REGIONAL #177:  There were a number of teams in this largely post-steroid era bracket that caught my attention while they were being selected.   The 2009 Yankees were the last squad from that franchise to win the AL to the current day, and they had an interesting subway-series matchup against the 2017 Mets as I still remembered the 2019 version of the Mets bashing their way to a regional win nearly 70 brackets ago.  I knew that the 1983 Padres would win the NL the following season, and I thought I remembered the 1998 Astros making a serious run at the pennant.   There would also be a couple of 90s entries from the Rockies, whom I guessed sported a mile-high offense and pitching staffs with mile-high ERAs.  I thought the Padres would have a smooth path to the finals in the top half of the bracket, while the bottom would be extremely competitive, but my hunch was that the ‘98 Astros would handle the Yanks and then best the Padres in the finals.   The ELO rankings had the Yanks as one of the best 50 teams in history, with the ‘98 Astros almost making the top 100 with those two ranked as the best teams in the group by far; the Yanks were thus heavy ELO favorites to beat the Padres in the final.

First round action

The main thing I noticed about the 79-82 2000 Marlins is that they seemed to have a lot of guys with no names on their cards, and since none of them were Barry Bonds I had the feeling it was not a good sign.  Still, they had six players in the lineup with double digits homers and Ryan Dempster (14-10, 3.66) was decent by the standards of this era.  Even so, their offense paled compared to that of the 83-79 1996 Rockies, with Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, and Vinny Castilla all with 40+ HR and a total of five guys with SLG% over .500.  However, their pitching was painfully bad, with Kevin Ritz (17-11, 5.28) apparently able to win high-scoring games.  The Marlins seem to like the thin Denver air, as in the top of the 1st a Derrek Lee RBI triple and a 3-run blast from Preston Wilson and it’s a 4-0 lead for the Florida men.  Eric Young narrows the gap with a 2-out 2-run shot off Dempster in the 3rd, but in the 5th Lee converts a Ritz-y double to score Cliff Floyd to add to the Marlins lead.  Alex Gonzales triples to lead off the 6th, and Luis Castillo singles him home, with both off the pitcher’s card, so with Ritz crackered they bring in Bruce Ruffin, who they figure can’t be much worse.  Castillo responds by promptly stealing second and then scoring on a Mark Kotsay single that makes it 7-2, but Ellis Burks reduces the lead by a run with a solo shot in the bottom of the 6th.  The Marlins get another run on an RBI double from Mike Lowell in the 7th, but when Burks nails a 2-run shot in the 8th for his second homer of the game, Florida nervously eyes a bad bullpen but stays with Dempster and he gets a DP ball from Larry Walker to end the inning still holding a 3-run lead.  Dempster gets through the 9th unscathed and the Marlins move on in a minor upset with the 8-5 win.

The 2013 Astros were the bottom seed in this bracket, with an ELO ranking among the 50 worst teams of all time, and it was hard to imagine that this 111-loss team would win the World Series in four years, with Dallas Keuchel (6-10, 5.15) still being a key part of that championship staff.  Still, after looking at the lineup of the much better-ranked 81-81 1983 Padres, I didn’t see a huge advantage in the SD lineup even though they won the NL the following season.  However, swingman Mark Thurmond (7-3, 2.65) looked like a much better option than Houston could muster, but Keuchel holds his own until the bottom of the 3rd when he gives up a 2-out double to Steve Garvey that scores one, but Tony Gwynn is out at the plate to end the inning.  A 2-base error in the 5th by Astros 3B-2 Matt Dominguez sets up an RBI single from Gwynn, and then with Gwynn held Garvey nails a gbA++ to score another, and a 2-out single by Luis Salazar brings in a third run.  Keuchel desperately tries to go his 5 innings, but the next batter, Gene Richards, converts a HR 1-2 split for a 3-run shot and it’s time for Dallas to go into reruns.  Brett Oberholzer comes in to get the third out, but it’s now 7-0 Padres and Thurmond is looking strong against the whiff-prone Houstonians.  Two SD hits to lead off the 7th and the Astros try their best reliever, Kevin Chapman, and he escapes the jam without further damage; however, in the 8th the Astros best hitter, Jason Castro, leaves the game either with an injury or a desire to beat the Southern California traffic.  Thurmond cruises from there to finish up a 6-hit shutout and the Padres progress with a 7-0 win.

