The Oakland Athletics squeaked into the playoffs this year; it was a last gasp at greatness for their almost-dynasty, the team that won three straight pennants but only one World Series. Their playoff run was short-lived this year, as they were elimated by the Toronto Blue Jays. A consolation for the Athletics was that their brilliant closer, Dennis Eckersley, won both the Cy Young Award and MVP.
        The Blue Jays, meanwhile, defeated the Braves in the World Series. It was the first championship in team history, and the first won by a non-American team.

         Eckersley was the seventh reliever to win the Cy Young Award, and the last at this writing. Oddly enough, three of those pitchers (Rollie Fingers, Willie Hernandez, and Eckersley) also won MVP Awards. In all three cases, it was a matter of a closer having a great season in a year with no strong MVP candidates among the players. This year, The Eck had a nearly flawless season, and was a good choice to win the Cy Young.
        Eckersley was 37 years old this season. He had not begun closing games until 1988, and this year marked the end of his amazing five-year run as the best closer in the game, maybe even the best in baseball history. His effectiveness declined as he got older, though he remained a solid closer for several more years. He retired with 390 career saves, one of the best totals ever; he also pitched in 1071 games, becoming only the third pitcher to break the 1000 mark. Remarkably, Eckersley also won 197 games in his career, along with 100 complete games and 20 shutouts.
        Among the starters, Roger Clemens was once again the best in the league. The Rocket was also at the add of an amazing seven-year run as the best starting pitcher in baseball. It was the last big winning season he had for the Red Sox, whom he was never able to lead to a World Series championship. But Clemens would later win two more Cy Young Awards with the Blue Jays, and a World Series with the Yankees.
        Some other young pitchers made their mark this year. The best was Mike Mussina of the Baltimore Orioles; Mussina was only 23, and had his first great season. Charles Nagy of Cleveland was only 25, and he had his first good season too. These two were the best starters in the AL behind Clemens. Other great young pitchers included Kevin Appier of the Royals and Jack McDowell of the White Sox. Appier was 25, McDowell 26; both had already had some good seasons, but were now entering the best phases of their careers.
         And don't forget Kevin Brown, who won 21 games at age 27, and Juan Guzman, who was only 25. All of these pitchers were young, right-handed hard throwers with a great deal of promise. They have all developed in different ways, and injuries have played a large role in their performances. The healthiest ones have been Mussina and Brown; at this writing it is clear that they have made the most progress, and have had greater careers than the others.