Background: These two teams were chosen as the preseason favorites for the fourth season in a row. Future Wax starts off strong, winning 14 of its first 18, and takes over first place for good on 11/5. By Thanksgiving, FW is 17-5 and has opened up a 2-game lead over New Orleans. By mid-December, FW is 23-8 and the lead is up to 4 games. Piazza breaks the league’s single-season home run record, with his 27th, on 1/24, and Randy celebrates by trashing Kakania in the series, and running his record to 33-13, opening up a 6 1/2 game lead. Questions arise around whether FW can finish with the largest winning margin in league history. They don’t, but they finish in first place for the fourth straight year, with 40 or more wins for the 3rd consecutive year, and end up breaking many league offensive records.
North Dakota starts out slowly, losing 10 of the first 17 games, and, after losing the first game of a 3-game set to Matt on 11/13, is 8-13, in 6th place. But the team wins the final two from Matt, and then, thanks to a favorable schedule, rips off 11 in a row (all against Matt & Eric) to tie the league record for consecutive victories. By mid-January ND is back in the midst of a 3-team race for 2nd place with Harold and Jeff. The team stumbles again, and finishes its season before everyone else at 30-26 in 5th place. Bay City need win only 4 of its last 7 games against Matt & Harold to make the playoffs. The ND manager spends the last week of the season scouting for what, he assumes, is the 4th or 5th pick in the draft as a non-playoff team. Robin gets swept by Harold on the final night of the season, and North Dakota, which went 13-1 against Eric & Clint and 17-25 against the other 6 teams, backs into the playoffs.
It is the 2nd consecutive post-season meeting (FW swept the series
last year) and the fourth post-season meeting in 6 years. It is also the
6th consecutive post-season appearance for both teams. FW is the heavy
favorite, having won 6 of the 7 regular-season games between the teams.
Game 1 R H E North Dakota 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 6 10 2 Future Wax 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 5 6 0WP - Clemens LP - P. Martinez HR: Bonds, FW; Justice, ND
The series starts ominously for North Dakota as Justice misses a ballpark HR (1-17) in the top of the first, rolling a '19'. Mighty Future Wax makes ND pay when Juan Gonzalez reaches on Segui's error in the 2nd, and when Bonds follows with a 2-run shot, the series rout seems imminent. When Rolen misses a ballpark homer (1-19) in the 4th for ND, rolling a 20, the Future Wax fans sneer at their inferior Midwestern hicks. But Clemens hangs tough, keeping it 2-0, and in the 5th, ND loads em up on singles by Larkin, J. Reed and a walk to Alomar. A 2-run single by Lankford ties the game. After a long conference on the mound, Martinez's first pitch to Justice is deposited into the giant Future Wax bucket for a 3-run homer, and suddenly it's 5-2, ND, and Martinez is tired. FW gets a run back on Kent's sac fly, and Piazza's solo shot in the 6th cuts the ND lead to 5-4. In the 7th, ND loads the bases on a double by Rolen, pinch-hit IBB to Gilkey, and BB to B. Williams by Thompson. Segui's sac fly makes it 6-4. After Castilla's rbi single makes it 6-5 in the bottom of the 7th, Clemens closes the door allowing no more hits the rest of the way and ND has stolen game 1.
Game 2
R H E
North Dakota 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 8 1
Future Wax 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 2 x 7 13
1
WP - Maddux LP - R. Johnson HR: Bonds, Gonzalez (2), Griffey FW;
O'Neill, ND
Bonds's solo shot in the bottom of the first gives FW the lead for good, though they leave the bases loaded. A 2-run homer by Gonzalez in the 3rd makes it 3-0 FW. In the 4th with 2 out and one on, Gonzalez is up again. After a long conference on the mound, ND elects to stick with Randy Johnson. Bad move as lefty-killer Gonzalez hits another 2-run homer and it's 5-0, FW, and Johnson is gone. A solo shot by O'Neill and rbi single by Larkin make it 5-2 in the 7th. When J. Reed walks, Maddux is tired and it's a ballgame. But Patterson induces a double play and FW escapes further damage. ND manages to load em up in the 8th with one out and Larkin up against L. Hernandez. But the limited Larkin must be removed to conserve at bats for a potential long series, so Klesko pinch-hits. That brings J. Thompson in to pitch. That brings Santiago in to pinch-hit for the pinch-hitter Klesko. Santiago grounds into a dp to end the inning. Griffey's 2-run shot in the bottom of the 8th is the icing on the cake.
