THE ENDLESS SINGLE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT:  THE FINAL GAME!?

After 46 years of games that have eliminated 2,054 teams from contention, the Endless Single Elimination Tournament comes to an end* (note the Maris asterisk, more on that later).  After all the improbable upsets and failures of storied squads, the two left standing are not surprising, and they have much in common.  Both teams had the best record in baseball in their respective seasons, although both fell short of the ultimate goal of World Series champions.  Both teams are prominently mentioned when discussions of the best starting rotations in baseball history take place.  Both teams have surmounted injuries to key players in reeling off ten straight wins to reach the tournament finals.  Fittingly, the game featured on Friday Night Strat with Philadelphia native Tall Tactician guiding the 2011 Phillies, as he has done for their last several wins; in the other corner, it was brother Chuck who had managed the 1999 Braves for several of their wins, even getting past the hole in their rotation caused when he rolled a tournament-ending injury for John Smoltz on the last out of a win.  Also fittingly, the pitching matchup was one for the ages, with Hall of Famer Greg Maddux (19-9, 3.57) on the mound for the Braves against Cliff Lee (17-8, 2.40), who finished third in the Cy Young in an effort to win his second such award.  With all onlookers thus betting on a pitching duel, the group is stunned when the Phillies begin the top of the 1st with 5 consecutive hits off Maddux, starting with a leadoff home run from Hunter Pence and also including a colossal homer from John Mayberry Jr. that would make his dad proud, and the score is 3-0 Phils before Maddux can record an out.  The second inning goes no better, as Brian Jordan adds a 2-run homer and Maddux is gone, lasting only an inning and a third as Chuck tries closer John Rocker as there is no tomorrow in this project.  The Phils can’t get anything off their Rocker, but Lee is in control and allows only one hit through the first five innings.  Atlanta finally breaks the ice in the 6th on a Ryan Klesko RBI double, although the Braves injury woes continue as Bret Boone is done for the tournament.  However, in the 8th Klesko knocks in another run with a single that sets up a 2-run homer from Brian Jordan and suddenly it’s 6-4, although the Tactician is sticking with his man Lee.  In the top of the 9th an error by injury replacement 2B-4 Keith Lockhart sets up a Jimmy Rollins RBI single to give the Phils an insurance run.  It quickly becomes apparent that insurance is a good idea, as Javy Lopez, just returning from an injury suffered in round one of this tournament probably decades ago, celebrates with a solo homer and it’s a two run game.  Then, an improbable error by SS-1 Rollins puts the tying run at the plate for the Braves in the form of Andruw Jones, and a mound visit to Lee is in order.  TT sticks with his ace, and his patience is rewarded as Jones goes down swinging and the Phils establish their claim as the most indomitable Strat team in history.

2011 Phillies  330 000 001  7 10 1
1999 Braves    000 001 031  5  6 2

PHN: Lee
ATN: Maddux 1.2(7H,6R), Rocker 4(2H,0R), Springer 2(0H,0R),
  Remlinger 1.1(1H,1R)

HR:  Pence, J. Mayberry Jr., B. Jordan, J. Lopez
RBI: Pence, J. Mayberry Jr. 4, Rollins 2, Klesko 2, B. Jordan 2,
J. Lopez
INJ: B. Boone 3 games

*  “End” note:  Readers may point out that this tournament is advertised as “endless”, which means that this description of the “final” game is not in keeping with the concept of the project.  In fact, the idea of the project as it originated in the dimly-remembered days of 1980 was to insure that I played every Strat team that I’d purchased over the years, and I’ve continued to attempt to make good on that goal.  However, when I “closed off” entries in the tournament after the 2023 cards were released (because the number of teams I had provided something close to a nice exponent of two, a necessity for a clean bracket), I continued to buy new Strat teams as released, figuring I’d deal with them later.  I now have the 1952, 2024, and 2025 seasons to play, along with a couple of new deadball-era Diamond Gems teams, and they will get their chance in a new “Supplemental Super-Regional” from which the winner will get a chance to climb through an existing path to see if they can earn a shot at the Phils.  So stay tuned–the project may not actually be endless, but as long as Strat keeps printing new teams, and I keep healthy enough to persist, we’ll keep rolling!

