Oh, Canada! (1994 No Expansion OOTP Update)

My Atlanta Braves injury woes kept mounting as we lost Jeff Blauser to a fractured elbow in Game 1 of the 1994 National League Championship Series against the Montreal Expos. We can't seem to get over that hump and win the World Series. We came close on a couple occasions, losing close World Series to the Minnesota Twins in 1991 & 1992, while we have got knocked out of the NLCS two years straight by the Montreal Expos (The Braves and Expos played for the 3rd consecutive year in the NLCS from 1992-1994).

The Toronto Blue Jays edged the Oakland Athletics to make it an all-Canadian World Series between them and the Expos.

Before moving onto that, a little brief info on Oakland...

The Oakland Athletics' franchise has stayed strong (compared to their real-life counterparts) while Jose Canseco (.283, 38 HR & 136 RBI) and Mark McGwire (.261, 40 HR & 101 RBI) have stayed healthy. The team also had a strong rotation in Kevin Brown, Bob Tewksbury, Mark Langston & Terry Mulholland. It will be interesting to see what happens with them moving forward as Rickey Henderson & Bob Tewksbury have both filed for free agency.

The Montreal Expos repeat as World Champions, as they defeat the Jays, 4-1 (Montreal won it in 1992 over Oakland); Montreal has won two now, while Toronto is still looking to win their first... Toronto's luck is just as bad as the Braves right now.

Eric Karros was a post-season beast for the Expos, while winning the Most Valuable Player Award in both the National League Championship Series & World Series.

Off-Season Awards News....

• Erik Hanson (SEA) wins the A.L. Cy Young Award, with 24*-5 record, 3.08* ERA, 160 K & 1.16 WHIP in 254.1 IP; Hanson is currently a free agent & will likely see big offers.

• Greg Maddux (ATL) wins his 1st N.L. Cy Young Award with 18-6 record, 3.42 ERA, 203 K & 1.12 WHIP in 242.1 IP.

• Bret Saberhagen (MTL) was the runner-up to the N.L. Cy Young Award, while being my choice on the ballot for the award... 19-9 record, 2.99 ERA, 178 K & 1.05 WHIP in 264.2* IP.

• John Olerud (TOR) won the A.L. Most Valuable Player Award, batting .350 with 27 HR & 114 RBI to go along with 210 hits & 137 runs. Olerud's on-base percentage was an incredible .471, while he sported a 1.055 OPS.

• As predicted, Larry Walker won the N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, batting .338 with 41 RBI & 118 RBI, he also had 208 hits & 135 runs. The Expos' bid for a three-peat all hinge on whether or not, Walker resigns with them, he's an unrestricted free agent, and will likely haul in a lot of money. This was Walker's 2nd MVP Award, winning his first in 1992.

• Top Rookies: SS Kevin Stocker (CLE) wins the A.L. rookie crown, while 2B Adam Riggs (SF) wins the N.L. award.

• Cito Gaston (TOR) and Tom Runnells (MTL) wins the Manager-of-the-Year Awards. Gaston has won the A.L. award back-to-back now, while Runnells has won the N.L. award for three straight seasons now (1992-1994).

Off-Season transactions to come next...