known as the Winnipeg Blizzards!

And, forever being a cheap bastard, Holloway had no desire to junk all the Blizzards’ memorabilia the team has in storage. He explained that he had many employees busily correcting shirts, caps, bobbleheads, pennants and other souvenirs with the aid of Sharpie permanent markers.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, welcome to the League! The only question now is “Will Vancouver be left

without a team?”

Merkle’s Boner Is Back!
EET and the UL “Expanding” Merch Line!

With this darn recession hitting profit margins hard, UL teams have been on the lookout for any way of increasing soft sales, especially since there are a couple years left before a new media/TV contract will be negotiated. In an effort to pump up flaccid and sagging sales of merchandise, the league, via some amazing work by Havana GM and UL Special Assistant of All That Requires Sharp Analysis, Astute Conclusions, and a Voice Perfect for Radio, Lance Mueller, has seemingly hit upon a novel idea: Retro Jerseys with erectile dysfunction meds – a more potent combination has never been seen!

Mueller took to the podium in Conference Room B of UL HQ to further “expand” upon the approach to “firm up” revenue projections. “With each UL team experiencing ‘shrinkage’ and no end in sight due to these ‘hard’ economic times, we knew we had to act. While we typically are all for ‘expansion’, it was clear that adding two teams cut into the remaining 16 teams’ TV Contracts more than expected, resulting in ‘limp’ balance sheets. We strongly believe our actions will once again allow teams to ‘point’ things in the right direction, and we could think of no better company to team with than our current partner, EET, a company that's been helping turn soft things hard for decades.”

The Cuban stogie-loving Mueller went further and detailed how he, when confronted with the tasking by the Commish, immediately thought that EET may help teams ‘engorge’ themselves on increased merch sales, provided that there was some hook to baseball to attract attention. Thus, the baseball hook would be retro jerseys, with sponsorship by EET. Together the partnership would highlight important events throughout baseball history, with the first event being Merkle’s Boner!

Just in time for the 1991 Playoffs, jerseys commemorating Merke’s Boner will be available for sale in all UL ballparks. The jerseys will be based on the design of the 1908 NY Giants uniforms, with a patch on the left shoulder acknowledging the Giants’ opponent, the Chicago Cubs, the date the game took place, September 23, 1908, and the phrase "Remember the Boner." Another patch on the right shoulder will display EET’s company logo, along with the company motto “Veni, veni, veni iterum” (I came; I came; I came again).

Will this new strategy work? Only time will tell. EET says to wait 30 minutes before engaging in any activity, so we’ll see if sales are being blown up very soon. And if it does work, rest assured we likely will see other memorable events such as but not limited to The Peterson and Kekich Switcheroo, Thon’s Thong, Ballsie Quallsie, and McGinn’s Wins.

If you’re at one of the UL’s playoff games, stop by the concessions/souvenir stands, blow your wad, and make sure you grab one of these jerseys before supplies are ‘finished’!

Final Standings

WEST
W L GB 2ndH R RA
Los Angeles 101 59 - 49-27 2 3
Chicago 91 69 10 41-35 8 2
St. Louis 87 73 14 38-38 5 11
Havana 83 77 18 40-37 9 4
Seattle 82 78 19 42-35 7 13
San Francisco 72 88 29 39-37 12 10
Florida 69 91 32 35-42 18 14
Denver 67 93 34 26-50 16 16
Atlanta 66 94 35 26-50 14 15

EAST
W L GB 2ndH R RA
Toronto 100 60 - 48-28 1 7
Brooklyn 93 67 7 43-33 3 5
Washington 88 72 12 47-29 10 1
Montreal 86 74 14 43-33 6 9
Detroit 80 80 20 38-38 13 6
Cleveland 74 86 26 34-42 15 8
Manhattan 70 90 30 35-41 4 18
Boston 67 93 33 31-45 11 12
Keystone 64 96 36 31-45 17 17

League Leaders

Batting Average
Bip Roberts MON .363
Ellis Burks HAV .342
Carlos Baerga KEY .341
Tony Gwynn ATL .333
Ivan Calderon CHI .332
Ricky Jordan SEA .327
Ken Griffey Jr BRO .327
Chris Brown SEA .325
Mariano Duncan TOR .323
Willie McGee SEA .322

Earned Run Average
Teddy Higuera WAS 2.35
Joe Magrane CLE 2.75
Erik Hanson CHI 2.77
Alex Fernandez DET 2.83
Bret Saberhagen WAS 2.85
Chris Nabholz DET 2.98
Dwight Gooden TOR 2.99
Jose DeLeon SF 3.00
Ron Darling DEN 3.04 Charles Nagy CHI 3.04