FINAL FOUR:  Tournament Semifinals

Two seemingly unstoppable squads clash in the first game of the Final Four, with the Tall Tactician once again at the helm of his hometown 2011 Phillies, while I would manage the 2014 Tigers as I had in their previous nine consecutive wins.  The Phils would have Cy Young runner-up and Hall of Famer Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35) on the mound, while Detroit would counter with David Price (15-12, 3.26) who finished 6th in the Cy Young voting while pitching for two different teams.  An RBI single in the top of the 2nd by Miggy Cabrera gives the Tigers the early 1-0 lead, but that seems to wake up Halladay who goes on a strikeout binge.  On the other hand, the Phils’ bats aren’t doing much either, and that isn’t helped when Raul Ibanez goes down to injury in the 4th.  However, it’s his replacement, Ben Francisco, who treats the Phillies fans with an RBI single in the 6th that ties the game, and in the bottom of the 7th Price seems to be showing signs of discomfort after a long 7th inning stretch trivia break.  With two aboard, I opt for Al Albuquerque from the pen, and his first roll is greeted by a three-run homer from John Mayberry Jr..  His second roll results in a Ryan Howard homer, and I’ve seen enough–two batters faced, two homers.  Joe Nathan comes in to end the inning, but he yields an RBI double to Placido Polanco in the 8th and Justin Verlander has to come in to get the final out, but it’s far too late; Halladay closes out a 4-hitter in which he strikes out 14 and the Phils win 6-1 to earn a spot in the finals of the perhaps not-so-endless tournament.

2014 Tigers    010 000 000   1 4 1
2011 Phillies  000 001 41-   6 8 0

DEA: Price 6.2(5H,3R), Albuquerque 0(2H,2R), Nathan 1(1H,1R), Verlander 0.1(0H,0R)
PHN: Halladay

HR:  Mayberry Jr., R. Howard
RBI: M. Cabrera, Francisco, Mayberry Jr. 3, R. Howard, Polanco
INJ: R. Ibanez 2 games

The next stop on the Cinderella express for the 1947 Senators was a formidable roadblock in the form of the 1999 Braves.  However, the challenge was considerably lessened because it was John Smoltz’s turn in the rotation for the Braves, but brother Chuck had gotten Smoltz permanently injured on the last roll of his previous game, and replacement Terry Mulholland (10-8, 4.39) was nowhere near the regulars in this rotation, particularly because the Braves only had his combined season card that included some terrible outings with the Cubs.  Furthermore, Eaglesfly would go for his third straight upset with the Nats with the aid of Hall of Famer Early Wynn (17-15, 3.64) on the mound and .500 hitter Gil Coan in the starting lineup as an injury replacement.  All of this portends well for the Senators, and the dice gods show further favor upon them in the top of the 1st as a walk, an unthinkable 2-base error by CF-1 Andruw Jones, and a sac fly give them a quick 1-0 lead without recording a hit.  However, this is no ordinary team they are facing, and Ryan Klesko’s RBI double quickly ties things in the bottom of the inning.  With first base open, Eaglesfly opts to walk dangerous Brian Jordan to pitch to Bret Boone, and Boone booms a three-run homer to put Atlanta well in the lead.  Wynn then can’t find the strike zone, setting up an RBI single for Brian Hunter and after one inning, the Braves are up 5-1.  However, never count these Senators out; Jerry Priddy singles in a run in the 4th and then #9 hitter Mark Christman converts Mulholland’s HR split and it’s a one-run game.  After Mulholland goes the requisite five, Chuck races to his pen and Russ Springer comes in to toss two perfect innings, and in the bottom of the 7th the dice gods abandon the Senators as errors by SS-3 Christman and 3B-2 Eddie Yost open the floodgates.  Wynn can’t get anybody out and by the time Tom Ferrick comes in to retire the Braves, four more runs have crossed the plate.  With a five-run lead, Chuck summons Kevin McGlinchy to mop up in the 8th, but the Nats are not to be taken lightly, and McGlinchy doesn’t make it out of the inning as Mickey Vernon and Tom McBride each drive in runs.  It’s then time for Rudy Seanez, and he strands two runners to close out the inning with the Braves still clinging to a three run lead.  In the 9th, Coan raps a double but the Senators can muster no further offense against Seanez, and the clock strikes midnight for Cinderella as the Senators finally go down 9-6 and the Braves head to the tournament final.

