vs  

Game 1 Carolina at Dresden
Dave Burba vs Kevin Millwood

Millwood was sharp, pitching well into the 8th inning, allowing only 4 hits. Burba was sharp as well, but wildness in the 3rd- - 2 walks and a hit batsman - - allowed Mark McGwire to double home two. That and a sac fly by Henry Rodriguez gave the Blacks enough runs to work with - - just barely. Two 8th inning walks brought up Jeromy Burnitz, who had already tripled and homered. The Blacks went to Jason Christenson, who walked Burnitz to load the bases. Blacks then went to Jeff Zimmerman, who got Jeff Kent on a grounder. The 9th was ever hairier. Mike Redmond singled and Darryl Strawberry doubled, putting the tying run on 2nd. Pinchhitter Pat Kelly walked, loading the bases with none out. That was it for Zimmerman. Paul Shuey came in and came up big, striking out Cirillo, getting Greer on a check swing grounder to Mark McGwire (scoring one). Ken Griffey was walked reloading the bases, but Shuey then struck out Kevin Young to end the game.

           123 456 789   R  H  E
Hurricanes 000 010 001   2  6  0
Blacks     003 000 00x   3  4  1
RIO - Burba (L,0-1), RSpringer (7), Cormier (8); DRE - Millwood (W,1-0), Christenson (8)(H,1), Zimmerman (8)(H,1), Shuey (9)(S,1). HR - RIO: Burnitz (1).

Game 2 Carolina at Dresden
Curt Schilling vs Brad Radke

Doubles by Cirillo and Burnitz and a home run by Kent twice gave Carolina leads. Blacks went ahead in the 5th; with two out, Walker singled and McGwire homered to put the Blacks up 3-2.  Carolina loaded the bases in the 6th but Rosado got Rusty Greer to ground out. Blacks had better opportunities, but had a runner thrown out at 3rd on a fly ball, and got caught squeezing when Carolina pitched out. Donne Wall retired 5 in a row from the 8th on, but walked Griffey with two outs. Zimmerman came in to face Young and, as in game 1, he struck out to end the game.

           123 456 789  R  H  E
Hurricanes 100 100 000  2  7  1
Blacks     001 020 00x  3  9  1 
RIO - Schilling (L,0-1), VNunez (6), Cormier (7), Benitez (8); DRE - Radke, Rosado (5)(W,1-0), Wall (8)(H,1), Zimmerman (9)(S,1). HR - RIO: Kent (1); DRE - McGwire (1).

Game 3 Dresden at Carolina
Dreifort vs Leiter

Larry Walker homered in the first for the Blacks and Jeromy Burnitz homered in the fourth for the Hurricanes. Burnitz' came after Craig Biggio misplayed a Darryl Strawberry grounder and thus Carolina led 2-1. Blacks managed to leave 2 runners on in the 4th, 5th, and 8th, and 11 altogether. Carolina had largely retired to the clubhouse after the homer, but it was enough, and the series tightened to 2 games to 1.

           123 456 789  R  H  E
Blacks     100 000 000  1  4  1 
Hurricanes 000 200 000  2  5  2
DRE - Dreifort (L,0-1), Watson (6), Shuey (7), Christenson (8); RIO - Leiter (W,1-0), Cormier (7)(H,1), RSpringer (8)(S,1) HR - DRE: Walker (1); RIO - Burnitz (2).

Game 4 Dresden at Carolina
Stottlemyre vs Tomko

Runs and hits had been at a premium in the series, but no more so than in game 4.  Dresden and Carolina could only combine for  1 run and 5 hits. But still, the teams combined for 8 pitchers in a tactical game. Blacks picked up 6 walks, but had a couple runners caught stealing. In the 8th, with a runner on 2nd, Cormier came in to walk Darren Jackson but got Kenny Lofton to hit into an inning ending double play. In the bottom of the 8th, fundamental baseball went to the Hurricanes. Kent doubled off Zimmerman and Redmond bunted him to 3rd. Mike Bordick then hit a fly deep enough to score the games' only run, as the Blacks went quickly in the 9th. 

           123 456 789   R  H  E
Blacks     000 000 000   0  2  1 
Hurricanes 000 000 01x   1  3  0
DRE - Stottlemyre, Rosado (6), Zimmerman (8)(L,0-1); RIO - Tomko, Howry (6), Springer (7), Nunez (8), Cormier (8)(W,1-0), Benitez (9)(S,1).