Infield Zone Rating
Alan Trammell CHI 17.2
Cal Ripken Jr BOS 13.0
Robin Yount WAS 12.1
Bill Spiers CHI 9.0
Ozzie Guillen DET 8.9

Home Runs
Rafael Palmeiro TOR 51
Cory Snyder LA 50
Ellis Burks TOR 47
Barry Bonds BOS 47
Eric Davis MAN 42
Mark McGwire ATL 42
Howard Johnson TOR 41
Mickey Tettleton TOR 38
Ryne Sandberg WAS 37

Wins
Teddy Higuera WAS 19
Dwight Gooden TOR 18
Greg Mathews HAV 18
Kevin Brown BRO 16
David Cone BRO 16
Brian Holman TOR 16
Charlie Lea TOR 16
Charles Nagy CHI 16
Bruce Ruffin SEA 16
Curt Schilling MON 16
Greg Swindell LA 16

Outfield Zone Rating
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 13.1
Stan Javier WAS 10.3
Sammy Sosa BOS 10.2
Otis Nixon BOS 8.7
Ellis Valentine DEN 7.4

RBIs
Rafael Palmeiro TOR 138
Cory Snyder LA 134
Shane Mack HAV 122
Mark McGwire ATL 119
Fred McGriff DET 116
Albert Belle CHI 115 Matt Williams BRO 113
Howard Johnson TOR 112
Gary Gaetti CLE 107
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 107

Strikeouts
Fern Valenzuela ATL 296
Floyd Youmans LA 287
Dwight Gooden TOR 273
Pat Hentgen BOS 242
Roger Clemens BOS 235
Mark Langston HAV 234
Greg Mathews CLE 224
Erik Hanson CHI 203
Bret Saberhagen WAS 203
John Smoltz CLE 203

bWAR
Ellis Burks TOR 9.7
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 8.9
Eric Davis MAN 8.1
Ryne Sandberg WAS 7.6
Shane Mack HAV 7.5
Bip Roberts MON 7.3
Alan Trammell CHI 6.9
Rafael Palmeiro TOR 6.9
Tony Phillips STL 6.8
Andy Van Slyke LA 6.8

pWAR
Fern Valenzuela ATL 8.0
Dwight Gooden TOR 7.4
Bret Saberhagen WAS 6.5
Greg Mathews HAV 6.1
Erik Hanson CHI 6.0
Stvn Ontiveros STL 5.0
Chris Bosio MON 5.0
Floyd Youmans LA 4.7
Bruce Ruffin SEA 4.7
Andy Benes DET 4.6

Top Rookies - WAR
Carlos Baerga KEY 6.5
Luis Gonzalez MON 4.1
Ramon Martinez BRO 3.8
Sammy Sosa BOS 2.7
Pat Hentgen BOS 2.5

EAST DIVISION

100-60 (+8)
2nd overall, 1st in runs, 7th in runs against

The defending champs followed up their first UL title with their first 100-win season, falling just one game shy of the President's Trophy. Their scoring tailed off a bit—down 0.2 to 5.2 runs per game—but that was more than offset by a leap in the pitching.

Toronto hurlers allowed just 4.1 runs per game, the lowest in their recent run of playoff seasons, and this despite an off-year for ace Dwight Gooden. The four-time Cy Young winner—including the last three on the trot—got just 18 wins, ending his run of five 20-win seasons, and posted a 2.99 ERA, tied for his highest since 1985. Toronto's pitching strength was its bullpen, the league's best, with a 2.65 ERA. Dual closers Jose Mesa (2.61) and Michael Jackson (3.12) combined for 40 saves, and Mike Schooler (0.70), Dave Righetti (1.74), and Rod Nichols (2.37) provided ample bullpen depth.

The attack was led by 26-year-old Cuban 1B Rafael Palmeiro (.295-51-138, .976), who again led the league in home runs and RBIs. CF Ellis Burks (.342-47-97) led the league in both slugging (.644) and OPS (1.051), raising the prospect of two Polar Bears finishing 1-2 in the MVP voting. And then there is the 1990 MVP, Roberto Alomar, who slumped a bit from last year, but still cobbled a .377 OBP, 35 stolen bases, and a 5.2 WAR. Howard Johnson hit 41 homers and 112 RBIs, Mickey Tettleton hit 38 and 86. Their 264 home runs and .478 slugging were both the fourth best in league history.

