From: hbrooks@uiatma.atmos.uiuc.edu (Harold_Brooks)
Subject: American Association Playoffs
Organization: NSSL
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 16:33:05 GMT

The 1992 American Association playoffs will open Wednesday in 
Oklahoma City between Buffalo and OKC.  Games 1-3 will be 
played in OKC with the rest in Buffalo.  The Bison clinched
the Eastern Division title Saturday and conclude their regular
season on Monday.  OKC avoided a one-game playoff with Denver
as the Zephyrs blew a 6-1 lead, losing 7-6 in 10 innings at 
Iowa while the '89ers coasted to an 8-1 win at Omaha on the
final day of the Western Division season Sunday.  It's the
first division title for OKC in 7 years.

The Western Division, the weaker of the two with OKC winning
with a 74-70 record, provided some excitement in the final 
week.  Denver was a game up after completing a 4-game series
with OKC on Tuesday.  The Zephyrs went on the road for the 
rest of the week, with three at Omaha (while OKC had three at
home with Iowa) and two at Iowa (OKC at Omaha).  Both
Denver and OKC won their games Wednesday to set the stage 
for the last four days with the Zephyrs one game up.

While Denver lost their last two games at Omaha, 8-2 and 7-3,
the '89ers were wining dramatic games at home.  On Thursday,
'89er starter Kevin Blankenship was bombed early, giving up
hits on his first 4 pitches and lasting only 1.1 innings, 
giving up 5 hits, a walk, and 3 runs.  Steve Fireovid came
on and pitched 6.2 innings of shutout ball to keep the OKC
hopes alive.  Ray Stephens 2-run home run in the 7th capped
the rally that lifted OKC to a 4-3 win and a first place tie.

Friday evening, Hector Fajardo made his OKC debut and shut
out the Cubs for 7 innings.  Fajardo was lifted for John 
Barfield to start the 8th, with the '89ers up 2-0 on Keith
Miller's 2-run 5th inning double that followed a two-out 
infield hit by Larry Hanlon and a walk to Jim Walewander.
Barfield didn't have anything.  He lasted 3 pitches, giving
up a single and a double.  Gerald Alexander then struck out
Scott Wade on a 3-2 pitch.  All three of the strikes saw
Wade look at rainbow curve balls.  He was ejected for arguing 
the last one.  After a walk loaded the bases, Jeff Bronkey
came on to end the inning with a force at the plate and a 
strike out.  The '89ers moved a game up.

Saturday, the '89er offense disappeared at Omaha as Dennis
Rasmussen shut them out 2-0.  Combined with a 10-2 Denver win,
the front runners entered the last day tied for first.  Terry
Burrows, called up from Tulsa, made his AAA debut for the 
'89ers in style, pitching 8 innings of 1-run ball.  Powered
by Dan Peltier's solo HR and Ray Stephen's three-run shot in 
the 5th, the '89ers went on to the 8-1 triumph and sat around
at Rosenblatt Stadium, with the equipment loaded on the bus,
waiting to find out if they were going to the airport to come
home or back to the hotel to await a morning flight to Denver
for a playoff game.  The I-Cubs staged a comeback from 6-1
down to tie the Zephyrs in the 7th.  The game stayed 6-6  
into the bottom of the tenth.  Phil Bradley doubled with one
out and an intentional and unintentional walk loaded the 
bases with one out.  Tony Chance bounced into a force play
before Scott Bryant singled on an 0-2 pitch to end the Amer.
Assoc. Western Division season and Denver's franchise.

Harold
-- 
Harold Brooks                    hbrooks@uiatma.atmos.uiuc.edu
National Severe Storms Laboratory/CIMMS (Norman, OK)
Andres Galarraga (Through 6 September)  .242 BA  .376 SLG  .279 OBA
27 H from .300  4 H from .250  8 HBP  9 BB    
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball