REGIONAL #143:  My random team selector program apparently decided it was time to wrap up some old business by including the final tournament team from various old-school leagues in this bracket.  However, the main attention-getter here was the World Series Champion 2000 Yankees, a team that should be highly favored–but the Jeter-era Yanks were currently 0 for 5 in regional wins, so there seemed to be a monkey on their back.  There were plenty of contenders who might pull off an upset–teams from the Cubs and pre-miracle Mets that might be on the rise, teams like the Cardinals and Red Sox who were declining from pennants but probably still formidable, and the only other team from this century could also prove tough as they often do.  I figured that it was time for this version of the Yanks to cast off their curse as the 50s Yanks had done a few regionals back, guessing that they would best those 21st century A’s in the finals.   I was surprised to discover that the ELO rankings identified the 1949 Cardinals as the favorites, even though they didn’t win the NL, picking them to down the Yanks in the semis as well as the A’s in the final.

First round action

The 1949 Cardinals won 96 games to finish one game behind the Dodgers for the NL pennant, but the ELO rankings had them as the favorite in this bracket, with an excellent starting rotation and Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter on hand to provide the offense.  After a solid performance from the ‘63 Cubs in the prior regional, I had thought that the 1966 Cubs would be even better, but that was definitely not the case, as this team lost 103 games to finish last in the NL, giving the Mets a chance to finally escape the cellar.  The team still had the Santo/Williams/Banks core, but Dick Ellsworth lost 22 games after winning 20 in ‘63, so the Cubs instead decided to try out 23-year old Canadian Fergie Jenkins (6-8, 3.32) to go against Cards ace Howie Pollet (20-9, 2.77).  It was looking like things weren’t in the cards for the Cards in the top of the 1st, when an error by 2B-1 Red Schoendienst set up a Billy Williams RBI single to give the Cubs the lead.  That lead proves to be shortlived as Stan Musial whallops a 2-run blast into the nether reaches of Sportsman’s Park in the bottom of the inning, and the Cards get another in the 2nd as an error by Cubs SS-3 Don Kessinger sets up a two-out Del Rice flyball that LF-4 Byron Browne manages to turn into a triple.  Things are quiet until the 7th, when the Cubs lead off with three straight singles, and convert them into two runs on a Beckert FC and a Williams sac fly, so the game is tied for the 7th inning stretch.  When Tommy Glaviano leads off the bottom of the 8th by converting a split single, the Cubs look in their bullpen and see nothing but disaster, so Jenkins remains in to pitch to Musial–-and it doesn’t matter who was pitching, it’s another 1-4 roll and another 2-run homer for Stan the Man.  The porous Cubs defense then allows more hits and the Cards ultimately wrap up the 8th with a four run lead, and although the Cubs come out fighting in the 9th with a Beckert triple leading to two runs, it was not enough and the Cards survive a dogfight to move on with the 7-5 win.

The 2000 Yankees did win the AL and the Series, although they only went 87-74 in the regular season; they had a killer offense in the midst of the steroid era but a so-so rotation and some defensive holes such as Chuck Knoblauch’s “5” rating at 2B.    Speaking of steroids, it would be Roger Clemens (13-8, 3.70) on the mound in a subway series of sorts against the 1938 Dodgers and Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons (11-8, 3.02).  The Dodgers were a 69-80 team and might not have had a starting player that could have cracked the Yankees lineup, but they had a couple of supersubs who could make things interesting after the 5th inning.  In the top of the 2nd, Dodgers DH Buddy Hassett finds Clemens’ HR result for a 1-0 lead, but in the 3rd their cleanup hitter and catcher Babe Phelps is knocked out of the game with an injury.  Johnny Hudson’s fielders choice makes it 2-0 in the 4th, and meanwhile the Yanks are getting runners into scoring position but are not able to convert.   The Dodgers then come up with a three-run outburst in the 5th, with the last out coming on a 1-13 runner nailed at the plate, and Clemens is yanked for Jeff Nelson with the Bombers in a deep hole.  The Yankees can’t do anything against Fitzsimmons until the 9th, when Bernie Williams leads off with a single and then two straight walks brings up home run monster Glenallen Hill with the bases loaded and nobody out.  But Hill misses a SI 1-10, Paul O’Neill hits a fielders choice that scores a run but costs an out, and Tino Martinez pops out, and another Jeter-era Yankees pennant winner bites the dust in round one as the Dodgers move on with a 5-1 victory.

