REGIONAL #67:  The draw for Regional #67 included three pennant winners from three distinctly different eras of baseball.   Also included were two consecutive bad versions of the Rockies, one of Marge Schott's initial Reds teams, and a couple of other 21st century mediocrities that typically elicit a "who are these guys?" response from me.   I guess it's a sad commentary when I can recognize nearly every player on a team that played before I was born, but have no clue who is on a team that played three years ago.

First round action:

The ground rules of this tournament require starting pitchers to have at least 100 IP, and if there are not 4 starters that meet this minimum, then they are selected in descending IP order.  Typically I am able to select from among 5-6 starters with this rule, but the 2012 Rockies had exactly ONE starter with 100+ IP--Jeff Francis and his 5.58 ERA.  Perhaps this is why the Rockies lost 98 games.  Although they were facing a 91-loss 2017 Padres team, Francis could only make it 5 innings before leaving with a 5-1 deficit, and matters weren't helped with injuries to Tulowitzki and Helton, the only two guys on their team I had ever heard of!  The Rockies did put together a rally in the top of the 9th, finally chasing SP Jhoulys Chacin, but Brad Hand came in to preserve the 7-4 win.

Assembling the lineup for the NL pennant-winning 2000 Mets, facing the 1985 Reds in the first round, required me to determine who their "nameless" starting LF was--there was no name on the card because this player wasn't a member of the MLBPA.  To do so, I had to check the stats in Baseball Reference to see who it was, and turns out that it was Benny Agbayani.  However, looking at his stats on BR, I discovered that Strat gave him an extra double.  He hit 19, but Strat gave him 20, and it's not a typo because his slugging percentage is also incorrect on his card.  So Strat may not have given him a name, but they gave him a better card based on inflated stats!  Anyhow, Benny didn't hit any doubles, but he did draw two walks, and Derek Bell and Todd Pratt each nailed 3-run homers off Mario Soto to lead the Mets and Al Leiter to an easy 9-2 win.  No word on how much Pete Rose had riding on the game, or who he bet on.

Faced with the challenge of playing the NL pennant winning 1951 Giants, the 2013 Rockies decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em--so they started Jhoulys Chacin, the same guy who beat the 2012 Rockies in the first game of this regional.  And Chacin did a similar job, holding the Giants to 2 runs in 7 innings before falling apart late in the game and allowing a homer to Wes Westrum.  However, Sal the Barber Maglie was better, scattering 7 hits and earning the 5-1 complete game victory for the Giants.

The 1920 Dodgers squad won the NL pennant, but assembling the lineup for this team made me wonder if this might be the weakest pennant winner in my collection.  The team is basically Zack Wheat and the eight dwarves; there is little power, not much speed, and a pitching staff that is nothing to write home about.  As a result, I was skeptical that they would fare well against a bad modern team, and the 92-loss 2014 Twins fit that bill well.  Starting for Brooklyn, spitballer Burleigh Grimes held the Twins to only 6 hits, but apparently had trouble gripping the wet ball while fielding it, committing two errors in the 2nd inning that allowed two runs to score.  And that was basically the game, as the only run Brooklyn could muster came when Wheat tripled and was single home by Hy Myers.  Wheat did go 3 for 4 but had little help against an effective Phil Hughes, and the Twins move on to the semis with a 3-1 upset win.

The survivors

Although the 91-loss 2017 Padres were clear underdogs to the 2000 Mets pennant winners, they opened the top of the first with a quick lead on a Solarte solo HR.  However, the Mets answered with two in the bottom of the 1st, one on a solo HR by Agbayani to lead off the inning, and they added two more in the 2nd.  In the top of the 5th, the Padres loaded the bases courtesy of a few Mike Hampton walks, and Wil Myers doubled in two of the baserunners to narrow the score to 4-3.  However, the Mets again responded, scoring 3 in the bottom of the 5th with Agbayani hitting his second homer of the game, both coming off Padres starter Lamet's solid 6-5 home run reading.  Hampton was largely able to control the pesky Padres the rest of the way, and the 2000 Mets head to the regional finals with a 7-4 victory.