The 1998 Astros won 102 games and the NL Central but were upset in the NLDS; they had a strong lineup with Bagwell, Biggio, and Moises Alou, who finished 3rd in the MVP votes.  With a possible semifinal matchup against a championship Yankee team, the Astros decided to save a formidable Randy Johnson and went instead with the far less impressive Jose Lima (16-8, 3.70) figuring he would be better than anyone the 1999 Rockies could start.  And they were correct; the Rockies lost 90 games largely because of a terrible starting rotation.  Although Larry Walker and Todd Helton had big years, they were hoping that Brian Bohanon (12-12, 6.20) could keep the Astros in single digits.   Bohanon issues three walks in the top of the 1st but gets out of the inning unscathed thanks to a GIDP from Sean Berry, and in the 3rd it’s the Rockies who strike first when Brian McRae converts a HR 1-4/flyB split for a solo shot and a one run lead.   They extend it when Walker doubles to lead off the 4th and races home on a Helton single, but the Astros strike back in the 5th with a 2-out rally when Biggio walks, Alou doubles, and Bagwell singles, but Alou (1-14) is nailed at the plate trying to tie the game.  With their offense having unexpected trouble scoring against Bohanon, the Astros go to their bullpen and Doug Henry in the 6th to try to keep it close; he allows a double to McRae in the 7th but Henry Blanco (1-10) is cut down at home and it remains a 1-run game.  In the 8th, Bohanon’s magic runs out and Bagwell leads off with a towering blast that ties the game, and then Sean Berry goes back-to-back for a Houston lead and Rockies closer Dave Veres is summoned to staunch the bleeding.  He does so, and in the process Brad Ausmus is injured (the second straight game in which the Astros lose their catcher) and will miss the following game if the Astros can hang on.  To assure that happens, they bring in closer Billy Wagner to begin the 8th, and he makes the inning exciting by walking the first two batters he faces, but he’s bailed out by a nifty DP turned by Biggio.  Wagner also survives the 9th, and the Astros survive an unexpected pitching duel to gain the semifinals with a 3-2 win.  

The 2009 Yankees won 103 games, the AL, and the World Series, and they were favored in this bracket sporting an ELO designation of one of the best 40 teams in history.  However, Yankee pennant winners have traditionally fared poorly in this tournament, with the Jeter-era teams particularly underperforming, so they were looking to change that narrative with Mark Texiera and Jeter finishing 2nd and 3rd for MVP and CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37) 4th in the Cy Young ballots.  This was a subway series against the 2017 Mets, who might have had a dismal 70-92 record and rather atrocious fielding, but they had power and Jake DeGrom (15-10, 3.53) also got some Cy Young votes, winning it the next season.  As it featured the top seed, this was the Zoom game of the week, and with a well-attended session the decision was made to revive the College of Coaches approach last seen with the ‘62 Cubs–a committee of four would call the shots for the Yankees, while I would manage the Mets to avoiding jinxing the bracket favorites since I had failed to score a run in my two previous Zoom appearances.  That streak ended quickly, as the Mets exploded out of the box in the top of the 1st with a couple of doubles and some sloppy Yankee fielding by 1B-1 Texiera to take a 2-0 lead.  However, the Mets return the favor by committing three errors–two of them by DeGrom–in the bottom of the inning and the game is tied.  Texiera atones for his fielding miscue with an RBI single in the 2nd to give the Yankees an edge, but then DeGrom finds his groove, striking out Yankee after Yankee.  That give Jose Reyes the chance to tie it, which he does leading off the 4th by converting Sabathia’s HR 1-5 split.  But from there, CC also settles in, at one point retiring 12 in a row and the pitchers are locked in a duel as the game enters the 9th.  In the top of that inning, the Mets get a leadoff single and it’s time for Mariano Rivera, who is bailed out by a key DP and the Mets leave the go-ahead run stranded at 3rd.   That brings up the top of the Yankees order in the bottom of the 9th, with the Mets sticking with DeGrom who has fanned 13 batters.  Jeter leads off with a single, and swipes second to put the winning run in scoring position.   That brings up Johnny Damon, who is 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts, and the College of Coaches goes into conference; after forming three subcommittees, developing four strategic plans, and consulting extensively with the Risk Management office, the College decides to let Johnny swing away.  And the roll is a 2-6, solid home run, and there’s bedlam in the Bronx as the Yankees move on with the 5-3 walkoff win.

