Just as Cleveland's playoff drought was ended at 21 years and St. Louis's playoff run was ended at 12, the Los Angeles Outlaws extended their league record to 15 straight playoff appearances. A club that was on an appearance downslope—with 95 wins in 1993 and 88 last year—won 101 games this year, tied for the second most in franchise history. L.A. captured their first pennant and first President's Trophy since 1991, which, incidentally, was also their last title year. So how did they do it? Duh. Pitching.

The Outlaws have been a top-3 pitching team in 14 of their 15 playoff seasons, and this year they again ranked 1st , for the 10th time in that stretch. Two pitchers stood head and shoulders above the rest of the staff. Ace Floyd Youmans (18-10, 2.65) won the ERA title and led the circuit with 12 CG, 6 SHO, and 6.8 hits per nine. Since joining Los Angeles from Montreal in mid-1990, the righthanded Floridian has compiled a 89-52 record with a 2.89 ERA.  Greg Swindell (13-10, 3.23) was second in WAR, 5th in ERA, and led the league with 253.2 innings pitched.

But wait, forget the "head and shoulders" thing. Let's consider the whole rotation. Rheal Cormier was 15-5, 3.69. Don Robinson was 15-8, 4.04. And fifth man Bruce Hurst was 17-7, 3.78. These five starters accounted for 100 percent of LA's starts, compiling an astounding 78-40 record.

Speaking of astounding, L.A. was 62-19 at home (and just 39-42 on the road), setting UL records for best home record and biggest home field advantage (+23). None of which bodes well for the Outlaws' playoff opponents as they pursue their fourth UL title.

It took 40 years for the City of Brotherly love to land a UL franchise. It took just six for that franchise to book its first trip to the UL playoffs. After a meteoric 23-game rise last year landed the Murmuring just two games out of the Hex, this year's club won the East Division, albeit with a lackluster 89 wins. Not to take anything away from GM Doug Aiton's accomplishment, but the Starlings' win total was the lowest for a division-winner since Denver's 85 in 1980. (Wait, Denver made the playoffs?!) Keystone is also the worst pitching team to ever win a pennant, ranking 17th out of 18. Only two regular starters had ERAs under 5.38 and only one reliever had an ERA under 5.00. So let's talk about that offense... which ranked #1.

6.0 runs per game makes 1995 Keystone the best offense in league history. Their 977 runs makes them the best offense in league history. Their .846 OPS makes them the best offense in league history. Seven regulars hit at least 20 HR (led by Jeff Bagwell's 43 and Wil Cordero and Tim Salmon's 39). Bagwell and Cordero both slugged over .600 and had OPSs over 1.000. Cordero and Carlos Baerga both had over 200 hits and hit over .330 (they were 2nd and 4th in the batting race, respectively).

All of these numbers were undoubtedly helped by playing in one of the most righty-friendly ballparks and in one of the most offensive seasons in league history. But nonetheless, Keystone's star-packed lineup is very young and poised for a long run atop the East Division.

Cleveland has always been a pitching-first team, going back to the early 60s after their move from Boston, but never moreso than a six-year stretch from 1971-76, when the Barons were a top-two pitching team every year, producing three winning seasons and two playoff appearances. The '95 Barons are the first since then to finish in the top two.

The staff featured three hurlers in the top 10 in ERA: Randy Tomlin (3.29), Ismael Valdez (3.60), and Mike Mason (3.65). Valdez, age 21 and in his second season, led the staff with 13 wins, 145 strikeouts, and 4.0 WAR, while Tomlin (12-9, 3.29) set career marks in wins, ERA, and WAR.

But the offense's 5.1 runs per game was a massive 1.7 improvement and the franchise's most productive offense since 1955, when they were plying their trade at Fenway Park. Their 165 home runs was 80 percent more than their 10-year average of 92 and their .765 OPS was 107 points above their 10-year average. 3-4 hitters Jim Edmonds (.321-30-127) and Alex Rodriguez (.281-34-104) led the attack. A-Rod led all rookies in HR, RBI, total bases, and WAR. Newcomer Ivan Calderon OPSed .895 in 75 games and former Spiders 1B Carlos Delgado drove in 80 with a .887 OPS. Oh yes, and the $16 million men, Rich Gedman and Robin Yount, had WARs of 5.1 and 4.8.

