REGIONAL 50: Here is my next "regional" in my endless single elimination madness tournament of every Strat team I own. Some interesting matchups--one world champion, three 90 win teams including the runner-up to the 27 Yanks (stocked with many HOF players like Jimmie Foxx and Ty Cobb), three horrible 50 win teams, and one mediocre squad. I'm expected it to resolve to a match between the 84 Tigers and the 27 A's, but the winner of the crosstown Sox-Cubs game might have a shot at an upset.

In round 1, the 1984 Tigers dispose of 1973 SD 8 to 3, although the game was tight until a 3 run HR by Lance Parrish in the 9th. Tigers have all-1 up the middle defense (particularly impressive because I'm playing the basic game), but the Padres kept finding defensive weaknesses at the corners in HoJo and Darrell Evans.  Then it's the 1965 White Sox over crosstown rivals 1998 Cubs 7-3, led by a 3-run HR by Skowron in the 5th. Eddie Fisher strikes out 66-HR man Sammy Sosa to end the game. Mediocre 1961 Indians over terrible 1949 Browns 7-6 in a seesaw battle. Bubba Phillips draws a bases-loaded walk off Tom Ferrick in the 9th for the go-ahead run. Indians catcher John Romano homers for the second game in a row, as he also hit a solo shot for the 65 Sox in the previous game! Wrapping up round 1, 1927 A's breeze past 1956 A's 11-4. The '27 team had a remarkable 7 HOF players carded, and a HOF manager in Mack; the '56 team had one HOF player, a truly dreadful reliever named Tommy Lasorda. Lefty Grove gets the CG win, although Gus Zernial gave him some problems, with a HR and 3 RBI for the '56 version.

It's time for the regional semifinals, after no real surprises in the first round. Three teams with at least 90 wins survive....and then there's the '61 Indians. The World Champion '84 Tigers and their spectacular up-the-middle defense face the 95-win 1965 White Sox, who have an outstanding pitching staff and sneaky power from top to bottom of the lineup. Meanwhile, the Indians have to face the 1927 A's, the AL runner-up to perhaps the greatest team of all time. The Indians will try to match the A's seven HOFers with a lineup fronted by the likes of Tito Francona and Jimmy Piersall--not a promising matchup on paper, but anything can happen. Just ask the '27 Yankees, who lost in their regional finals to the 1982 Braves, 4-1!

In the semifinals, the '84 Tigers prevail in a close one over the 1965 White Sox, 3-1. The Tigers take a lead in the 5th with a Herndon solo HR, but the Sox tie it in the 8th with a sac fly from Floyd Robinson, off Willie Hernandez in relief of Petry. However, Hoyt Wilhelm fails to keep the game tied, allowing a 2 run HR to Howard Johnson in the top of the 9th. The Sox load the bases in the 9th but Hernandez finally buckles down, and Herndon chases down a Cater FLY X to record the final out.

For the other semifinal, seven Hall of Famers can't offset bad luck as the 1961 Indians send the 1927 A's back to storage, 4-0. The A's outhit Cleveland 7-5 but Barry Latman manages to get the clutch outs all game, striking out Al Simmons with the bases loaded in the 3rd. The A's weren't helped by injuries to Jimmie Foxx and starter Rube Walberg, or by Cleveland HRs from Francona, Essegian, and Vic Power. The plucky Indians go on to face the formidable Tigers in the regional final. Oh, interesting trivia on this game: '27 A's first baseman Jimmy Dykes was the manager for the '61 Indians!

And the winner of the regional is.....the 1961 Indians! The top seeded 1984 Tigers jump to a 4-0 lead after 2 and it looks like it's going to be a rout. However, Cleveland starter Gary Bell settles down and pitches 7 shutout innings with just 4 hits. Meanwhile, Milt Wilcox, who had been cruising with a 2 hit shutout, falls apart in the 7th, and Aurelio Lopez comes in to preserve a one-run lead. However, in the 8th Lopez blows it, allowing a 2 run homer to Willie Kirkland off Lopez' card, and the '61 Indians pull off yet another upset, 5-4, to claim the regional....despite being the 5th best team among the 8 according to the ELO ranks.