The 1998 OOSL season was wild one; from the lofty record-setting pace of the incomparable New York Giants, to the intensely contested battles in the OOSL AL Central and West Divisions, and even to the totally unexpected "Running in Reverse" race in the NL West. There was a story in every division in this Year of the Six Divisions, even as the groundwork was laid for a 1999 season that will see no divisions within each League. Follow the links below to explore the 1998 OOSL postseason.

Presented here is a quick synopsis of each division, and a look at the primary players of the winning teams. The Wild Cards are also highlighted. The player stats were chosen on the basis of 100 games played or 100 innings pitched with the club, with two exceptions -- the team's Closer and any pitcher who appeared in 50 games or more is also profiled. Please note that if a player was traded during the season. only the player's record with the club in question is listed below, not their total season record.

General pre-season consensus was that the AL East would be an intensely contested race of very powerful teams. This was supposed to be a tough Flag to capture, and all of the teams were thought to have a good chance. Instead, led by Cool Papa Bell, Goose Goslin and Lou Gehrig, Boston coasted to it's fifth straight title without breaking a sweat.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
C.Bell            .315 150 594 109 187 26  8  3  40  66  68  2  8  2  98 27  6
G.Goslin          .290 151 551  75 160 29  4 20  74  48  70  1  0 11  11  4  6
L.Gehrig          .287 154 568  87 163 28  8 35 121  68  91  3  0 14  23 11 15
N.Lajoie          .281 100 405  49 114 21  2  3  34  15  54  2  9  4   9  5 11
K.Williams        .274 133 445  72 122 19  3 18  82  42  52  1  1  5  16  4  4
Y.Berra           .255 152 595  59 152 23  3 21  81  32  59  1  0 16   8  7 10
C.Ripken          .222 154 523  49 116 18  4  8  45  33  59  1  0 11   3  4 20
E.Combs           .194 100 144  11  28  0  2  2  11  10  17  2  0  2   5  3  8

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
S.Koufax          3.16  9  6  .600  17 17  8  2  0 131.0  96  49  46  9  49 124
J.Tesreau         3.35  1  5  .167  38  0  0  0 12  45.2  44  18  17  3  18  26
L.Gomez           3.42 18 13  .581  41 41 12  2  0 310.1 292 141 118 30 122 273
D.Leonard         3.81 19 18  .514  40 40 15  1  0 297.1 280 144 126 34 106 236
B.Lemon           3.85  8 11  .421  24 24  6  1  0 170.2 178  84  73 14  68  84
D.Rudolph         4.27  6  8  .429  20 20  4  1  0 145.1 149  78  69 15  42  73
E.Blackwell       4.50  1  1  .500   8  0  0  0  4   8.0  10   4   4  0   3   5

The pre-season pundits categorized this race as the least competitive. However, Homestead and Philadelphia proved them wrong by battling each other and the rest of the League all year long. Philadelphia beat Homestead on the final day of the season to win the Flag. The Athletics are known for using everybody on the team to win games, but two stars shine brighter than the rest -- Joltin' Joe DiMaggio and Smokey Joe Wood.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
T.Gwynn           .339 118 437  55 148 19  5  2  54  29  32  2 10 14  16  3  3
J.Dimaggio        .316 153 620 100 196 33 10 40 134  42  62  4  0 17   2  2  4
E.Collins         .292 143 565  96 165 22  7  2  37  70  96  4  8  9  22  7 16
S.Garvey          .274 131 409  40 112 13  0 13  53  14  42  4  0 12   2  1  2
O.Smith           .267 129 389  56 104 13  4  2  25  38  37  0 11  2  15  6 11
D.Winfield        .264 148 512  64 135 26  4 20  69  28  62  1  0 12   8  4  2
E.Howard          .255 113 361  30  92 13  5  5  27  14  51  1  0 12   1  3  3
H.Killebrew       .242 153 561  76 136 18  2 31 104  74 102  2  0 13   2  4 15