The 1970s San Francisco Spiders were notorious for making the playoffs in only even years (1974, '76, '78, '80, and '86). The modern-day Brooklyn Superbas are becoming their odd-year counterparts. The Bas have made the playoffs in every odd year going back to 1991. This year's team was actually five games worse than last year's 91-win team. But that them was a distance fifth it a hotly contested division, while this year's team coasted to a second place finish in a diminished race.

Compared to last year, the hitting improved and the pitching declined. Ken Griffey Jr (.294-36-146) led the league in WAR with 8.3, the lowest total for a WAR leader since Dave Winfield's 7.4 in 1981. Matt Williams (.295-40-144) joined him in the elusive 140-RBI club, making them the first teammates in UL history to achieve 140 ribbies. Switch-hitting 2B Geronimo Pena (.308-22-84, 6.2 WAR) was one of the most potent middle infielders.

The starting rotation was a lackluster 14th (Kevin Brown and Ramon Martinez both regressed), but the bullpen ranked 2nd, led by closer Greg McMichael (2.49, 22 saves) and Mike Timlin (8-1, 2.57).

Years ago, Lance Mueller's Chicago Colts were the perennial overperformers, when it came to exceeding preseason expectations (at least by Glen Reed's ratings count). In the '90s, the title of perennial overperformer belongs to Sean Holloway's Detroit Griffins. For the third year running, the Griffins were predicted to finish midtable, and for the third year running they won 94-95 games and earned a playoff berth. This year, the Flyin' Lions returned to the formula that brought them back-to-back UL titles in 1983-84, namely a mashing offense that beats its opponents into submission.

Detroit finished in the top two in offense for the first time since 1985, with a crushing lineup that featured five regulars with an OPS over .800. Leading the bunch was RF/1B Ryan Klesko (.312-42-138), who led the league with .630 SLG and 1.057 OPS and is a leading MVP candidate. Next comes Aussie C Dave Nilsson (.300-28-107) who had his third straight .300 season and second straight 100-RBI season. CF Orlando Merced and 2B Jeff Treadway each contributed 90+ RBIs.

The pitching was led by Alex Fernandez (16-7, 3.25) and the bullpen duo of Hector Carrasco (2.92, 31 SV) and Dave Beard (2.90, 12 SV). 

Last year, Toronto went 56-20 in the second half to climb from fifth to first on their way to their  second UL title. This year, the P-Bears repeated the trick, with a variation, going 45-33 after July 1 to climb from sixth to third. The surge clinched the club's  seventh playoff appearance in the last eight years, albeit with their lowest win total: 84.

The 17-game decline from last year was mostly caused by a weakened offense. Toronto ranked just 5th in runs, their lowest placement in eight years, though they still led the league with 258 home runs. The replacement of two Mickeys (Tettleton and Morandini) by Benito Santiago and Jose Oquendo hurt the offense. And Eric Karros' production dipped a bit, though the 27-year-old 1B still finished 2nd with 45 home runs.

The shocking trade of Dwight Gooden on July 1 hurt the pitching staff, which dropped three spots to 11th.  Scott Sanderson took over the mantle of staff ace, leading the team with 14 wins, 135 Ks, and 203 innings pitched. Rene Arocha pitched an incredible 153 innings in 82 relief appearance, which must be some kind of record.

In his first year at the helm, new GM Anthony Sexton righted the ship, improving the Colts by nine games while adding youth and future draft picks. Despite the trade of Eric Davis, the offense still ranked 3rd, and despite the trade of Donovan Osborne and Terry Mulholland, the pitching still ranked 3rd. Chicago was the only team in the league in the top 3 in both runs and runs against, yet still finished fourth in the division.

Four regulars hit over .300, and two more hit over .290, adding up to a .284 team batting average. Gary Sheffield and Albert Belle drove in 117 and 116 runs, Belle hit 39 homers, and 34-year-old newcomer Chili Davis swiped 32 bases.

