World Series Game 2

Alex Maldonado gave Denver a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first inning off Bryan Brooks. In the bottom of the inning, Brian Kaat reached on a shortstop error and then moved to third on a hit and run single by Almanzar. Kaat made a big mistake in wandering too far off third with Joe Young at the plate, and was picked off. Young grounded out, McNamara walked, and Kei Ijawa hung a curveball to Andy Moore, who put Miami up with a 3 run homer.

Ijawa gave up 2 more runs in the 2nd, and didn't finish the inning. Miami scored a few more times off the Denver bullpen, including a solo homer by Brandon Cohen. Bryan Brooks scattered 9 hits over 6 innings, allowing 2 runs for the win. Doug Lefevre pitched 2 1/3 innings of excellent relief before Ervin Russell came in for the last 2 outs.

Miami heads to Denver with a 2-0 lead and Tim Sullivan ready to pitch. Denver will counter with their ace, Ruben Ramirez.

2011 World Series Game 1

Miami sends 18 game winner Tommy Vercetti to the mound while Denver goes with Clint Meyers.

Denver strikes in the first as Joey Renseller doubles and moves to third on a one out Stan Marsh single. Alex Maldonado hits a drive to the warning track for a sacrifice and a 1-0 Denver lead. Miami gets the run right back when Meyers pitches with fear against Joe Young, walking him, and Bud McNamara follows with an RBI double into the right field corner. Joe Young scores from first against the gun of Geoff Favre.

Maldonado puts Denver up in the 3rd with a 2 run homer. The Stars tie the game back up in the 4th, as Joe Young walks again and scores ahead of a McNamara homer. In the 6th, Denver goes ahead 4-3 on a Clyde Frogg homer, but the Stars answer in the 7th. Bob Abuee leads the inning off with a homer, and one out later Prince Ferreira singles. Denver goes to the bullpen and brings in John Byrd. Byrd hits #9 batter Jim Concepcion, and with Brian Kaat batting the Stars pull off a double steal. With the infield in, Kaat pops up to strand the runners.

Richie Almanzar hit next, but the Rabbits trembled to see Mighty Joe Young step into the on deck circle. Byrd left a fat pitch over the middle, and Almanzar drove on past second baseman Butters Stotch to give Miami a 6-4 lead. Young was then intentionally walked before lefty reliever Ryan Webb retired McNamara.

Damon Hutchinson allowed a leadoff double to Otto Tingley but retired the next 3 batters to hold the 6-4 lead. In the 9th Miami went to closer Bob Belardi to face the top of the order. He struck out George Rivera before allowing a bloop single to Renseller. Stan Marsh struck out, and Alex Maldonado flew to center fielder Kaat to give the Stars game 1.

Interview with World Series Managers

The 2011 World Series match up of Denver vs. Miami features two of the most successful managers in league history, although neither has won a world series, a fact that will soon change for one of these jawas.

Bewis Charles "Big Cheese" Skywalker, age 76, has managed the Denver Rabbits for 26 years, winning 2198 games. Not only is this the highest total in APBA history, only 5 managers in MLB history have more, including the recently retired Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre, and Bobby Cox. The Cheese led Denver to a world series in only his 3rd season, the strike shortened 1991 year where he lost to Portland. In 1994 his Rabbits made the series again only to lose to the Orlando Rugrats. Despite having some great teams in Denver and a virtual lock on the Central Division, it took 17 years to make it through the playoffs and return. Before managing in Denver, Skywalker was rumored to be a power hitting outfielder, but his statistics are largely unknown. He sometimes jokes about writing not having been invented during his playing days.

Ronald Jefferson "R.J." Duke is 20 years younger than his counterpart. Also a power hitting outfielder whose career was cut short due to back injuries, Duke was the first jawa to ever hit 40 home runs, which he did in 1984. Duke ranks 4th in APBA history with 1564 wins. Duke began his managerial career in the second 1991 season, and quickly established himself as one of the best in the game by turning around a last place Hawaii Cubs team and leading them to 98 wins. He even built on that with 102 wins the next year, but playoff success eluded him. R.J. finally made the world series in 2006, only to lose the most dramatic 7th game ever when Joe Thomas walked off into the sunset with a grand slam. Two years later he made it back, again facing the mighty New York Cobra, and put up less resistance the second time.