The 2014 Twins once again attempted to unseat a pennant winner by keying upon the latter's defensive lapses, moving out to a 3-1 lead over the 1951 Giants through 2 NY errors and an Escobar double.  However, unlike the Twins' first round opponent, the Giants were able to retaliate with a Whitey Lockman 3-run homer pushing NY to a 5-3 lead in the 6th.  Despite then allowing a solo shot to Brian Dozier, Giants starter Larry Jansen was able to hold onto the lead for a narrow 5-4 victory to set up a regional final between two pennant winners--the first time this has happened since Regional #31 (which featured the '53 Dodgers vs. '24 Senators).  However, on their last AB of the game, Giants 2b Eddie Stanky was injured and he will miss the regional final.

A big-time regional final matchup between two NL pennant winners, both from New York.  The 1951 Giants put Dave Koslo on the mound, and the 2000 Mets countered with Glendon Rusch.  Despite being down to the #3 starters on each team, both pitchers were in solid form, although Koslo found himself repeatedly pitching out of jams.  The Mets dodged a bullet in the bottom of the 2nd, when Bobby Thomson doubled with fleet rookie CF Willie Mays on first, but Mays was nailed at home.  However Rusch had some control issues in the 4th, and with the bases loaded Agbayani couldn't get to a Westrum liner, putting the Giants up 2-0.  The Mets pushed across a run in the 7th on an Edgardo Alfonzo RBI single; the Giants responded by putting runners on 2nd and 3rd, but Mets closer Armando Benitez came in and prevented any runs from scoring.  Benitez did allow a solo HR to Mays in the 8th, and in the 9th the Mets put men on 1st and 3rd, but Piazza fouled out and Zeile whiffed, giving the 1951 Giants the regional title, with nary a shot heard 'round the world.

REGIONAL #66:  This draw boasts one pennant winner, the 2018 Dodgers, and a bunch of also-rans, meaning that the Dodgers have to be considered as favorites. However, as we've seen in Regional #64 which had three pennant winners fall, having that credential is no guarantee in the world of single elimination. In fact, the last pennant winner to win a regional was the '87 A's in Regional #46; in the interim, 12 pennant-winning squads have failed to do so, 5 of them losing in the 1st round. Still, the Dodgers, with a roster hitting a total of 234 homers and a staff led by Clayton Kershaw, look formidable against this opposition. 

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First Round Action

In a Freeway Series, the NL champ 2018 Dodgers face the 80-win 1966 Angels, and the favored Dodgers get off to a fast start scoring three in the top of the 1st, Matt Kemp driving in two with a bases loaded single.  Clayton Kershaw, meanwhile, cruises until the 4th, when the Angels score two; they add two in the 5th on a Paul Schaal triple and take the lead over the surprised Dodgers.  In response, Max Muncy knocks a 2-run HR in the top of the 6th and the Dodgers regain the lead, but Joe Adcock homers in the bottom of the frame and the Angels take a 7-5 lead.  The Dodgers lose both Justin Turner and Brian Dozier to injury, although replacement David Freese homers to bring it closer, but Jim Fregosi nails an answering shot off Dodger closer Kenley Jansen and the Angels pull off a 9-6 first round upset of the bracket favorite.  So much for my prognosticating skills.  It's a rare victory for this franchise, as Angel teams have gone 3-16 in this tournament up to this point.

A good matchup between two 2nd place teams, the 90-win 1969 Giants and the 85-win 1988 Pirates, also features a father/son faceoff with Bobby and Barry Bonds patrolled the respective outfields.  However, the important difference was that one team had Juan Marichal and the other did not, with the Dominican Dandy tossing a 3-hit shutout to lead the Giants to an easy 7-0 win.  Neither Bonds did anything in the game; Ken Henderson drove in 3, two of them on sac flies.

