Game 151: Scott Erickson pitches well and three Spectre relievers throw a shutout inning each, throwing an identical 8 pitches for each one, as the Spectres beat Pittsburgh 5-2. Robb Nen pitches the ninth for his 56th save.

Game 152: Carlos Delgado and Ken Caminiti homer to back Chuck Finley, who allows only two unearned runs in seven innings as the Spectres win a second straight 5-2 game over Pittsburgh. Once again, Robb Nen pitches a scoreless ninth to earn the save.

Game 153: Hideo Nomo mesmerizes the Spectre hitters, striking out nine batters and dealing a loss to Dave Burba as the Melons hold on for a 4-3 win when Edgardo Alfonzo flies out in the ninth with the tying run on third. Bret Boone reaches the 100-RBI mark for Montreal.

Game 154: Montreal strands a ton of baserunners in the series finale, and though they score a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score, they leave the bases loaded in that frame. It takes Pittsburgh only two batters to score a run in the 10th and Montreal goes quietly in the bottom half, dropping another 4-3 decision.

The Cosmos will visit Olympic Stadium next.

Game 155: Ken Caminiti has a 4-4 day with three homers and a double, driving in seven to move within striking distance of 100 RBI, and the Spectres take the series opener 13-5. Coincidentally, Bret Saberhagen improves to 13-5 with the victory. Ken Griffey Jr. also homers for Montreal and passes the 150-RBI mark.

Game 156: Montreal takes the lead with a 4-run seventh, but David Justice hits a two-run triple in the 8th to give New York an 8-6 lead. Montreal puts two on base in the ninth but cannot score them, dropping the game to even the series at one apiece.

Game 157: Down 7-4 after eight, Montreal rallies for four runs in the ninth to steal an 8-7 win from New York. In the pivotal inning, the Spectres score once on a wild pitch and get two sacrifice flies, including the game-winner. Rick Aguilera evens his record at 7-7.

Game 158: Ken Griffey Jr. hits a three-run homer, his 55th of the season, and Brant Brown hits a tie-breaking two-run shot in the ninth as the Spectres escape with a 10-8 victory. Robb Nen pitches the ninth, earning his 58th save.

Montreal will close the season with four at Philadelphia.

Game 159: Carlos Delgado doubles twice and homers, driving in five runs, and the Spectres score five times in the 11th to take the series opener 16-12. Ken Caminiti doubles twice and drives in two to reach the 100-RBI mark.

Game 160: Mike Mussina pitches a complete-game 3-hitter, striking out 11 Spectres, as the Keystones even the series with a 7-0 win. Bret Saberhagen takes a beating for Montreal, falling to 13-6.

Game 161: The Spectres collect 15 hits and 10 walks on the way to a 15-2 blowout of the Keystones; Carlos Delgado drives in five runs. Chuck Finley goes seven to earn his 15th win.

Game 162: Bret Boone homers and drive in four runs and Carlos Delgado adds two doubles and three RBI as the Spectres finish the regular season on a high note with a 12-4 win. Scott Erickson gets the win and finishes above .500 at 9-8.



Looks like Montreal will face St. Louis, wild card winner from the Central division, in the first round of the playoffs.

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Awards:

Ken Griffey Jr.'s quest for a second straight MVP award falls short as he finishes second in the balloting to Chicago's Chipper Jones. I think Jones deserved it, so no sour grapes here. Griffey Jr. did win a Gold Glove award and a Silver Slugger for his play in RF.

Bret Boone also won a Gold Glove at 2B.

Robb Nen was the runaway winner for Fireman of the Year and even finished second in the NL Cy Young voting. Nen saved 58 games, which may very well be a Centennial League record.

WILD CARD ROUND: BEST OF FIVE

GAME 1, at Montreal

Greg Maddux (19-6) vs. Chuck Finley (15-7)

Not a great game for Maddux; Ken Griffey Jr. hits a two-run homer off him in the first, and Maddux later strikes out to end the second with the bases loaded. Bret Boone hits a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Finley continues to strand Blue Storm runners in high numbers. St. Louis scores twice in the sixth but strands two others, and Willie Greene comes through with a pinch-hit, two run homer in the seventh (also off Maddux) to bump the lead back to three. Rick Aguilera pitches a scoreless eighth and Robb Nen strikes out all three batters he faces in the ninth; Montreal wins the opener 5-2.