1947 Senators 100 300 020  6 10 3
1999 Braves   500 000 40-  9  8 1

WAA:  Wynn 6(7H,8R), Ferrick 2(1H,1R)
ATN:  Mulholland 5(5H,4R),Springer 2(0H,0R), 
        McGlinchey 0.2(4H,2R), Seanez 1.1 (1H,0R,save)

HR: Boone, Christman
RBI: Vernon 2, Klesko, Boone 4, Hunter 2, Priddy, Christman 2, 
        G. Williams, A. Jones, McBride

Introducing the FINAL FOUR:  Sectional IV winner

The 1999 Braves captured their eighth successive division title with a record of 103–59, and marched through the playoffs to reach the World Series for the fifth time in the decade. However, somehow despite their ELO composite ranking as the 72nd best in baseball history, and their great rotation, they were swept in the Series by the Yankees, marking the end of a dynasty as they wouldn't win another pennant until 22 years later.  Famed for their rotation with the three Hall of Famers Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, their ace was actually Kevin Millwood who finished 3rd in the Cy Young votes.  However, Smoltz will be sitting out the remainder of the tournament after an injury in the super-regional finals, a true-to-life outcome as he had to sit out the following season due to Tommy John surgery, after which he converted to a closer.  Even with Smoltz out, when you add in John Rocker’s 38 saves and NL MVP Chipper Jones leading the offense with 45 homers and a .310 average, it’s easy to see how this group could not only survive, but thrive in the massive field of this tournament.  Teams defeated to reach the Final Four:  2015 Nationals (755) 9-7; 2023 Blue Jays (565) 7-0; 2023 Braves (73) 8-4; 1988 Red Sox (608) 11-3; 2022 Twins (1671) 4-0; 2015 Diamondbacks (1590) 7-4; 2023 Padres (544) 9-0; 2015 Yankees (748) 2-0; 1987 Tigers (296) 5-2.  Key performers:  Chipper Jones 4 HR 11 RBI, Brian Hunter 3 HR 9 RBI, Bret Boone 2 HR 9 RBI, Ryan Kelsko 2 HR 7 RBI.  Injuries:  Javy Lopez 1 game remaining, John Smoltz 11 games remaining (out for tournament). 

Introducing the FINAL FOUR:  Sectional III winner

The 1947 Senators went 64-90, good for next to last place in the American League, 27 games out, and an ELO rank as the 2,058th best team in baseball history.  Their main move in the preseason was re-acquiring longtime Senator outfielder George Case, who led the AL in stolen bases six times including in 1946, but the years of hard sliding had led to shoulder and back problems, and his hitting stroke was gone.  Hitting just .150, he retired in midseason, and the real-life Senators limped to another disappointing season.  However, manager Ossie Bluege has been outdone by a variety of managerial wizards in this tournament, because the Cinderella Senators have been the star of the ball.  Buoyed by Hall of Famers Early Wynn and Rick Ferrell, they have reeled off nine straight victories, including wins against two World Champions (the 1972 A’s and the 1952 Yankees) and an NL pennant winner in the 2017 Dodgers.  Of course, a certain amount of luck has also been involved, as the Yankees had lost Mickey Mantle, and their Final Four game against the Braves comes against a hole in the latter’s formidable rotation with John Smoltz getting injured on the final out of his previous start.  The Nats have had injuries of their own, with RF Buddy Lewis on the DL not once but twice in the project–but even this turns out to be fortuitous, as who better to replace Lewis than RF-3 Gil Coan and his freakish .500-hitting card.  Teams defeated to reach the Final Four: 1996 Pirates (1850) 7-4; 1911 Browns (2360) 2-1 (12); 1972 A's (254) 12-4; 2009 Royals (1878) 4-0; 1990 Brewers (1408) 1-0; 1995 Mets (1256) 9-3; 2017 Dodgers (86) 4-3; 1958 Yankees (121) 7-6; 2013 Dodgers (407) 5-0.  Key performers:  Stan Spence 2 HR 9 RBI, Mickey Vernon 2 HR 8 RBI, Eddie Yost 1 HR 7 RBI.  Injuries:  Buddy Lewis 8 games remaining (out for tournament).

