CHICAGO- In an unlikely Game 7, on a cold October night in the Windy City, workhorse 35-year old Esteban Hernandez stepped onto the mound for his ninth start of the postseason. The 4 time All Star, and free agent-to-be, had already pitched a grueling 57.2 innings during the playoffs. The veteran was not to be denied. With nearly 200 career wins and 3000+ innings already logged in an excellent Major League career, and no World Series ring to show for it, Hernandez was about to make a start for the ages. He would pitch 7.2 scoreless innings. He would allow only 6 base runners and strike out 9 against the AL Champion Stomp, one of the best teams in the league. Fellow veteran, Craig Figueroa, would pitch the rest of the game to combine with Hernandez for the shut out. It was Figueroa's 13th appearance out of the pen in the playoffs, and would be his 5th save. It was also give Figueroa his fourth championship ring, with three different franchises. On a team with no Cy Young candidates, no MVPs, no Gold Gloves and no Silver Sluggers, there were plenty of heroes. It was a true team effort. Their team ERA during the playoffs, a stellar 3.25. The Sox basically rode Esteban Hernandez, Benny Bonilla, Gaylord Hampton, Craig Figueroa and Wayne Spence for the entire run. Those five pitchers combined to toss 176.2 of the 191 playoff innings. The other five pitchers on the postseason roster only going for 14.1 innings. Veterans David Cedeno and Tony Benitez were red-hot. During the playoffs, they combined to hit .300 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 21 games. Future HoFer, and face of the franchise, Butch Ramirez also played well, hitting .296 with 5 HR and 13 RBI. He will finally be able to add the much coveted World Series Champion to his already polished resume. There will be some major decisions to be made in Chicago however. Many of the team's key players will be free agents and the front office has made it clear that this season was this squad's last chance to make a playoff run. Now the question will be... blow up the squad and rebuild as originally planned? Or re-load and try to defend the franchise's only title with yet another miracle run built around solid, aging veterans?
In the visitor locker room, the mood was glum indeed. Few would argue that the Stomp weren't the more talented team. They had the biggest names in the series. Only Chicago's Butch Ramirez has the name recognition on par with the star laden Stomp squad. The Stomp actually outscored the Sox 31-19 in the series; winning the three games by a combined 20 runs (with two blowouts) and losing the four games by a combined 8 runs. Three time Cy Young winner, Quilvio Lee was unable to clinch in Game 5. The offense seemed to stall out in Games 6 & 7, only scoring a single run. It was a crushing defeat in Philadelphia in the franchise's second World Series appearance in the last three seasons. Despite the heart break, things are still looking good in Philadelphia. The rotation is still stacked with 3 All Star caliber arms, all less than 30 years old. The offense is fairly young, with Orber Martin being the only regular who will be over 33 next season. This squad should enter into Season 22 hungrier than ever, and one of the favorites to finally give their fans the much coveted World Series banner.