Game 3
R H E
Future Wax 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5
1
North Dakota 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 x 5 9 2
WP - Morris LP - Thompson
Back in Gackle Park, the redoubtable Matt Morris comes through with an astounding performance, pitching 6 innings of 2-hit shutout ball against the team that scored the most runs in league history. Morris pitches a perfect first 3 innings and is staked to a 2-0 lead when Larkin triples in Gilkey and Segui in the 2nd. Bonds gets FW's first hit in the 4th, but Morris gets Piazza to hit into a dp to end the inning. Two walks, a stolen base, a sac, and an rbi single by Rey Sanchez off Hermanson make it 3-0. The fans scream bloody murder when Wetteland comes out for the 7th instead of Morris and when Giles's rbi single drives in Thome, ND's manager hides in the bathroom. But 2 singles, a sac, and Rolen's 2-run double in the bottom of the 7th off Grace make it 5-1, and ND's bullpen goes to work, with Cordova, Magnante and Shaw yielding no hits in the 8th and 9th; surprising ND is up 2 games to 1.
Game 4
R H E
Future Wax 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 4 7 0
North Dakota 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 5
9 0
WP - Hoffman LP - L. Hernandez HR: Garciaparra, Griffey (FW); O'Neill,
Lankford
(ND)
Nomar's leadoff homer in the 2nd stakes FW to the early lead, and in the 3rd, after a Kendall double and a Piazza walk with one out, Griffey launches a Clemens changeup into the Badlands, and a pissed-off Future Wax is quickly up 4-0. Meanwhile, Pedro stymies the ND hitters, with a Morris-like 3-hit shutout over the first 6 innings. O'Neill's one-out homer in the 7th makes it 4-1. Roger pitches valiantly, yielding only 2 more hits through nine innings after Griffey's homer, but ND is still down 4-1 against Pedro, pitching a 3-hitter, with only 3 outs left. A leadoff homer in the bottom of the 9th by Lankford makes it 4-2, but Martinez gets two quick outs. O'Neill walks. Brad Fullmer (2 at bats available) pinch-hits for B. Williams (losing the DH as Lankford, the current DH, would have to play CF) and was intentionally walked. Klesko then pinch-hits for Rolen (forcing Sojo to play 3rd for the first time all year), and hits a two-run double to tie it, tiring and chasing Martinez. In the 12th, Segui's 2-out hit scores Lankford, and ND has an improbable come-from-behind win and a 3-1 series lead to boot.
Game 5
R H E
Future Wax 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
9 0
North Dakota 0 0 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 8 13 0
WP - Hoffman LP - Maddux HR: R. Alomar, Rolen (ND)
Now Future Wax is really pissed off. Randy Johnson walks the first three batters of the game and J. Gonzalez smashes a bases-clearing double. An out, walk and single by Castilla make it 4-0 before most Gackle fans have had time to set up their folding chairs on the grass. An rbi double by Piazza makes it 5-0 in the 2nd, an rbi single by Morandini makes it 6-0 in the 3rd, and once again Johnson doesn't do the job. In the bottom of the 3rd, Lankford walks with one out. A Justice single and sac fly by Segui make it 6-1 with 2 out. Back-to-back doubles by O'Neill and B. Williams make it 6-3. Rolen follows with an rbi single, and now it's a game at 6-4. Middle reliever Trevor Hoffman shuts down FW for 3 innings. In the bottom of the 5th, with one out and one on, Rolen launches a 430-foot shot that hits off the flank of a black & white Holstein grazing in the left field pasture to tie the game at 6. Larkin then singles, and after Maddux fans J. Reed, Roberto Alomar blasts a 470-foot shot into the right-center pasture that nails a brown Jersey cow in the ribs, and ND has not only stormed back from a 6-0 deficit to lead 8-6, but has tired Maddux in the process. Shaw, Wetteland, Magnante, and Cordova pitch the final 4 innings, scattering 4 hits, and North Dakota has made it to the World Series for the 3rd time in 4 years.
