REGIONAL #27:  The big story for the draw in this regional was the potential for a final matchup between two of the consensus greatest teams of all time, the Big Red Machine 1976 Reds and the M&M boys 1961 Yankees.  Not since Regional #1 had two teams ranked in the top 50 been drawn for the same bracket, and their path to the finals looked manageable, as there were really only two other decent teams in the bracket, the ‘78 Brewers and the ‘81 Expos, coupled with some mediocre to terrible (Cubs and Padres, we’re looking at you) entries.  

The 1978 Brewers entered their first round game as a favorite over the 1982 Pirates, and they took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th inning until a walk and a Lee Lacy double ties things up, a situation that remains through 9 innings.  In the 10th, it’s down to a battle of the bullpens and the Bucs’ Rod Scurry prevails over the Brewers’ Bill Castro when the latter allows three hits in the bottom of the 10th, including a Jason Thompson RBI single that gives Pittsburgh the 4-3 walk-off win.  The top-seeded 1976 Reds get a rude awakening from the 1961 Cubs in the top of the first as the Cubs take a 4-0 lead, fueled by an Ernie Banks bases loaded double, and chase Reds starter Jack Billingham before he manages to record a single out.  However, Cubs starter Don Cardwell isn’t treated any better, and he leaves in the 3rd inning with the Reds having pummeled him to take a 9-5 lead.  From there, the Reds coast behind long reliever Pedro Borbon to an 11-7 win.  Runs are a lot harder to come by in the game between the 1981 Expos and the 1975 Padres, with an RBI single from Terry Francona providing the lone run of the game, all that is needed by Charley Lea who tosses a 2-hitter in the 1-0 win.  Finally, the highly anticipated finals between the Reds and the 1961 Yankees runs into a stumbling block in the form of the 90-loss 1971 Expos; the Yanks take a 3-0 in the 3rd with a big double from Mantle, but the Expos retaliate against Rollie Sheldon in the 5th with a 5-run inning led by Boots Day’s 2-run homer.  A three run shot by Yogi Berra in the 6th and the Yanks take back a 6-5 lead, but Rusty Staub ties the game in the 7th, and in the 9th Ron Fairly hits a run-scoring double against NY closer Luis Arroyo and the Expos come away with the upset 7-6 win.  I have to say that the 1961 Yankees have simply not fared well in my various projects, and this first round elimination is no exception.

The semifinal game for the 1976 Reds against the 1982 Pirates begins in a similar fashion to the Reds first round match; Jason Thompson hits a 3-run homer and the Pirates jump to a 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st.  Then, the cogs in the Big Red Machine start grinding:  two runs in the 2nd, four in the 3rd, another four in the 4th, three more in the 5, and another three in the 6ths, and when the smoke clears the Reds smash their way to a 16-7 victory.  Bob Bailey hits two homers for the Reds, and Dave Parker, Pete Rose, and Joe Morgan each contribute one of their own.  They thus move to the finals to take on the winner of the all-Montreal semifinal between the 1981 Expos and the 1971 Expos.  And, who should be the offensive force of the game but the same Bob Bailey as in the previous semifinal, as 1971 Bob hits a 3-run homer in the 2nd and the 1981 squad can’t get on the board until it’s too late in the 9th as the upstart 1971 team takes its second upset in a row with a 6-1 win.

Thus, the finals are a David vs. Goliath match between the #1 seed 1976 Reds and the #6 seed 1971 Expos, who had already knocked off a few giants in previous rounds.  The Reds score a quick run in the top of the 1st on an error followed by a Bob Bailey single, but the Expos and Ron Fairly get the run back in the bottom of the inning.  Bailey and Tony Perez drive in runs in the 5th and the Reds move out in front 3-1, but once again l’Expos counter with an RBI single from Boots Day and a 2-run double from Fairly and the Expos are on top 4-3, and they push the lead to 5-3 in the 6th when their Bob Bailey hits a solo HR.  However, the Reds prove to just be too much, with Perez, Bench, Rose and Geronimo all providing timely hits that put up two in the 7th and another 2 in the 8th, and Rawly Eastwick comes in to lock down the 7-5 win over the persistent Expos.  The Reds thus triumph to become the third, and arguably the best, Cincinnati team from the 70’s to take a regional.