Game 5 Dresden at Carolina
Millwood vs Burba

Henry Rodriguez broke up a 1-1 pitchers duel with a leadoff 7th inning home run and Tony Batista followed with two more solo shots and the Blacks won 4-2 behind Kevin Millwood. Millwood was in trouble only in the 4th, when he allowed 2 singles and 2 walks, the latter forcing in a run, but then got Kent to strike out and Benito Santiago to fly out with the bases loaded. In the 9th, with the Blacks up 4-1, Carolina put another scare into the Blacks. Young singled off of Millwood, bringing in Christiansen to face Burnitz. He walked and the Blacks went back to Zimmerman. Kent doubled, driving home one and sending the tying run in scoring position with none out. This time Zimmerman bore down. He struck out Redmond and Strawberry and got Pat Kelly to fly to the warning track as the Blacks took a 3-2 series lead.

           123 456 789  R  H  E
Blacks     000 100 201  4  7  1 
Hurricanes 000 100 001  2  6  0
DRE - Millwood (W,2-0), Christenson (9), Zimmerman (9)(S,2); RIO - Burba (L,0-2), Howry (7), Cormier (7), Nunez (7), Benitez (8). HR: DRE - Batista 2(2), H.Rodriguez (1). 

Game 6 Carolina at Dresden
Radke vs Schilling

The only blowout in the series, still the Hurricanes were outhit. The Dresden defense came up poor, and Carolina came up big to force a game seven. Kevin Young doubled with runners on the corners in the 4th, and Charles Johnson dropped the relay throw, as the Hurricanes got 2 in the 4th. An error and a wild pitch featured in a 3 run 5th, and a throwing error featured in a 3 run eighth. Blacks avoided a shutout with a Larry Walker homer leading off the 9th, but by then the game was no longer in doubt.

           123 456 789  R  H  E
Hurricanes 000 230 030  8  6  1
Blacks     000 000 001  1  7  3 
RIO - Schilling (W,1-1); DRE - Radke (L,0-1), Watson (5), Wall (5), Meche (6), Shuey (9). HR - DRE: Walker (2)

Game 7 Carolina at Hana
Leiter vs Rosado

Carolina's game 7 pitcher tuned up for the Hurricanes' fourth game seven in two years. Leiter had pitched game 7s against Rosehaven and Tidewater, and had won the 1998 Series MVP. Rosado was making his first start in the whole playoffs, following a string of credible relief efforts. Blacks went ahead early on Craig Biggio's single in the 3rd, but Mike Redmond's 5th inning sac fly tied it. 

The bottom of the 5th was pivotal. Darrin Jackson led off with a single, causing the Hurricanes to go again to the bullpen. Following some cat and mouse, Jackson finally stole second, and all hands were safe when Charles Johnson's 2 strike bunt died in fair territory. Rosado was due, and Lofton came out, but the assistant manager persuaded the team to go with Henry Rodriguez.  Russ Springer pitched, and Henry lined one through the middle to bring home Jackson. Biggio followed with a bunt, moving runners up, and Roberto Kelly followed with an RBI single, though Rodriguez was gunned down at the plate. Cormier came in but Larry Walker doubled home a 3rd run, making it 4-1. The lead was extended to 5-1 in the 6th when Johnson got his third hit of the game.

But it was far from over. Pat Kelly pinchhit in the 7th and hit a 2RHR off Wall to tighten it to 5-3. Redmond followed with a double off Dreifort, but Darren got Bubba Trammell to fly to Walker to end the 7th. In the eighth, Bordick and Griffey got one out singles, but Zimmerman got Young and Burnitz on comebackers. And in the 9th, after two were out, Zimmerman allowed a walk to Redmond. Jeff Barry hit. Grounder to short. Blacks poised at the dugout steps. Error Batista. Carolina still alive. Cirillo up. Zimmerman throws. Grounded back to the box, and this time it's over. Blacks win their third championship in four years, defeating the defending champs.

           123 456 789  R  H  E
Hurricanes 000 010 200  3  9  1
Blacks     001 031 00x  5  8  2 
RIO - Leiter (L,1-1), VNunez (5), RSpringer (5), Cormier (6), Olson (7), Benitez (8); DRE - Rosado (W,2-0), Wall (6)(H,2), Dreifort (7)(H,1), Zimmerman (8)(S,3). HR - RIO: P.Kelly (1)

Series stuff: MVP: Kevin Millwood, with 2 wins, giving him a 4-0 record for the playoffs and series... Griffey and Biggio were having a running of longest 0-for. Griffey finally got his first hit in the 4th inning of game six, snapping a 0-17. Biggio followed with a hit in the 5th, but he only was 0-16 at that point... Blacks made 10 errors in the series, but aside from game 6, it only cost them 1 unearned run... In the four games the Hurricanes lost they had the tying run on base in all four games: at 3rd once, at 2nd once, and at 1st twice.