North Dakota wins series 4 games to 1
Background: Perennial powerhouse New Orleans, picked third in the preseason poll, begins its season with a 4-game sweep over Metrowest, including 3 one-run victories. Winning only 6 of the next 12, the sweep helps him hold third place into November at 10-6. With an extended homestand, Harold goes 6-2 in November and is in 2nd place at 16-8 by Thanksgiving, a position he will hold for virtually the entire rest of the season. NO is 20-11 by the Christmas break, only 3 games in back of FW, but a 3-5 January allows FW to open up a 6 1/2 game lead, while only 1 game separates NO from 4th place.
Meanwhile, Jeff enters the season fighting off some franchise demons, having never made the playoffs himself and with the franchise having made the post-season just once since 1984. After getting swept by Harold to open the season, Jeff comes right back to sweep Matt, and by month's end is 8-8, tied for 4th. Despite a mid-November press conference announcing the acquisition of Mike Mussina from Bunghole, November ends with the team at 11-12 in 6th place. In December, a sweep of CN and a big 2 of 3 series win over NO ends Jeff’s 1998 at 17-15, percentage points back of CN for 4th place, and the playoff race is on. By the end of January, CN has opened up a 2-game lead on MW, but a huge 4-game sweep ('Larry Walker came out of his coma') of CN on 2/1 puts MW in the top 4 for good. MW finishes strong, going 13-4 in February and enters the post-season as the league's hottest team.
Game 1
R H E
Metrowest 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 5 13 0
New Orleans 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 6 13 1
WP – D. Jones LP – Hentgen HR: Biggio, Ramirez (NO)
The Metrowest franchise’s first post-season game since 1992 starts with a 2-out first inning rally off ex-Metrowest pitcher Schilling. Mo Vaughn walks, followed by back-to-back-to-back doubles by Walker, C. Jones and Snow and MW jumps in front 3-0. Alou’s rbi single for NO in the second cuts the lead to 3-1, but another rbi double by Snow makes it 4-1 MW in the third. Lofton scores after a lead-off triple in the 4th to make it 5-1. Metrowest would not score again. Grace squeezes in a run to make it 5-2, and homers by Biggio and Ramirez tie the game at 5-5 in the 5th. Both starters (Mussina and Schilling) settle down; there are no threats until the last of the ninth. Biggio leads off with a double and is bunted to 3rd by Vizquel. With the outfield in, Walker guns out Biggio at the plate and we go to extra innings. In the top of the 15th, MW gets runners at 1st and 3rd, but D. Jones gets D. Wilson to ground out. Alou’s double and Grace’s rbi single win it in the bottom of the 15th. Schilling, Wagner, Rivera, Percival, Rhodes, Alan Benes and D. Jones pitch the final 10 innings, striking out 12 and giving up only 6 hits for New Orleans.
Game 2
R H E
Metrowest 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 9 0
New Orleans 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 x 5 6 0
WP – Erickson LP – Valdes SV – D. Jones HR: Blauser (MW); Biggio,
Ramirez, S. Alomar (NO)
Boone’s rbi double gives MW the early 1-0 lead, but MW leaves the bases loaded. Snow’s rbi single in the top of the 4th makes it 2-0. Valdes pitches a perfect first three, but Biggio blasts a home run leading off the bottom of the 4th to make it 2-1. S. Alomar’s huge 2-run homer in the 5th makes it 3-2, NO, and another 2-run homer, this by Ramirez, in the 6th makes it 5-2. Blauser’s homer in the 7th off Percival cuts the lead to 5-3. But Wagner, Rivera, Rhodes and D. Jones slam the door and close out the final 2 innings and NO is up 2 games to 0.