Turning Point: July 22. The P-Bears rallied for a 6-3 win at Hudson Yards, seizing sole possession of the first place for good. Toronto would go 36-22 to Brooklyn's 30-28 to win the East by a seven-game margin

93-67 (+12)
3rd overall, 3rd in runs, 5th in runs against

The Superbas completed a two-year rise from 100 losses to the third best team in the league, securing their record 16th playoff appearance, their first since 1984, and their second best record in Widholm era (1977). Their 4.8 runs per game was the most since the 1969 Hank Aaron-Mickey Mantle-Dick McAuliffe team, and they were the only team besides L.A. to land in the top 5 in both runs and runs against.

Let's start with the offense, which ranked 3rd in runs and OPS, 4th in batting, and 5th in WAR. Ken Griffey Jr. (.327-34-107, .954 OPS) was the anchor of the attack, with the second best WAR in the league. Junior led the league with 121 runs, was second with 46 doubles, third with 82 extra-base hits, and fourth with 360 total bases. On May 23 he became (presumably) the youngest player to hit a homer hat trick. He hit over .350 in three separate months, and over 1.000 OPS in three separate months. 3B Matt Williams also homered 34 times, and Luis Alicea, Tom Foley, Mike Greenwell, and Tony Bernazard all batted .300.

The pitching staff featured the sixth-best rotation and fourth-best bullpen. The durable rotation had just five starters all year long, with Kevin Brown and David Cone each winning 16, Ramon Martinez leading with 184 strikeouts, and four of the five producing at least 3.5 WAR. Cone arguably had the biggest breakthrough year, improving his ERA 120 points to 3.71 and trimming his WHIP to 1.22 after 1.62 and 1.40 the last two years. The bullpen had four relievers with ERAs under 2.75, and Randy Johnson tallied 15 saves.

The Superbas faltered a bit in September, finishing 11-13 for their first losing month, including 0-3 against Washington, their Hex Series opponent.

Turning Point: Aug. 29. A six-game winning streak (including four vs. playoff teams), gave the Bas a 10-game cushion with two dozen games to play. Kevin Brown (4-0, 2.95) and Matt Williams (.330-8-27, 1.017) were particularly dominant in August.

88-72 (-3)
5th overall, 10th in runs, 1st in runs against

The 1991 Monuments conjured memories of the Stu Miller-Steve Gromek-Larry Jansen glory years. Washington led the league in pitching six straight years from the league's founding in 1951, winning four UL titles. This year's staff was the first #1 pitching team since 1956, and it was all in the rotation.

Teddy Higuera finally emerged from the long shadow of ace Bret Saberhagen, posting a league-best 19 wins, 2.35 ERA, and 0.91 WHIP and making him the favorite for the Cy Young Award. Saberhagen had a 2.85 ERA, 203 strikeouts, and 1.02 WHIP—not bad for your second-best pitcher. Then there is #3 starter Larry McWilliams, who at age 36 has a career year (15-7, 3.17, 1.12 WHIP). Even fifth starter Don Schulze dominated at times, tossing three shutouts and winning 10 for the first time in his career.

The lineup was just average in the aggregate, but featured key role players who excelled at their specific roles. Wade Boggs led with 42 doubles and a .369 OBP, Ryne Sandberg slugged .537 and hit 37 HR and 103 RBI, Bob Horner had his first 30-homer year in three years, Chili Davis stole 39 bases, and SS Robin Yount (12.1 ZR) and CF Stan Javier (10.3) were top-5 fielders.

The club has everything and appears perfectly build for short-series success, with Higgy and Sabes stacking up against any 1-2 combo in the league.

Turning Point: Aug. 30. A 5-4 win over Atlanta put Washington in third place for good. The Monuments trailed Montreal by six games on Aug. 23, but won 10 straight to overtake the V's and clinch their sixth playoff appearance in eight years.

86-74 (+32)
7th overall, 6th in runs, 9th in runs against

They were the most improved team of the year, but the 1991 Voyageurs will be remembered for the August skid that scuttled any hope of a playoff return after nine years. Montreal held a five-game advantage over Washington and Detroit on Aug. 23, but then fell into an 11-game skid that found them 3.5 games out by Sept. 4, only to win seven straight to close the season after they had been mathematically eliminated.

The V's became just the third team have a winning season after losing 106 games (1967 Atlanta, 1979 Detroit) thanks to the most improved hitting and the most improved pitching in the league. The club jumped from 17th/16th to 6th/9th.