Next up was a matchup of two lousy teams, the 73-win 2014 Phillies against the 66-win 1964 Colt 45s, who were so bad the team changed their name the next year in the hope that nobody would recognize them.  With Cole Hamels on the mound and in good form, all the Phils really needed was a 2-run HR by Marlon Byrd in the 4th, and they cruised to an easy 5-1 victory.  After playing these squads, I decided that if I combined the best players from both teams, I still don't think the resulting group would play .500 ball.

Speaking of bad Houston teams, facing a 94-win 2012 Braves team that made a (brief) postseason appearance, the 97-loss 1975 Astros turned to their young fireballer, JR Richard, to try to make things competitive.  In that season, Richard threw a lot of strikeouts and he also allowed a lot of walks, and unfortunately for the Astros the latter outnumbered the former in this game.  Scoring 5 in the 2nd inning led by a Chipper Jones homer, the Braves never looked back, and after it seemed Richard had settled down, he walked the first two batters in the 9th and the Astros thought that knuckleballer Joe Niekro might be an effective change of pace.  That hope was short-lived as Freddie Freeman drove Niekro's first offering into the dim reaches of the Astrodome.  Meanwhile, Tim Hudson disposed of Houston smoothly, with his only real mistake being a HR ball to Milt May, and the Braves moved easily to the semis with a 10-1 blowout.

The survivors

In semifinal action, the 1969 Giants got off to a quick 2-0 lead over the 1966 Angels when Bobby Bonds hit a two-run shot to atone for his lack of production in the first round. However, these Angels had gotten into a quick hole against the favored Dodgers in round one, and once again they came roaring back, scoring three in the 3rd off Gaylord Perry, who seemed rattled when Paul Schaal repeatedly demanded an umpire inspection of the ball before ultimately knocking in a run. The Angels' lead was short lived as the Giants scored in the bottom of the 3rd, but the run came at a costly price, with Bonds lost to injury. Both Perry and CAL starter Brunet settled down until the 8th, when a Bobby Knoop double put the Angels up again by a run. The Giants loaded up the bases in the bottom of the 8th with one out, but Willie Mays hit into an inning-ending double play, and the Giants went down quietly in the 9th to give the Angels another upset win and a spot in the regional finals.

The 2012 Braves took an early lead in the 3rd with a solo shot from Brian McCann, but the scrappy 2014 Phillies get to Kris Medlen in the 5th and put together three hits to tie it 1-1. The Braves score another run in the 7th, but the Phils rallied in the top of the 8th and Braves superreliever Craig Kimbrel (who has no hits on his card) couldn't prevent a 2-out single by Jimmy Rollins that tied the game. With the game tied 2-2 after 9, the Braves lifted Kimbrel to try to save him for the regional final game, and put in Eric O'Flaherty (1.73 ERA) to try to hold down the fort. However, with two out, Marlon Byrd puts one in the cheap seats to give the Phillies the 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 10th, Bourn singles and steals second, but Ken Giles comes in to relieve starter David Buchanan and locks down the 3-2 win for Philadelphia, setting up a regional final between two sub-.500 squads.

Regional MVP

The finals start off badly for the 2014 Phillies, as the 1966 Angels score in the top of the 1st on a Reichardt double, and CF Ben Revere goes down to injury on the first AB of the game for the Phillies. Siebern drives in another for the Angels in the 2nd, but the Phils respond with four in the bottom of the frame, aided by two errors from CAL CF Jose Cardenal (a CF-2). The teams trade runs in the 5th, and then Paul Schaal homers in the 6th to tie the game 5-5, and Papelbon is summoned early from the PHI bullpen to try to put out the fire. The Angels threaten in the top of the 7th, but an attempted squeeze turns into a double play, and a deflated Jack Sanford then allows Marlon Byrd's second HR of the game to give the Phils an 8-5 lead. To try to preserve Papelbon for later rounds, the Phils turn to Mario Hollands, who dispatches the Angels and gives the persistent Phillies, who I maligned earlier, the regional win. The Angels fought gamely, but were unable to overcome 5 errors, many by usually reliable fielders. Marlon Byrd earns regional MVP honors, hitting four homers over the three games. Remarkably, this 73-89 last place squad is the first Phillies team in the franchise to win a regional in 25 attempts!

