Tragedy Twins Win Franchise's First WS Title

VANCOUVER- It was a cold October night in the Canadian Northwest. Just a week earlier, the World Series that nobody had saw coming had started in Nat Bailey Stadium. The AL Champions weren't the pre -season favorite Norfolk Whiskey Jacks, or the back-to-back-to-back-to-back defending AL Champion Baltimore Revolution. It was the surprising Honolulu Rainbow Warriors. It was the franchise's first pennant in the league's 18 year history. Their opponents were the Vancouver Tragedy Twins. Over the past three seasons, the Twins had worked their way into the upper echelon of the NL after missing the playoffs in seven of the eight prior seasons. They even had a trip to the NLCS in Season 15. However, the NL had been dominated by the traditional powers of Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Chicago. One of those three teams had one the NL Pennant for seven consecutive seasons, until now. With all three of those squads on the decline, the NL was wide open. The Twins took advantage. They were the best team in the NL for the entire season, and they finished the regular season with the best record in the entire SPL. Clearly the best team in the NL, they cruised to the Pennant with only one playoff loss entering the WS. The Twins jumped to a 2-0 series lead on the Warriors, and the rout seemed to be on. The Warriors battled back and made a series out of it, before finally succumbing in six games. Harold Paquette showed why the team was willing to give him a $110M contract. In his 20 career playoff starts, he has a 2.84 ERA. During last season's run he made 5 starts, went 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA further cementing his reputation as postseason pitcher. The veteran Howie Mack stepped up and provided the team a #2 punch since Benny Bonilla struggled so mightily during the playoffs. Mack went 2-0 in his 4 starts with a 1.96 ERA. It was Valerio Soriano who powered the team's offense. He hit .321 with 5 HR and 12 RBI in 14 playoff games. The Twins should be the early favorite to repeat as the NL Champs as they return most of their team intact.