Game 3
R H E
New Orleans 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 10 2
Metrowest 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 x 5 11
0
WP – Pettitte LP – Rhodes HR: M. Vaughn, Walker (MW)
Back home in East-Central Massachusetts, MW capitalizes on sloppy play by New Orleans when Boone doubles home Naehring, who reached on E. Martinez’s throwing error. Grace’s rbi single ties it in the 4th, and MW leaves em loaded in the bottom of the 4th. Another rbi single by Grace in the 6th makes it 2-1, and the crowd is silent. In the bottom of the 7th, after Benes gets Blauser to ground out, Rhodes comes in to face former New Orleans hitter Rusty Greer and Mo. Greer doubles and Mo follows with a home run that lands on Route 9 as Rhodes leaves to hooting from the Middlesex County crowd. In the top of the 8th, NO gets 2 on with 2 out, but Jeff stays with Pettitte, who rewards his manager’s faith by striking out Grace. A single, stolen base, overthrow and rbi single by Blauser give MW a valuable insurance run. A pinch-hit double by Bagwell leads off the 9th for NO. But Pettitte gets Spiers, FPS, and Biggio to salvage the win.
Game 4
R H E
New Orleans 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 2
Metrowest 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 x 4 5 1
WP – Mussina LP – Schilling HR: M. Vaughn (MW); Grace (NO)
Back in November, Jeff felt his team needed another starter, a good starter, to contend for the championship, and so he acquired Mike Mussina from a Bunghole team going nowhere. Mussina makes his new GM look good by tossing a masterful 3-hitter in game 4, striking out 7 and walking none. Mo Vaughn (who ironically becomes the player to be named later as part of the Mussina trade) stakes Mussina to a 2-0 lead with a home run in the first, and Mussina does the rest. Schilling pitches almost as well, striking out 12 with two walks.
Game 5
R H E
New Orleans 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 4 6 1
Metrowest 1 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 x 6 10
1
WP - Valdes LP - Rhodes SV - Benitez HR: Spiers (NO); Walker, C.
Jones (MW)
MW strikes first on a Lofton single, steal and Greer rbi, but Spiers's shot leading off the second ties it for NO. Erickson walks L. Walker with the bases loaded to give the lead back to MW 2-1, but in the 4th, C. Jones kicks an easy grounder for a 2-base error, scoring Grace to tie it at 2. In the bottom of the 5th, Rhodes replaces Erickson. Greer singles with one out. Mo walks. Then, L. Walker belts a 3-run homer into Southborough and it's 5-2, MW. Rivera comes in and is greeted by a pissed-off C. Jones, who deposits a hanging changeup into the leftfield seats to make it 6-2. In the 6th, Ramirez doubles in E. Martinez, who led off with a walk. Alou's 1-out sac fly cuts the lead to 6-4, and Swindell comes in to quell the mess. NO gets two on with none out in the 8th, and Assenmacher comes in to get Spiers, then Tomko gets Alou and Bagwell. Benitez pitches a 1-2-3 ninth, and MW has swept NO at home and is one win away from the series.
Game 6
R H E
Metrowest 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
6 0
New Orleans 1 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 x 7 12 1
WP - Al Benes LP - Tomko HR: Lofton, Greer (MW); Vizquel, Alou
(NO)
Backs against the wall, NO comes out smoking with a Biggio single, Vizquel bunt and E. Martinez rbi single to take a 1-0 lead. In the second, Alomar doubles in Alou and it's 2-0. But back-to-back 2-out homers by Lofton and Greer tie it up at 2 and it's a game! But NO is relentless. Vizquel's surprising HR in the 3rd makes it 3-2 and D. Lewis's rbi single in the 4th gives NO a 4-2 lead. In the 5th, NO breaks the game open. A double by Martinez is followed by a 2-run shot by Alou and it's 6-2. Tomko looks into the dugout, but Jeff orders him to stay in. Grace walks. S. Alomar singles. Lewis is hit by a pitch. It's now 7-2. Rhodes, Rivera, Percival, Wagner, T. Jones and D. Jones shut down MW and it's on to game 7.
