REGIONAL #219:   The draw for this group had some interesting entries.  There was a recent Dodgers squad who didn’t win the pennant, but did in the prior season and in the subsequent one.  There were two Reds teams from the two seasons that immediately followed their unlikely 1990 pennant, as well a Mariners team a few seasons after their best performance and a Rangers team from a few years before their recent Series win.  Finally, there was a Cubs team that had the distinction of being the first team to finish last while having the league MVP on the roster.  My guess was that the Dodgers were the class of the bunch and that they would top the 1992 version of the Reds in the finals.  The ELO predictions matched mine, although I was surprised to see that the Dodgers season-ending ELO ranking was one of the 25 best in history; I also didn’t expect the Brewers to be the second seed, meaning that the top two ELO squads in the bracket would be facing off in the first round.

First round action  

In what might be the marquee matchup of the regional, the top seeded 2019 Dodgers faced the #2 seed in the 2018 Brewers.  The Dodgers crushed the opposition to the tune of 106 wins, and had NL MVP Cody Bellinger heading a heart of the lineup that featured five consecutive .500+ SLG% hitters.  Not only that, they had three starters getting Cy Young votes in the rotation, fronted by runner-up Hyun Jin Ryu (14-5, 2.32); however, they were upset in the NLDS and felt they needed to make up for that loss.  However, the Brew Crew had some motivation of their own, as this 96-win NL Central winner was eliminated in a seven-game NLCS against the Dodgers of a year before their opponent in this game.  The Brewers were led by their own NL MVP in Christian Yelich, but were nonetheless a pretty well-balanced team, with power, a decent rotation backed by solid defense, and some nice options in the bullpen in case Jhoulys Chacin (15-8, 3.50) should need help.  The Dodgers load the bases in the bottom of the 1st but Max Muncy hits into an inning-ending DP to end that threat, but Muncy makes up for it in the 3rd by putting it in the ravine for a 2-run blast and a Dodgers lead.  The Brewers respond in the 4th as CF-3 Alex Verdugo misplays a Bellinger liner into a single and an error, and then 2B-4 Muncy waves at a Jesus Aguilar RBI single that makes it a one run game.  However, in the bottom of the inning LA’s #9 hitter Tyler White finds and convert’s Chacin’s HR split for a 2-run shot, but Mike Moustakas responds for Milwaukee by leading off the 5th with a homer.  The Brewers then load the bases, but a diving stop by 3B-3 Justin Turner bails out the Dodgers and prevents further damage.  A walk and a squib single to lead off the 6th and Chacin is pulled for Jeremy Jeffress’s 1.29 ERA, but he immediately yields an RBI single to Alex Verdugo; however, he bears down and strands runners on 2nd and 3rd but LA now leads, 5-2.  Things just get worse for the Brewers, as MVP Yelich is injured and must leave the game to end the 7th inning, and the Dodgers try to shore up their bad defense as much as they can to begin the 8th.  But Ryu ends things with four hitless innings and he wraps up a 5-hitter as the Dodgers move on with a 5-2 win, and just as in their actual season, the Brewers can’t escape LA.  However, the Dodgers’ three errors reveals the Achilles heel that might keep them from getting far in this tournament.

The 1991 Reds had been a surprise Series winner in the prior season, but they seriously backtracked in this year by losing 88 games.  Even though the lineup was essentially the same and had Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo getting a few MVP votes, the rotation was painful after Jose Rijo (15-6, 2.51), who was 5th in the Cy Young votes, and the Nasty Boys bullpen might be getting a lot of work.  They were still ELO favorites over the 2002 Indians, even though the two teams had identical 74-88 records; Cleveland’s Jim Thome hit 52 homers and came in 7th in the MVP voting to lead a fearsome heart of the order, but the rest of the lineup wasn’t impressive, most couldn’t field, and there was little hope for the rotation other than big Bartolo Colon (10-4, 2.54).  The Reds strike first in the battle for Ohio as Barry Larkin nails Colon’s HR split in the bottom of the 1st for a 2-run shot; in the 4th, Jeff Reed doubles past 1B-4 Thome to set up a 2-out, 2-run single by Hal Morris and the Reds extend their lead to 4-0.  In the 5th Eric Davis walks, steals second and scores easily on a Billy Doran single, and Rijo cruises, striking out Thome to wrap up a 3-hit shutout and the Reds move on with a 5-0 win.   