GAME 2, at Montreal

Tom Glavine (18-4) vs. Bret Saberhagen (13-6)

A nightmare for Saberhagen; Ken Caminiti commits an error with two down in the second and the Blue Storm take full advantage, unleashing a barrage that ends only after they've sent seven men across the plate... all unearned runs.

Montreal gets nothing going against Tom Glavine until the seventh, when Bret Boone hits a two-run homer, but it's not nearly enough. St. Louis breezes to a 9-4 win to even the series.



GAME 3, at St. Louis

Dave Burba (16-8) vs. Greg Maddux (19-6)

St. Louis scores a run in the first, but Burba is strong after that, leaving after six having allowed just that one run. Montreal has a 2-1 lead at that time, having tied the score in the third on Brady Anderson's double and taken the lead in the fourth when Ken Griffey Jr. connected off Maddux for his second homer of the series.

Kelvim Escobar, relieving Burba, walks the first two batters in the seventh, then retires Andres Galarraga and Todd Zeile on fly outs. Scott Hatteberg also hits a fly ball, but gets a bit more distance on it... it sails over the center field fence and St. Louis suddenly has a 4-2 lead.

Montreal goes 1-2-3 in the eighth. In the ninth, Carlos Delgado leads off with a single, but Steve Reed retires the next three batters and St. Louis is within one game of the LCS.



GAME 4, at St. Louis

Omar Daal (2-0) vs. Tom Glavine (18-4)

Daal, a dependable reliever this season, gets the postseason start in front of inconsistent Scott Erickson and Willie Blair. It seems it might be the right decision, as Daal works his way in and out of trouble through the first five innings, keeping the Blue Storm off the board. Meanwhile Glavine mostly has his way with the Spectre batters, though Ricky Gutierrez puts Montreal on the board with a third-inning single.

In the sixth, Daal allows a leadoff single but retires the next two batters. Suddenly his control deserts him and he walks the next two batters to load the bases. Andres Galarraga put St. Louis in front with a two-run single. That's it for Daal; y Eddie Guardado enters to face Ray Lankford. Lankford pounds one over the center field fence for a three-run homer.

And that's effectively game over. Ken Griffey Jr. hits a solo homer in the eighth but Montreal never mounts a real offensive threat and drops the series three games to one,

most notable...and lucky...about Lankford's HR in Game 4...it was his only hit in the series' 4 games

1998 in review

OFFENSE

Montreal scored 967 runs this season to rank seventh in the league, as six clubs reached the 1000-run mark.

C - Eddie Taubensee (.286/.385/.489) played about 2/3 of the games and had the longest hitting streak by a Spectre this season (22 games). He hit 24 doubles and nine homers to drive home 61 runs.

Bob Henley (.372/.459/.591) handled catching duties against LHP and lit them up. He drove in 28 runs in 137 ABs. Sandy Martinez (.158/.289/.224) played a bit in the first half and showed a good eye at the plate but not much else.

1B - Carlos Delgado had a monster year (.306/.415/.634), clubbing 44 doubles, 44 homers and driving home 134 runs. He scored 125 times, walked 89 times, and led the team with 15 HBP. Bright future for this kid.

2B - Bret Boone (.288/.341/.504) far exceeded expectations, hitting 42 doubles and 30 home runs. He drove in 115 and nearly reached the century mark in runs as well, crossing the plate 98 times. He struck out 120 times while walking only 49 times, but his Gold Glove defense more than compensated for any offensive shortcomings.

3B - Ken Caminiti (.305/.396/.593) continued to bash the ball. He hit 46 doubles to lead the team and added 28 homers. He scored 82 and drove in 102.

