REGIONAL #145: Although there was one official pennant winner in this draw, the 2012 Tigers, many felt that the 1994 Expos were deprived of one by a strike year, and they would have their chance for redemption here. They would face a tough challenge in the first round from the Tigers, but I didn’t see a lot else here that I thought would mount a challenge–I was pretty sure, for example, that one wouldn’t be coming from the ‘63 Mets. I guessed that the Expos would prevail over a 21st century Reds team in the finals. The ELO ranks agreed that the Expos were the team to beat, and that their most serious challenges would come from their bottom half of the regional; the best ranking of a generally terrible top half was the ‘92 Rangers.
First round action
The 90-loss 2007 Reds looked like the late steroid-era team that they were, having numerous HR threats in the lineup but a gory starting rotation with Aaron Harang (16-6, 3.73) being their only decent option as staff ace. They faced the last place, 59-95 1947 Browns, who somewhat miraculously had won a pennant only three years before but given the shifting landscape in baseball during those three years, it might as well have been a century. The Browns started Sam Zoldak (9-10, 3.47), who had been a rookie on their ‘44 team, but he is greeted in the top of the 1st by a Reds barrage with an RBI double from Josh Hamilton and a 2-run single from Brandon Phillips, and it could have been worse as Cincinnati leaves the bases loaded. Zoldak then settles down, and in the 5th Al Zarilla finds Harang’s solid 5-5 HR result for a 2-run shot to pull the Browns within one. The Reds keep that lead heading into the 8th, and unnerved by Harang’s gopher ball tendencies they summon Jared Burton from the pen to try to keep the ball in the park, although perhaps not over the plate. A Johnny Berardino double and a walk to Zarilla gives the Reds a scare, but an inning-ending DP removes those threats and the Browns go down quietly in the 9th, with the Reds taking a 3-2 win to move on.
The 77-85 1992 Rangers featured a big season from Juan Gonzalez, whose two MVP seasons in Regionals #108 and #110 pushed the Rangers to the finals and semifinals but fell short of taking a regional crown. They faced the terrible 111-loss 1963 Mets, who according to the ELO rankings were the 6th worst team of all time, and because the Mets were so bad on paper the Rangers decided to live dangerously and send maybe their fourth best starter, the still-decent Jose Guzman (16-11, 3.66), to the mound to match up against Roger Craig (5-22, 3.78), the respected pitching coach who pointed out from experience that you have to be pretty good to lose 20 games. Craig shows how in the top of the first, with two Mets errors leading to a run, but the Rangers come by runs more honestly in the 2nd with two 2-run homers from Ivan Rodriguez and Gonzalez, and the few fans sticking around the Polo Grounds are mostly waiting for the polo match to start. However, the Mets load the bases in the bottom of the inning with nobody out, and Ron Hunt drives in two with a double, although Guzman responds by striking out the next three batters to avoid further damage. The Rangers pad their lead in the 5th when Gonzalez smacks his second HR of the game leading off, and Rodriguez adds an RBI single although SS Jeff Huson ends the inning getting injured and leaving the bases loaded. It looks like they will need that padding, as the Mets storm back in the 6th loading the bases with nobody out, and they turn that into four runs including a 2-run single from 36 year old Duke Snider, and the score is now 9-6, with both teams hesitant to go to their unimpressive bullpens. In the 8th, Juan Gone hits his third round-tripper of the game, a solo shot that puts the Rangers in double figures, but when Hunt leads off the bottom of the inning with a sharp single Texas finally moves to the pen to bring in their only decent reliever, Matt Whiteside. He does his job, and the Rangers hang on for a 10-6 victory, assisted by 5 errors from the hapless Mets.