The offense was led by Bip Roberts (.363, 37 SB)—the first Voyageur to win a batting title—and CF Luis Gonzalez (.305-26-102, .887), whose 4.1 WAR was second among rookies. The rotation was not spectacular, but was spectacularly consistent, with four starters with ERAs between 4.06 and 4.10. Chris Bosio led the staff in innings, strikeouts, and WAR, while rookie Curt Schilling went 16-11 with 177 Ks. The bullpen was second best in the league, thanks to newcomer Lee Smith (2.04, 35 SV) and 23-year-old Gregg Olson (2.38).

Turning Point: May 14. A 15-25 start already had the Canoeists in the Waffle House, then SP Jim Abbott left the game in the third with a season-ending injury. At that point, it looked like another 100-loss season was in store. Instead, Montreal beat Brooklyn at the Frank to start a 13-3 run that got them back in the race.

80-80 (-8)
10th overall, 13th in runs, 6th in runs against

Three teams were tied for third in the East at the All-Star Break, but only two would participate in the playoff race down the stretch; the odd man out was Detroit. The Griffins had their lowest offensive output since 1978, giving the club no chance to compete, despite having the fifth-best rotation.

Alex Fernandez, age 22, was fourth in ERA (2.83) and fifth in H/9 (7.3). Andy Benes, age 23, had a breakout year, going 13-8, 3.31 and leading the team with 22 quality starts. Chris Nabholz, age 24, who won the ERA title his rookie year, continued to dominate, with a 2.98 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 32 starts. Randy Tomlin, age 25, had 17/31 quality starts, pitched 191 innings, and posted a 3.76 ERA. And closer Mikey Stanton, age 23, saved 31, pushing his career save tally to 84 before his 24th birthday. So Detroit has cornered the market on young pitching.

However, the offense was 9th in batting average, 12th in OPS, 13th in runs, and 14th in home runs. Fred McGriff (.301-33-116, .882) and Kevin Mitchell (.315-25-89, .897) were the main mashers, Jeff Treadway hit .322 in his first full year as a regular, but the rest of the lineup was at or below league average hitting.

Turning Point: Aug. 17. The Flyin' Lions were only two games out of the playoff zone before a 4-2 loss at Arroyo Seco plunged them into a 1-5 skid that essentially dropped from front contention.

74-86 (-6)
11th overall, 15th in runs, 8th in runs against

In the the playoff zone for much of the first half, the Barons collapsed down the stretch and were not in contention in the final month. After finishing 3rd in runs against last year, the pitching regressed back to league average, and the offense produced its usual sporadic and meager output.

Magrane led the league in ERA until early September. He was 1.99 through July, then finished 4.63 in the last two months. Bill Wegman led the staff with 19 quality starts and trimmed his ERA to a career-best 3.57, but was 9-14 due to lack of run support. And John Smoltz had his first 200-K season and led the league with 10.6 K/9. Closer Dan Plesac became just the fourth pitcher to lead the league in saves in successive years (joining Clem Labine, Ted Abernathy, and Brad Havens).

Cleveland hit a league-low 83 home runs, and 25 of those were by Gary Gaetti, leaving less than 60 to spread amongst the rest of the team. LF Brett Butler had a successful first year by the lake, stealing 33 bases and walking 101 times for a .368 OBP; and RF Phil Bradley led the team with 188 hits and .313 average.

Turning Point: August. The offense ranked 9th on Aug. 1, but plummeted six spots to its more-familiar 15th by the end of the month. The Barons scored three runs or fewer 20 times in August. They started the month one game under .500 and five games back and ended it eight under .500 and nine games back.

70-90 (-9)
13th overall, 4th in runs, 18th in runs against

The Gray Sox suffered their first back-to-back losing seasons since 1973 and lost 90 games first just the second time in club history. The pitching dropped from league-average to dead last, allowing 5.5 runs per game, the most since Washington in 1982. Doug Drabek was the best starter, at 5-6, 3.36 in 20 starts before he was sidelined for the year in mid-July. Jim Acker and Bill Laskey both had ERAs over 6.00, but perhaps the most telling statistic is the back-to-back six-hit games surrendered to Havana's Alvaro Espinoza and Denver's Luis Poloniaat the end of May.

Offensively, the runs were up, despite 30 fewer home runs and a dip in OPS. Jose Canseco, who led the league with 50 home runs two years ago, hit just 18 and was demoted to a platoon role with Lonnie Smith in left field. Danny Tartabull's power numbers were down as well (17 HR, 58 RBI), but rookie Ed Sprague and new centerfielder Eric Davis made an immediate impact. Sprague homer hat trick on Sept. 27 and ended with 7 in 24 games, while ED smashed 17 dingers in 51 games for a .562 slugging percentage. The Sox paid a pretty penny for Davis, whom they hope to build around.

