REGIONAL #76:  This group boasts one pennant winner, the 2013 Red Sox, but there are some other possible contenders lurking here.  The '82 Royals were hoping to duplicate regional wins by the '81 and '84 Royals, suggesting that they are going to be a tough out.   The 1953 Phillies might still have a few of the Whiz Kids still around, while the '83 Expos were hoping to be the first team to score a regional for that franchise. The 2019 Padres try to prove that their 2020 success wasn't a pandemic-induced fluke, and the 1994 Angels try to follow up on the success of the '89 team in Regional #74.  Even so, I'd bet on the Red Sox here, with a win over the Royals in the finals.

First round action:

Setting the lineups for the first round matchup between the division-winning 97-win 2012 Reds and the 1994 Angels, who went 47-68 in that strike-shortened season, gave me a bit of deja vu.  Part of it came because the 2013 version of these Reds reached the finals of Regional #59 (losing to the 2003 Rockies), and part of it was because this would be Chuck Finley's 4th start for the Angels in the past 14 regionals.  It turned out to be a tight one, with five lead changes and both Finley and Johnny Cueto driven out of the game in the 8th.  Ultimately, the favored Reds prevailed in an unlikely manner, as .206 hitting Wilson Valdez, subbing for an injured (for 7 games) Scott Rolen, hit a sac fly in the 8th that put the Reds up 6-5.  The Reds then called upon superstar reliever Aroldis Chapman, with nary a hit on his card.  Chapman struck out the first two batters he faced but Chad Curtis then rolled--and missed--a HR 1-6 DO split, and Chapman retired Harold Reynolds to strand Curtis at second and preserve the win.

The 2013 Red Sox won 97 games, the AL pennant, and the World Series, and were matched against the 2019 Padres, who lost 92 games but boasted a promising rookie named Fernando Tatis Jr.  On cardstock, the matchup didn't look very competitive but that's why you roll the dice, and the dice didn't roll well for the Red Sox.  By the 3rd inning, the BoSox were down 5-0 with alliterative Padre home runs from Margot, Myers, and Machado (all of their cards, as Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz didn't allow any on his card).  Boston could do nothing in response, hitting into four rally-killing double-plays over the course of the game, and by the time reliever Koji Uehara made his appearance in the 6th the game was out of hand.  Padre starter Chris Paddack scattered 8 hits, aided by the gbA's, and earned the complete game 6-1 win for the Padres as yet another pennant winner goes down in the first round.

The 1953 Phillies won 83 games and finished 3rd in the NL, but it was hard to see how aside from Robin Roberts and his 23 wins.  The 1988 Astros won 82 games in a longer season, but had a strong Astrodome-influenced pitching staff, probably more offense than the Phillies could muster, and the type of team speed that promised to give weak-armed Phillies catcher Smokey Burgess fits.  The Astros staked an early 2-0 lead and then erupted against Roberts in the 5th, with a two-run Puhl double followed by a two-run Glenn Davis homer making it 6-0.  Astros starter Mike Scott made just one mistake, allowing a solo HR to Phils SS Ted Kazanski (not to be confused with the Unabomber), and Scott recorded the 6-hit CG and a 6-1 victory for the Astros.  Note:  In his defense, Burgess did throw out two of four stolen base attempts by the Astros.

A solid, 90-win 1982 Royals team faced a decent squad of a similar vintage, the 82-win 1983 Expos who sported a AAA stealing season from LF Tim Raines.  Les Expos jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Raines solo HR in the 3rd, and Raines added an RBI single in the 4th to make it 2-0, and Montreal starter Charlie Lea was cruising.  In the 8th, the Royals threatened but pinch runner Cesar Geronimo (1-16) got cut down at the plate to end the inning.  The Expos responded in the bottom of the 8th by sending Vida Blue to the showers with a quick run, and then Dan Quisenberry came in and threw gasoline on the fire.  When the smoke cleared, it was 6-0 Expos, and that's how it ended, with Lea pitching a 5-hit shutout to keep the hope alive for a first Expos regional title.

The survivors:

The 2019 Padres handled a World Series champion easily in the first round, but a division winner in the 2012 Reds proved too much to manage, as the Padres could only knock 3 hits against Mat Latos while the Reds took advantage of poor control by San Diego pitchers (7 walks, 4 in the 6th inning).  Xavier Paul, playing at DH as an injury replacement for Scott Rolen, had three hits and the Reds coast to a 5-1 win and a spot in the regional finals, where they seek a record 7th regional win for the franchise.

The second semifinal started auspiciously for the 1983 Expos when the leadoff batter for the 1988 Astros, CF Gerald Young (O HR on the year), blasted a homer off Expos starter Bryn Smith.   Things got even rockier for Smith in the 2nd inning, when he allowed four hits including a 3-run HR by Buddy Bell, and Smith was lifted for Schatzeder after recording only 5 outs and staking Houston to a 5-0 lead.  That was pretty much all the Astros Nolan Ryan needed, as Ryan tossed a 4-hit complete game with nine strikeouts.  For the second game in a row the Astros record a 6-1 win, and they still have plenty of depth in the starting rotation and a fresh bullpen moving into the regional finals.

Game over

When Joey Votto's fielders choice put the 2012 Reds up 1-0 in the top of the 1st of the regional final, it was the first time the 1988 Astros had been behind in the tournament.  A Billy Hatcher double did tie it 1-1 in the 2nd, but from then on it was all Reds--battering Astros starter Bob Knepper with solo HRs from Ludwick, Paul, and Todd Frazier, plus a two-run single from injury replacement Wilson Valdez.  The Reds were able to remove Homer Bailey in the 7th and turn things over to a strong bullpen, with Aroldis Chapman coming in to finish things out in the 9th, giving the Reds the 6-2 win and a tournament-best 7th regional title (to go with 1924, 1971, 1976, 1979, 1980, and 1993) for the franchise.  It was also redemption for these Reds, who were one win away from beating the eventual Series-winning Giants in the 2012 postseason when Cueto injured himself showing off his batting swing.