REGIONAL #45:  The top ranked outfit in this batch was the 1993 Braves, who won 104 games but were upset in the NLCS to deny them a pennant.  Interestingly, the lone pennant winner in the bunch, the 1996 Yankees, were only the #3 seed here, but they not only won the AL but beat a similar Braves team in the Series.  Holding down the #2 seed was a Reds team at the end of the Big Red Machine days, and along with them there were pairs of teams from the Royals and the Cardinals who were both matched against each other in the first round.

In the Battle Royal, the 1984 Royals defeat the 1970 Royals 3-1 as RBI singles from Frank White and Steve Balboni put the ‘84s up to stay in the 3rd.  The ‘70s threaten in the 8th, pushing up three singles to load the bases and send Mark Gubicza to the showers, but Dan Quisenberry comes in to shut things down and preserve the win.  The 1977 Reds jump on Andy Pettite to stake Tom Seaver to a 5-0 lead after three innings, and that’s all Tom Terrific needs to coast to a 5-2 win over the 1996 Yankees.  The Battle of the 90s Cards goes to the 1990 Cardinals, as Bob Tewksbury tosses a 5-hitter against his 1995 Cardinals brethren with Lee Smith coming on to lock down the 9th in a 3-1 win.  Finally, the 1981 Indians make short work of the regional favorite, the 1993 Braves, as Miguel Dilone homers and Cleveland chases John Smoltz in the 4th inning en route to a 6-1 win.

In the semifinals, the 1977 Reds see their Machine ground to a halt in front of Bud Black, who twirls a 5-hit shutout and homers by Willie Wilson, Steve Balboni, and Darryl Motley rock Paul Moskau as the underdog 1984 Royals push on to the finals with a 5-0 win.  In the other semifinal, Pedro Guerrero hits two homers and the 1990 Cardinals jump out to a 7-3 lead over the 1981 Indians, but Cleveland fights back and Omar Oliveres has to hang on to finish out a 9-7 win for the Cards.

The final game is thus between the #4 seed 1984 Royals and the #6 seed 1990 Cardinals, with both teams having reserved strong pitchers for the game:  Bret Saberhagen against John Tudor.   Both starters are sharp, and the game is a scoreless tie until Willie Wilson singles in a run in the 5th to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.  Bye-Bye Balboni follows with a 2-run homer in the 6th, and that’s all Saberhagen needs as he completes a 6-hit shutout to give the Royals the 3-0 and the regional crown.  With two homers and six RBI in the three games, Balboni is named regional MVP for the Royals, who may have only gone 84-78 but did win the AL West, only to be swept in the ALCS.