Salem over Wichita (4-1)
Hero: Patrick Watson. After begining the series slow (1-8 w/ 1 rbi in games 1 & 2), Watson exploded and lead the charge as Salem's offense finally showed some life. While pitching and defense carried the day in the prior series and first 2 games of this set, a couple of hitting duels broke out in games 3 & 5 and Watson was right in the mix. In addition to a P.O.D. in game #3, Watson's last 3 games in this series had him slurping 7 hits in 11 at bats, 3 walks, 5 runs and 3 rbi to help Salem close out Wichita and capture their third AL penant in the last 5 seasons.
Goat: Oscar Baumann. Oscar's $110 mil contract this offseason reflects his strangle hold on world Ripken Jr the last 8 seasons. 4 Cy Young awards, and 8 all star selections reflect just how dominate he's been the first 8 seasons of this worlds existance. however, perhaps his failure to make the all-star game was the first sign that his star is starting to slip, however a late season surge towards another Cy Young nomination earsed those fears until the playoffs begun. Oscar made it thru the 1st series with 2 short stints, but little damage. He showed signs of wear in the 2nd round, but pitched a solid 7 innings in the game 4 clincher vs Trenton. However, the postseason wear took an even further tole when he allowed 5 earned runs in a mear 5 innings in a game 5 lose, followed up by a shorter than you'd like 6 innings out of the Wichita Ace in the deciding game 5. While he only gave up 3 runs thru those 6 innings, qualifing for a quality start, his short stint turned things over to the soft underbelly of the Wichita bullpen where promptly allowed 4 runs to the Salem offense and saw their season come to an abrupt halt. Rumors have Baumann training at the Roger Clemons school for the aging vet with the cream and the clear this offseason. If similar results are produced, expect a few more Cy Young awards out of Oscar.
Fresno over Austin (4-2)
Hero: Tim Kinney. In a classic back and forth series, Kinney provided enough highlight material to fill a complete 30 minute SI team video next offseason. There was the back to back homers with Fultz in a game 1 victory to push Fresno's lead out to 5, There was another 3rd inning solo shot in game 3 to push the first run across the board as Fresno re-gained the series edge. Finally a solo shot to score the first run in the 6th to open things up in the pivotal game 5, as well as a 3 run shot to turn out the lights in the 9th inning. All that was left was for Fresno to seal off game 6 and move to the W-S where Kinney gets another shot to prove his postseason wares. In his first postseason trip in 7 previous major league season, this 32 year old is getting a chance to show his talents on the big stage, perhaps another all star trip will come along with it next year.
Goat: Chris Lyons. Austin's all star right fielder had his best season of his prestigous career. 150 rbi, 37 homers, 205 hits and 139 runs pushed him into elite territory. However, he managed just 3 hits and 3 rbi in the series vs Austin. In a series played as tightly as this series, Lyon's lack of offensive production really hindered their chances of making the big show. Look for Austin to return even stronger next year with the combination of great vets and emerging youth.