Introducing the FINAL FOUR:  Sectional II winner

The 2011 Phillies won their fifth consecutive National League East championship, and also finished with the best record in baseball for the second straight year. However, they were eliminated in the NLDS by the eventual World Series winning Cardinals, and the loss ended a dynasty and began the longest active postseason drought in the NL at the time. One of the major preseason moves made by the Phils was to re-sign Cliff Lee, whom they had traded to the Mariners the previous season in order to acquire Roy Halladay.  With the addition of Lee to a rotation of Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt, some have called this the best rotation of all time, boasting three of the top five vote-getters for the Cy Young award; furthermore, three of them were in the top 10 in career winning-percentage, and the fourth was an NLCS and World Series MVP.  The most successful of an era of Phillies teams that all progressed far in the tournament, this team had to survive repeated injuries, including a 15-gamer to Chase Utley that sent him packing for the entire tournament, but that still left four MVP vote-getters in the lineup including Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, and Hunter Pence.  Teams defeated to reach round ten:  1957 Senators (2295) 5-4; 1958 Dodgers (1576) 2-1; 2020 Nationals (760) 8-6; 1950 Cardinals (649) 18-2; 1964 Pirates (1311) 4-1; 2009 Reds (1752) 4-2; 1960 Giants (881) 5-2; 2006 Dodgers (1228) 4-1; 2012 Nationals (460) 3-2.   Key performers:  Ryan Howard 2 HR 7 RBI, Raul Ibanez 2 HR 6 RBI, Shane Victorino 1 HR 5 RBI, John Mayberry Jr. 1 HR 6 RBI.  Injuries: Chase Utley 7 games remaining (out of tournament).

Introducing the FINAL FOUR:  Sectional I winner

For the 2014 Detroit Tigers season, there was a new manager in Brad Ausmus, and he managed to clinch the AL Central title on the last day of the regular season to finish one game ahead of the Royals, with a 90–72 record and an ELO ranking of 616.  Despite the new leadership, it was familiar territory as this was their fourth consecutive division title. Their offense was led by Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez (who slashed .335/.409/.565, with 32 homers against just 42 strikeouts), and Ian Kinsler proved to be a useful pickup while J.D. Martinez had a breakout campaign.  However, it was their pitching staff that was truly unique–there were five former or future Cy Young award winners on the roster (Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, David Price and Robbie Ray), and furthermore everyone in the starting rotation, including Drew Smyly who was traded for Price in mid-season, went on to play for a Series-winning team–none of them being the Tigers.  Despite all of this, the Tigers were swept by the Orioles in the ALDS and the team went into a tailspin, going a decade before revisiting the post-season and in the interim amassing some of the worst records in baseball history.  Regardless, this Tigers team proved to be one of the four survivors of the 2,056 that began this project.  Of the Final Four teams, these Tigers might have had the easiest path, facing only a couple of decently-rated squads on their way to this level.  Teams defeated to reach the Final Four: 1938 Browns (2309) 2-0; 1987 Reds (970) 5-4;  2014 Mets (1489) 4-3; 2003 Rockies (1679) 5-2; 2010 Mets (1406) 7-2; 1980 Reds (848) 10-1; 1990 Cubs (1517) 6-5; 1993 Reds (1558) 6-4; 1971 Padres (2242) 8-7.  Key performers in the nine previous games: Ian Kinsler 2 HR 11 RBI;  Miguel Cabrera 1 HR 6 RBI; Rajai Davis 6 RBI.  