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
J.Wood            2.19 16  6  .727  36 28  8  3  1 213.2 164  58  52 15  61 146
M.Soto            2.52  7  3  .700  31 11  1  1  0 103.2  73  30  29  8  46  75
D.Luque           2.80  6  5  .545  33 18  0  0  0 141.2 118  48  44  9  52  83
W.Hernandez       3.04  2  3  .400  49  0  0  0 36  47.1  49  16  16  3  18  31
L.Tiant           3.33  9  8  .529  26 19  3  0  0 129.2 123  54  48 12  48  86
E.Plank           3.56 11  9  .550  31 24  3  0  1 156.2 149  72  62 20  49 103
V.Blue            4.01 11  8  .579  41 17  0  0  1 128.0 124  60  57 15  50  70
B.Grimes          4.02  7  6  .538  70  7  0  0  0 134.1 145  66  60 10  38  68
L.Smith           4.71  1  5  .167  53  0  0  0  5  57.1  57  31  30  5  18  37

This was forcast as a tough chase, and it was. From April to September, Cleveland and defending World Champion Chicago fought tenaciously -- neither giving ground for more than an eyeblink. When the dust settled, Cleveland emerged victorious. Led by Shoeless Joe Jackson and Josh Gibson, Cleveland did not wilt in the heat of the final stretch run.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
J.Jackson         .351 131 430  59 151 21  9 10  69  25  65  5  9 13   7  2  6
J.Gibson          .304 145 503  91 153 19  6 28  96 108 105  4  0  9   0  3 18
J.Harris          .267 109 262  33  70  7  3  6  34  24  32  1  1 14   0  2  2
H.Trosky          .266 119 387  46 103 20  6 18  65  19  50  4  0 16   0  0  5
A.Trammell        .264 149 541  48 143 16  6  6  56  30  62  2  1 11   5  6 27
G.Van Haltren     .248 141 548  70 136 20  3  2  28  43  70  4  2  8  11  2 12
R.Santo           .243 135 477  53 116 20  3 13  53  65  74  4  0 16   3  2 26
B.Allison         .238 123 420  46 100 25  5  9  40  44  77  1  0 10   8  3  4
J.Morgan          .220 138 549  77 121 23  3  8  33  83  60  2  1 11  29  7 14
M.McGwire         .199 113 256  33  51  4  0 15  50  40  60  1  0  8   0  0  3

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
C.Sweeney         2.26  6  2  .750  56  0  0  0  4  63.2  63  23  16  3  12  32
K.Appier          2.88  9  5  .643  59  4  0  0 29 100.0  85  37  32  4  36  64
D.Vance           3.16 12  8  .600  26 26  0  0  0 171.0 178  68  60  9  53 180
H.Wiltse          3.50 16 10  .615  34 29  3  1  1 211.0 213  90  82 17  57 123
J.Smoltz          4.41 12 18  .400  42 42  1  0  0 265.1 280 143 130 21 110 199
W.Cooper          4.46 10 10  .500  26 25  2  0  0 161.1 167  87  80 14  58  95
S.Rowe            4.48  6  9  .400  25 22  2  0  0 136.2 151  85  68 14  32  83
J.Dobson          4.96  4  3  .571  53  4  0  0  2  89.0  98  50  49  9  46  56

Homestead led the Central Division, holding Philadelphia at bay for most of the year. Both teams came off the All-Star Break to have a torrid August and terrorize the rest of the League. An untimely injury to Big Ed Delahanty, which caused him to miss the last twelve games of the season, may have been the reason Homestead lost at the finish line to Philadelphia. The Grays, however, easily took the Wild Card -- and will renew their struggle against Philadelphia in the first round.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
E.Delahanty       .318 134 453  76 144 37  7  8  72  51  70  1  0 12  13  6  6
A.Vaughan         .312 154 635 101 198 29 13 11  80  68  66  1  9  4  28 13 29
S.Poles           .309 143 479  55 148 19  6  3  41  70  63  2  7  6  41 18  7
M.Donlin          .306 119 392  50 120 20  7  7  54  15  54  2  3  9  10  6  5
J.Fournier        .294 120 405  56 119 14  6 12  65  37  63  2  0 14  16  8  9
O.Marcelle        .286 108 377  49 108 10  6  1  30  46  41  5 24  0  15 13 14
N.Allen           .256 146 540  60 138 14  4  0  47  42  54  2 12 10  22 11 15
C.Yastrzemski     .239 141 464  60 111 26  1 13  54  52  68  2  0 11  12  4  7
J.Torre           .239 151 565  41 135 11  8  7  63  40  89  2  0 14   5  7  3