Both managers are here in THSN studios for a world series interview with your host, Lyman Solo.

Lyman: R.J., you famously guaranteed a world series win before the season even started, and said you would retire if you failed to live up to that. Are you going to hold to that promise?

Duke: I'm hoping I don't have to, but let me assure you I am a jawa of my word. I said what I had to say to send a message to Joe Young that we were as serious about getting a ring here in Miami as he was. You have to understand that Joe Young cares about winning more than anything, more than his stats, his MVP awards, the money, even the bananas. Joe has been tremendous here, not only in the batter's box, but the way he plays the game with intensity, runs the bases aggressively, and leads our players off the field. Joe has been everything that we could have imagined. And if the team we have can't get Joe that ring, I will take personal responsibility, and get out of the way so that someone else can come here to Miami and partner with Joe to get that ring.

Lyman: Big Cheese, Tony LaRussa won the world series in St Louis and decided to go out on top. If the Rabbits win, will you do the same?

Cheese: Well, Lyman, unlike R.J. here I didn't make any promises. We just have to keep our focus and keep doing the things that got us here. I don't want to provide any distractions about my status. Let's just say I'm focused on the here and now. At my age you have to avoid making too many long term plans. So I'll make a decision about 2012 if and when I live to see the next spring.

Lyman: R.J., how does this Miami team rank among the great teams in league history?

Duke: This is the greatest team I've ever managed. Part of it has to do with having the greatest player I ever managed in Joe Young, but it's more than that. This team stepped up in the middle of the summer when Joe missed a month. We have so many guys who can beat you. We've got the young guys who can get on base, run, and play defense. We've got veteran hitters who can step up when they need to, like McNamara and Tugwell. Our pitching is deep, our #6 starter went 8-1 when he needed to fill in for injured pitchers. Hutchinson was almost untouchable most of the year in the pen. These guys all play the game the right way. Even the older guys like Bud can still go first to third. People thought we'd be playing station to station ball once we signed Joe, but this team has run more than I had in the past. I credit bench coach Juan Alou for a lot of that. I still prefer power, but the answer to power or speed? is "both." You win more games when you have more ways to beat people.

Lyman: Big Cheese, do you regret almost trading Joey Renseller (MLCS MVP) over the summer? Did his trade veto create any tension on the team?

Cheese: Well, I'm glad he blocked the trade now. We wouldn't be here right now without him. At the time, we were trying to add some pop to the lineup and Elvis Dixon was available. To get a player like that you have to give something up. It was never a question of being negative on Joey, just a situation where you have to make a tough choice. This isn't softball 1000, you can only play one third baseman at a time in this league. I don't blame Joey for exercising his 5 and 10 rights. He's earned those, and I can understand not wanting to leave a first place team to go to the cellar. It wasn't a problem at all once the decision was made. We simply looked at Joey as a guy who really wanted to be here. That should be a positive, and we treated it that way.

Lyman: Big Cheese, how will the DH rule affect you? RJ, how will not having it in Denver affect your team?

Cheese: We have a very deep roster and will have plenty of options to DH. We traded for Geoff Favre specifically to help in the playoffs. He's been hurt and didn't even get into a game against Portland, but you saw the kind of outfield depth we had anyway. We could use Favre at DH and stick with the outfield alignment that has worked so well, but we also have Gary Parkman around and he's a professional hitter.

Duke: We played Joe Young at first for 80 games this year, so he's ready to play the field. He's obviously going to be out there every day, which means that Tugwell and Moore will be available for pinch hitting duties.

Lyman: Thank you, and I look forward to an exciting series.

Major League Championship Series Game 6

Duane Garcia vs. Ruben Ramirez. George Rivera starts the game in grand fashion with a leadoff HR for Denver. Denver then proceeds to load the bases with 2 out in the 1st, and Vinnie Jones delivers a 2 run single. Denver leads 3-0, and the fans can start to feel that a World Series trip is inevitable. In the 3rd, Portland gets 1 run back, after Zandar Dukakis (who hit a double) scores on a Shazeem Abdul Mustafa double play grounder.