REGIONAL #65:    The completion of Regional #64 marked the end of a "superbracket"; 512 teams have played in 64 regionals, and from these 64 teams a "superbracket" winner will ultimately emerge, time and health permitting.  This means that Regional #65 begins an entirely new superbracket, and the draw for this new beginning is a formidable one, with three of the four teams in the bottom half of the regional bracket being AL pennant winners.  This is one of the most dense concentrations of talent in the history of these regionals, and the survivor of this bracket might be poised to progress far in the new superbracket.

First round action

To open the regional, the 87-win 1986 Tigers, boasting many of the same names from their great '84 squad, faced the 96-loss 1978 Mets.  The Tigers scraped together a run in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th to move out 3-0, but in the bottom of the 5th Lenny Randle, trying to atone for some atrocious fielding, tripled in two runs off Jack Morris's card.  Morris, who allowed 40 homers that season, had one of the scariest pitching cards I've seen for a 20-game winner, and ultimately after staring at his card for 7 innings I had to pull him in the 8th for Bill Campbell out of fear rather than based on his performance.  Campbell did his job and held the 3-2 lead for the save; the Tigers could only garner four hits off Craig Swan, but Chet Lemon nailed two of those when it counted.

After years in the wilderness as the St. Louis Browns, the 1960 Orioles 2nd place finish in the AL represented the franchise's best finish in decades.  However, the Orioles were understandably concerned about their first round draw, as they would be facing HOFer Pete Alexander starting for the 1911 Phillies.  That concern was short-lived when young 3b Brooks Robinson led off the game by converting a HR 1 FlyB 2-20 off Alexander's card, which put the Phillies ace into a 3 inning tailspin in which he gave up 8 runs, including a 3-run HR by Jim Gentile.  The only sour note was a 5-game injury to Orioles catcher Gus Triandos, and lone backup Clint Courtney was neither an offensive nor a defensive asset.  Even so, Courtney came through by nailing three Phillies attempting to steal their way back into the game, and Orioles starter Chuck Estrada finished what he started for an 8-1 Orioles win.

In a rare 1st round matchup between two pennant winners, Jim Palmer and the 1971 Orioles took on Ed Figueroa and the 1976 Yankees in front of a noisy Yankee Stadium crowd. That noise was short-lived, as the O's batted around in the top of the 1st to move to a 4-0 lead before Yankee leadoff hitter Mickey Rivers ever saw a pitch.  A three run homer by Frank Robinson in the 4th chased Figueroa, but Sparky Lyle and Dick Tidrow weren't much more successful in shutting down the O's, with three NY errors making matters worse.  The Orioles and Palmer cruised to an 11-1 win despite losing both Robinsons, Brooks and Frank, to injuries, although fortunately both will be available for what promises to be a tough 2nd round matchup.

With the 1930 A's looking at a tough 2nd round potential matchup against the '71 Orioles, I was sorely tempted to sit Lefty Grove against a sub-.500 1956 Giants team and save Lefty for round 2.  However, with the Giants boasting 20-game winner Johnny Antonelli on the mound and Willie Mays in his prime, Grove got the nod.  Initially, it looked like he might not have been needed--in the bottom of the first, a two-out rally culminated in Mickey Cochrane knocking in Al Simmons and Jimmie Foxx with a triple and a quick 2-0 lead.  A 2-run single by Dib Williams in the 3rd made it 4-0, and Grove was cruising, taking a 1-hitter into the 9th inning, although the A's were shut down by Antonelli.  Then, Grove suddenly lost control and the Giants score 4 behind Mays and Bill White to tie the game.  With Wilhelm warming up in the bullpen, Antonelli remains in the game but doesn't record an out.  Bishop walks, Simmons singles him to 3rd, Foxx walks, and Mickey Cochrane knocks one over the head of Mays, who (unlike the 1954 Series) can't catch up with it.  A's win, 5-4, setting up a marquee battle with Baltimore in the semis.