The survivors

After cruising through the first round against a bad team, the 1983 Padres would now face a somewhat better squad in the semifinal in the form of the 2000 Marlins.  The Padres couldn’t be blamed for looking ahead to a possible matchup in the finals against a dominant team, but they felt that Dave Dravecky (14-10, 3.58) would be able to get them there.   The Marlins have to dig deeper in their no-name pitching staff and draw a blank–literally, their starter has no name, just a blank space.  A little bit of research reveals that this horse with no name is actually called Chuck Smith (6-6, 3.23), which is probably an alias anyway, but whoever he is the Marlins give him a quick lead in the top of the 1st with a Luis Castillo single, who steals second and scores on a Mark Kotsay single, both coming from the same roll on Dravecky’s card.  The Marlins add another run in the 2nd on a Castillo RBI single, but they also lose their top hitter, Cliff Floyd, to injury for the rest of the regional, replacing him with yet another no-name player.  The Padres load the bases in the bottom of the inning with nobody out, but fail to score thanks to a Garry Templeton GIDP.  They do break the ice in the 3rd with three straight hits to lead off the inning, the third a 2-run double from Tony Gwynn, and it’s a tie game.  Not for long, as another RBI single from Kotsay puts the Marlins back on top in the 4th, and both pitchers then settle into a groove.  When Smith issues a one out walk in the bottom of the 7th, the Padres pinch run Bobby Brown, and it’s his prerogative to steal second which he does; the Marlins eye their bullpen and see no names there either, so Smith stays in and he ends the threat still clinging to the one run lead.  However, Smith issues a walk to Steve Garvey to lead off the bottom of the 8th, and then hangs a curve to Terry Kennedy, who crushes it for a 2-run homer and a sudden Padres lead.  The Padres then summon Luis DeLeon to pitch the 9th against the top of the Marlins order, and DeLeon mows them down in order so the Padres move to the finals with the come-from-behind 4-3 victory.  

This was the matchup that had been anticipated since the regional draw, with the #1 seed and World Champion 2009 Yankees against the NL West winning #2 seeded 1998 Astros, and although the Stros would be without C Brad Ausmus for the game, they would have the intimidating Randy Johnson (19-11, 3.28), who compared favorably to the nonetheless solid Andy Pettitte (14-8, 4.18).  After Pettitte gets two quick outs in the top of the 1st, Moises Alou greets him with a moon shot, and the rattled Pettitte grants a double to Jeff Bagwell who scores on a Sean Berry single giving Houston an early 2-0 edge.  It proves to be short-lived, as ARod finds and converts Johnson’s HR result for a 2-run poke in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.  After making some nifty fielding plays in the 2nd, Craig Biggio leads off the 3rd with another long homer to put the Astros back on top, and then two batters later Berry converts Pettitte’s HR split for a solo shot.  Derrek Bell then doubles, Carl Everett follows with a triple,  and it’s looking like Andy is tossing batting practice out there; by the time he records the third out, Houston leads 5-2 and the Yankee bullpen is on red alert.  When Bill Spiers singles in the top of the 4th, Pettitte is gone, allowing 8 hits in 3+ innings with most of them for extra bases, and David Robertson gets the call, but Alou takes him to the corner with a triple and Houston extends their lead.  In the 6th, Jeter converts Johnson’s HR split for a solo shot and the Yanks narrow the gap to three, and in desperation they then decide to burn Mariano Rivera for the regional, bringing him in to begin the 7th.  Rivera is perfect in the top of the 7th, and ARod leads off the bottom of the 7th with his second homer of the game, and the next batter Matsui misses a HR/flyB split and the Astros are beginning to worry about Johnson, who is adamant about remaining in the game.  Everett gives the Big Unit some padding in the 8th when he converts Rivera’s HR split for a solo shot; in the bottom of the inning PH Eric Hinske draws a walk, but Astros defensive replacement SS-2 Tim Bogar converts a DP to send the game into the 9th with a three-run Houston lead.  With Rivera burnt, Alfredo Aceves comes in to walk the first two batters but escapes the inning with no damage, and so it’s Johnson’s game in the bottom of the 9th.  Damon and ARod single, and Damon scores when a ball gets past injury replacement C-4 Tony Eusebio, but Posada makes the final out missing a SI 1-12 split and the Astros triumph in the battle of the titans 7-5, and another Jeter-era Yankee pennant winner joins their colleagues in the storage drawer. 