The score remains 3-1 into the 6th. To start the 6th, George Kird leads off with a single. Steve Werden then hits a 2 run HR, and the game is tied just like that. The Denver crowd is silent. Ruben Ramirez leaves the game with a line of 5.2-8-3-3-3-6, and Garcia goes 6-8-3-3-6-6. In the 8th, Trevino leads off with a double off Hernandez. Clyde Frogg (playing 2B after a double switch) then singles to right center to drive home Trevino. Rivera, Renseller, and Marsh are all quickly retired to end the inning.

Denver leads 4-3 heading into the 9th. Big Cheese hands the ball to Paul Williamson, who is three outs away from sending Denver to the World Series for the first time in 17 years (1994-1 season). Cedeno grounds out to SS...1 down. Dukaksi strikes out...2 down. Dante Henderson then works a walk to extend the game. With the righty Mustafa due up, Portland pinch hits Jason Durazo, and pinch runs for Henderson with Shadow Russell. Durazo grounds to Gaedell at SS who throws to 1B, and the game is over.

Denver wins the game 4-3, and wins the series 4 games to 2. The celebration has started in Denver, since after so many years of making the playoffs, they have finally advanced to the World Series. Joey Renseller (who was nearly traded as part of the Favre trade, but exercised his 10/5 rights to void the deal) is named the Major League Playoff MVP. Renseller hit .302 - .444 -.488 with 11 walks in 12 games, and did not make an error at 3B.

Major League Championship Series Game 5

Kei Ijawa vs. Roger Lewis. In the 1st, Portland takes a 4-0 lead, highlighted by a Zandar Dukakis 3-run HR. In the 2nd, Denver gets 1 back after Tingley doubles and eventually scores on a ground out. In the 4th, Dukakis drives home Roger Lewis with a double to make it 5-1. Ijawa is pinch hit for in the next inning, and leaves with a disappointing game 4-7-5-5-2-2.

The score remains 5-1 until the 8th. In the top of the 8th, Otto Tingley hits a 2-out, 3-run HR to make it a 1-run game. Roger Lewis retires the next batter, and leaves after 8 innings, going 8-7-4-4-3-8. To the 9th, Portland does not have Jake Richardson available, so they instead turn to Fernando Hernandez. Gaedell starts off the inning poorly with a strikeout. Vinnie Jones then hits a ball off the wall for a double. Keith Cerrano then pinch hits for the pitcher and flies out to CF. George Rivera then flies out to RF to end the game. Portland wins Game 5 by a score of 5-4. They avoid elimination and send the series back to Denver for Game 6. Denver will have the services of Stan Marsh for Game 6, and if necessary, Geoff Favre for Game 7.

Major League Championship Series Game 4

Clint Meyers vs. Bill Drummond. Alex Maldonado gives Denver a 2-0 lead in the first with a 2 run HR. In the 4th, Maldonado leads off the inning with a triple, and scores a few outs later on an Ozzie Gaedell single. In the 5th, Maldonado hits a sacrifice fly to extend the Denver lead to 4-0. In the 5th, Portland gets on the board with a George Kird solo HR. The score remains 4-1 into the 8th. Meyers pitches a great game, going 7-3-1-1-4-6.

In the bottom of the 8th, Ryan Webb gets the first 2 batters out. Then Zandar Dukakis works a walk. With 4 outs to go, Denver goes to Paul Williamson again. Dante Henderson rips a double down the left field line, sending Dukakis to 3B. Jason Durazo then singles to RF to score both runners, and make it a 4-3 game. Cedeno and George Kird follow with singles that tie the game at 4. Denver then relieves Williamson, going to Jerry Grider, who gets the 3rd out.

To the 9th, Portland goes with Jake Richardson. Mejias leads off with a single. George Rivera then singles to right-center, and the ball is misplayed by Dante Henderson. Mejias tries to score, but is thrown out at the plate. Rivera does take 2B. Clyde Frogg pops out to 3B. With 2 outs, Joey Renseller grounds out to end the threat. Portland is scoreless in the 9th.

In the 10th, Maldonado leads off with a double. After a Tingley strikeout, Gaedell gets a 1-out single to move Maldonado to 3B. With Hamilton up, Denver puts on the suicide squeeze. The ball is bunted towards first, and Durazo is able to shuffle the ball home to get Maldonado for the 2nd out. Trevino then hits a single to LF and Denver leads 5-4. Mejias then singles to RF to make it 6-4.

In the bottom of the 10th, John Byrd shuts Portland down 1-2-3, and Denver wins Game 4 6-4. They now lead the series 3-1.

Major League Championship Series Game 3

Derek Howe vs. Joel Camels. In the 1st inning, Jason Durazo hits a 2 run double to give Portland a 2-0 lead. In the 4th, Camels retires the first 2 batters, before surrendering a 2 out walk to Joey Renseller. Maldonado then follows with an RBI double. After a Tingley walk, Gaedell hits a single to tie the game at 2. The game remains that way for the next few innings. In the 6th, Camels gives us back to back singles to create a 1st and 3rd jam with 1 out. Vinnie Jones is retired by strikeout and Jose Trevino pops up to end the threat.

In the bottom of the 7th, Portland pinch hits for Camels with Jay Hendricks, who works a 1 out walk. Steve Werden hits a 2 out double to give Portland the 3-2 lead, but Werden is thrown out trying to draw the throw to 3B. In the 8th, Portland turns to Fernando Hernandez again. Renseller leads off with a double, but Maldonado strikes out. Tingley then lines out to Durazo, and he fires to 2B to try to double up Renseller. Renseller beats the throw, and remains at 2B with 2 outs. Ozzie Gaedell singles up the middle to tie the game, and takes 2B on the play at the plate. Vinnie Jones then singles to LF to give Denver the 4-3 lead.

In the 9th, Denver hands the ball to Williamson one more time. Cedeno flies out, Kird strikes out, and Dallas Knight Jr. grounds out to 2B to end the game. Denver wins Game 3 by the final score of 4-3, and leads the series 2-1.

Major League Championship Series Game 2

Duane Garcia vs. Ruben Ramirez. This one is a pitching duel all the way. In the bottom of the 1st, Stan Marsh is hit by a pitch, and will be out until Game 6. Denver will substitute Clyde Frogg for rest of the game and series, but will hold the roster spot open so Stan can play if Denver reaches the World Series. Each pitcher is cruising through the first 4 innings, with no runs or hits on the scoreboard for either team. In the 5th, Shazeem Abdul Mustafa breaks up the no-hitter with a single to RF. With 2 outs, George Kird and Steve Werden work walks to load the bases. Duane Garcia then steps to the plate, and also works a walk. Portland leads 1-0. Hansel Wilson then grounds out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 6th, Duane Garcia strikes out the side. He now has 9 strikeouts through 6 innings, and has not allowed a hit. In the bottom of the 7th, Clyde Frogg breaks up the no-hitter and the shutout with one swing, tying the game on a solo HR to right. Maldonado then walks, and Otto Tingley singes to RF to put runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs. After Gaedell strikes out, Vinnie Jones singles to LF to score Maldonado. Tingley tries for 3rd to draw the throw, and succeeds. The run scores, but Tingley is thrown out for the 2nd out. With 2 outs, Garcia is able to get P Ruben Ramirez to pop out to end the inning.

Garcia finishes the game 7-3-2-2-4-10, but leaves on a low point. Ramirez gets through the 8th, as neither team scores. Ramirez exits the game in the 9th, for Paul Williamson. Ramirez goes 8-1-1-1-3-7. Williamson pitches the 1-2-3 9th, and Denver takes Game 2 by the final score of 2-1.

Major League Championship Series Game 1

Portland at Denver, Roger Lewis vs. Kei Ijawa. Denver is playing this series without starting 2B Leopold "Butters" Stotch, and will be without starting RF Geoff Favre, unless the series goes to 7 games. In the 3rd, George Kird tries to score on a fly ball to RF, but Alex Maldonado guns him down at the plate. In the bottom of the inning Portland LF Hansel Wilson returns the favor by throwing out SS Ozzie Gaedell on a single by George Rivera. In the bottom of the 4th, Denver takes the 1-0 lead on a solo HR from Stan Marsh. In the top of the 5th, Portland immediately ties it back up on a solo HR from 3B Lance Dixon.