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
S.Lyle            1.90  2  5  .286  47  0  0  0  8  66.1  55  20  14  3  29  37
S.Chandler        2.67 10  6  .625  20 16  6  2  0 131.2 113  46  39 10  29  77
J.Tannehill       2.79  8  3  .727  16 11  7  0  0 100.0 104  32  31  9  18  51
L.Grove           2.93 14  8  .636  23 21 13  4  0 175.1 159  63  57 13  52 136
E.Shore           2.93  7  4  .636  46  0  0  0 10  67.2  67  25  22  4  14  25
B.Saberhagen      3.46  8  5  .615  21 21  6  1  0 156.0 156  71  60  9  27  84
S.Fernandez       3.89 11  7  .611  30 30  5  1  0 203.2 192 102  88 27  86 150
C.Bender          3.89 13 16  .448  43 43 13  2  0 314.2 303 149 136 34 102 199

Everybody knew the Giants would win this division, the only speculation was by how much. The New York Nationals stomped all competition on their way to a record win season. Their robust offense is complimented by an equally fearsome pitching staff, and an uncompromising defense. Rogers Hornsby and Walter Johnson led a cast of superstars into OOSL history.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
R.Hornsby         .371 151 645 136 239 43  6 40 123  58  90  2  0 18   8  1 19
O.Charleston      .324 150 599 132 194 31  7 31 142  67  78  4 10 19  30  9  6
M.Ott             .299 147 603 148 180 31  1 31  78  93  87  3  0 12   6  2 12
H.Wagner          .297 149 595  81 177 45  7  6 112  40  98  4  7 11  14  8 23
B.Mackey          .281 154 544  67 153 26  3  9  60  35  60  1  6 10   0  0  1
R.Smith           .268 144 534  67 143 26  7 23  75  51  78  1  0 10   4  3  6
B.Leonard         .248 120 420  72 104 14  6 27  82  52  79  0  0 16   6  2  6

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
S.Maglie          1.94  3  0 1.000  41  0  0  0 25  46.1  36  10  10  2  14  24
W.Johnson         2.36 30  7  .811  43 40 11  3  0 301.0 235  90  79 22  77 220
E.Walsh           3.20 24  5  .828  39 39  8  5  0 284.0 237 114 101 25  78 197
R.Foster          3.53  9  4  .692  25 15  3  1  0 109.2 108  52  43 11  22  71
C.Mathewson       3.63 20  5  .800  33 28  6  1  2 205.2 186  94  83 23  55 128
C.Hubbell         4.26 10  5  .667  27 21  3  1  0 148.0 137  73  70 24  34  96

Back out from under the shadow of the Giants, Cincinnati was the odds-on favorite to win this Flag -- and they did not disappoint. The Red Legs won convincingly -- using a big one-two punch of Snider & Foxx to compliment the steady performance of Gehringer & Brett, and a pitching staff known for its cutting-edge quality. They consistently mowed down their apponents all year long.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
C.Gehringer       .290 148 601  92 174 32  4 13  67  48  37  7  3 14   5  2 16
G.Brett           .286 148 573  74 164 35 18  7  72  41  53  3  1 16  11  1 28
D.Snider          .282 148 581 102 164 23 11 22  95  59 110  2  1 13  12  4  7
T.O'Neill         .280 100 318  35  89 12  3  1  28  30  49  2  0  5   1  1  2
B.Hamilton        .270 123 456  70 123 21  3  2  30  65  68  4  1 13  25  5 10
R.Yount           .250 152 536  49 134 26  4  7  55  31  62  2  5 18   8  0 31
J.Foxx            .250 152 581  88 145 15  7 36 117  72 142  1  0  6  11  3 11
C.Hafey           .243 115 395  56  96  8  3 17  61  23  60  1  0 12   6  1  7
G.Hartnett        .226 146 536  48 121 26  5 10  59  49  76  4  1 16   0  1  4

