REGIONAL #14:  There were two pennant winners in this grouping, the 1960 Pirates and the 1973 Mets, but according to the ELO rankings the best team in the bracket was the 1972 Pirates, who won the NL East but lost to the Reds in the NLCS.  At the other extreme was the 102-loss 1978 Blue Jays, ranked among the 100 worst teams of all time and not generating much betting action in Vegas.  Instead, the ELO money was on an all-Pirate finals, which would assure the first regional win for a Pittsburgh team.

In round one, the 1979 Padres disposed of the 1979 Indians 7-3, coming from behind with a big 8th inning headed by Dave Winfield’s 3-run homer and a complete game victory from Randy Jones.  However, the 1978 Padres did not fare as well, losing to the favored 1972 Pirates 4-3, with a Vic Davalillo RBI single in the 9th pushing the Bucs ahead after Winfield had tied the game in the 8th with a 2-run shot.  The 1973 Mets may have been a pennant winner, but they only won 82 games and their limitations showed as the #8 seed 1978 Blue Jays defeated them 5-4 with a three-run 8th inning where a 2-run double by Roy Howell sent Jon Matlack to the showers and put the Jays up for good.  Finally, the other pennant winner in this regional, the 1960 Pirates, did live up to their billing unlike the Mets, putting 6 runs up on Ed Figueroa in the second inning–including a 3-run Bill Virdon homer–and they coast to a 9-3 win over the 1975 Angels.

The semifinal between the 1979 Padres and the 1972 Pirates proves to be a duel between Eric Rasmussen and Bruce Kison, with the game scoreless through seven innings.  Pirate defensive lapses set up a 2-run double by Bill Fahey in the 8th, and that is all Rasmussen needs as the Padres upset the ELO regional favorites 3-1 to gain a berth in the finals.  The other semi is also a duel, with the 1960 Pirates and the upstart 1978 Blue Jays tied 1-1 after 9.   Both teams then turn the game over to their bullpens, and things don’t go so well for Toronto closer Victor Cruz, who gives up a 2-run homer to Roberto Clemente in the bottom of the 10th for a walk-off 3-1 win for the Pirates.

The finals between the 1960 Pirates and 1979 Padres might have seemed lopsided, but it proves to be an epic struggle.  The Pirates jump out to an early 4-0 lead with key hits from Clemente and Virdon and it looks like the Padres’ run of upsets will be coming to a close.  However, they rally for two in both the 7th and the 8th, including a 2-run Winfield homer, and the score is knotted 4-4 after nine innings.  Both starters, Bob Friend and Gaylord Perry, are determined to see things through, but in the bottom of the 11th Dick Groat slaps a single past a drawn-in infield for the second straight extra-inning walk-off win for the Pirates and the first regional win for the franchise.