Turning Point: July 15. Manhattan was already last in pitching in mid-July, but when their best starter Doug Drabek was lost for the season, it was full-rebuild time in Hell's Kitchen.

67-93 (-23)
15-T overall, 11th in runs, 12th in runs against

After 90 wins and a playoff appearance last year, Feds fans were primed for more glory in 1991. Instead Boston plummeted by 23 games, the biggest drop in the league. What went wrong? The short version is that a perennially top-5 attack dropped to the middle of the pack.

Two-time MVP Barry Bonds had his worst output since his rookie year. His average nosedived 90 points to .260, his OPS 125 points to .906, and he drove in "only" 102 runs. RF Sammy Sosa fizzled in his first year as a regular, batting just .248 with a .718 OPS. And longtime defensive specialist Cal Ripken Jr. had his first negative WAR season, suggesting that a .203 hitting and .543 OPS is not good enough for every day no matter how good the leather. On the plus side, 2B Mickey Morandini hit .329, .818 OPS and Edgar Martinez led the team with 106 RBIs with a .866 OPS.

Rookie Pat Hentgen was the start of the season, posting a 15-9 record and 3.95 ERA, and Roger Clemens notched his sixth 200-K season in eight pro seasons. Tom Candiotti, however, could not replicating last year's success, turning 15 wins into 17 losses and a 4.20 ERA into 5.05, and Bob Sebra's 75 percent save percentage was the worst among closers with at least 20 saves.

Turning Point: May and June. In 52 games through June 23, Barry Bonds hit just .218. From May 3 to June 21, Roger Clemens lost eight straight starts, with a 5.08 ERA. During the same stretch, Barry Bonds hit .236.

64-96 (+1)
18th overall, 17th in runs, 17th in runs against

Not much was expected of a second-year club, the Murmuration met expectations. Their pitching improved by 0.6 runs on their inaugural year, but the offense regressed by the same amount, and Keystone finished next-to-last in both categories and won exactly one more game than 1990.

Carlos Baerga was the big star, the player who was famously traded for Randy Tomlin on Draft Day 1990 put up a rookie year for the ages, leading the league with 217 hits with a .341 batting average and .873 OPS. Cecil Fielder (.281-34-78) raised his average 25 points and tripled his homer output, and third overall pick Jeff Bagwell hit .290 with .517 slugging in a two-month stint.

Ten rookie pitchers had 1.0 WAR seasons, and four of them were Starlings, led by closer Roberto Hernandez (1.56, 13 saves) and righthander Gil Heredia (8-6, 4.34). Southpaw Denny Neagle impressed in 10 late-season starts, posting a 2.88 ERA and 1.18 WHIP

Turning point: Sept. 30. A cynic would say the last day was the end of the suffering. But from another perspective the season's last day revealed the eggs of future success. Baerga ended the year with a .388 September, including six-straight multi-hit games for a scorching .482 in the final week, wrapping a bow around his inevitable Rookie of the Year award.

WEST DIVISION

101-59 (+3)
1st overall, 2nd in runs, 3rd in runs against

The pitching dominance may have waned a bit, but what's new is L.A.'s offensive firepower. Playing in a pitcher's park, the Outlaws ranked 2nd in home runs and 2nd in runs scored. Four players hit 20 homers, led by 1B Cory Snyder, whose late surge put him into the HR and RBI races. Snyder's 50 homers tied Hank Aaron's club record (1964), Andy Van Slyke had a .383 OBP and swiped 48 bases, Ken Caminiti slugged .506 and drove in 90 runs, and Kirby Puckett hit .309 with 76 RBIs.

On the pitching side, the top story was perhaps the lack of injuries, with five pitchers accounting for all 160 starts. Floyd Youmans led the team in innings and strikeouts, losing the K title in the final week to Fernando Valenzuela. Bruce Hurst (3.18) had the best ERA, and Greg Swindell led the staff with 16 wins, also his career best. Lee Smith's absence was felt. The bullpen ranked just 14th, arguably the club's biggest weakness heading into October.

Turning Point: May 24. The Outlaws started slow but rode a 15-4 run to seize first place in the West for good, then leveraged a league-best 49-27 second half to win their ninth pennant in ten years.