Steve Cooke (14-10, 3.82, 191) led the staff in most categories. The 25-year-old lefty is 60-28, 3.15, 11.6 WAR for his career, and he ranks #2 in wins and strikeouts and #3 in WAR among U-25 pitchers. Veteran newcomer Mike Morgan (8-6, 3.96, 1.5 WAR) had his best season since the '80s, and Jesse Orosco (age 37) notched 21 saves, the most in 11 years.

The Dingy Hose clawed back most of the 26 games they declined last year, finishing above .500 (barely) for the third time in four years. An 8-8 finish kept them out of the top three and they landed two games out of the playoff zone.

The 20-win improvement can be credited almost exclusively to the much-improved pitching staff, which jumped from last to 12th in runs against. Rookie lefty Andy Pettitte, the 4th overall pick, led the club with a 3.78 ERA and 4.8 WAR, and Bobby Munoz got 13 wins in his second year in the rotation. But Pat Hentgen struggled to a 5.07 ERA.

C Darrin Fletcher (.313-19-82, 3.6 WAR) put up career highs and CF Jerry Browne was one of the most improved hitters in the league, surging 76 points to .316, just missing the top 10 in batting. Ron Gant's power returned (26 HR), as did Barry Larkin's (.444 SLG, up from .361 last year), but other than home runs and stolen bases, the offense was below average.

The jig is up. After 12 straight playoff appearances, the mighty St. Louis Maroons have failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982. After winning back-to-back titles in 1988-89, the Maroons continued to win in the regular season but forgot how to win in October, going 5-20 in the playoffs, including three straight sweeps in 1991-93.

While the pitching was still solid this year (4th in RA), the offense finished 12th in runs, their first lower-half finish since 1982.

Barry Bonds (.327-47-146) won his 3rd HR and 4th RBI titles and should be a contender for his 5th MVP trophy. But the offense was top-heavy. To wit, Bonds had 26 more HR than David Justice and 49 more RBI than Reggie Jefferson, and those two dudes were #2 in those respective categories. Newcomers CF Michael Tucker and 3B Chipper Jones had below average OPS numbers, and the addition of SS Rey Sanchez did wonders for the defense but diminished the offensive output.

There were some highlights, though. The aforementioned Jefferson's 97 RBI is quite remarkable, it you remove it from the shadow of Bonds' swollen head. SP Angel Miranda had a solid sophomore campaign (12-9, 3.38) and relative unknown SP Roger Salkeld put up stellar rookie numbers (7-2, 2.90).

The Pink Birds finished within five games of the playoffs for the third year running, but this year it had more to do with their placement in the weak East Divison than with their own performance, which declined by seven games.

The offense tanked this year, dropping from a franchise-best #10 rank a year ago to next-to-last. 2B Roberto Alomar missed half the year to injury, and the loss of Ivan Calderon and Mark McGwire was felt acutely, as their replacements—Mike Devereaux and Edgar Martinez—failed to compensate for their lost production. Kevin Elster's improved defense helped compensate for his diminished offensive production, resulting in an identical 3.4 WAR from last year. LF Ruben Sierra surpassed 100 RBI for the first time since 1989 and also led the club with a .290 average.

Ace Mike Mussina (20-10, 3.13) again led with league in wins, despite an ERA that bloated by 90 points, and newcomer Bill Swift (8-4, 2.90) had a career best ERA and WHIP.

After a record 110 wins in'94, the Toppers finished just two games over .500 and missed the playoffs by 12 games. Yes, the pitching declined from 1st to 5th, but  a batting slump hurt the club most. The Red Blobs dropped from 3rd to 13th in runs scored.

Manny Ramirez hit 29 homers for the second year in a row, going homerless in his final eight games in his quest for 30. 1B Greg Colbrunn broke out (.309-26-104), and CF Rondell White (.285-24-75) led the club with 6.0 WAR.

Dwight Gooden won the pWAR title with the lowest total for a pWAR champion in league history (6.0). But it was also the closest gap between the top 5 pitchers, just 1.0 points. Meanwhile, Fernie and Darryl Kile bouth doubled their ERAs to 4.40 and 5.30, respectively.

What explains Boston's 21-game skid, a year after a 99-win campaign? One theory is last year's 32-game improvement was a matter of the stars aligning and all the gears clicking at the same time. That certainly was not the case in '95.