In the 6th, Portland scores twice (first on an RBI single from Dante Henderson, and then on a Shazeem Abdul Mustafa sacrifice fly. Ijawa leaves the game going 5.2-5-3-3-2-3. In the bottom of the 6th, Denver cuts the lead to 3-2 on a Joey Renseller solo HR. In the bottom of the 7th, Denver rallies for 2 runs to take the lead. With 2 outs, Roger Lewis issues 3 consecutive walks. Stan Marsh makes him pay with a 2 run single to RF.

After 7 innings, Denver leads 4-3. In the 8th, Portland shows some life. Hansel Wilson starts things off with a single. After Cedeno and Dukakis make outs, Dante Henderson works a walk. Needing 4 outs, Denver goes to ace closer Paul Williamson, perhaps one of the two or three greatest closers in league history. Portland pinch hits for Mustafa with the lefty Jason Durazo. Durazo works a walk to load the bases. Portland then pinch hits the lefty specialist Chris Burton for Lance Dixon. Burton delivers a 2 run single to RF, and Portland takes a 5-4 lead. George Kird then steps to the plate and hits a long fly ball to RF, Maldonado goes to the fence, runs out of room, leaps, and robs Kird of a 3-run HR. Maldonado keeps Denver in the game by robbing George Kird for the 2nd time in the game.

In the bottom of the 8th, Otto Tingley leads off with a double to chase Roger Lewis. Portland brings in the lefty Mike Tarbett to face Alex Hamilton, who works a walk. Portland then goes to Fernando Hernandez to face 2B Vinnie Jones, and gets the strikeout. Ozzie Gaedell then pops up to 2B for the 2nd out. Denny Berroa then pinch hits for Williamson and pops out to Shortstop.

Portland doesn't threaten in the 9th, and in the bottom half, goes to Jake Richardson to save the game, facing the top of the Denver lineup. Richardson gets George Rivera, Joey Renseller, and Stan Marsh to strike out, and Portland wins game 1 5-4. Roger Lewis gets the win, 7-8-4-4-4-5.

Happy Birthday

Happy 50th birthday to Gerald White of the Penguins. He's already the oldest position player in league history. As a birthday present, the Penguins sent Gerald an invitation to 2012 Spring Training. Gerald eagerly accepted.

SLCS Game 6

New York sends Elladan Corinvar to the mound, Miami goes with Tim Sullivan. Stars catcher Bud McNamara is worn down and unable to play this one. The 38 year old catcher had caught every one of Miami's playoff games to date, and hit .375/.490/.600.

Dirk Lindros puts New York up 1-0 with a solo homer in the 2nd. In the bottom of the 2nd, Andy Moore walks, followed by a Bob Abuee double. One out later, backup catcher Dan Jernigan gets a huge 2 RBI single in his first at bat of the postseason (he had caught an inning on defense earlier).

After adding a run in the 3rd, Miami came up with 4 in the 4th. With 2 out and bases loaded, Richie Almanzar singles in two. Joe Young hits one back to the pitcher, and reliever Jay Dessau makes a throwing error to allow another run to score. Finally, a wild pitch brings in a run to give Miami a 7-1 lead.

Tim Sullivan runs into some trouble in the 6th, allowing 3 runs. Jim Gwosdz doubles in one, Almanzar makes an error to allow a second, and a sac fly brings in the third. Dirk Lindros homers in the 7th to make it a 7-5 game. Gwosdz homers off reliever James Rhodes in the 8th, and we've got a 1 run game.

Miami adds 2 insurance runs in the bottom 8th as Brian Kaat scores on a wild pitch and Almanzar score on a sac fly. Bob Belardi comes out to pitch the 9th, protecting a 3 run lead.

Mike Perry flies out to center. Vernon Coles doubles. Lindros singles, and the tying run comes to the plate. With Stuart Johnson batting, Belardi bounces a slider that gets away from Jernigan. Coles scores, but Lindros makes a spectacular baserunning blunder, trying for 3rd base despite the fact that his teams was still down two. Jernigan recovers, and throws Lindros out at 3rd. Johnson then flies to Brian Kaat, and Miami is going to the World Series.