The 2007 Blue Jays went 83-79, and seemed to be a team with power but limited ability to get on base, and a starting rotation whose cards seemed worse than their stats, including that of Roy Halladay (16-7, 3.71). That was not a problem for the 1964 Indians, who had a mirror image 79-83 record but for some reason a much worse ELO ranking; they sported a good rotation headed by Luis Tiant (10-4, 2.83) with a decent lineup anchored by Leon Wagner, but their defense would make any use of the X-chart into an adventure. The Jays’ chances aren’t helped when 2B Aaron Hill ends the 3rd inning with a tournament-ending injury, and in the bottom of the inning the Indians take the lead when Vic Davalillo doubles and then scores on a Dick Howser single. That lead proves short-lived when Troy Glaus finds Tiant’s HR result for a game-tying solo shot in the top of the 4th, but in the 6th Max Alvis nails a 2-run shot and after Halladay allows another hit to DH Bob Chance, the Jays bring in Scott Downs for his chance. However, injury replacement 2B-4 Russ Adams can’t get to a Davalillo grounder, Howser then raps and RBI single, and the Indians lead 5-1. Two more Cleveland hits in the 8th and the desperate Jays try their closer, Jeremy Accardo, and he ends the inning without any scoring. That proves key in the top of the 9th, as the Jays load the bases with one out and the Indians summon Don McMahon to try to close out the game, but Glaus singles in a run, Gregg Zaun drives in another with a fielder’s choice, and Vernon Wells converts a SI 1-9 off McMahon’s card with two out to drive in a third, and it’s now a one-run game with the tying run 90 feet away and Adam Lind at the plate. It’s a groundball X to 2B-3 defensive replacement Billy Moran, and he makes the play as the Indians survive a scare to move on to the semis with the 5-4 win.
The last matchup of the first round paired the #1 and #2 ELO seeds for the regional. The top seeded 1994 Expos went 74-40 in the strike year, equaling 105 wins in a regular season, and the ELO rankings placed them as the best Expos team of all time by a considerable margin. Although slightly impacted by fewer AB/IP due to the short season, Les Expos could still count on Pedro Martinez (11-5, 3.42) as their top starter. They faced the AL pennant winning 2012 Tigers, who went 88-74 and were ranked as only the 27th best Tiger team, but they still sported the AL MVP in Miguel Cabrera and were starting the Cy Young runner-up, Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64), so it really seemed that the winner of this game should cruise over the rest of the opposition in this bracket. Both pitchers start off strong, but Moises Alou breaks the ice in the bottom of the 4th with a leadoff homer, and then Tigers RF Brennan Boesch responds with a 2-run blast in the top of the 5th. In the 6th, Martinez is hurt and has to be pulled, so the Expos go with Tim Scott, and he holds the fort until they bring in closer John Wetteland for the 8th. However, in the 9th, Wetteland allows a leadoff triple to Jhonny Peralta, who scores on an Andy Dirks single, Prince Fielder drives in another with a fielder’s choice, and the Tigers take a three run lead into the bottom of the 9th with Verlander looking to finish things out. However, two straight singles and a walk load the bases with nobody out, and Detroit is warming up closer Jose Valverde but decide to allow their ace a chance to get out of his jam. Verlander whiffs Rondell White, but a Cliff Floyd single and it’s a two-run game, bases are still loaded, and it’s time for Valverde. However, Valverde walks #9 hitter Mike Lansing and it’s a one-run game, bases still loaded, and top of the order is up in the form of Marquis Grissom. The Tigers bring the infield in for the speedy Grissom, and it pays off as a gbC off Valverde turns into an out at the plate for the second out. It’s now between Valverde and Montreal SS Wil Cordero with the game on the line; Cordero grounds out and the Tigers escape with the 4-3 win.