The 1986 Rangers were not a bad team, winning 87 games to finish 2nd in the AL West and boasting a lineup with some power, although after knuckleballer Charlie Hough (17-10, 3.79) the rotation got bad quickly.  They were nonetheless underdogs to the 94-win AL West champion 2012 A’s, a team with big ups (the heart of the order, the deep bullpen) and downs (the bottom of the order, the back end of the starting rotation), with Jarrod Parker (13-8, 3.47) getting the game one start.   A Larry Parrish sac fly puts the Rangers up in the top of the 1st, but in the bottom of the inning Younis Cespedes gets hold of a knuckler that doesn’t and deposits it in the cheap seats for a 3-run blast.  However, Texas ties it before Parker can record an out in the 2nd courtesy of a Ruben Sierra triple, but in the 4th Coco Crisp singles, gets his second stolen base of the game, and scores on a Cespedes single and the A’s regain a 4-3 lead.  Once again, the Rangers strike back to take the lead on a Toby Harrah RBI single and a Scott Fletcher fielders choice, and the A’s decide it’s time to explore their vaunted bullpen and pull Parker for Sean Doolittle.  He does his job, and Grant Balfour relieves him in the 5th.  In the 7th, the Rangers put in their defensive replacements and eye Hough’s gopher ball results nervously, but Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams isn’t inspiring much confidence in the bullpen so they stick with Hough.  Of course, Kurt Suzuki promptly finds one of Hough’s longball results and the game is tied.  Meanwhile, Balfour finishes up two perfect innings and gives way to Evan Scribner, but when the Rangers lead off the 9th with a walk followed by a double from defensive replacement Steve Buechele to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, the A’s bring in Pat Neshek and his 1.37 ERA, with nary a hit on his card.  Neshek comes through in flying colors, preventing any runs, and now it’s Texas’ turn to hold ‘em–and Hough does exactly that, so we head to extra innings.  Neshek dominates the top of the 10th, while Hough, in his final inning of eligibility, walks the first two A’s but Buechele expertly turns a double play to end the inning and the game continues.  Wanting to preserve Neshek’s eligibility, the A’s move to Ryan Cook for the top of the 11th; he does his job, and now it’s Greg Harris’ turn to face the A’s in the bottom of the inning.  He faces exactly one batter, Josh Reddick, who wraps a shot around the foul pole for a walk-off homer in the 11th that gives the A’s, who used six pitchers, the 6-5 win.  

All of the first round games in this bracket had a clear favorite, and in this matchup that favorite was the 1970 Red Sox, who won 87 games to finish 3rd in the AL East but had a strong lineup with big years from Yaz and Reggie Smith, and a capable rotation fronted by Ray Culp (17-14, 3.05).   They faced the 101-loss, last place 1967 Mets, who were just beginning to assemble the pieces for their miracle, with a big one being Rookie of the Year Tom Seaver (16-13, 2.76).   Both pitchers start the game in control, and nothing crosses the plate until Mets 2B Jerry Buchek unexpectedly knocks one over the Green Monster in the 7th to give the Mets a lead, so the game now rests on young Tom Terrific’s shoulders.  And he comes up big, mowing down the heart of the Boston order in the bottom of the 9th to give the Mets the upset 1-0 win in a great pitching duel, with both pitchers tossing three-hitters.

