REGIONAL #15:  This was perhaps the most talent-packed grouping in the history of the tournament, with FOUR pennant winners and a 5th team, the 1965 Giants, that finished two games out of a pennant.  Six of the eight teams were ELO ranked among the top 999 of all time, with two of them–the 1935 Cubs and the 1969 Orioles–ranked among the top 60.  Those two teams were predicted to face each other in the finals, with the Orioles slight favorites over the Cubs to take the regional.

Two of the pennant winners in the bracket hooked up in the first round, with the 1935 Cubs and Lon Warneke matched against the 1965 Twins and Camilo Pascual.  Both pitchers are sharp, and scoring runs will be a struggle, but in the 5th Pascual makes his one mistake of the game–a home run ball to Frank Demaree that provides the margin for a 1-0 Cubs win, with both pitchers tossing 6-hit complete games.  A third pennant winner, the 1957 Braves, get pushed by the 1981 Rangers, with a three-run homer in the 5th by Joe Adcock helping Milwaukee overcome a 3-2 deficit, and Gene Conley is able to hang on from there for a 6-5 win.  In a game matching one of the best and one of the worst teams from the same season, the 1969 Orioles have a heck of a time putting down the 1969 Pilots, with the game going to extra inning but ending with a walk-off RBI single from Don Buford–Eddie Watt earning the win in relief.  Finally, for all of the big guns on the 1965 Giants, it’s little guys like Jim Ray Hart and Tom Haller that provide the winning margin and relief ace Frank Linzy earns the save in their 3-2 win over the 1971 Red Sox.  

In round 2, Hank Aaron hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th against Bill Lee to break a 1-1 tie and send the 1957 Braves to the finals with a 5-1 win over the 1935 Cubs.   The Cubs had tied the game in the top of the inning on a Billy Herman homer that chased Warren Spahn, but Don McMahon came in to lock down the Cubs and earn the win.  The other semifinal matched Jim Palmer and the 1969 Orioles against Juan Marichal and the 1965 Giants, but the promise of a pitching duel ends in the 3rd when Jim Ray Hart belts a grand slam and the Giants coast to a 6-0 win.  Marichal allows only 4 hits in the shutout victory.

That brings up a final between two very good squads, the 1957 Braves and the 1965 Giants, with a pitching matchup of Bobs, Buhl for the Braves and Shaw for the Giants.  Once again, it is a late inning explosion for the Braves that blows open a 2-2 tie with Del Rice, Andy Pafko, and Joe Adcock all contributing key hits in a four-run 7th inning and the Braves waltz to a 6-2 win and the regional title.  This is the third regional win for the Braves (with the other two coming from Atlanta-based teams), putting them on top as the most successful franchise at this point.  Adcock and Aaron share MVP honors, each putting up a game winning homer and 5 RBI across the three games.