With their version from the previous year winning in the prior first round game, it was the 1992 Reds now trying to do their part to achieve an all-Reds final.  This was essentially the same team but they put together a much better record, earning 90 wins with Barry Larkin and Bip Roberts receiving some MVP votes and a decent rotation with Jose Rijo (15-10, 2.56) once again at the front.   They faced the 1987 Cubs and NL MVP Andre Dawson, who the first MVP winner for a last place team.  In fairness, the Cubs only lost 85 games and had a much better ELO ranking than many cellar dwellers making them a #6 seed in this bracket.  Indeed, with a supporting cast in the lineup of Ryne Sandberg, Leon Durham and Keith Moreland, and Rick Sutcliffe (18-10, 3.68) on the mound as the Cy Young runner up, this squad looked plenty competitive.  Roberts proves his credentials by leading off the bottom of the 1st with a single, stealing second, advancing on a grounder and scoring on a Chris Sabo sac fly to provide an early Reds lead.  Jody Davis responds by converting Rijo’s HR split to lead off the top of the 3rd, but Bill Doran leads off the 5th by wrapping a shot around the foul pole and the Reds regain the lead.  Joe Oliver tries to extend the lead in the 6th attempting to score from second with two out (1-8+2) but he’s out by a mile, and the Cubs mount a threat in the top of the 8th getting two runners on with two out.  Rafael Palmiero is summoned to pinch hit, and the Reds get nasty in response with Rob Dibble brought in to face him.  Raffy launches one deep but LF-2 Reggie Sanders gets to it to retire the side, and the Reds still cling to a one-run lead that they carry into the top of the 9th, with Dibble trying to close things out.  Bob Dernier leads off with a single, but Joe Oliver nails him trying to steal for the first out.  SS-1 Larkin handles a Sandberg grounder for the second out, and it all comes down to MVP Andre Dawson.   Dibble delivers, and Dawson crushes it 450 feet, the game is tied, and Marge Schott immediately fires three minorities in response.  In the bottom of the 9th, Paul O’Neill draws a walk off Sutcliffe and then Dave Martinez hits a fly to CF-2 Dernier, and he misplays it for a two-base error so the winning run is now at 3rd with one away.  With Lee Smith warming up in the pen, the Cubs decide to stay with their veteran starter but with the infield in, Bill Doran rolls the gbA++ and it’s game over as O’Neill trots home and secures the 3-2 walkoff win.  

This game featured the two bottom seeds of the bracket, the 78-84 2019 Rangers against the 69-93 2005 Mariners.  These Rangers bore no resemblance whatsoever to the team that just won the Series, with way too many DHs and not enough pitching or fielding, although Mike Minor (14-10, 3.59) was a major asset.  The Mariners still had a few remnants of past glories like Ichiro and Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson got some MVP support, but Jamie Moyer (13-7, 4.28) was the only pitcher in the rotation with an ERA under five.  The game is scoreless until the top of the 4th when Asdrubal Cabrera raps a 2-out RBI single off Moyer’s card for a 1-0 Texas lead.  In the 7th Cabrera leads off the inning and rolls his solid 3-2 HR result, but Beltre quickly gets the run back in the bottom of the inning leading off by converting Minor’s HR split.  The Rangers then eye their bullpen but don’t like what they see, and Minor manages to complete the inning without further damage.  In the top of the 8th, a grounder by Rougned Odor ties up 1B-3 Sexson for a two-base error that allows a run to score, the third Mariner error of the game, and although it wasn’t his fault Moyer is pulled for Felix Hernandez, who whiffs Cabrera on a roll that would have been Moyer’s HR result.  In the bottom of the inning, Minor allows a pair of singles and the Rangers feel they have to go to the pen, and try Jose Leclerc who is wild but difficult to hit, and he ends the inning without incident.  It then comes down to Leclerc in the 9th facing a series of pinch-hitters, and although he walks two of them he retires Randy Winn for out number three and the Rangers move on with the 3-1 win.  

