SUPER-REGIONAL D:   This grouping of eight regional winners was played out several years ago, and represented the survivors of a fourth 64 team bracket matching regional winners #25 through #32.  These 64 teams included some of the most storied squads in history, including the 1961 M&M boys Yankees, the record-setting winning 1954 Indians, the Charlie Finley A’s, a couple of Koufax-era Dodgers pennant winners, the Big Red Machine, the Whiz Kids, Walter Johnson’s Senators, and the Boys of Summer Brooklynites.  In total, there were 17 different pennant-winners among the initial teams, tying it with Super-Regional B for the most loaded group of 64 thus far.  Three of those legendary teams remain alive at the beginning of super-regional D:  the 111-win 1954 Indians, the infamous 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Big Red Machine of 1976.   In addition, there were three teams that came oh-so-close:  the 1969 Cubs who collapsed to give the Mets their first pennant, the 1976 Royals who just couldn’t ever get past the ALCS, and the 1978 Red Sox, who ran into Bucky Dent at the end of the season.    Again, the first round of the super-regional is the 4th game for these teams, meaning that these teams are having to go deep into their rotations for a #4 starter. The ELO ranks of the 8 remaining teams forecasts the Red Machine as a slight favorite over the ‘54 Indians in the finals, but indicate that all six of the aforementioned teams have a reasonable shot, with entries from the Cards and the Senators looking like longshots.

Round Four

The 93-loss 1978 Cardinals entered their round four game against the 1969 Cubs as underdogs, but they had defeated three straight top 500 teams to get this far and weren’t intimidated, as demonstrated by a Jerry Morales solo homer in the 3rd to give them first strike.  However, the Cubs erupt for three runs in the 5th against Aurelio Lopez and from there Dick Selma quiets the Cards to give the Cubs the 5-2 win.   In what looks like a huge mismatch, the 1976 Reds and Gary Nolan face the 1967 Senators and chase Nats starter Barry Moore early, courtesy of a Johnny Bench 3-run shot.  The Reds take a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th, but Nolan can’t get any out, neither does Pedro Borbon, but finally Rawly Eastwick comes in to retire the side and preserve a 4-3 win.  

It was testimony to the greatness of the starting rotation for the 1954 Indians that they were able to send out a Hall of Famer like Bob Feller in round 4, but the 1976 Royals were no slouch in that department either with Dennis Leonard getting the start.  As it turned out, neither was particularly sharp; a Vic Wertz homer in the 2nd gave Feller a 3-0 lead, but the Royals chipped away at the lead with a 2-run blast from John Mayberry in the 6th and then KC’s Tom Poquette leaves the lights on for two baserunners at home plate with a 3-run shot in the 7th that puts the Royals up for keeps in the 6-5 victory.  The matchup between the 1953 Dodgers and the 1978 Red Sox is also a slugfest, with homers by Carlton Fisk, Dwight Evans, and George Scott not being enough to overcome the Dodgers 14-hit attack against Bob Stanley, and the Bums pull out the 7-5 win to move on.

Round Five

It’s the 102-win 1976 Reds trying to machine out the 1969 Cubs, with Bill Hands going against Pat Zachry, and from the beginning it’s obvious this one will be contested.  The Cubs put up a run in the top of the 1st with a Ron Santo RBI single, but the Reds rap out three straight hits to set up a bases-clearing double from Tony Perez in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-1 lead.  The teams trade runs in the 2nd and 3rd, but in the 4th the Cubs offense comes alive, with Jim Hickman homer and a 2-run single from Billy Williams leading the Cubs to a 6-4 lead.  George Foster drive one in for the Reds in the 7th but at that point the machine runs out of gas and the Cubs defy the doubters to deliver the 6-5 win and a berth in the super-regional final.

The other round five game is less hard-fought, as the 1953 Dodgers assert their muscle against the 1976 Royals and knock KC starter Marty Pattin out of the game in the 4th.  Homers from George Shuba and Roy Campanella lead the way for the Bums, and although KC’s game four hero Poquette manages to drive in a run, it’s the only one the Royals can manage as Russ Meyer completes the 6-hitter and the Dodgers cruise to a 6-1 win, their first game in the tournament that wasn’t decided by one or two runs.

Super-regional D final

The final game saw the 1969 Cubs and their ace Fergie Jenkins going against the legendary 1953 Dodgers, who went with swingman Bob Milliken on the mound.  Both teams have something to prove here, with the Cubs and their September collapse paired with the Dodgers failure to best the hated Yankees in the Series, and a super-regional victory here may represent some measure of redemption, as this tournament rewards teams who win when it counts.  The Cubs take a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st on an Ernie Banks RBI single, but in the 4th Pee Wee Reese comes up big with a leadoff homer that rattles Jenkins, and by the time he regains composure and records the third out the Dodgers lead 4-1.  In the 4th Cubs DH Willie Smith responds with a solo homer, but Carl Furillo matches that in the 5th for the Dodgers and from there on out there are few hits to be had.  Thus, the Dodgers take their sixth straight game and the super-regional with the 5-2 win, cementing their status for me as one of the all-time great teams.