SS - Ricky Gutierrez (.309/.376/.415) proved to be a solid player and put up respectable numbers in 398 ABs. Edgardo Alfonzo (.303/.367/.450) had a bit of an edge in power but was otherwise similar to Gutierrez; Gutierrez was a much better fielder as Alfonzo committed 40+ errors this season. Gutierrez hit 28 doubles and four homers; Alfonzo 32 doubles and 13 homers.

OF - Ken Griffey Jr. (.308/.386/.633) was the team's driving force once again, hitting 43 doubles, two triples, and 56 home runs. He drove in 158 runs and scored 162 times. He added 20 steals in 30 attempts and a Gold Glove award in right field.

Brady Anderson (.237/.340/.392) was way down this season, though he stole 32 bases and scored 95 times. 27 doubles, six triples, and 15 homers.. huge step back from a guy who hit 57 homers two seasons ago.

Jay Buhner (.241/.312/.424) battled some injuries this season and never got on track. He hit only nine homers and drove in 19 in 170 at bats.

Tony Phillips (.288/430/.412) had a great season but was limited to only 233 at bats. He walked 53 times in 74 games.

Brant Brown was a midseason pickup who was well worth the price (.313./.365/.537). He hit six doubles, six triples, and five homers in 147 ABs for Montreal, scoring 29 and driving in 25.

Rookie Geoff Jenkins (.212/.283/.318) got a taste of big league life and hopefully will be better for the experience, though the team certainly didn't benefit much from it.

Willie Greene (.217/.347/.380) was a huge disappointment, though he did walk 51 times with only 50 strikeouts, only one of two players (with Phillips) to accumulate more walks than strikeouts.

Roberto Petagine hit four homers in 45 at bats and slugged .600 during his brief stints with the club.

1998 review (cont.)

PITCHING

The Spectres' 4.30 ERA ranked fourth in the majors this season, despite a notable lack of stars on the pitching staff.

Scott Erickson (9-8, 4.68 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .282/.340/.431) filled the #1 spot in the rotation and couldn't even get double digit wins. He ranked second on the team with 198 innings and gave up 224 hits, 24 of them home runs. He struck out 159, also second on the team.

Chuck Finley (15-7, 4.06, 1.51, .255/.341/.380) did things very differently from Erickson, walking over 100 batters while striking out 213 and allowing only 17 homers in his team-leading 210.1 innngs.

Dave Burba (16-8, 4.25, 1.47, .281/.341/.420) had almost identical stats to Erickson but was much luckier and was a real feel-good story in the first half of the season. He tailed off a bit in the second half but was the team's top starter for much of the year.

Willie Blair (11-8, 5.12, 1.49, .284/.345/.474) had major problems keeping the ball in play (32 homers in 181 innings) and it showed in his statistics. He was the only starter to strike out fewer than 100 batters (92).

Bret Saberhagen (13-6, 3.63, 1.21, .257/.297/.404) used his razor-sharp control (only 37 walks in 196 innings) to keep batters off base, which minimized the damage caused by the 25 homers he surrendered. A triumphant comeback for the pitcher who missed all of '96 and did very little in '97.

Robb Nen (3-2, 58/63, 2.40, 0.98, .175/.251/.235) dominated the league, allowing only 38 hits and three homers in 60 innings. The Spectres were 22-10 in one-run games largely due to his prowess.

The setup men were not quite as dominant. The best of them was Kelvim Escobar (8-5, 0/6, 3.25, 1.31, .222/.308/.317) who allowed seven home runs in 91 innings.

Rick Aguilera (7-7. 0/3, 4.42, 1.29, .277/.305/.468) walked only 11 in 75.1 innings but allowed 10 homers.

Bob Wickman (9-3, 1/5, 4.62, 1.54, .242/.355/.332) had control problems as he walked 48 batters in 78 innings.

Eddie Guardado (4-3, 0/5, 6.10, 1.87, .296/.389/.492) was generally ineffective as was Mike Remlinger (6-2, 0/2, 7.30, 2.04, .312/.414/.514), leaving the club without an effective -handed relief option.