The survivors

The 2019 Dodgers were the top seed in this group in part because of an excellent rotation, with Walker Buehler (14-4, 3.26) one of three starters getting Cy Young votes.  In contrast, the #4 seeded 1991 Reds looked to have  a big dropoff for the semifinal as Tom Browning (14-14, 4.18) probably would not make the Dodgers’ rotation.  However, it’s Buehler that fails to impress in the 1st, yielding three hits off his card and spotting the Reds a 1-0 lead.  Things don’t get better for LA in the top of the 2nd, as Justin Turner is lost to injury, and then in the 5th it’s Buehler’s day off as he also gets injured and has to be removed, with Julio Urias replacing him to begin the 6th.  Urias is greeted by Barry Larkin with a double in the gap, and he scores on a Paul O’Neill single to provide a little insurance for Browning.  However, Browning might want a larger policy as Alex Verdugo leads off the top of the 8th by rolling Browning’s solid 5-9 HR result; that’s only the third hit allowed by Browning but the Reds decide it’s time for the Nasty Boys and Norm Charlton comes in to try to preserve the one-run lead.   Charlton gets into immediate trouble, allowing  a walk and a single but 2B-3 Bill Doran makes a stellar play to end the inning without further damage.  That sends the game to the 9th with the Reds clinging to the one-run lead; Charlton faces a succession of pinch hitters and mows them down, whiffing AJ Pollock for the 3rd out and these Reds do their part to set up an all-90s Reds final with the tight 2-1 win over one of the best teams in history according to their ELO rating.  

The 1992 Reds now had the responsibility of making it a pure Red final, with just the #7 seeded 2019 Rangers standing in their way.  Both teams had decent starters available for this semifinal, the Reds with Tim Belcher (15-14, 3.91) and the Rangers having Lance Lynn (16-11, 3.67).  Chris Sabo, irritated because his fielding dropped from a 2 to a 4 in one season, expresses his frustration by converting a HR 1-5 split to lead off the top of the 2nd, and then a rattled Lynn loads up the bases for a 2-run Bill Doran single while another scores on a Bip Roberts fielder’s choice and the Reds lead 4-0.  The Rangers reply by loading the bases themselves in the bottom of the 3rd, but only convert one run on a Danny Santana sac fly; in the 4th Belcher walks the first two batters and Delino Deshields pokes an RBI single to narrow the gap to 4-2.  In the 6th, Rangers 3B-3 Asdrubal Cabrera commits a 2-out 2-base error that allows Dave Martinez to score, and when Doran leads off the 7th with a single Lynn is pulled for Jose Leclerc, who earned the save in round one.  That goes poorly, as the Reds batter Leclerc for four runs, including a 2-run single from Martinez, and from there Belcher is in control as the Reds cruise to a 9-2 win and make it a finals between two highly related teams.