Kal Daniels' OPS dropped 100 points, Sammy Sosa's by 54, Mike Piazza's by 43, Jim Thome's by 40. On the mound, ace Jon Lieber's ERA went from 3.12 to 4.77 and newcomer Greg Mathews' posted a career-worst 4.99 ERA.

Finally, the bullpen ranked dead last in ERA, despite the presence of Troy Percival and Billy Taylor, who personified the sophomore slump (4.34 ERA after 1.47 and 47 saves last year).

The move from the City by the Bay to Pronto Pup Stadium improved the club by 15 wins, but the club finished in 7th for the fourth year running.

1B Will Clark improved his average by a stunning 106 points to win the batting title with .350. Sixth-year 3B Travis Fryman had a breakout season (.282-27-102, 3.2 WAR) and second year LF Garret Anderson had 180 hits and drove in 100 runs.

The starting rotation ranked dead last in ERA, "led" by Omar Daal (6.98) and Kevin Foster (6.35), but the bullpen was fifth best, thanks to Puerto Rican northpaw Julio Valera's 33 saves and 3.58 ERA.

After four straight winning seasons and fourth place finishes, the Leones have had two straight losing seasons. Havana was 77-85 this year, eight games under .500, despite ranking 6th in runs and 7th in runs allowed.

Their 8 games below their expected W-L ranks as the third biggest "underperformance" of the 90s, and it not easily explained. The Leones were 20-20 in one-run games and 7-7 in extra innings.

One clue lies in batting performance in high-leverage situations, where nearly every batter choked when it mattered: Lenny Dykstra (.217 vs .287 overall, -70), Kevin Seitzer (.255 vs .285, -30), Shane Mack (.265 vs .291, -26), Todd Hundley (.247 vs .272, -25)

Former Flamingo Shane Reynolds adapted well to his new home, finishing 4th in ERA (3.18).

Denver suffered through its third straight 8th place finish and sixth straight losing season, though it improved by 12 games.

The offense jumped six spots to 11th, and was 6th in OBP and 4th in stolen bases. Key to those numbers was veteran LF Tim Raines, who OBPed .378, swiped 29 bases, and became the 3rd player to reach 800 career stolen bases in May. Former Spider Mark Grace (.326-15-86, 5.1 WAR) had his best season in six years, and C Rick Wilkins led the team with 19 home runs.

Rookie SP Hideo Nomo was 8-2, 2.67 in mid-June, but finished 10-9, 4.46, but rookie southpaw David West took to the ace role, with a 13-11 record, 3.81 ERA, and 154 strikeouts.

The Monuments were picked to finished last in the East and exceeded expectations. The offense was again 16th and the pitching slipped two spots to 15th.

1B Jason Giambi had a solid rookie year (.288-25-78), SP Tom Glavine (13-9, 3.38, 166 K) led the staff in almost every category, and sophomore Phil Leftwich successfully transitioned to the closer role, with an impressive 35 saves (especially for a 66-win team).

Another year, another 105-loss season in the PNW. Seattle did improve its pitching from 15th to 10th, but still finished 11 games behind 8th place Denver.

Rookie #2 starter Joey Hamilton was outmatched all year, finishing 3-24, 6.02 after an 0-14 start. Venezuelan lefty Wilson Alvarez ballooned his ERA to 6.48 after a 3.90 season last year.

Despite their apparent statis, the first faint rays of a new dawn appeared on the horizon. LF Danny Bautista led all rookies with162 hits (one more than A-Rod) and led the club with 28 HR and 86 RBI, while rookie CF Johnny Damon hit .317 and stole 24 bases, and rookie SS Benji Gil ranked fourth in infield Zone Rating. Veteran 1B Alvin Davis, age 35, had his seventh .300 season.

The Canoeists again took up residence in the East cellar, despite nine extra wins. The pitching improved four spots to 13th, led by the fourth-best bullpen in the league. Rookie northpaw Cory Bailey notched 26 saves and rookie southpaw Jason Christensen posted a 2.57 ERA in 62 appearances.

At the plate, Pudge Rodriguez led in batting (.316) and WAR (4.9), and Carl Everett in home runs (19) and RBIs (95). On the down side, Bip Roberts hit a career-low .289.