SECTIONAL IV:  This group included three pennant winners and two more division winners, and with the exception of a rather mediocre modern Padres team all of them are the types of teams that would be expected to go this deep in the tournament.   The recent Dodgers team here had one of the best season-ending ELO ratings in MLB history and thus are favored over the curse-breaking 2016 Cubs, but those Dodgers might need to first get past the daunting rotation of the 1999 Braves to move on.  The eight entries and their paths to the sectional:

2016 Cubs:  ELO ranking 48, actual record 103-58, World Series champions.  The Cubs team that broke the curse in real life has been similarly charmed thus far in the tournament, despite losing Addison Russel, Javier Baez, and Albert Almora to injury at various points in the tournament.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  1995 Phillies (1369) 4-2; 1996 Indians (102) 7-2; 1999 Blue Jays (987) 5-4; 1965 Phillies (1150) 7-4; 2012 Cardinals (505) 15-3; 2019 White Sox (2103) 4-3.  Key performers: /Anthony Rizzo 4 HR 8 RBI, Kris Bryant 1 HR 7 RBI, Willson Contreras 6 RBI.  Injuries:  Albert Almora (1 more game).

1997 Marlins:  ELO ranking 607, actual record 92-70, World Series champions.   A flash-in-the-pan Series champion that pulled off a number of close wins to reach the sectional level, they had to get runs from across the lineup and relied on their pen to keep them in the game. Teams defeated to reach round seven:  2003 Rays (2192) 4-2; 1991 Royals (1159) 3-2; 2014 Angels (321) 1-0; 2003 Astros (634) 4-1; 1987 Expos (1006) 6-3; 1984 Rangers (1803) 3-2 (11).  Key performers: Charles Johnson 2 HR 4 RBI, Darren Daulton 1 HR 3 RBI, Cliff Floyd 1 HR 3 RBI, Jay Powell 4 IP, 1 HA, 1-0, 2 SV, 0.00.  

1987 Tigers:  ELO ranking 296, actual record 98-64, won AL East.  These Tigers traded John Smoltz to get Doyle Alexander in a quest for a pennant; that may not have worked in real life but it’s paid off in this tournament, as the innings-limited Alexander has been outstanding in relief; MVP Alan Trammell has done little but his teammates have taken up the slack. Teams defeated to reach round seven:  1950 Indians (172) 6-4; 1990 Orioles (1436) 4-2;  1950 Senators (2205) 5-4;  2008 Padres (1948) 5-2;  2020 White Sox (1342) 1-0; 1992 Cubs (1424) 8-4. Key performers:  Darrell Evans 3 HR 6 RBI, Lou Whitaker 2 HR 6 RBI, Chet Lemon 2 HR 5 RBI, Kirk Gibson 2 HR 5 RBI, Doyle Alexander 5 IP, 0 HA, 1–0, 1 SV, 0.00, Mike Henneman 3 IP, 0 HA, 0.00, 3 SV.

1999 A's:  ELO ranking 1068, actual record 87-75.   The pre-Moneyball A’s got their money’s worth out of some of the less heralded members of their lineup, and their rotation seemed to get stronger as they went deeper in the tournament.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  1994 Rangers (1559) 6-4; 2011 Indians (1525) 9-5; 1994 Indians (442) 4-1;  2016 Red Sox (162) 5-1;  1959 Red Sox (1198) 10-1; 1991 Reds (1139) 6-2.  Key performers:  Matt Stairs 8 RBI, John Jaha 3 HR 6 RBI, Randy Velarde 6 RBI, Jason Isringhausen 3.3 IP, 4 HA, 0.00, 1-0, 1 save.