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
S.Jones           2.76  7  5  .583  53  0  0  0  4  65.1  54  21  20  3  25  39
R.Johnson         3.07 18 12  .600  39 39 10  3  0 278.1 225 110  95 16 126 260
S.Paige           3.08 14  8  .636  29 29 11  3  0 216.0 211  90  74 17  65 166
T.Bonham          3.13 16 12  .571  40 40  3  0  0 284.1 269 112  99 22  50 103
T.Hughson         3.52  6  2  .750  55  0  0  0  4  64.0  67  29  25  7  12  49
T.Henke           3.70  7  7  .500  66  0  0  0 31  73.0  82  34  30  5  16  60
T.Keefe           3.71  8  7  .533  24 24  2  0  0 169.2 160  79  70 13  57 114

Based on 1997's showing, Saint Louis was the easy favorites to repeat -- although some hardfought competition was expected from Brooklyn. Nobody expected the totally lackluster showing throughout the division that would prop Kansas City up as the year-long leaders -- and winners of this Flag. Integral to the Monarchs' success were all of their relief pitchers, especially the two middle relievers, Clark and Pfeister, and their Closer -- Rollie Fingers.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
A.Simmons         .316 148 576  70 182 18  4 23 117  26  65  5  0  9   5  3  4
J.Wilson          .287 151 564  58 162 24  7  7  52  22  46  2  0 15   6  3 19
C.Keller          .285 153 569  97 162 16 16 27 108  77  96  0  0 12   5  2  5
M.Cochrane        .278 121 389  38 108 13  1  8  41  34  39  2  0 12   6  1  6
C.Childs          .277 104 346  57  96 16  2  2  25  43  48  3  0  9   8  4 16
R.Connor          .276 152 586  85 162 39 10 13  60  63  95  0  0 20   1  0  8

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
W.Clark           2.68  4  5  .444  69  0  0  0  2 104.0 101  34  31  9  30  55
J.Pfiester        3.01  5  5  .500  57  0  0  0  4  74.2  59  30  25  6  27  48
C.Redding         3.26 16 14  .533  41 41  3  1  0 270.2 251 120  98 18  92 197
F.Wickware        3.79  9  9  .500  25 25  1  1  0 149.2 137  66  63  9  67  94
J.Bunning         3.85 10  8  .556  34 34  2  2  0 205.2 207  99  88 21  69 128
J.Marichal        3.99 13  9  .591  37 37  0  0  0 216.1 225 101  96 22  42 142
R.Fingers         5.12  5 10  .333  67  0  0  0 40  91.1 110  66  52 12  31  68

Boston was not expected to compete for the NL East Flag, and they didn't -- finishing 32 games behind the powerhouse Giants. However, a balanced team effort that showcased the best Team ERA, 3rd Most Team SB, 4th Least Team Errors and 5th best Team BA in the National League put them in control of the rest of the League. Boston easily outdistanced Milwaukee to win the NL Wild Card. In so doing, they won the right to be first to face the Giants.

NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
L.Gardner         .309 116 421  45 130 17  6  1  38  22  58  2  9  7  14  3  8
B.Monroe          .301 119 465  69 140 25  2  0  29  40  40  1 30 12  21  9 18
E.Lombardi        .298 152 557  57 166 26  0 15  72  32  44  5  0 15   4  3 18
J.Medwick         .285 147 569  75 162 37  7 12  83  19  68  3  0  7   2  0  8
D.Brouthers       .273 154 611  80 167 35 10 15  85  62  97  4  0 18  13  4 14
P.Reiser          .236 120 420  54  99  9  9  4  39  40  83  3  2  9  23  8  3

NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
F.Jenkins         2.59 20  8  .714  34 33  8  4  0 236.0 198  83  68 20  77 161
J.Palmer          2.70  3  7  .300  18 18  1  1  0 120.0 120  45  36 11  38  49
D.Brown           2.81  4  4  .500  57  0  0  0 39  77.0  70  26  24  6  27  46
S.Williams        2.83 18  9  .667  33 33  9  4  0 241.2 199  90  76 16  69 208
S.Carlton         3.27 12 14  .462  39 39  6  0  0 258.1 245 108  94 15  92 147
T.Seaver          3.49  9 13  .409  31 31  2  0  0 214.0 186  98  83 17  81 155