Joe Young had 5 homers in the playoffs, but none in the final 4 games, where he went 3 for 18. The Superior League Playoff MVP goes to Richie Almanzar, who hit .440 (22 for 50) in the 12 games. He also had 7 doubles, 13 runs, and 12 RBI. With him and Brian Kaat (21-54, .389), the Stars constantly had people on base at the top of the order.

SLCS Games 4 and 5

Game 4

New York started the scoring with a 2 out double by Lindros in the first. Bob Abuee tied the game at 1 with a double in the second. Brian Kaat puts Miami up 2-1 with a sac fly in the 5th, but in the bottom of the inning the game falls apart as the Knights score 7 times off Jason Curry and the bullpen.

In the bottom 5th, Jim Gwosdz reached on an error by catcher McNamara and with one out Jose Isales doubled him home. After a single by Perry, Richie Almanzar booted a ground ball that could have gotten Miami out of the inning. After a few more hits, Ernie Escobar puts New York up 8-2 with a 3 run homer. The Stars never seriously threatened after that, and New York wins 9-3.

Game 5

With 2 out in the top of the first, Bud McNamara singles to right with Joe Young on first, and Lindros lets the ball get by him for an error. Young scores and the Stars are up 1-0. Stars get a second run in the 3rd when Andy Moore knocks in Richie Almanzar. Tommy Vercetti pitches 7 1/3 innings for his best playoff start so far, giving up 8 hits, no runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. Stars lead 3-0 into the 9th, when a big inning capped by back to back homers off the bats of Moore and Brandon Cohen put the Stars up 8-0. Bob Belardi pitched a 1-2-3 9th to make that score stand up. Stars head back to Miami needed one more win to reach the world series.

SLCS Game 3

Brian Kaat got Miami started against Doug Pearson with a homerun to lead off the game. In the bottom of the inning, Brian bailed out Bryan Brooks by leaping at the fence to rob Mike Perry of a 2 run homer. Brooks loaded the bases with one out in the first, but got Dirk Lindros to pop up before striking out Jose Isales.

In the second, Miami loaded the bases for Brian Kaat, who forced in a run with a walk. Richie Almanzar then unloaded the bases with a 3 run double.

Brooks pitched 7 innings for the win, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. Miami now leads the series 2-1. Ho Chi Fat was hit by a pitch and will likely miss the rest of the series. Both teams are now playing short handed, as Miami shortstop Jim Concepcion is out as well. Neither team is willing to make a roster move though, as doing so would prevent that player from playing in a potential World Series.

Superior League Championship Series

Game 1: New York 8 Miami 3

Stars scored first, with Bud McNamara driving RBI hits in the first and third innings. Tommy Vercetti though, having a terrible postseason, could not hold the 2-0 lead. New York scored 3 in the fourth and 2 more in the sixth. Ho Chi Fat homered, and Vernon Coles had 3 hits and 2 RBI.

In the eighth inning Miami wasted a big opportunity with one out when Rich Almanzar, Joe Young, and McNamara reached to load the bases. Andy Moore then sent a flyball into right center. Almanzar tagged, but Joe Young read it off the bat that it was going to fall in. As it did, Young made a terrible mistake and passed Almanzar around third. Young was called out immediately. While Almanzar did score, Moore was thrown out going to second, and the inning was over. New York scored 3 in the 9th off the Miami bullpen to put the game away.

Game 2: Miami 9 New York 4

Vernon Coles tripled in a run in the second, and scored on a sac fly to give New York a 2-0 lead. Lindros added an RBI double in the 3rd. Then the Miami bats woke up. The score 2 in the bottom 3rd, and 5 more in the 4th, with everyone in the lineup contributing. Miami only had two extra base hits in the game, but piled the runs on by running the bases loaded offense. Bob Abuee had 3 hits, and Joe Young and Brian Kaat each drove in 3.

Tim Sullivan went 7 innings for the win. Miami shortstop Jim Concepcion was injured on a HBP. X-rays on his wrist indicated it was just a bruise, but Miami will be without him unless the series goes to 7 games. Elvis Lambo will take over at short, Miami will keep Concepcion on the roster so that he will be eligible if they make the world series.

