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.
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!
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.
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| Regional MVP |
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