91-69 (-5)
4th overall, 8th in runs, 2nd in runs against

The Colts make the first back-to-back playoff appearances since 1978-79 and hope to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1973. They again had the second-best pitching in the league, led by Erik Hanson and Charles Nagy, whose names are peppered throughtout the league leaderboards. Nagy flirted with the league record for winning percentage with his 14-2 start, before losing twice in the last six weeks to finish 16-4, 3.04. Meanwhile, Hanson (13-6, 2.77) was third in ERA and fifth in WAR. 24-year-old Dominican righthander Melido Perez showed much improvement in his sophomore year, winning 13 and trimming his ERA 75 points to 3.47. And rookie setup man Anthony Young was a stellar 2.70 in 33 appearances.

Chicago's offense features the youngest batter age in the league (26.7), and six of their top nine WAR batters were 25 or younger, including second-year LF Albert Belle (.287-29-115) and 21-year-old 3B Gary Sheffield (.292-15-73, .800). Having said that, some of the biggest bats belonged to relative oldsters: Ivan Calderon (age 29) hit .332-22-91, leading the team with a .906 OPS. SS Alan Trammell hit his lowest OPS in a decade, but still drove in 71 and posted a 6.9 WAR thanks to his record eighth Willie Mays Award.

Key Moment: Sept. 15. At Sportsmans Park, Sheffield and Tim Flannery both homered off Steve Howe ninth to deliver a 5-4 win and a five-game lead over the Maroons with 11 to play.

87-73 (-2)
6th overall, 5th in runs, 11th in runs against

Five pitchers tossed one-hit shutouts in 1991, but only Tom Glavine's gem on Sept. 6 was without a walk, making it the best pitching performance of the season. Unfortunately for the Maroons, it was also out of character. St. Louis finished 11th in runs allowed, their worst showing since 1982, which is also the last time they didn't make the playoffs. And though St. Louis' margin over fourth place, and the corresponding playoff berth, were never much it doubt, this feels like a lesser Maroons' squad. The offense was down as well, to 4.6 runs, good for 5th in the league, both the worst since 1986.

Age surely played a factor in St. Louis' relative decline from dominance to mere top-tiered-ness. The Maroons have the second oldest roster. All but two of their regulars are 31 or older, and Tom Glavine, at 24, feels almost a generation younger than the rest of the rotation.

Tony Phillips shifted back from second base to shortstop, and then proceeded to have his best year at the plate, driving in 101 runs with an .882 SLG and 6.8 WAR. Julio Franco hit .308 for a career-high 78 RBI. Alvin Davis and Kevin Seitzer slumped hard, both dropping their OPS 120 points. But the biggest hit to the offense was the injury to Rickey Henderson.

Former Federal Mike Scott had a great first year in the Gateway City, going 15-6 with a 3.52 ERA. Newcomer Tom Glavine posted a 1.16 WHIP in 13 starts after a midseason deal with Havana. And Steve Howe led the league with 45 Shutdowns and was 38-for-40 in save conversions.

Turning Point: June 6. St. Louis ranked 3rd in runs before losing Rickey Henderson for the season. By year's end, they had dropped to 6th, speaking to Rickey's influence in the offense.

83-77 (-4)
8th overall, 9th in runs, 4th in runs against

A 19-10 May had the Leones in third place on June 1, but their offense sputtered and could not match the intensity of the pitching staff, which finishing in the top four in runs against for the first time in club history.

The staff featured three pitchers with 15 wins and ERA under 3.40. Greg Mathews (18-6) had the best record, Bob Ojeda (2.41) had the best ERA, and Mark Langston had the most strikeouts (234) and the best WHIP (1.12). And closer Gene Nelson had 16 saves to go with a career-low 2.62 ERA.

The offense was 6th in home runs and 7th in batting, but just 9th in runs and 10th in WAR. Shane Mack (.315-30-122, .928) and Kal Daniels (.316-28-93, .917) formed one of the most formidable tandems in the league, but accounted for two-thirds of the team's WAR. Bill Doran compiled a career-best .350 OBP and David Justice drove in 85 runs in his first full-year as a regular.

Turning Point: Mid June. A 4-11 skid destoyed the momentum of their 19-10 May, as the offense produced just one run in five times in a 10-game stretch.

82-78 (+2)
9th overall, 7th in runs, 13th in runs against

Once an offensive powerhouse, Seattle has been merely average the last two years. The club ranked just seventh in runs this year, its lowest finish since 1984, though it was red-hot during a 17-7 September that lifted the club to a winning record in GM Sean Sturgess' first year at the helm. Ricky Jordan hit .404 in August, and Chris Brown hit .400 in September, and Willie McGee hit .350 in the last two months, as all three surged into the top 10 in batting in the final week. McGee finished with 209 hits for his fourth straight 200-hit season and John Shelby (.293-25-106) led the team in home runs and RBIs for the third year in a row. 2B Delino DeShields, in his second year, led the league with 76 stolen bases and raised his average 40 points to .312.