The survivors

The 1938 Dodgers had pulled off a big upset in the first round, but they were going into the semifinals without their cleanup hitter Babe Phelps and facing a steady dropoff in the quality of their rotation, particularly after Luke Hamlin (12-15, 3.68).  They would need another upset against regional favorite 1949 Cardinals, who were sending Gerry Staley (10-10, 2.73) to the mound as one of a number of decent options.  In the bottom of the 1st Dodger CF Ernie Koy, moved into the cleanup spot because of the Phelps injury, justifies that move with a 2-run homer for a quick Brooklyn lead.  The Cards load the bases up in the 5th, and DH Eddie Kazak hits a sac fly that scores Slaughter but also somehow manages to cripple Hamlin for an ugly 10 game injury, and the Dodgers have to turn to Fred Frankhouse as the only not-horrible bullpen option.  However, in the 5th Tommy Glaviano converts Frankhouse’s HR result to tie the game, but in the 6th the Dodgers load the bases and get a run on PH Fred Sington’s sac fly to regain the lead.  That lead doesn’t last long, as the Cards rack Frankhouse for four runs in the 7th, including a 2-run 2-out single for Slaughter, but a 2-out double from Cookie Lavagetto gets a run back for the Dodgers.  However, Frankhouse just can’t get it done and two more Cardinal runs in the 8th and a Musial RBI single in the 9th against new Brooklyn pitcher Lee Rogers spell doom for the plucky Dodgers and the Cards head to the finals with a 9-4 victory.  They win despite three errors, one from their CF-1 Diering and two from their SS-2 Marion. 

After their extra-inning battle in the first round, the 2012 A’s were hoping that swingman Travis Blackley (6-4, 4.10) might be able to give their bullpen a rest, as pretty much any reliever used here would be burnt for a possible regional final.   And, the A’s were reasonably confident against the 101-loss 1967 Mets, who had Don Cardwell (5-9, 3.58) trying to follow Tom Seaver’s tremendous opening act.  But Cardwell allows more runs than Seaver after three batters, when Brandon Moss triples in Johnny Gomes and then a Yoenis Cespedes sac fly gives the A’s the immediate 2-0 edge.  In the 2nd, A’s 2B Jemile Weeks comes up strong with a solo homer off Cardwell to extend the lead, but Mets’ game one offense Jerry Buchek matches that in the bottom of the inning to narrow the gap to 3-1.   Back to back doubles from Kurt Suzuki and Coco Crisp set up two more runs for the A’s in the 5th, and then two A’s singles to open the 8th and Cardwell yields to Ron Taylor, who is victimized by a bad play from Mets CF-4 Cleon Jones for another run.   Meanwhile, Blackley does just what the doctor ordered, finishing with a 5-hit complete game to rest the pen and send the A’s to the finals at full strength with a 6-1 win.

This was the regional final predicted by the ELO ranks, with the top-ranked 1949 Cardinals facing the division-winning 2012 A’s for the blue ribbon.  The Cards and their deep rotation had Harry Brecheen (14-11, 3.35) ready to go against the A’s Brandon McCarthy (8-6, 3.24), who was charged with getting the game to the A’s talented bullpen.  That meant that St. Louis was looking for a quick start, and they got it, reeling off seven hits against McCarthy in the top of the 1st and he only records one out before letting up his requisite five runs to give way to Ryan Cook.   Cook finally gets Cards leadoff hitter Red Schoendienst to hit into a DP (meaning that he accounted for all three outs in the inning) but it’s 6-0 before the A’s get a chance to bat.  A succession of A’s relievers hold the Cards in check, but Brecheen doesn’t allow his second hit of the game until Brandon Moss leads off the 7th with a homer.  The A’s add a sac fly by Josh Reddick in the bottom of the 9th but it’s not enough as the Cards take the 6-2 win and the regional.  Brecheen finishes with a 5-hitter, while the Cards amassed 10 hits–eight of them in the first inning.  

Interesting card of Regional #143:  Typically I wouldn’t highlight a player from a team that had been eliminated in the first round, and especially a card that by tournament rules wasn’t eligible.  See, in 2000 Glenallen Hill got both a Yankee-only and a combined card; my guidelines mandate that the card with the most AB/IP has to be used in the game, and this card is his Yankee-only version, meaning that his other card (which was also imposing) was used in the Yankees first round loss.  However, I feel obligated to spotlight Mr. Hill’s card here because I made fun of his 2001 card in Regional #81 as the worst DH card I had ever seen.  That 2001 card represented an OPS of .318, a bit of a dropoff from the 1.112 portrayed here.  I challenge anyone to find a player who had two more different Strat cards in consecutive seasons.