Game 7
R H E
Metrowest 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3
6 0
New Orleans 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 x 6 10 0
WP - Rivera LP - Mussina HR: Greer (MW); E. Martinez (NO)
Trying to become the first visiting team to win a game in this strange series, MW strikes first on R. Greer's homer in the top of the first. Grace's 2-out rbi single ties it up for NO in the 4th. But Jones leads off the 5th with a triple for MW, and Snow squeezes him in for a 2-1 lead. Meanwhile, Mussina pitches out of a jam in the 6th and enters the 7th holding a 2-1 lead with a 4-hitter. S. Alomar singles and is moved over by Lewis. Biggio strikes out for the second out. Vizquel walks. There's a conference on the mound about how to face E. Martinez. The ump breaks it up. Mussina looks in for the sign. He throws a nasty curveball, but somehow, Martinez pulls it just down the line for a 3-run home run and a 4-2 NO lead. After two more runners get on, Myers takes over and gets out of the inning. Percival and D. Jones pitch a 1-2-3 top of the 8th. In the bottom of the 8th, three straight hits by Bagwell, S. Alomar, and Lewis off Myers make it 5-2, and Vizquel squeezes in another run to make it 6-2. But MW isn't done. In the 9th, a double by Greer, passed ball and rbi single by Walker make it 6-3 and put the tying run on double deck. But D. Jones strikes out R. Sanders to end the game and send New Orleans to the World Series for the second year in a row, as the home teams win every game in the series.
New Orleans wins series 4 games to 3
World Series
New Orleans vs. North Dakota
At Marlblehead. Background: It's only the second time the teams have met in the post-season. The first time was in '95-96, when the teams met in the first round of the playoffs. That series ended in the bottom of the 9th inning of game 7, when, with ND ahead 4-3 and NO up with 2 out and 2 runners on, Carlos Garcia hit into a clutch out. During the regular season this year, North Dakota actually won 4 of 7 games against Harold. Due to the extensive distance between Holliston and Marblehead, the teams pack a lot of luggage for the long series.
Game 1
R H E
North Dakota 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 9 14 1
New Orleans 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 7 12 1
WP - Clemens LP - Schilling SV - Shaw HR: R. Alomar, Lankford,
B. Williams (ND); S. Alomar, E. Martinez (NO)
Robbie Alomar stakes ND to a 1-0 lead with a one-out first inning homer. Segui doubles in Rolen (who walked) in the 2nd to make it 2-0. And a solo shot by Lankford leading off the 3rd gives ND a 3-0 lead, and the Big Easy crowd (used to seeing victories) is quiet. In the 4th, a Segui single, stolen base, Larkin sac, J. Reed rbi single, error by Vizquel, single by Alomar, and bases loaded walk to Justice make the score 5-0. But before you can say 'rout', NO ties it up after 5, thanks to an rbi by Alou, a 2-run shot by S. Alomar and a 2-run shot by E. Martinez. B. Williams leads off the 7th with a homer to finally chase Schilling. In the 8th, Sojo singles and, taking a page from Matt's book, pitcher Francisco Cordova pinch-hits and bunts Sojo over. R. Alomar's double makes it 7-5. In the bottom of the 8th, NO loads the bases with one out and Clemens is tired. Wetteland comes in and fans E. Martinez and Ramirez to end the inning. An rbi single by Santiago and a bases loaded hbp for R. Alomar makes it a 9-5 game, and greedily, ND puts in Estes for the bottom of the 9th, hoping to conserve innings. The move almost backfires when with two out and nobody on, Bagwell triples, S. Alomar singles and Sojo boots what should be the third out. Shaw comes in and yields an rbi single to Biggio to make it 9-7. But N. Perez, in at short, grounds out, and ND goes up 1-0.