Having disposed of the top seed, the #2 ranked 1998 Astros would now face the #3 seed 1983 Padres with both squads looking to win the 5th regional title for their franchise.  The Astros would be back at full strength getting Brad Ausmus back from injury, and they would have Shane Reynolds (19-8, 3.51) on the mound, who won a lot of games despite allowing a lot of hits.  The Padres would counter with a very good swingman in Andy Hawkins (5-7, 2.93) who would try to keep the powerful Houston lineup in check.  However, Hawkins has a rough time in the bottom of the 1st, with a single to the leadoff hitter Bill Spiers, followed by a double by Craig Biggio, and then Moises Alou ups the stakes with a long 3-run homer.  The Padres respond immediately, with Garry Templeton knocking one in with a sac fly and then Juan Bonilla converts Reynolds’ HR split for a 2-run shot and it’s a tie game.  The Astros move back in front when Biggio leads off the 3rd with a single off Hawkins’ card, steals second, and scores when Alou pokes a double past Padres CF-2 Ruppert Jones.  Once again the Padres strike back, with Templeton converting Reynolds HR split again for a solo shot for another tie, and in the 5th Luis Salazar singles in Steve Garvey to give the Padres their first lead, and the Astros have had enough of watching Reynolds rapped and Jay Powell comes in to end the inning with a DP ball.  When the Padres put together a two out rally in the 7th with a single followed by a 2-base error by LF-2 Alou, the Astros summon closer Billy Wagner to try to keep it close, but he allows a sharp single that scores both runners and the deficit grows to three.  Biggio narrows it with a solo blast in the bottom of the 7th, Alou walks, and then Bagwell puts one in the Crawford Boxes and the game is tied yet again; after a mound conference the Padres lets Hawkins pitch and he ends the inning to head to the 8th with the score knotted at seven apiece.   Wagner blows through the Padres in the top of the 8th, and when Derek Bell leads off the bottom of the inning with a double Hawkins is gone for Luis DeLeon.  He walks Ausmus and defensive replacement Tim Bogar bunts the runners into scoring position; the infield comes in to retire Spiers on a grounder with both runners holding for two out, but then DeLeon hangs one to Biggio, who crushes it for his second homer of the game, a three run shot that gives the Astros the lead.  With some padding, Houston decides to preserve Wagner for later rounds and brings in Doug Henry to close things out, and although he walks Garvey he handles the rest of the San Diego lineup to clinch the 10-7 win and the regional for the Astros.  In addition to providing the fifth win for the Astros franchise (joining 1969, 1972, 1980 and 2004), the victory also provides a measure of revenge for this ‘98 team, who were upset in the NLDS by none other than the San Diego Padres.  

 

Interesting card of Regional #177:  The 1998 Astros were the regional winners, and they reached the finals mainly because one Big Unit managed to best the bracket favorite 2009 Yankees in the semifinal round.  That big result was only fitting because Houston acquired Johnson at the trading deadline in 1998 in a push to win their first pennant in franchise history.   At the time, Johnson was in the last year of his contract with Seattle and constant trade rumors seemed to be disrupting his performance, as he had a mediocre (9-10, 4.33 ERA) record with the Mariners.  However, he was traded for Freddy Garcia, John Halama and Carlos Guillen at the July 31 deadline, and his enthusiasm about his new location is evident in this card, which represents his Astros-only performance.  Now, tournament rules require that a player with two cards for the same team must use the higher IP/AB version, so the card that beat the Yankees was good, but not this good.  It certainly looked like the Astros got what they bargained for, as they marched to 102 wins and took the NL Central by 12+ games.  However, when they hit the NLDS, the Astros were upset by the Padres in four games, with Johnson losing two of them.  With his contract now up, Johnson became a Diamondback the next season and the Astros were left with this rather good Strat card as consolation–as well as a win in Regional #177 of this tournament.