It was simply the Reds' year. Lou Piniella's club would win the world championship in wire-to-wire fashion, developing more and more swagger along the way, epitomized by "The Nasty Boys" bullpen featuring Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble and Randy Myers.

But Jim Leyland's Pirates were a maturing club ready for the main act, led by a big-hitting outfield of Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla -- a trio that also constituted the middle of the order. It was an entertaining series, one that began when Cincinnati scored three runs in the first inning at home and then saw Pittsburgh rally for a 4-3 win to take back home-field advantage.

The Reds won the next three games. By the end of Game 4, Dibble had pitched in each game, throwing five innings with no hits allowed and 10 strikeouts. Doug Drabek would win the NL Cy Young Award with a 22-6 record and 2.76 ERA during the regular season for Pittsburgh, and he got the win in Game 5 as Bob Patterson pitched the ninth for a save. But back in Cincinnati for Game 6 -- as Leyland tried to be creative by starting setup man Ted Powers -- Danny Jackson, Charlton and Myers combined for a classic one-hitter to clinch the pennant. It was Cincinnati's first since the Big Red Machine days of 1976.

Bonds, Van Slyke and Bonilla were a combined 12-for-63 (.190) in the series, and they would be a combined 15-for-75 (.200) the following year against the Braves. It was definitely not the postseason formula that Leyland had in mind, but that is the trend that emerged.

Path to the NLCS: Cincinnati (91-71) won the NL West by five games; Pittsburgh (95-67) won the NL East by four games?

Managers: Lou Piniella, CIN; Jim Leyland, PIT

MVP: Rob Dibble