REGIONAL #38:  No pennant winners or great teams in this bracket, although the ‘78 Orioles would take the AL in the following season.  However, the top ELO rank belonged to the 1956 Tigers, who were favored over the Orioles in the final, with a couple of decent Astros and Braves teams that could make some noise.   Also occupying some space were two apparently terrible teams from the Phillies and the recently expanded Mariners, both being huge long shots to get anywhere in the regional.  

One of those longshots, the 1930 Phillies, made a predictably rapid exit at the hands of the 1972 Astros, with homers from Doug Rader and DH Norm Miller in support of Jerry Reuss leading Houston to the 4-2 win.  The 1978 Orioles looked impressive behind Jim Palmer, downing the 1972 Yankees 7-2, with six different O’s contributing run-scoring hits.  The 1974 Braves ended up victimized by the other longshot in the tournament, the 1979 Mariners, as the Braves moved out to an early lead on a Hank Aaron solo homer but the Mariners tied it at two apiece in the 7th, and an RBI single from Bruce Bochte in the 8th chases Ron Reed and gives the M’s a 3-2 win.  Finally, the #1 seeded 1956 Tigers don’t last long, as Greg Luzinski and Wayne Nordhagen lead the 1981 White Sox to the 5-4 win, with Britt Burns managing to hang on and toss a complete game despite getting roughed up in the 9th.  

In the semifinals, the 1972 Astros stake Don Wilson to a 9-0 lead after two innings as homers from Wynn, Rader, and Miller lead the charge, sending 1978 Orioles starter Scott McGregor to an early shower and enabling Houston to coast to a 12-6 win.   The other game goes similarly, with the 1981 White Sox jumping out to an early lead against the underdog 1979 Mariners, and two homers and 5 RBI from Greg Luzinski doom Seattle to a 10-3 loss.

That sets up a final between the #4 seed 1972 Astros and the #6 seed 1981 White Sox, Larry Dierker against Dennis Lamp on the mound.  Timely hits from Wynn and Cesar Cedeno in the early innings chase Lamp by the 3rd, as he exits with the Astros leading 5-0.   The Sox then begin to chip away, with a Bernazard RBI single in the 4th, an RBI double for Chet Lemon in the 5th, and a solo homer from Carlton Fisk in the 7th bringing the Sox within striking distance.   But Dierker hangs on, ending with a 5-hit complete game and the Astros take the second regional crown for the franchise, hanging on for the 5-3 win.