REGIONAL #47:  The top seed in this group was the 2004 Yankees, who won 101 games and the AL East, and led the ALCS three games to none before getting beat four in a row by the wildcard Red Sox.  The ELO ranks picked the Yanks to take the finals against the Mariners, who had never won a regional, but other competition for the Yankees looked like it might arise from the winner of the Tigers/White Sox first round matchup.

In that first round matchup between the 2003 White Sox and the 1949 Tigers, the Sox score two quick runs in the bottom of the 1st on RBI from Maggio Ordonez and Carl Everett, but then Tiger starter Virgil Trucks settles in and the Tigers chip away against Esteban Loiaza to pull out a 4-2 win, Don Kolloway contributing two key RBI singles.   The top seeded 2004 Yankees get overconfident against the #8 seeded 1957 A’s and decide to also start Loiaza, recently acquired from those White Sox, and he manages to lose his second outing in a row, with the A’s pulling off the huge 5-4 upset behind two future Yankees, Ralph Terry with the start and Hector Lopez with a 2-run double in the 4th that gives the A’s the lead.  The 1968 Mets ride the arm of Tom Seaver, who tosses a 5-hit shutout to make short work of the 1978 Cubs, while the 1997 Mariners pour it on against the 1958 Pirates, with homers from Russ Davis and Paul Sorrento and two RBI from Ken Griffey Jr. leading the M’s to the easy 8-2 win.

In the semifinals, the 59-94 1957 A’s continue their improbable run, downing the 1949 Tigers and Hal Newhouser 4-2 on a Gus Zernial homer and a 2-run double from Vic Power, Ned Garver getting the win for KC.  The other game proves to be a see-saw battle between the 1968 Mets, still one year away from their miracle season, and the 1997 Mariners, with Jerry Koosman and Jamie Moyer getting the starts.  The Mets take a 1-0 lead on a solo HR by Ed Charles in the 2nd, but Paul Sorrento matches that to tie the game in the third;  the Mets push two across in the 4th but the M’s get one back in the bottom of the inning ad get another in the 7th to once again tie the game at 3-3.  In the top of the 9th, Moyer falls apart and a 2-run single from Bud Harrelson puts the Mets on top 5-3, but Griffey Jr. leads off the bottom of the 9th with a homer and a walk and an error brings up Edgar Martinez with the tying and winning run aboard.  Edgar delivers the clutch single and the Mariners walkoff with a 6-5 win.

That brings up a final between the #8 seed 1957 A’s and the #3 seed 1997 Mariners, a 90-win team that captured the AL West and were now favored to take the first regional for that franchise.   However, the A’s didn’t get this far for nothing, scoring three runs in the 1st and adding runs in the 2nd and 3rd to chase Seattle starter Jeff Fassero and the 5-1 lead.  However, the Mariners aren’t giving up, and a Griffey homer and a pair of RBI singles from Roberto Kelly ultimately narrow the KC lead to 6-5 after eight.  Zernial provides KC an insurance run in the top of the 9th, and it proves to be needed as another clutch hit from Edgar Martinez narrows the lead back to one, but Martinez gets stranded at second as A’s starter Jack Urban hangs on to clinch the 7-6 win for the A’s, giving them the bracket crown and the distinction of being the worst-ranked team thus far to win a regional.