Long man Omar Daal (2-0, 2/2, 3.52, 1.46, .284/.338/.379) did a nice job and may be moved to the starting rotation in the future.

Over the course of the season, the club hit 242 homers and allowed only 165, something that bodes well for the future.

Speaking of the future, the 1999 draft finds the Spectres needing just one pick; Willie Greene is let go to shop his wares elsewhere, and late-season pickup Brant Brown will not be brought back either as the club feels Geoff Jenkins is ready for primetime.

Drafting 22nd in the first round, Montreal tries to address the recent trend of picking up catchers every season to back up Taubensee by drafting young Ramon Hernandez. The plan will be to platoon the right-handed hitting Hernandez with Taubensee this season, starting him against LHP.

Montreal begins the season on the West Coast, facing San Diego.

Game 1: Montreal clubs four home runs on Opening Day to back Scott Erickson, who goes seven innings to beat the Conquistadors 5-2. Spectres going deep are Ken Griffey Jr., Carlos Delgado, Brady Anderson, and rookie catcher Ramon Hernandez.

Game 2: Prospect Julio Gambetta gets the start and pitches pretty well, allowing only two runs in 5.2 innings. Unfortunately the Spectres don't produce much offense and the Conquistador bullpen outshines Montreal's in a 5-3 win for San Diego.

Game 3: Dave Burba walks six in his first start of the season, but allows only two runs in six frames and the Spectres score three in the ninth to turn a close game into a 7-3 win. Ken Griffey Jr. has four hits, three runs, and three RBI.

Montreal will open their home schedule with a visit from defending champs St. Louis.

go sphinctres!

Game 4: Montreal takes an early 3-0 lead, but falls behind 4-3 after Erubiel Durazo's seventh-inning home run off Bob Wickman. The Spectres tie the score in the bottom half of that inning on a run-producing ground ball but go to the ninth still tied at four. Bret Saberhagen retires the Blue Storm in order in the top half; with one out in the bottom half Mark Loretta's error allows Edgardo Alfonzo to reach base. Ken Griffey Jr. hits a long fly down the first base line.... it's FAIR!!!! HOME RUN!!!! Spectres win the home opener 6-4.

Game 5: Ricky Gutierrez' first inning error leads to three unearned runs and the Spectres manage only a solo homer by Edgardo Alfonzo off Justin Thompson; St. Louis goes on to even the series with a 4-1 decision.

Game 6: St. Louis' Tom Glavine is untouchable through seven; Montreal's Kelvim Escobar somewhat less so. The Blue Storm run away with an 11-5 victory to take the series.

The Spectres head west again, this time to face LA.

Game 7: Montreal comes out on the wrong side of a rare slugfest at Dodger Stadium as the Looters rally for five in the eighth off Mike Remlinger and Bob Wickman to take an 11-8 victory in the series opener.

Game 8: Montreal outhits the Looters 13-10, but LA clubs three home runs and gets lockdown pitching from their bullpen as they send Montreal to a 10-5 loss; it's the Spectres' fourth straight defeat.

Game 9: Montreal gets two solo home runs in the first, then explodes in the second, collecting 11 hits and scoring THIRTEEN times. They go on to an 18-6 win, avoiding a sweep and snapping a four game skid.

Before starting divisional play, the Spectres return home to host Cincinnati.

Game 10: Cincinnati has consecutive five-run innings off Chuck Finley and blows the Spectres out, 13-3, in the series opener.

Game 11: Eddie Taubensee's two-run single gives the Spectres a 4-3 lead in the seventh, but Bob Wickman allows a solo home run to Sandy Alomar Jr. in the next frame, tying the score. Tony Phillips homers with one down in the bottom half to give Montreal the lead back, and Rick Aguilera pitches a scoreless ninth for his second save of the season.

Game 12: Montreal survives yet another blown save by Bob Wickman (his third of the season) and crawls back to .500 when Carlos Delgado homers to lead off the bottom of the 10th. It's Delgado's sixth blast of the season.

The Spectres will begin divisional play with a trip to Pittsburgh.