2023 Padres:  ELO ranking 544, actual record 82-80.  With an ELO ranking much more impressive than their record would suggest and a Pythagorean projection 10 games better than their actual performance, the presence of these Padres in the sectionals provides further support that they seriously underperformed in real life.  The team had the benefit of an easy path in the regionals, but then dominated tough opponents in the super-regional to prove their mettle.  Teams defeated to reach round seven: 1992 Orioles (1086) 3-1; 2022 Cubs (1829) 3-0; 1987 Orioles (1965) 11-8 (12); 2015 Mets (727) 6-2;  2006 Yankees (227) 12-1;  1997 Cardinals (1350) 5-2.  Key performers:  Gary Sanchez 4 HR 8 RBI, Juan Soto 2 HR 8 RBI, Fernando Tatis Jr. 1 HR 6 RBI, Blake Snell 18 IP 13 HA 1.00, 2-0; Michael Wacha 13 IP 5 HA 0.69, 2-0.

1999 Braves:  ELO ranking 72, actual record 103-59, NL pennant winners.  The famous starting rotation tossed a couple of shutouts in the first six rounds, but it was mostly an underrated offense that enabled these Braves to survive a raft of injuries to move on.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  2015 Nationals (755) 9-7; 2023 Blue Jays (565) 7-0; 2023 Braves (73) 8-4; 1988 Red Sox (608) 11-3; 2022 Twins (1671) 4-0; 2015 Diamondbacks (1590) 7-4.  Key performers:  Chipper Jones 4 HR 10 RBI, Brian Hunter 1 HR 6 RBI, Bret Boone 1 HR 6 RBI.  Injuries:  Brian Jordan (1 game remaining), Javy Lopez (4 games remaining), John Smoltz (out for tournament).  

2015 Yankees:  ELO ranking 748, actual record 87-75.  This was the best performing Yankee team of the past 50 years, despite so-so performances by key sluggers like ARod and Carlos Beltan; instead, they relied upon lesser-known players to provide key hits allowing them to reach this level.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  2020 Marlins (1950) 5-4 (10); 1985 Red Sox (831) 9-5; 2019 Red Sox (735) 4-0;  2008 Twins (592) 9-8; 2006 White Sox (320) 5-3;  2008 Mariners (1922) 5-2.  Key performers:  Stephen Drew 2 HR 8 RBI, Didi Gregorius 1 HR 5 RBI, Brian McCann 1 HR 5 RBI.

2022 Dodgers:  ELO ranking 3, actual record 111-51, won NL West.  These Dodgers appeared to merit one of the best season-ending ELO ratings of all time, as they defeated a succession of very good teams to reach the sectionals, including a near duplicate of themselves in the super-regional final.  Injury replacements came up big for the team, with some still carried forward into sectional play.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  2015 Pirates (364) 5-4 (10); 2022 Phillies (1044) 6-3; 2023 Mets  (1302) 9-0; 2022 Braves (48) 6-4 (14); 2009 Cardinals (788) 8-3; 2021 Dodgers (2) 6-3.  Key performers:  Trayce Thompson 3 HR 10 RBI, Edwin Rios 4 HR 6 RBI, W. Smith 2 HR 6 RBI.  Injuries:  Trea Turner (1 game remaining), Freddie Freeman (2 games remaining).