Game 2
R H E
North Dakota 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 9 0
New Orleans 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 x 4 5 0
WP - Rhodes LP - R. Johnson SV - D. Jones HR: Vizquel, Hundley
(NO)
ND, using the tiny dice, strikes first in the third inning on a Larkin hbp, sb, Segui single, Carlos Hernandez single, fielder's choice and an R. Alomar sac fly. But New Orleans comes back, also helped by the high-scoring little dice, when Omar Vizquel lofts a fly ball that carries into the bleachers for a 2-run homer that ties it at 2. Back to the normal dice, the score stays at 2-2 through 5, ND stranding Rolen at third (double and Ramirez error) in the 4th. In the 6th, Alou doubles with one out against R. Johnson, and with 2 out, Hundley pinch-hits for S. Alomar. Amazingly, the ND manager sticks with Johnson against the lefty-killer and Hundley makes him pay with a 2-run homer to make it 4-2. ND strands another runner at third in the 7th (Larkin double), when Rhodes gets Sojo and C. Hernandez to ground out. In the 9th, closer D. Jones hits Rolen to lead it off. Jones fans O'Neill, but B. Williams walks. Klesko, pinch-hitting for Larkin, fans. Fullmer pinch-hits for Sojo. Like Randy in that fateful game 4 of the first round, Harold intentionally puts the go-ahead run on board by walking him. Jeff Reed, pinch-hitting for Carlos H., cracks a run-scoring single to make it 4-3. Lankford's up. He cracks a ballpark homer!!!! But, wait. This is Harold's park. It's a homer 1-3. He’s out. The series is tied at 1.
Game 3
R H E
New Orleans 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 4 10 0
North Dakota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 1
WP - Rhodes LP - Shaw SV - D. Jones HR: J. Reed (ND)
Back in Gackle Park, it's NO that strikes first when T. Ward doubles and E. Martinez singles him in for the 3rd inning 1-0 lead. Glavine stymies ND, pitching 5 innings and yielding only 2 hits. In true Strat-O fashion, Glavine and M. Morris, also pitching a fine game, are yanked after 5. ND's reliable Jeff Shaw implodes in the 7th. With one out, Vizquel smashes one over Justice's head, and by the time he can run it down, his cleats are covered in cow dung and Vizquel has a triple. Biggio singles him in. Bagwell fans, but E. Martinez singles. Ramirez, having a quiet series until now, doubles home Biggio. Then Spiers singles home Martinez and it's 4-0. In the bottom of the 7th, ND gets 2 on with none out, but Percival gets out of it with a double play. J. Reed's pinch-hit homer leading off the 8th against Alan Benes makes it 4-1, but Wagner and D. Jones close the door (Fullmer gets no closer than the on-deck circle) and NO takes the 2-1 series lead.
Game 4
R H E
New Orleans 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 8 1
North Dakota 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 x 9 8 0
WP - Clemens LP - Schilling HR: B. Williams, Justice (ND); Bagwell
(NO)
It's actually a much closer game than the score would indicate. ND jumps on Schilling in the first inning. They get two on with one out on a walk and a single, and Segui drives in R. Alomar to make it 1-0. After the second out, B. Williams singles in Justice, and Rolen doubles in Segui to make it 3-0. Schilling settles down and allows only one more hit through 5 innings. Meanwhile Roger has a two-hit shutout going through 5 and it's 3-0 going into the top of the 6th. A lead-off pinch-hit homer by Bagwell cuts the lead to 3-1, but Williams's solo shot in the bottom of the 6th makes it a 4-1 game. NO gets runners on 1st & 3rd with one out in the top of the 7th, but Clemens fans Grace and Hundley. Justice's 2-run homer in the bottom of the 7th off Rhodes makes it 6-1. ND breaks it open in the 8th when R. Alomar hits a two-out bases-loaded double off T. Jones. Clemens goes the distance, striking out 14 with only 3 walks to even the series.