The pitching again ranked 13th, with the bullpen a particular weakness. Lefties Mike Mason and Bruce Ruffin were solid, and Don Robinson was 14-9 with a team-best 160 strikeouts. But closer Bill Caudill had a 4.54 ERA with 8 blown saves and 15 Meltdowns, despite 35 saves.

Chris Brown (.400, 20 RBI) and Tim Birtsas (4-1, 2.76) were dominant in the final month, leading the club to a strong 17-7 finish that sets the tone for 1992.

Turning Point: Already on the fringe of the race going into July, the R's lost six straight straddling the All-Star Game and were too far back for the September surge to get them back in the playoff hunt.

72-88 (+0)
12th overall, 12th in runs, 10th in runs against

In a case of deja-vu all over again, the San Francisco Spiders finish 72-88, the exact record from a year ago. It was one step forward and one step back, resulting in a net zero. The step forward was that the offense improve four spots to 12th and the Pythagorean wins improved by seven. The step back was the pitching remain mired in mediocrity and former ace and face of the franchise Jose Rijo was injured then spent most of the year in Triple-A Las Vegas.

Jose DeLeon stepped ably into the staff ace role, posting a 3.00 ERA and 4.5 WAR. Greg Hibbard and Walt Terrell were again innings-eaters, with 200+ innings but below average ERAs. The Spids were worst in the league in extra innings (4-15) and second worst in one-run games (22-36). Bob James lead the league with 11 blown saves, and also had 17 Meltdowns and at least a half dozen temper tantrums.

At the plate, the offense improved by 0.3 runs per game and hit the most home runs since 1985 and the most doubles since 1966. 3B Travis Fryman (.310-20-98) had a breakout sophomore campaign and was especially hot in August (.343, .885 OPS) when the Spiders came to life for a 29-22 finish after a 43-66 start. Mark Grace rebounded partially from his 1990 collapse, improving 35 points to .311—a far cry from his .348 from two seasons ago. Sam Horn provided some pop off the bench, slugging an impressive .707 with 10 HR in 92 at-bats in mostly pinch-hitting duty. Rob Deer hit 27 homers, but his average dropped back to .211

Turning Point: April 17. It's never a good thing when you are eight games back two weeks into the season, yet that's where the Spiders found themselves after a seventh consecutive loss—and fourth by one run.

69-91 (+18)
14th overall, 18th in runs, 14th in runs against

The Pink Birds were the second most improved club in 1991, moving up 18 wins to 69 and climbing two spots to 7th in the West.

The pitching made the most forward strides, and the bullpen in particular was impressive with a 3.86 ERA, 10th in the league. Closer Stan Belinda posted a 2.44 ERA and notched 28 saves (for a 69-win team), and Mark Grant was 6-0, 2.98. Lefty starter Dave Fleming led the staff with a 3.69 ERA and Mike Mussina struck out 153. The Flamingos again struggled to score, ranking dead last in OPS and batting WAR. RF Tracy Jones (.285-21-58, 41 SB) led the team batting, homers, and steals; and Ken Gerhart led the team with 69 RBI. Frank Thomas (.269-20-66) again lead the league in walks with 106, but regressed a bit with 10 fewer homers and a 30-point dip in OPS.

Season Highlight: The club went 10-2 in mid-June, coinciding with Frank Thomas' best batting month (.344, .995 OPS).

67-93 (-5)
15-T overall, 16th in runs, 16th in runs against

Denver once again entered the year with vague hopes of playoff contention, again started 16-12, again lost Ozzie Smith for the season in late June, and again plummeted into obscurity, culminating in back-to-back dumpster fire months in July and August, during which they went 16-36. The boys of summer they are not. In the last two years, the Peakers are a combined 36-68 in July and August.

The much-anticipated move to Ralph Carr Field (and out of Mile High Stadium) improved the pitching by 0.6 runs per game, but the offense fell of a cliff, dropping 1.2 runs to 3.9, third lowest in the league. Jesse Barfield's slugging dropped 115 points to .448, Tim Raines' batting average dipped 30 points to .312, and Ellis Valentine's 10 home runs was good for third on the team.

