REGIONAL #49:  According to the ELO ranks, the top team in this group was the ‘63 Twins who were a couple of years from winning an AL pennant after decades of futility as the Senators.  Among their competition was an Orioles team who similarly had reached respectability after transitioning from the hapless Browns.   Finally, there were two Dodgers teams that were only two years apart that would face each other in the first round; although neither of those teams were pennant winners, they did capture the NL in the season between the two entries here.  Despite the good rankings of these four teams, it turned out that the victors would instead emerge from a much more unlikely seed.

The 1957 Giants took a quick lead in the bottom of the 1st on a 2-run homer by Hank Sauer to give Ruben Gomez the lead, and although the 1954 Red Sox managed to the game in the top of the 7th, a Don Mueller RBI single provided the difference as the Giants survived the 4-3 win.  The sibling rivalry game between the 1980 Dodgers and the 1982 Dodgers turned out to hinge on Fernandomania, as Valenzuela tossed a 6-hitter for the 6-2 win for the 1982 squad, with the only 1980 runs both coming on Dusty Baker solo homers.  The 1963 Twins broke open a tie with the 1972 Indians in the top of the 9th with a 2-run Harmon Killebrew homer to escape with a 4-2 win.   Finally, the 1993 Mets managed to squeak past the 1961 Orioles for the 3-2 upset, Todd Hundley’s 2-run double in the 5th putting the Mets ahead to stay.

In the first semifinal, the 1957 Giants jump to a 6-0 lead over the 1982 Dodgers after two innings courtesy of homers from Willie Mays and Valmy Thomas, but the Dodgers fight back to narrow the lead to 6-4 before the Giants drive Jerry Reuss to the showers en route to an 8-5 win, Antonelli recording the win.   In the other semi, the 1993 Mets continue their upset ways as they ride homers from Jeff Kent and DH Jeromy Burnitz to down the 1963 Twins 6-1, with Sid Fernandez tossing a 4-hitter, a Killebrew solo HR being the only real flaw in the gem.  

Thus, the 103-loss #8 seeded 1993 Mets make the finals to face the #6 seed 1957 Giants, with both teams playing well over their ranking in the tournament thus far.   The Giants take a lead in the top of the 1st on a Ray Jablonski solo homer, but Eddie Murray singles home a run in the bottom of the inning to tie it up.  Danny O’Connell adds another solo shot for the Giants in the 3rd, but that lead only lasts until Mets SS Tim Bogar finds a HR result on Stu Miller’s card for a 3-run blast.  From there, Mets starter Bret Saberhagen exerts control and the longshot Mets win the regional as the #8 seed, becoming the second straight lightly-regarded 1993 team to do so.