Game 5
R H E
New Orleans 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 4 6
0
North Dakota 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 6 11 1
WP - Shaw LP - D. Jones HR: Lankford, Fullmer (ND)
An epic World Series struggle ends in spectacular fashion. New Orleans strikes first against R. Johnson with doubles by Hundley and Ramirez sandwiched around 2 strikeouts, ND intentionally walks Alou, and Johnson then strikes out Grace. Lankford's 2-run homer in the bottom of the first off Erickson takes the lead back, 2-1 for ND. Larkin's rbi single scores B. Williams in the 2nd to make it 3-1. In the top of the 5th, NO loads 'em up with one out on two walks and a Rolen error, and that brings Wetteland in. He promptly walks pinch-hitter T. Ward to score Biggio and make it 3-2. Grace's clutch out ends the inning. In the bottom of the 6th, a one-out walk and double by J. Reed puts runners on 2nd & 3rd. R. Alomar squeezes in Larkin and the lead is now 4-2. Five pinch-hitters and 4 pitching changes later, ND carries the 4-2 lead going into the top of the 9th with Shaw pitching. A pinch-hit double for Bagwell, a one-out hbp by Biggio and S. Alomar's pinch-hit single make it 4-3. Rey Sanchez, in at SS, then boots E. Martinez's dp grounder to tie the game at 4. A real 4-6-3 dp ends further damage. In the bottom of the 9th, after a one out single, Fullmer (2 AB for the series) comes in to pinch-hit for Gilkey against D. Jones. In the playoffs, Randy elected to intentionally walk Fullmer in the 9th with a runner on 1st and second-guessed himself when ND tied it and won it in extra innings. In the 9th inning of game 2, Harold issued a pass to Fullmer with two out and two on (while up 4-2. J. Reed singled to make it 4-3, but Lankford flew out to end that game). Here, with ace Doug Jones on the mound, Harold elects to face Fullmer. Fullmer (who was 1 for 16 with 2 rbi's in the regular season), crushes the first pitch for the pinch-hit game-winning homer.
Game 6
R H E
North Dakota 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 1
New Orleans 1 0 3 0 0 0 2 3 x 9 15 0
WP - Alan Benes LP - Morris HR: Ramirez, Bagwell (NO)
Back in 'Nawleans, and apparently unfazed by the epic loss, NO comes out swinging, scoring first on E. Martinez's rbi single in the first. But Larkin's rbi single in the 2nd ties it at 1. In the 3rd, Vizquel triples with one out. Martinez walks, and then Ramirez smacks a 3-run homer and it's sayonara to Morris. ND strands a runner at 3rd in the 5th and it's still 4-1, going into the 7th, thanks to Glavine's 4 innings (scattering 5 hits) and Benes' 3 2/3 innings yielding only 3 hits. With Wetteland in, Bagwell pinch-hits for D. Lewis with one on and none out, and the Bag feasts on a Wetteland meatball to make it 6-1. Looking ahead to game 7, ND brings in Cordova to pitch the 8th and NO pounds away to force a game 7.
Game 7
R H E
North Dakota 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 8 1
New Orleans 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 7 0
WP - Clemens LP - B. Wagner HR: B. Williams (ND)
The teams come out nervous as Ramirez misses a ballpark homer in the 1st, rolling a 20. Neither team can generate much offense through the first 3 as Schilling and Clemens are both on. In the 4th, a Justice walk and B. Williams single bring up O'Neill, having a quiet series. But he comes through with a 2-run double. One out later, Segui's rbi single makes it 3-0, ND. In the bottom of the 4th, a one-out E. Martinez single is followed by a Ramirez walk. Spiers's double makes it 3-1. Grace walks with 2 out to load the bases, and T. Ward is sent up to pinch-hit in the 4th inning for S. Alomar. But Clemens gets him to ground out. In the bottom of the 5th, back-to-back doubles by Biggio and Vizquel make it 3-2, and E. Martinez follows with an rbi single to tie it up at 3-3. Ramirez follows with a single, but Clemens gets Spiers and Alou to end the inning and keep the score tied. Bernie Williams's 6th inning leadoff (ballpark) homer off B. Wagner breaks the 3-3 tie and proves to be the difference. Clemens does the rest, retiring 14 of the final 15 New Orleans hitters. (M. Ramirez misses a crucial bp homer [1-8 chance] in the 8th that would have tied it.) Roger goes the distance, striking out 13 with 3walks for his 3rd World Series win.
North Dakota wins series 4 games to 3