The Survivors

In the first semifinal, the 1960 Orioles move out to a 1-0 lead over the 1986 Tigers in the bottom of the 1st with a solo shot from Jim Gentile off Walt Terrell's card, then add another unearned run in the 5th off two errors by the Tigers' terrible corner infielders.  Meanwhile, Jack Fisher is mowing down the Tigers until the 6th, when a Darnell Coles homer ties it up and then Fisher loads the bases, requiring Wes Stock to relieve and end the inning with the score still tied.  A leadoff walk to Brooks Robinson in the 8th chases Terrell, but Mark Thurmond extinguishes any rally, and RBI singles by Whitaker and Trammell in the top of the 9th are enough to earn the Tigers a 4-2 win and a trip to the finals.

The more anticipated semifinal between two AL pennant winners, the 1971 Orioles and the 1930 A's, featured Dave McNally against George Earnshaw, two 20 game winners.  Bing Miller greeted McNally in the bottom of the 1st with a leadoff HR (getting a 1-5 split off his own card), but McNally kept his composure to let Frank Robinson tie the game with a solo shot in the top of the 4th.  However, the A's answered with 2 in the bottom of the 4th and another run in the 5th, with McNally simply unable to keep the A's off the basepaths--particularly with their ability to draw walks.  Foxx knocks in his second run of the game in the 7th, giving the A's a 5-1 lead to enter the 8th.  The Orioles finally mount a threat in the 8th, loading the bases with two out and Paul Blair up to bat as the tying run.  However, the dice add injury to insult with Blair grounding out with injury, and Earnshaw set down the meat of the Orioles lineup in order to earn the 5-1 win and a berth in the regional finals.

The World Champion 1930 A's thus stood poised to join their famous 1931 counterparts (winners of #37) as regional victors, with only the 87-win 1986 Tigers in the way.   With five Hall of Famers on the team and a 6th managing the squad, it was hard not to be confident, so imagine the shock the A's felt staring at the scoreboard after three innings, which read:  Detroit 8, Philadelphia 0.  A's starter Rube Walberg was bludgeoned by the Tigers, with Johnny Grubb hitting two 2-run homers as well as a double.  Meanwhile, 22 year old Eric King took full advantage of his starting opportunity, holding the A's and their .294 team batting average to only 5 hits and 1 run off an Al Simmons double.   With the 8-1 victory, the '86 Tigers did what their more famous '84 version couldn't--win their regional final.

REGIONAL #64:  The draw for Regional #64 in the endless single elimination tournament offered two NL pennant winners, some interesting matchups and great names.  The 1987 Cardinals won the NL with a AAA season for Vince Coleman, but he could have an interesting footrace against Rickey Henderson and Frankie Frisch, the Fordham Flash.  In the pitching department, we'll see Walter Johnson, Dennis Eckersley, and two different appearances by the gone-too-soon Jose Fernandez, including his Rookie of the Year season.  Throw in Andrew McCutcheon, Mark McGwire, Hack Wilson, Bill Terry, Ichiro, and both Meusal brothers (Irish and Bob), and it promises to be an adventure.

In the first game of the first round, Jose Fernandez makes an emotional return to the mound for the 2016 Marlins and earns the win, scattering 7 hits in a 5-2 complete game victory over the 2011 Pirates.  Ichiro drives in one and scores two, and Justin Bour makes up for some sloppy fielding and getting cut down trying to score by blasting a solo HR.   Note that this won't be Fernandez's last start in the first round, as his 2013 version is also slated to pitch in the bottom half of the bracket!

