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Week 14; New York Claims Western Pennant; Sicily Wins Play-In as Postseason Field Is Set Wednesday, August 27th , 1958 The 1958 regular season has come to a close, with New York and Iceland claiming their respective division crowns. Mobile secured a postseason berth, while Sicily completed a remarkable late-season comeback, defeating Providence in a decisive play-in game to claim the final playoff spot. With the pennant races settled, attention now turns to the Atlantic Series championship. New York finished the campaign with a splendid 5-1 week, improving to 52-32 and capturing the Western Division by four games. Rookie Joe Rogers emerged as one of the league's finest pitchers, finishing with a 2.23 ERA, while Jack Jacobs provided steady leadership throughout the summer. The Skyliners now advance directly to the Atlantic Series, seeking their third championship in franchise history. Mobile went 2-4 to finish 48-36, surrendering its hopes of overtaking New York but comfortably securing a wild-card berth. The Monsters will face Sicily in the opening round, with Jessie Blackwell's 17 saves and Jamie McIntyre's .314 batting average providing reasons for optimism. Providence went 5-1 to finish 45-39, but its season ended in heartbreak with a play-in defeat against Sicily. Seon-jong Kim finished with 15 victories, while Stephen Anderson led the league with 113 strikeouts. Newfoundland went 3-3 to finish 38-46, ending its inaugural campaign in fourth place. Los Angeles enjoyed a 3-3 week to close at 31-53, winning its final three games but finishing with the league's poorest record. The Stars' disappointing season marks a sharp decline for a club that once regularly challenged for the pennant. Across the Atlantic, Iceland went 1-5 to finish 49-35, having already clinched its third Eastern Division title. Huibert van Duren captured the TOBA batting crown with a .335 average, adding 15 home runs and a league-leading 70 RBIs. Kjeld Penders finished with 19 home runs, while the Aurora now await the winner of the wild-card series in the semifinals. Sicily went 5-1 to finish 46-38, completing a remarkable second-half resurgence. Salvatorio Tartaglia finished tied for the league lead with 20 home runs, while Pippo Ammanati collected 14 victories. The Mafia also received a magnificent performance from Raymond Finiguerra, who shut out Iceland 4-0 on three hits. Their play-in victory over Providence secured a meeting with Mobile in the wild-card round. Lisbon suffered a disastrous 0-6 week, falling to 40-44 and missing the postseason despite Aaron Williams' outstanding 2.27 ERA. Paris went 4-2 to finish 39-45, with Romain Larue sharing the home run crown at 20. Berlin went 3-3 to close at 33-51, though Semi Vidovic provided a bright spot by capturing the league's ERA title at 2.12. The postseason now opens with Mobile facing Sicily in a best-of-three wild-card series. Iceland awaits the winner in the best-of-five semifinals, while New York has already secured its place in the best-of-seven Atlantic Series. Four clubs remain, and the battle for baseball's greatest prize is about to begin. Week 14 Records: New York 5-1; Providence 5-1; Sicily 5-1; Paris 4-2; Newfoundland 3-3; Los Angeles 3-3; Berlin 3-3; Mobile 2-4; Iceland 1-5; Lisbon 0-6. |
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