REGIONAL #61:    The bracket for regional #61 is the type I look forward to.  Regional #60 turned out to be dominated by teams from the past decade, and I just don't find them nearly as interesting as teams from the pre-steroid era. The only entrant from this millennium here is the 2019 Mets--and Mets from the past decade have gone 5-1 in the last three regionals, so that in itself gives reason to watch them. Plus, they face the 1949 Yankees in an interesting version of a Subway Series. Meanwhile, two of the powerful Reds teams of the 50's are in here, along with a group of 60's teams boasting some of the greats.

First round action

The Subway Series goes to the 2019 Mets, upsetting the only World Champion in this regional, the 1949 Yankees, 3-0. DeGrom tosses a 4-hit shutout, Dimaggio goes 0 for 4, and Pete Alonso goes yard in the first inning and that's all that was required. Yankees starter Vic Raschi didn't allow a run after the 1st inning, but with DeGrom on fire, it didn't matter.

So, imagine that you're the 1964 Angels.  Sure, you're an expansion team, but you're an over .500 squad and facing another expansion squad in the 1967 Astros that only won 69 and finished only ahead of the hapless Mets.  Plus, you have Dean Chance on the mound--the Cy Young winner, 5th place in the MVP voting, and sporting one of the best cards of the season.  You have to feel pretty good about your "chance", right?  Well, Dean lasts 2/3rds of an inning, allowing 7 runs, and the Astros blow the Angels back into purgatory, 8-1.  Bear in mind these Astros have some marquee names:  Joe Morgan, Eddie Mathews, Jimmy Wynn, Rusty Staub, and Mike Cuellar on the mound, who tossed a two-hitter.   So it's the 'stros who move on to face the Mets in the semis.

The 1965 Tigers roar to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, behind a bases-loaded double by Don Demeter, and it looks like it will be a long afternoon for the 1954 Reds and Joe Nuxhall.  However, the Reds come back with four of their own in the 3rd, aided by a Mickey Lolich gopherball to the unlikely Lloyd Merriman.  The Tigers answer with another run in the bottom of the 3rd, but the rally is cut short when Don Wert is nailed at the plate trying to score from 2nd on a Kaline single.  Lolich settles down for four scoreless innings and it seems again that the Tigers might be in the clear, but in the 8th Andy Seminick nails a 2-run homer (off his card, not Lolich's) followed by 2 consecutive Tiger errors and a Kluszewski single, and the Tigers have no response, giving the Reds a hard-fought 7-5 first round victory.  These Reds have offense, they have really solid defense (well, not you, Klu), but not much pitching--it will be interesting to see if they can survive the back end of their rotation if it comes to that.

To finish off first round action, the 1951 Reds jump out to a 5-0 lead by the 3rd, with Joe Adcock driving in four of those runs, and it looks like it will be an all-Reds semi with Ewell Blackwell tossing four no-hit innings to open the game.  However, the 1994 Cardinals strike back in the 5th to score four, Ozzie Smith knocking in two with a bases-loaded double.   Nonetheless, Blackwell recovers and the Reds hold a 5-4 lead heading into the 8th, but Blackwell walks the first two batters and the Reds bring in closer Frank Smith to try to preserve the win--bad move.  When the dust clears, Ozzie and Bernard Gilkey both knock homers off F. Smith's card and the Cards have a 9-5 lead.  The Reds chase Cardinal starter Bob Tewksbury in the 9th, but Habyan comes in and demonstrates how to relieve and seal the 9-5 win.

The survivors

The first semifinal game pitting the 2019 Mets against the 1967 Astros takes 12 innings to decide in a seesaw battle. The Mets jump out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Houston ties it in the 2nd, Mets score 1 in the 4th but Houston answers with 2, and then Alonso blasts a solo shot to tie it again in the 5th. In the 7th Sonny Jackson walks, steals second, and scores on a Joe Morgan single, and Seth Lugo comes in for the Mets to try to stop the bleeding. However, a Todd Frazier double ties the game in the 9th, chasing Astro starter Don Wilson, and the game heads to extra innings. Amed Rosario finally singles home a run in the 12th off Larry Dierker, the Astros have no answer, and a Mets team from this decade reaches the finals for the third time in the last four regionals...suggesting that they do a lot better in my living room than they do in Queens.

The second semifinal turns out to be a rout, as the 1954 Reds jump out to a quick 7-0 lead, with homers by Greengrass, Bell, and Seminick chasing 1994 Cardinals starter Palacios in the 2nd.  In the 7th, the Cards finally score 3 on Art Fowler and then load the bases; the Reds take a look at their closer, and it's Frank Smith, an older version of the guy who got creamed by these same Cards in round 1.  So, they call on Judson to put out the fire, and he does his job to preserve the 9-3 final margin and send the Reds into the finals against the Mets.

The regional final lives up to its billing as a matchup of winners, as neither team would give up. The 2019 Mets race to a 7-1 lead by the 3rd inning, despite losing both Dominic Smith and Todd Frazier to early injuries. The 1954 Reds tie it with 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd, with Seminick and Post contributing RBI doubles. The Reds move out to an 8-7 lead in the 5th on a McMillan single, although Seminick was nailed at home trying to add another insurance run. In the 6th, Michael Conforto puts the Mets ahead with a 2-run homer, his second of the game, and then injury replacement Brandon "Finding" Nimmo hits another 2-run shot, this one off the card of the hapless Frank Smith, and the Mets claim the regional with an 11-8 victory. Regional MVP honors go to Pete Alonso, who homered in all three games and drove in 6, showing monster card Ted Kluszewski (homerless in all three games) how a big 1st baseman is supposed to do it!