2B Mark McLemore and SP Ron Darling were the club's only All-Stars. McLemore, in his third year as a regular, hit .313 with .378 OBP and 29 SBs and Darling's 3.04 ERA was third-best in club history. Greg Harris excelled in a swing role, with a 2.67 ERA across 20 starts and 24 relief appearances. But the full rebuild is in effect, as GM Tim Smith has accumulated five second-round picks.

Turning Point: June 15. When San Francisco's Terry Steinbach plowed into Ozzie Smith to break up a double play, he also sent the Denver shortstop to the hospital with a season-ending brain injury. Denver was 35-36 before the attempted murder, and 32-57 after.

66-94 (-11)
17th overall, 14th in runs, 15th in runs against

The Red Blobs were 29-28 on June 1, just two games out of the playoff zone. And then the wheels, hubcaps, and axles fell off and they went 37-66 the rest of the year, compiling their largest loss total in a decade.

Atlanta scored fewer than 4.0 runs per game for just the fifth time in the club's 41-year history. They were 11th in OPS, 14th in runs, and 16th in batting and OBP. Tony Gwynn's .333 was 35 points off his career average and five regulars batted below .245. With an eye on rebuilding, GM Andy Chaney shipped off catcher Mike Stanley and longtime fan favorite Eric Davis on trade deadline deals, the latter fetching an historic haul of three first and three second round picks from Manhattan.

Fernando Valenzuela led the league in WAR for the second straight year, winning the strikeout title with 42 Ks in his last four starts. Beyond Fernie, the highlights were few and far between, but one was 1B Mark McGwire, who raised his average 30 points and his OPS 70 points en route to another 40 HR/110 RBI campaign. Darryl Kile, age 22, had the best ERA among pitchers with at least 30 innings (3.35), and Jaime Navarro won a surprise trip to the All-Star Game.

Turning Point: June 24. The Toppers were 39-39 going into a three-game series at Kiner Field. They lost the opener 14-3, the first of four straight losses and the start of a 5-20 run that buried the club in the lower division.

Awards

Batter of the Month
APR Tony Phillips STl
MAY Cory Snyder LA
JUN Ellis Burks TOR
JUL Rafael Palmeiro TOR
AUG Ellis Burks TOR
SEP Junior Felix MON

Pitcher of the Month
APR Teddy Higuera WAS
MAY Greg Mathews HAV
JUN Dwight Gooden TOR
JUL Bruce Hurst LA
AUG Kelly Downs MAN
SEP Teddy Higuera WAS

Rookie of the Month
APR Franky Oliveras STL
MAY Carlos Baerga KEY
JUN Pat Hentgen BOS
JUL Luis Gonzalez MON
AUG Gil Heredia KEY
SEP Carlos Baerga KEY

Player of the Week
4/8 Bip Roberts MON
4/15 Juan Gonzalez TOR
4/22 Shane Mack HAV
4/29 John Shelby SEA
5/6 Bob Horner WAS
5/13 Howard Johnson TOR
5/20 Matt Williams BRO
5/27 Cory Snyder LA
6/3 Willie McGee SEA
6/10 Marquis Grissom CHI
6/17 Ellis Burks TOR
6/24 Travis Fryman SF
7/1 Cory Snyder LA
7/8 Rafael Palmeiro TOR
7/15 Shane Mack HAV
7/22 Ken Griffey Jr BRO
7/29 Edgar Martinez BOS
8/5 Jeff Blauser MON
8/12 Kal Daniels HAV
8/19 Ryne Sandberg WAS
8/26 Ricky Jordan SEA
9/2 Mick Tettleton TOR
9/9 Joe Carter MAN
9/16 Shane Mack HAV
9/23 Cory Snyder LA
9/30 Junior Felix MON

Injuries
(playoff teams)

STL LF Rickey Henderson (1-2 wk)

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Circuit CloutsHome of United League • Purveyors of Fine Fake Baseball Since 2003*Contracts Page • TotalUL • TotalULPlayers • BNN • Live Sim • Rules • Clubs• Donate

Dec. 1, 1991 • Hall of Fame Edition

Nov. 11, 1991 • Awards Edition

Oct. 28, 1991 • World Series Edition

Oct. 22, 1991 • Playoff Edition

Oct. 13, 1991 • Playoff Edition

Oct. 2, 1991 • Playoff Edition

Final Standings

League Leaders

EAST DIVISION

WEST DIVISION

Awards

Injuries(playoff teams)

Circuit Clouts
Home of United League • Purveyors of Fine Fake Baseball Since 2003*
Contracts Page • TotalUL • TotalULPlayers • BNN • Live Sim • Rules • Clubs• Donate

Injuries
(playoff teams)