The most improbable of playoff runs has concluded with a world championship. Despite finishing the regular season with a losing record (80-82), the Florida Marlins are now the World Champs after defeating the Portland Beavers in a terrific seven game series. The Marlins have also set a record that can only be tied by playing the maximum number of playoff games possible as every series was extended to its limit.
The first four games of the series were intense one-run victories, with the first two going to Portland and the next two going to Florida. In Game 5, the Portland pitching shutdown the Marlins in route to a 6-2 victory, putting them on the verge of the title. When the series went back to Florida for the final two games, the Marlins bats came alive with full force as both the final two games were blowout victories, including a masterfully pitched Game 7 shutout by Alex Kubinski, who looks to once again cash in big on the free agent market. While his bat was relatively quiet in the previous rounds, 19 year old rookie Doug Stewart saved his best for the biggest stage. He crushed the ball throughout the series with a .400 avg, 5 hrs, and 13 RBIs and was named the series MVP.
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