1994 NATIONAL LEAUGE DIVISION SERIES
Montreal Expos vs Houston Astros
After a phenomenal season from Jeff Bagwell, what was he and his Astros teammates reward? They had to face the Expos, the MLB's best during the regular season in the NLDS, with most betters betting the series on Montreal. Game one at Olympic Stadium was a 10-8 Expos victory in 11, with a three-run home run by Cliff Floyd sealing the win. Game two was a 3-0 Astro victory, behind the great pitching of Doug Drabek, hurling a complete game. With the series moving to the Astrodome and the Houston faithful behind them, the Astros took a commanding win in game 3, winning 7-1. Game 4 began with a 5-0 Houston lead, but the game ended up with a 8-5 Expos win thanks to a clutch home run by Marquis Grissom. Game 5 ended the Astros hopes for an upset, losing 4-2.
San Francisco Giants vs Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies were back in the playoffs after winning it all last year. There opponents, the San Francisco Giants, on the other hand, were in the playoffs for the first time since 1989 after getting in on the last day of the season.
Game one was a chilly October evening at Candlestick Park and the crowd was quieted early. The game was a boring match-up, with the Phillies taking the lead early and winning 12-1. Game two was vastly different, with the Giants beginning the game with a 5-0 run only for the Phillies to score 5 in the 6th. Then Barry Bonds hit a 2 run homer. But the scoring was not done yet. In the top of the ninth, Kevin Stocker hit a 3-run home run to give the Phillies a lead they would never give up. Game 3 at Veterans Stadium ended the series with a 3-0 victory for Philly.
1994 AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Chicago White Sox vs California Angels
A beautiful day graced over New Comiskey Park in Chicago. The 1994 White Sox were the class of the league, totaling 65 wins, with stars like Frank Thomas. Everyone thought that this would be an easy 3-game sweep for the Southsiders.
Game 1 had Scott Sanderson on the mound for the White Sox and Brian Anderson for California. The game was a defensive showdown, with Anderson striking out 11 and the Angels coming up big in the late innings to win the game 3-1. Game 2 had on the mound Mark Lieter for the Angels and Alex Fernandez for the White Sox. Fernandez dominated the pitching mound, throwing a complete game and allowing 4 hits en route to a 5-0 win for the Sox, with an amazing performance by Frank Thomas, recording 2 home runs in the win.
For games 3 and 4, the series was situated in Anaheim. Game 3 was a highly-contested match. Frank Thomas went on a tear, going 5-5 with a home run, a triple, and 2 doubles. The game went into extra innings, with J.T. Snow providing some Disneyland magic, winning the game for the Angels, 7-6 in 10 innings. Game 4 was another hot match, with both pitchers not lasting past the 4th inning. But in the end of this high scoring match, the Angels pulled off the improbable upset, winning the game 11-9 and winning the series.
New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians
Well, that happened. The Cleveland Indians, for the first time since 1954, had made the post-season by virtue of being the first American League Wild Card in history. They had to face those damn Yankees. Starting the series in the Bronx for the best of 5 series, the Indians shocked the world when the pulled off the upset in game one, winning 6-3. But one game does not win you the series, and the Yanks came back and won game two, 5-4. As the series located itself to the brand-new Jacobs Field, the Indians put up a fight, but lost both games, 6-5 and 3-2, with New York winning the series 3-1.