Two old school teams have a wild first round matchup.  The 1920 Senators feel good about sending HOFer Walter Johnson out to the mound against the 59-win 1930 Reds, although this was not one of the Big Train's best years.  The Nats jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st on singles by Milan and Judge, but the Reds tie it in the 4th on a 2-run double by Stripp.  Judge knocks in another in the 5th to put Washington back on top, but Bob Meusal answers with an RBI double in the 8th.  All game, Johnson is struggling, repeatedly working himself out of jams, but his luck seems to run out in the 9th when Reds CF Curt Walker drives in Swanson for the go-ahead run.  Reds starter Benny Frey then retires the first two Senators in the bottom of the 9th, and utility infielder Frank Ellerbe is sent in to pinch hit for light-hitting C Patsy Gharrity.  Ellerbee raps a sharp GBx past Reds 2b Hod Ford (2b-2) for a single, and Frey falls apart, walking two straight batters.  The Reds turn to their own Johnson, Si, out of the bullpen to try to salvage the win, but Clyde Milan raps a hard single into the gap to score two and give the Senators and Walter Johnson (who allowed 15 hits!) the walk-off win.

In perhaps the most anticipated 1st round matchup of this regional, the NL champion 1987 Cardinals face Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez and the 2013 Marlins.   The Marlins strike first with a run in the top of the first, and then keep chipping away at Cards starter Joe Magrane's card with a knack for finding his hits.   Meanwhile, Fernandez is shutting out the Cards going into the 7th, when an untimely error by 2b Donovan Solano opens the door for three Cardinal runs to tie the game 3-3.  Fernandez remains in and shuts down the Cards, but things head to extra innings and Jose reluctantly leaves the game after 10 with things still knotted at 3-3.   So they remain until the 15th inning, when the Marlins tag the 4th Cardinal pitcher, Rick Horton, with four hits and three runs, with a 2-run double by Placido Polanco being the decisive blow.  Steve Cishek comes in to start the bottom of the 15th and sets the Cards down in order, giving the 100-loss Marlins the unlikely 6-3 upset against a pennant winner.

The final first round game featured the second NL pennant winner in this bracket, the 1924 Giants, facing off against the 1994 A's from that strike-shortened season.  This time, the pennant winners came through with a 5-3 victory, getting 3 RBI from Ross Youngs and a solo HR from George Kelly that gave starter Art Nehf the support he needed.  The A's did put up a fight--they were a second place team in the AL West, although like EVERY team in that 1994 division, they had a losing record.   But the difference was that the Giants' stars came through when needed, while the A's did not:  Ricky Henderson never got on base, and Mark McGwire, limited by injury that season, made one appearance as a pinch hitter--and promptly got injured!

The survivors

The initial regional semifinal matched two sub-.500 teams, the 1920 Senators (.447 winning percentage) and the 2016 Marlins (.491).  Both teams could thank their aces, Walter Johnson and Jose Fernandez, for getting this far, but now the teams must show that they are more than a one-pitcher wonder.  And, Washington starter Tom Zachary did just that, leading the Senators to a 4-1 win.  Zachary allowed a leadoff double to Ichiro followed by a Yelich RBI single to start the first inning, but then it was 27 outs without a run.  In the meantime, Braggo Roth and Bucky Harris nailed HRs off the card of Miami starter Adam Conley, and that dashed the hopes of fans in south Florida for an all-Marlins regional final.

The second semi featured NL champs 1924 Giants, against a 100-loss 2013 Marlins team that had already upset a different NL champ.  And it didn't take long for the Marlins to send a wakeup call, with a 1st inning 2-run HR by Giancarlo Stanton to put the Marlins up early.  Giants starter Hugh McQuillan then settled down, and things were quiet until the 6th when MIA C Jeff Mathis drove in two with a bases-loaded single to put the Marlins up 4-0.  Meanwhile, Marlins starter Nathan Eovaldi was shackling the Giants, aided by 4 double plays, most started by SS defensive whiz Adeiny Hechavarria.  In the end, the Giants could not push a run across the plate, giving the Marlins their second consecutive upset of a pennant winner with a 5-0 win and an improbable spot in the regional finals.

