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How the (NL) West Was Won

The St. Louis Archers claimed their third division title, led by the power of MVP Hong-Gu Hyun’s 39 home runs. Nine players hit the double-digit number in homers. 24-year old Ted Davis led the staff with 21 wins. David Wanatabe converted 37 of 44 save opportunities. Howard Kapler placed third in Rookie of the Year balloting. They lost the Division Championship Series 4 games to 2 to the World Series-bound Northstars. Sockless joe’s team is poised to repeat with twice as many players under age 25 as over 30.

The Anaheim Anteaters earned a wild card birth with the league’s third best record. However, they fizzled at the end of the regular season going 2-8 and lost the division by 1 game. The team is deep in talent, placing six players on the all-star team. Right fielder Bill Leary placed fifth in the MVP balloting. Nerio Miller was Fireman of the Year and third in the Cy Young race. They lost to Atlanta in a four game series of the division play-in series. Eight players are over 30 and only three under 25.

The Vancouver Maintaineers won a franchise record 88 games. 23 year old Stan Lee claimed his second Silver Slugger award. Lee and Alexander Henry finished second and fourth respectively in the MVP balloting. Lee also discovered his legs and stole 49 bases. Rookie Paul Hayashi became the ace of the staff by leading in innings pitched and wins (14). Charles Sullivan, another rookie, finished fifth in consideration for the ROY. The franchise won their second consecutive AAA World Series. Vikes’ team continues to build through the farm system with twice as many players under age 25 as over 30.

The Colorado Bombers managed 72 wins in this competitive division. They haven’t finished above .500 since season one. True to their name, seven players hit 19 or more round-trippers. Alberto Sosa hit 57 dingers and had 166 RBI! The pitching was led by Brad Roosevelt and Gary Kroeger who each had 13 wins. However, Kroeger was the only hurler to be under 5.00 in ERA. More than half of bowlum’s underachieving roster is 29 or older, so it may be time to clean house.

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