REGIONAL #55:  My next group is a "who are these guys?" set--eight teams that I'm not very familiar with. That's the nice thing about this project--I get a chance to learn more about a wide range of baseball history, and it forces me to actually PLAY these teams that otherwise might just get purchased and then sit in my card catalogs.

 

 

And round 1 is in the books. The 1941 Browns take 10 innings to upset the 1950 Tigers, 7-6; Andre Dawson hits a walk-off 3-run shot in the 11th and the 1990 Cubs best the anemic 1963 Astros (then known as the Colt 45s) 9-6; the 2001 Indians maul the 1920 Tigers 12-3 behind 2 Ellis Burks homers, Sabathia taking a 2-hitter into the 9th and retiring a cursing Ty Cobb to end a rally and the game; and one of the 3 Tigers teams in this regional finally wins one, with the 1957 Tigers topping a bad 1965 Angels team 6-3, Reno Bertoia driving in three.

 

In the regional semifinals, the 1990 Cubs ride homers by Villanueva (pronounced Villanova in Harry Caray-ese) and Walton to beat the 1941 Browns 4-1, while the 1957 Tigers upset the 2001 Indians 7-1, blowing the game open in the 2nd inning thanks to two big Jim Thome errors--Foytack tossing a nifty 5-hitter. That sets the stage for a finals matchup between the 77-win Cubs and 78-win Tigers...neither exactly a dynasty in the making.

 And the winner of this regional: the 1990 Cubs, who eliminate the 1957 Tigers 7-4, although the Tigers made a game of it after falling into a 5-0 hole in the 3rd. The regional MVP was Cubs CF Jerome Walton, who drove in runs in all three games from the leadoff position and made several clutch defensive plays. One thing the Tigers and Cubs had in common in this regional, aside from both being fairly mediocre teams in real life: neither of their best hitters, Sandberg or Kaline, made much of a contribution in any of the games. The Cubs may have a rough time when they start sectional play, as trying to find a #4 starter on that staff could be challenging. However, given that I am a White Sox fan, the Cubs always play over their heads in this tournament just to torture me!