Regional MVP Placido Polanco

Two teams with losing records faced off in the regional finals, but both had demonstrated that they are winners in this format.  The 2013 Marlins upset two consecutive pennant winners, which I believe is the first time that a 100-loss team has done that in this tournament, while the 1920 Senators were fresh off an easy victory over the 2016 version of those Marlins, arguably a better team than the 2013 group.  With the teams needing to go deeper in their rather limited rotations for round 3, there was some promise of offensive fireworks, and it was the Marlins who supplied it, putting up crooked numbers in the first three frames to lead 7-0 going into the 4th.  Meanwhile, the Marlins' Henderson Alvarez took a no-hitter into the 5th, but lost it and the shutout with a Shanks single putting the Senators on the board, although the Marlins matched that run in the 6th.   In the 8th, the Senators finally got untracked, loading the bases for a Braggo Roth triple that cut the margin to 8-4 and gave Washington fans hope for a 9th inning comeback.  But the Marlins dashed those hopes in the bottom of the 8th, scoring six runs that included a Polanco grand slam, knocking around a terrible Senators bullpen.  The Senators surrendered quietly in the 9th, giving the 100-loss Marlins the 14-4 blowout win and the regional title.  Although the Marlins are certainly the first 100-loss team to defeat two pennant winners in a row, they are not the first 100-loss team to win a regional; they now join the 103-loss 1993 Mets, winners of Regional #49, in that distinction.

For anyone following along, listed below are the 63 winners of the 8-team regionals in my endless single elimination tournament, in chronological order.  I've also included a picture of the paper record of the tournament, the first pages of which date back to 1980 and are beginning to resemble the Dead Sea Scrolls......


REGIONAL WINNERS:
 

The historical records

1909 Tigers
1924 Reds
1927 Cardinals
1930 Dodgers
1931 A's
1948 Indians
1950 Red Sox
1953 Cardinals
1953 Dodgers
1954 Giants
1954 Indians
1954 White Sox
1956 Pirates
1957 A's
1957 Braves
1960 Pirates
1961 Indians
1961 White Sox
1967 Indians
1967 Senators
1968 Braves
1969 Braves
1969 Cubs
1971 Giants
1971 Padres
1971 Reds
1972 Astros
1972 Dodgers
1972 Giants
1973 Cardinals
1974 Cubs
1975 Dodgers
1975 Giants
1975 Indians
1976 Reds
1976 Royals
1977 Royals
1977 Twins
1978 Cardinals
1978 Red Sox
1978 White Sox
1979 Reds
1979 Yankees
1980 Astros
1980 Rangers
1980 Reds
1981 Royals
1982 Braves
1983 Giants
1983 Red Sox
1984 Royals
1989 A's
1990 Cubs
1991 Dodgers
1993 Mets
1993 Reds
2003 Rockies
2005 Red Sox
2010 Mets
2014 Tigers
2016 Orioles
2019 Mets
2019 Twins

REGIONAL #63:  A decent chance for an all-Red Sox final in this regional, although the division-winning 2013 Braves might have something to say about that.

First Round Action:

Two pretty bad teams in this first round matchup, the 92-loss 1951 Senators against the 87-loss 2017 A's.  The A's might have won the first name battle, 3 Matts to 2 Sams, but the Senators won the game 5-1, led by a 3 run shot from Mickey Vernon and a CG 4-hitter from starter Bob Porterfield.

A heavily favored, 96-win 1948 Red Sox team easily outdistanced the 101-loss 1962 Senators in a 6-1 first round win.  The Sox didn't get much from Ted Williams (0-4 with a walk), but they didn't need much, as Dom Dimaggio homered and drove in 3, and Mel Parnell pitch an efficient 5-hit complete game.

