The best teams in the league this year were the Blue Jays and the White Sox. Chicago won its division for the first time since 1983, and was led by Cy Young Award winner Black Jack McDowell. The Blue Jays had a great offense, but also had some quality pitchers, including young Pat Hentgen and bullpen ace Duane Ward. The Jays won the pennant, then defeated the Phillies to win their second straight World Series.

         McDowell won 20 games for the second straight season; he was a terrific pitcher, a workhorse who liked to finish what he started. In 1996, McDowell was 30 years old and still pitching well, when he was suddenly sidelined by a neck injury. At this writing he is still trying to come back, but has been unsuccessful so far.
        As good a pitcher as McDowell was, I find it difficult to believe that he was the league's best pitcher this year. His ERA was good, not great, and he allowed more hits than innings pitched. And there were some other outstanding pitchers, especially Kevin Appier of the Royals. Appier was a terrific pitcher for several years with Kansas City, and this was his best season. I think he was clearly the best pitcher in the league. At this writing Appier is still active, and trying to come back from reconstructive surgery on his arm.
        I also think there were a pair of left-handers who were better than McDowell. Apart from the fact they were both southpaws, Randy Johnson and Jimmy Key didn't have much in common. Johnson was a flame thrower who struck out over 300 batters for the first time in his career. The previous three seasons, Johnson had led the league in walks, but now was finding his control, and would soon be the best pitcher in the league. Key, on the other hand, was a soft-tossing lefty who had starred with Toronto, and won the final game of the 1992 World Series. This the first of two outstanding seasons that Key had with his new team, the Yankees.
        Two closers had brilliant seasons. Duane Ward had been a setup man for several years in Toronto, and inherited the money job after Tom Henke's departure. Ward was fantastic, and appeared to have a great future ahead of him. But a year later he was stricken by a mysterious arm ailment, and never came back.
        Jeff Montgomery was almost as great as Ward. Like Appier, Montgomery toiled for most of his career in the obscurity of Kansas City. He was an outstanding closer for many years; in a 13-year career, Montgomery pitched in 700 games, and had 304 lifetime saves.