REGIONAL #19:  This bracket had two pennant winners from the Old Timer series, the 1941 Dodgers and the 1933 Giants, plus there was an entry from the Big Red Machine a season after their 1970 pennant.    Also of special interest from the Old Timer series:  the 1962 Mets, ranked as the 3rd worst team of all time according to the ELO numbers.   Those numbers predicted a final between the two pennant winners, with the ‘41 Dodgers forecast to come out on top.

The dreaded 1962 Mets drew the 1979 Brewers, a good 95-win team that came in second in the AL East, and the result was as expected, with the Brew Crew trouncing the Mets 8-1.  Ben Oglivie hit two two-run homers, and Jim Slaton held the Mets to four hits, carrying a shutout into the bottom of the 9th that was broken up by a Gene Woodling RBI single.   However, the result of the next game was not as expected, with the 1980 Red Sox upsetting the 1933 Giants in a comeback win.  Boston began the 8th inning down 2-0 but DH Dave Rader hits a 2-run double in the 8th to tie it, and a Rick Burleson RBI single in the top of the 9th provides the winning margin for the 3-2 victory.  For the 1971 Reds, Gary Nolan had it going on all cylinders tossing a 4-hit shutout of the 1975 Tigers, with homers by Tony Perez, Pete Rose and Lee May powering a 5-0 win.  Finally, the regional favorite 1941 Dodgers goes down in the last game of the first round as Davey Lopes nails a 9th inning walk-off RBI single off Kirby Higbe to break a 3-3 tie and give the 1979 Dodgers a trip to the semifinals.

As is becoming a tradition in the tournament, the semifinal games are tightly contested.  The 1980 Red Sox enter the bottom of the 9th trailing the 1979 Brewers by a run and Milwaukee summons closer Bill Castro to finish things out, but that doesn’t go as planned; Jerry Remy and Dave Rader contribute RBI singles, Rader’s being the walk-off game winner, and the Red Sox make the finals with a 5-4 win, although Carlton Fisk is lost to injury.  They will face the 1971 Reds, who bested the 1979 Dodgers 4-3 behind Don Gullett.  Lee May exits the game for the Reds with an injury, but it is thought that he will be available for the final.  

The final between the 1971 Reds and the 1980 Red Sox proves to be rather one-sided, as George Foster and Lee May both contribute 2-run doubles and starter Jim McGlothlin is in good form, leading the Reds to a 6-2 victory and the second regional win for Reds teams from the 70s.  Although the Reds won the NL pennant in both 1970 and 1972, these 1971 Reds only managed a 79-83 record, but their performance in this regional demonstrates that they were still a force to be reckoned with, and still deserving of the Big Red Machine moniker.