And so, after an 18-year layoff, Strato was set to be played again. Mike got off to slow start (2-6, then 9-11) and drifted to the bottom of the standings. Eugene got off to hot start (10-4, then 12-8) and rose to the top. You could have turned the standings upside down from there. The best that can be said about Eugene's season is that he didn't lose 100 games. After hitting the 99 loss mark his last two games were cancelled since they had no impact on the standings.

After his slow start, Mike went on a torrid run (60-31 during the streak) and sprinted to the top of the standings. We wondered if this would be the first 100-win team in Strato's history. Then his inevitable slump occurred (16-23 over the next 39). While Mike was slumping, Dan went on a torrid run of his own (40-23 during the streak). With 10 games left Mike's lead was cut to 2 games over Dan. They decided they'd hold off on their final two games to end the season. In the ensuing 8 games Mike went 6-2. Good enough to clinch, right? Not so fast. Dan went 7-1 to cut Mike's lead to 1 game. If Dan could win the first game of the head-to-head showdown with Mike, it would all come down to the final game of the season to determine the pennant winner.

A little further south in the standings, John, Joe and Frank were battling for the third and final playoff spot. Before the season began, Joe predicted that all six teams would go 80-80. He was almost half right, as these three teams seemed poised to break even as they approached the end of the regular season. John and Joe both sat at 79-79, each with 2 games left against Frank. Frank was 72-78. 4 of his last 10 games remaining were against his rivals, so he could sneak into third place with a hot finish. Frank swept Joe, thus ending Joe's season at 79-81. For the first time in his Strato career, Joe would not be going to the postseason. As a matter of fact, this was his first time not finishing in first place. Frank then split with John, ending John's season an even 80-80. Now Frank was 75-79 with 6 games left. A 5-1 finish would put him in a tie with John.

Frank split two with Mike, eliminating any margin for error. He'd now need to sweep his final four to get to a one-game playoff against John. Frank's next two games were against Dan. If Frank could sweep, he'd have two games remaining against last-place Eugene. Frank beat Dan in the first of their final two games. One down, three to go. In the second game, Frank took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Dan's first two hitters made out. Then Davey Johnson drew a two-out walk and Dave Concepcion followed with a game-ending 2-run homerun. Frank's playoff hopes abruptly came to an end. John would be going to the playoffs.

All that was left was to determine who would finish in first and who would be going to the playoffs against John. The first 4 innings of Mike and Dan's showdown were scoreless. Then, in the top of 5th, disaster struck. Rod Carew, Mike's second baseman and most consistent hitter, got injured. With no backup second baseman on his roster, Mike replaced Carew with Bob Watson. Just halfway through a scoreless game and Mike would have to find a way to win with a second baseman whose fielding was off the chart. Mike managed to put a run across in the 6th inning. Then, in the top of the 7th, second baseman Bob Watson came up with a runner on base and two outs. Homerun. 3-0 lead for Mike. Dan chipped away, tallying a run in the bottom of the 7th, then another in the 8th. Going into the bottom of the 9th Mike held a 3-2 lead. A win would give him the pennant. A loss would mean a one-game winner take all finale. A finale where Mike would be without Carew. Dan had a runner on base with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. Pinch hitter Fran Healy came in to face Mike's closer, Fred Beene. Healy rolled a 5-8. Mike's heart sank as he read out "second base X." At first Dan didn't grasp the gravity of this situation. Then it hit him... he'd still have a chance if Watson couldn't field it cleanly. Dan picked a split card. 17. Mike looked at the chart and realized that, even with a 5 at second base, a 17 is an out. Game over. Regular season over. The Black Sox win the pennant.

It must be noted that, prior to the season, Louis analyzed each team and provided his predictions. The report he filed stated the following: "Mike's team is built for the long haul and should finish the season in first. Dan is second best. Frank, Joe and John will battle to the end. Eugene (sigh) should be studying players for next year's draft." Nostradamus ain't got nothing on Nostralouis. Maybe we didn't have to sit in front of our computers for 160 games. Maybe we could have just adhered to Louis's predictions and gone straight to the playoffs. But however we got there, the first postseason in Strato 2020 was set to begin.