REGIONAL #12:  The lone Old Timer team in this group, the 1962 Giants, looked to have an easy first round draw in facing the cross-bay 1979 A’s, who lost 108 games and had an ELO ranking placing them among the 100 worst teams of all time.  When Willie Mays drove in a run in the top of the 1st to give the Giants a quick 1-0 lead, it looks like it may be a long day for Oakland, but Rickey Henderson hits a 3-run homer in the 2nd and the A’s suddenly lead 4-1 against Mike McCormick.  A’s starter Dave Hamilton takes a 6-2 lead into the 9th, but he can’t get that last out as Felipe Alou homers and the Giants narrow the gap to 6-5.   The A’s call on closer Dave Heaverlo to try to get that last out, and he does so to earn the save and the A’s move on with a 6-5 win in a big upset.  The next game also featured an upset, as the AL East champ 1974 Orioles and Jim Palmer get cut down by Woodie Fryman and the 1968 Phillies by a 4-1 margin; Palmer only allows 4 hits, but they are all in the 4th inning and two key Baltimore errors lead to two unearned runs.  A favorite finally wins when the 1956 Red Sox dispose of the 1974 Padres 6-1, with Randy Jones out of control allowing four runs in the first inning while only surrendering one hit accompanied by five walks.  Finally, in the battle of Atlanta, the NL West winning 1969 Braves best the 1975 Braves by a 6-2 margin, with Pat Jarvis recording the win and Orlando Cepeda nailing a three-run homer. 

The two upset winners from the first round, the 1979 A’s and the 1968 Phillies, engage in a heated battle in the first semifinal game.  The Phils take a 3-1 lead against Mike Norris into the 9th, but reliever Gary Wagner can’t stave off an A’s rally and Oakland ties it to force the game into extra innings.  The game proceeds into the 13th, and the Phillies have to press their #1 starter, Chris Short, into relief service to try to keep the A’s from advancing.  Finally, in the bottom of the inning the Phils get a runner in scoring position, and backup 1B Rick Joseph, sporting a .219 average, slaps a walk-off single with send the Phillies into the final with a 4-3 13-inning win.   In the second semifinal, the 1969 Braves jump out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st against the 1956 Red Sox, courtesy of a 3-run blast by Hammering Hank, and Phil Niekro cruises from there to the 4-2 win.

If you can't beat him, acquire him in 1976

That sets up a final matchup between the #4 seeded 1969 Braves and the #5 seed 1968 Phillies, and it’s no contest as Atlanta’s Ron Reed tosses a 4-hit shutout and Aaron drives in a couple more runs as the Braves take the regional with a 4-0 win.  Atlanta awards the regional MVP collectively to their starting rotation, as they only allow 4 runs in the 3 games enabling players like Cepeda and Aaron to easily outscore the opposition.  With the 1968 Braves having won Regional #8, this establishes the first mini-dynasty of the tournament, the Braves of the late 60’s.  Given the constant upsets and unpredictable nature of these regionals, it is interesting that this wouldn’t be the last of these mini-dynasties, with some teams having stretches of years where they just seem to have the requisite combination of talent, luck, and pluck that makes them hard to beat.