REGIONAL #53:  Here's how the next "regional" in my endless single elimination tournament has shaped up going into the finals. Highlights have included 2016 Orioles' Chris Tillman easily outpitching Tom Seaver and the 1976 Mets; 1987 Pirates Doug Drabek shutting out the sorry swan song of the Mantle/Maris era 1966 Yankees; and injury replacement Caleb Joseph and his .174 batting average pulling off a successful squeeze play to "squeeze" the 2016 Orioles past the 1911 Reds 1-0 in the semifinals, relief ace Zack Britton getting the win in relief. The two surviving teams are interesting ones: The entire starting lineup for the 89-win Orioles has an "E" stealing rating (not sure I remember seeing that before), while the Bonds/Bonilla-led Pirates handled the regional favorite 1999 Reds in the semifinals and seem to me like a better team than their 80-82 record would indicate.

And it is the 2016 Orioles, seeded 2nd in this group, who prevail in a tight 3-2 win over the #6 seed 1987 Pirates. Kevin Gausman makes a solid effort for a 3rd straight shutout, but allows 2 runs on a Van Slyke triple in the 8th. A homer by Schoop is the biggest factor for the Orioles. Notes: this was the first regional win for any Orioles/Browns team, with many more storied versions of this franchise failing to make it this far.