Although it’s not the first time in this tournament that two teams from the same franchise would meet in a regional final, it is the first time that the two teams are from consecutive seasons, with the #3 seed 1992 Reds facing off against the #4 seeded 1991 Reds.  This meant that one of them would achieve what the pennant-winning ‘90 Reds failed to do, which is to win their bracket.   One reason that the ‘92 team had a better rating was because they had a better rotation, with Greg Swindell (12-8, 2.70) a strong option to go against 91’s swingman Scott Scudder (6-9, 4.35).  But Swindell doesn’t look strong in the top of the 1st as he loads up the bases with a hit and a couple of walks, and a squib single by Eric Davis and a sac fly by the ‘91 version of Billy Doran (that’s Bill to you in ‘92, btw) makes it 2-0 for the ‘91s.  That lead proves short-lived, as Reggie Sanders smacks a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning for a game reset.  In the 2nd, Scudder issues four consecutive walks and the ‘92s take a 3-2 lead, while the ‘91s lose Davis for the tournament with an injury to end the 3rd.  However, in the 4th Doran doubles off Swindell’s card and then another Billy, Hatcher, later hits the same split for a single and Doran scores to tie things up again.  Once again it doesn’t last long, as Bip bops a 2-run homer by converting Scudder’s HR split and the ‘92s take a 5-3 lead into the 5th.  When Scudder walks Sanders to begin the bottom of the 5th, the ‘91s feel the game slipping away and move to their version of Rob Dibble, and he ends the inning after a little excitement but with no damage.  When the ‘91s lead off the top of the 7th with consecutive singles from Hatcher and Hal Morris, it’s time for double Dibbles as the ‘92 version of Rob comes in to try to preserve their lead.   This Dibble whiffs ‘91 versions of Larkin and Sabo, bringing up Paul O’Neill with two away–and O’Neill crushes it somewhere in the vicinity of the Ohio River for a three-run blast and the first lead of the game for the ‘91s, to the delight of the younger versions of the fans in the stands.  It’s now ‘91 Dibble’s job to hold on, and his first batter of the 7th, Sabo, doubles on a missed HR 1-5 split, followed by Joe Oliver who doubles while missing Dibble’s HR 1-17 split, and the game is tied.  Oliver then scores on a Dave Martinez single to put the ‘92s ahead for the third time of the game, and although ‘92 Dibble allows two hits in the top of the 8th, he escapes with that lead intact.  By the bottom of the 8th, the ‘91s are done Dibbling and summon Norm Charlton for his final two innings of eligibility in the bracket, and he puts his future teammates down in order, bringing the ‘91s to the top of the 9th down by a run and the heart of the order is up.  The ‘92s elect to stick with their Dibble, but Larkin leads off with a single and Sabo follows with a double, the 1-17 Larkin races home, and the game is tied once again.  O’Neill walks, injury replacement Herm Winningham bunts to put runners on 2nd and 3rd, and in comes the infield for Doran.  He rips a grounder to 1B-3 Carmelo Martinez, who muffs it, Sabo scores, and the ‘91s now hold the lead and now it’s the ‘92 Charlton replacing a horrific Dibble, who managed to leave the game as the losing pitcher of record for both teams at once.  But Jeff Reed tags Charlton for a single and another run before finally ending the inning on a Martinez DP ball, while the ‘91 Charlton now takes a two-run lead into the bottom of the 9th.  And he sets the ‘92s down in order, bringing an end to the Clone Wars as the 1991 Reds take the regional with a 9-7 victory over their older selves.

Interesting card of Regional #219:  There were three MVPs in this regional, and their teams went a combined 1-3 with none of the three doing much to help.  However, only one of the three had the excuse of playing for a last place team, the first MVP in baseball history to do so.  But it was a remarkable season for Dawson in other ways as well.  After 11 years in Montreal during which he established himself as the greatest player in team history, the Expos offered the 32 year old Dawson a contract that represented a pay cut; Dawson then declared himself a free agent but remarkably not a single team was interested (not coincidentally, toward the end of the 1987 season arbitrator Thomas Roberts ruled that there was collusion among owners to not sign free agents, resulting in a 1990 settlement requiring owners to pay $280 million dollars to cover awarded damages).  Desperate to leave Montreal, Dawson approached the Cubs during spring training with a blank contract and told them to make whatever offer they wanted and he would sign for any salary that was fair.  Within 24 hours, he was a Cub, although he would be paid less than Montreal's insulting offer.  The Cubs certainly got their money’s worth, and Dawson started out the season thriving with Wrigley’s dimensions and natural turf.  However, his season was interrupted in July when, after hitting a homer off Eric Show, Show hit him in the face with a fastball, requiring 21 stitches to close the wound. Even so, he only missed a few games and picked up where he left off with a three homer game against the Phillies on August 1.  His selection as NL MVP made him the 8th player in Cubs history to receive the award; Dawson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010 in his ninth year on the ballot.