The survivors
The first semifinal of the regional matches two bad teams that both won in the first round as favorites over two really wretched teams. The 2007 Reds were entering the more frightening part of their rotation, and the prospects of Bronson Arroyo (9-16, 4.23) pitching to the 1992 Rangers’ Juan Gonzalez, who hit three homers in the round one game, added to the fear factor. Meanwhile, the Rangers had saved their better starters for these rounds, and Kevin Brown (21-11, 3.32), who led the AL in wins for a sub-.500 team, gave them a distinct advantage. However, the Reds solve Brown quickly, with two singles and a walk loading the bases in the top of the 1st with nobody out, and after Rangers CF-4 Gonzalez turns a Brandon Phillips flyball into a 2-run single the Reds lead 3-0 before the Rangers swing a bat. The Reds add another in the 2nd when Scott Hatteberg knocks an RBI single past injury replacement SS-4 Dickie Thon, but then the Rangers come alive in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases, and after a walk to Pudge Rodriguez, Texas gets two-run singles from both Al Newman and Rafael Palmiero and take a 5-4 lead. The Reds immediately tie it in the 3rd with a solo homer from Edwin Encarnacion, but in the 4th Brian Downing and Palmiero go back-to-back to send Arroyo to the showers, and David Weathers manages to end the inning but with the Rangers up 8-5. Jose Canseco adds an insurance run in the 7th with a solo blast, which is a good thing as Brown loses it in the 8th, and the Reds pile on four runs (two on a Josh Hamilton 2-out single) to tie it up, and game one savior Matt Whiteside is brought in. The Reds respond in the bottom of the inning by bringing in their first round save artist, Jared Burton, meaning that whichever team survives this will go into the finals with a badly depleted bullpen. In the top of the 9th, the Reds get started with an Encarnacion single and a double by Alex Gonzalez, bringing up backup catcher Javier Valentin with one out and the go-ahead run on 3rd. Valentin rips it to Rangers backup 2B Jeff Frye, who can’t get to it and two runs score and the Reds regain the lead. It’s thus up to Burton against the meat of the Rangers order in the bottom of the 9th, and he sets them down in order, fanning Canseco for the final out and the Reds head to the finals with an 11-9 come from behind victory. Burton is now burnt for the regional, but with a win and a save to show for his four innings of work.
The regional final was a Battle of Ohio matching the #4 seed 1964 Indians against the #6 seeded 2007 Reds, and the advantage for the Indians was even larger than ELO rating might suggest, as their Sonny Siebert (7-9, 3.23) was miles better than the Reds’ only option, Matt Belisle (8-9, 5.32), and to make matters worse anyone decent in the Reds bullpen was burnt. Regardless, the Reds take the lead in the top of the 3rd when Scott “he gets on base” Hatteberg draws a 2-out walk and Adam Dunn follows by crushing a moonshot into Lake Erie, but that lead is erased in the bottom of the inning on doubles from Held, Howser, and Francona, and it’s tied 2-2 after three. The Indians keep going in the 4th, as a 2-base error by Reds 3B-4 Edwin Encarnacion opens the door for three more runs, with another Howser double being the big blow. When the Indians load the bases in the 5th with nobody out, the Reds look desperately at the bullpen but there is nothing there except batting practice pitchers, so they stick with Belisle and he only allows one run on a Chico Salmon sac fly, but the game is getting out of hand. The Reds load the bases in the 7th but only convert one run on a Josh Hamilton sac fly, but that’s all they can scrape up against Siebert, who notches 10 strikeouts in a 4-hitter as the Indians win their 12th regional, cementing an unexpected dynasty of regional winners as the 1964 team joins 1960, 1961, and 1967 as bracket victors.
Interesting card of Regional #145: For the first time in 45 years, in 2012 someone won a triple crown as Miguel Cabrera led the AL in batting average, homers, and RBI. Last time it was done by a third baseman? Answer: Heinie Zimmerman, in 1912; although, in fairness it should be noted that Miggy had only moved back to third in 2012 because the Tigers had acquired Prince Fielder, who could only (and barely) play first. Strat’s 3B-3 rating for Miggy might have been generous, considering he began the transition in spring training by taking a ground ball to the face during a game with the Phillies, resulting in a small fracture in the orbital bone beneath his eye. It didn’t seem to affect his hitting much, given the Triple Crown; another worthwhile trivia note is that he was also the only player to have won all three Triple Crown categories in separate seasons prior to actually winning the Triple Crown. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Miggy was wholly useless during their regional games and they were knocked out in the semifinals, with Cabrera looking more like his 2022 self in this tournament than the season represented by this card.
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