Superior League Division Series, Games 4-6

Miami vs. Charlotte

Game 4

Miami starts Jason Curry, who has barely pitched in the last 45 days. Charlotte gives the ball to Dave Fitzgerald. Charlotte Strikes first in the 3rd inning, as Eddie Cedeno blasts a 3 run homer. Joe Young puts Miami on the board with a solo homer in the 4th. In the 8th inning Miami gets the first 2 runners on the corners. Brian Kaat hits into a double play, which scores one run but ends the rally. In the 9th, the Stars have one more chance to tie the game against closer Rob Porter. Bud McNamara triples with one out, and speedy Duke Jackson comes in to run for him. Andy Moore flies out to left fielder Bobby Rayburn, and Jackson tries to score. Rayburn makes a perfect throw to Tommy Miller, and Charlotte holds on to tie up the series.

Game 5

Miami knocks Charlie Zito out again in the 3rd inning. Joe Young connects for a pair of homers in the 3rd and 4th innings, and the Stars take an 8-1 lead. Tommy Vercetti struggles with his control, walking 5 and striking out 3 in 6 innings, but gives Miami a bare minimum quality start (6 innings, 3 runs). The Stars hold on for an 8-4 win, though Bob Belardi makes things interesting in the 9th, bringing the tying run to the on deck circle before getting Rayburn to fly to the warning track in left. Young had 5 RBI, and Kaat had 4 hits. Young now has 5 homeruns in the series.

Game 6

Charlotte hits Tim Sullivan hard, getting 5 runs in the second inning. The lead doesn't last for long though, as the Stars get on back in the bottom of the 3rd, and then explode for 7 in the 4th to knock out Jo-Jo Lewis, possibly pitching the final game of his career. The Stars don't let up against Orlando Baker and Tommy Klink, piling up 19 hits and 14 runs for the day. Jason D'Antonio pitches 3 scoreless innings in relief of Sullivan for the win, and the Stars take the game 14-8, and the series 4 games to 2.

New York vs. Texas

Game 4

Down 2 games to 1, the Knights take a 1-0 lead in the first on a Dirk Lindros RBI single. This would be enough, as Elladan Corinvar would go on to pitch 8 1/3 shutout innings, striking out 8 and allowing only 4 hits and 2 walks. But New York had a lot more in store, including a Lindros 2 run homer and a Jose Isales grand slam in a 7 run 6th inning. The final score was 13-0.

Game 5

Texas brought out the ace lefty in Rufus Anderson, who went the distance on a 3 hitter, striking out 9. But New York managed to scratch a run off Rufus as Ernie Escobar hit a sac fly in the 7th inning after Brandon Bergeron stole third. Doug Pearson pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, and Joe Dirte struck out the side in the 9th to give New York a 1-0 victory.

Game 6

Eddie Carey and Bjorn Frostad gave the series another great pitcher's duel. In the 7th, New York took a 2-0 lead. Jose Isales led off with a double, and Vernon Coles drew a walk. After Keith Johnson struck out, a wild pitch moved the runners up. Light hitting catcher Jim Gwosdz followed with a bloop double down the left field line for 2 RBI.
Carey was in command. He didn't allow a hit until the 5th inning, and brought a 1 hitter into the 9th. After getting the leadoff hitter out in the 9th, Don Muttonly went to the bullpen, bringing in lefty Joey Fernandez to face Mark Crawford. Crawford singled, and Muttonly went to his closer, Dirte, to try and finish the series. After back to back doubles by Billy Stanley (batting for injured Manny Ortez) and Willie Gomez, the game was tied.
Both bullpens were strong in extra innings. In the 13th, New York broke through against Charles Morrow, in his 3rd inning of relief. Ho Chi Fat led off with a walk. Ernie Escobar pinch ran and stole 2nd. Stuart Johnson hit a slow bouncer up the middle just out of the reach of both the SS and 2B, and the Knights led 3-2. In the bottom of the 13th, Joe Cerda and Jay Dessau pitched a 1-2-3 inning to give the Knights the series win. Dessau struck out Willie Gomez, the hero of inning #9, to end the game.