IN THE NEWS: The Dodgers young ace Ramon Martinez wins his 20th game of the season 2–1 over the Padres. LA scores in the 8th and 9th for the win over Andy Benes.
IN THE NEWS: Oakland's Bob Welch wins his 27th game of the year, beating California, 6–4. The two Hendersons -- Dave Henderson and Rickey Henderson —- score five runs. Welch wins his 27 in just 238 innings, a ML-record average of one win per nine innings, the only pitcher to do so. Welch had no wins out of the bullpen (as noted by Bill Deane), unlike Bob Grim, who won 20 games in 1954 in 199 IP.
IN THE NEWS: Boston beats Chicago 3–1 on the final day of the season to wrap up its 3rd American League East title in five seasons. Tom Brunansky ends the game with a spectacular sliding catch in the RF corner with the tying runs on base.
Cecil Fielder becomes the 11th player ever to hit 50 home runs when he belts his 50th and 51st in the Tigers' season finale, a 10–3 win over New York. He is the first AL player since 1961 to reach the 50 mark. Kevin Maas and Gary Ward also homer as Jack Morris (15–18) is the winner. Maas ends the season with 21 homers and 41 RBI, the only player, till Barry Bonds in 2001 to not double his homer total in RBI.
George Brett pinch hits a single in Kansas City's finale, a 5–2 loss to Cleveland, to end the season at .329 and win the AL batting crown, his 3rd in three decades. Willie McGee's .335 wins the National League batting title despite having been traded out of the league in August. He hits .324 overall.
Eddie Murray is 2-for-3 in the Dodgers' 7–3 loss to San Diego. Murray ends the season with a .330 batting average, the highest in the majors, but he wins no title.
At Pittsburgh, Frank Viola wins his 20th when the Mets beat the Pirates 6–3. In front of his hometown fans, New York's Chris Jelic homers, his first, last, and only hit in the majors. It comes off Doug Bair on his last at bat. Buc Jerry Reuss, in his only start this year, gives up one earned run, a home run to Tim Teufel in the 6th, but gets no decision in his last appearance in the majors. Reuss, with four appearances this year, joins the exclusive 4-decade club (1969-90) and also closes out his career with 220 wins, but never 20 in a season, a ML record. Milt Pappas also won 200 that way as did Frank Tanana this year. Tanana will end his career with 233 wins and no 20-win seasons.
IN THE NEWS: Right fielder Paul O'Neill drives in both Cincinnati runs and throws out a runner at 3rd base to spark the Reds to a 2–1 win in game two of the NLCS, tying the series at one game apiece.
IN THE NEWS: Boston's Roger Clemens pitches six shutout innings, but Oakland rallies for one run in the 7th, one in the 8th, and seven in the 9th to win Game One of the ALCS 9–1. The A's 7-run 9th ties the ALCS record for runs in an inning.
IN THE NEWS: Mariano Duncan belts a 3-run home run and Reds relievers Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton, and Randy Myers combine to strike out seven batters in three 2/3 innings as Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh 6–3 in game three of the NLCS.
IN THE NEWS: The Red Sox fail to hold a 1–0 lead for the 3rd consecutive game as Oakland opens up a commanding 3-0 lead in the ALCS with a 4–1 victory. In Pittsburgh, Paul O'Neill and Chris Sabo each homer to lead the Reds to a 5–3 win and a 3-1 lead in the NLCS.
IN THE NEWS: After Red Sox starter Roger Clemens is ejected in the 2nd inning for cursing at home plate umpire Terry Cooney, Oakland beats Boston 3–1 to complete a 4-game sweep of the ALCS and earn its 3rd-straight trip to the World Series.
Bob Patterson gets Jeff Reed to hit into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded to save the Pirates' 3–2 win over the Reds and send the NLCS back to Cincinnati for game 6.
IN THE NEWS: In Game One of the World Series, Eric Davis becomes the 22nd player ever to homer in his first World Series at bat and the Reds go on to rout the A's 7–0, ending Oakland's 10-game post-season winning streak.
IN THE NEWS: In the first extra-inning World Series game since 1986, the underdog Reds beat the A's 5–4 in 10 innings to take a surprising 2-0 lead in the Series. Reds OF Billy Hatcher goes 4-for-4 to run his consecutive hit streak to 7, tying Thurman Munson's World Series record.
IN THE NEWS: Cincinnati moves within one game of a shocking World Series sweep by beating Oakland 8–3 in game 3. 3B Chris Sabo slugs a pair of home runs for the Reds.
IN THE NEWS: The talk of an Oakland dynasty is proven premature, as Cincinnati beats Oakland 2–1 to complete one of the most stunning sweeps in World Series history. Series MVP Jose Rijo (2-0, 0.59 ERA) retires the last 20 batters he faces to give the Reds their first World Championship since 1976. Not joining the celebration at the end is Eric Davis, who ruptures his kidney diving for a ball during the game and is taken to the hospital. It will take Davis several years to fully recover.
IN THE NEWS: The Red Sox announce that they will not renew the contract of veteran Dwight Evans, who had been with the club since 1972. Evans will eventually sign a one-year contract with Baltimore.
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