Although the 95-win 2005 Red Sox team has plenty of punch in the form of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, the 74-win 1984 Mariners trotted out Mark Langston to the mound, Rookie of the Year runner-up and owner of a deadly 6-column.  Boston's Graffanino put the Sox up with an RBI single in the 2nd, although an additional run was thwarted when Johnny Damon (1-17) was cut down at the plate trying to score from first on an Ortiz missed split HR/DO.  Meanwhile, the knuckler was working for Tim Wakefield, who took a perfect game into the 7th inning, when he walked Jack Perconte, and then Phil Bradley shot one past first on a gbA+ with Perconte held.  Boston turned to Timlin to try to keep the runs from scoring, but a sac fly from Alvin Davis tied the game 1-1--and there it stayed through regulation.  By this time, Langston was flagging and a solo HR by Trot Nixon to lead off the 10th sent Langston to the showers, but Mike Stanton couldn't prevent Boston from adding another insurance run.  Taking the 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 10th, a tiring Timlin allowed a 2-out solo HR to Ken Phelps, but regrouped to retire the side and earn a hard fought 3-2 win for the Red Sox.

To wrap up first round action, the NL East champ 2013 Braves handle the 76-win 2014 Reds in a sloppy 4-1 win.  Braves catcher Brian McCann hits two homers, both off Reds SP Homer Bailey's card, which provides the winning margin; the Braves make four errors but the Reds are unable to capitalize, hitting repeatedly into double plays.  For the Braves, BJ Upton and Dan Uggla both go down to 6-game injuries, which in this single elimination format is pretty much permanently, but perversely this is actually good luck for the Braves, as in both cases their replacements are arguably better.  See, the ground rules dictate that teams must start players with the most ABs at their primary position, but when there is an injury, anyone who plays the position can substitute--hence, the Braves are now able to bench two sub-.200 regulars in favor of better options. 

The survivors

In semifinal game 1, the underdog 1951 Senators get off to a quick start, scoring two in the top of the first on a Clyde Kluttz double.  However, the 1948 Red Sox respond with two runs of their own, and then add another seven runs in the bottom of the second, anchored by a three-run shot from Vern Stephens that chased Washington starter Connie Marrero after 1.1 innings.  From there on, the Sox are on cruise control and move into the finals with an 11-2 blowout win. 

The second semifinal matchup looked far less lopsided, with two teams that reached the postseason facing off.  After three scoreless innings, the 2005 Red Sox broke the ice with Ortiz doubling home a 1-12 Trot Nixon from first with 1 out, a chance that I thought long and hard about with Manny Ramirez up next.  But I took the chance, Nixon scored, but my self-congratulations ended quickly when Ramirez hit a 2-run homer that put the Sox up 3-0.  Boston added another run in the 6th on a solo Ortiz HR, but the 2013 Braves finally got on the board in the bottom of the inning with a Gattis 2-run shot.  The Red Sox answered by loading the bases and chasing Braves starter Mike Minor, but Kimbrel salvaged the inning with only one run allowed.  Injury replacement Ramiro Pena drove in a run for the Braves in the bottom of the 8th to bring the score to 5-3, but Mike Myers (recently acquired from Wayne's World) shut down Atlanta to preserve a 5-3 Boston victory and set up an all-Red Sox final.

The all-Red Sox Regional #63 final lived up to expectations, with neither team willing to lose.  The 2005 Red Sox version started strong with a 2 run Manny Ramirez HR in the bottom of the 1st, but 1948 Red Sox matched them with two in the top of the second, and then took the lead in the top of the 4th on a 2-run Wally Moses shot over the Green Monster.   Trot Nixon answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the 4th, and then in the 5th the 2005 squad broke open the floodgates against '48 starter Jack Kramer.  '48 manager Joe McCarthy looked to his bullpen, and seeing absolutely nothing there but certain disaster, opted to stay with Kramer, but the 5th inning ended with a 6-4 lead for the '05 team.  Kramer did reward McCarthy's confidence/desperation by shutting out '05 the rest of the way, and in the 7th Birdie Tebbetts doubled in a run to greet '05 relief ace Mike Timlin.  However, Timlin retired the side and would not allow another hit to earn the save and the Regional win for the 2005 Red Sox, 6-5.