Round 7 action

For Friday Night Strat, we selected an epic battle between two World Series champions, the 2016 Cubs and the 1997 Marlins, and because both of them had defeated the Indians in those Series, Cleveland partisan ColavitoFan wanted nothing to do with either of them.  So it was brother Chuck retaking the helm of these Cubs, as he had done in eliminating my White Sox in the super-regional final, with Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10) on the mound.  For the Marlins it would be Tall Tactician in the manager’s seat, with two-teaming Rick Helling (5-9, 4.47) with the start, and the crowd was skeptical that Helling would be up to this level of competition.  But it’s Arrieta who falters, allowing a 2-run homer to Bobby Bonilla in the bottom of the 1st and then the perpetually paid Bonilla hits a solo shot in the 3rd to extend the Marlin lead to 3-0.  Some shoddy fielding by the Marlins gives the Cubs an unearned run in the top of the 4th, but Jeff Conine responds in the bottom of the inning with a two run blast that chases Arrieta.  The Cubs bullpen is only slightly better as Moises Alou raps a solo homer in the 5th and Charles Johnson adds an RBI triple in the 7th.  Meanwhile, the Cubs bats are enduring their own personal Helling, as they can’t muster another threat until Willson Contreras provides a flicker of hope with a bases-empty homer in the 9th, but Helling closes out a four-hitter as the Marlins win the battle of champions to advance with an easy 7-2 victory.

With all of his favorite Red Sox teams eliminated from the tournament, eldest son Michael decided he needed to try another team to guide to the final four, and he selected the pre-Moneyball 1999 A’s as his squad to champion, while I would manage the 1987 Tigers with Walt Terrell (17-10, 4.05) taking the mound against the A’s Gil Heredia (13-8, 4.31).  Michael didn’t trust the card of Heredia and he was already scoping out his bullpen options before the game began, but Heredia started off effective enough until Lou Whitaker hit a single in the 3rd to bring up Larry Herndon–who converted his HR 1-6 for a two-run shot and a Tigers lead.  The A’s responded in the bottom of the inning; with two out and runners on 1st and 2nd, Oakland slugger Jason Giambi smacks a double into the corner.  One run scores, but the runner on first is 1-8 John Jaha, and he’s huffing and puffing as he rumbles towards third.  His slow progress gives Michael several minutes to agonize about whether to send Jaha home as the potential tying run–or potential third out–with slugging Matt Stairs due up to bat.  Finally, Michael puts up the “hold” sign, Jaha remains at third, and Stairs pops out and the score remains 2-1 Tigers.  And that decision continues to haunt, as the game goes on and Mike Henneman and then trade acquisition wonder Doyle Alexander come in from the pen and lock down the A’s.  Although Doug Jones does the same to the Tigers, they’ve already got what they need, and the game ends that way, 2-1 Tigers as Detroit advances to the Sweet Sixteen while the last A’s team of the franchise heads back to the card catalogs.

I let brother Chuck reprise his management of the 1999 Braves even though he managed to get John Smoltz knocked out of the tournament on the final out of their previous game; this time he would try to keep Greg Maddux (19-9, 3.57) healthy against me and the 2023 Padres, with Seth Lugo (8-7, 3.57) on the mound.  Things immediately went south for the Padres in the bottom of the 1st as the Braves got two-run homers from both Ryan Klesko and Bret Boone for a quick and commanding 4-0 lead.  Things don’t get any better for San Diego as consecutive Padre errors in the 3rd lead to three more runs, and the fielding antics continue as the Padres finish the game with five errors–although they couldn’t blame a long solo home run by Gerald Williams on their shoddy fielding.  In the 5th an RBI triple from injury replacement Eddie Perez and a solo shot from Gerald Williams in the 6th round out the scoring as Maddux cruises to a 5-hit shutout and the Braves head to the Sweet Sixteen with an easy 9-0 win against a bumbling Padre squad.

The 2022 Dodgers had 111 wins and one of the best season-ending ELO ratings in history, while the less imposing 2015 Yankees were nonetheless one of the most successful entrants from that storied franchise.   The Dodgers would have their veteran Clayton Kershaw (12-3, 2.28) facing the Yanks’ Nathan Eovaldi (14-3, 4.20), and both pitchers start off in fine form, with no real threats coming until a walk and a grounder set up a Mark Teixeira RBI single in the top of the 4th for a 1-0 New York lead.  Mookie Betts responds in the 5th with a squib single that ties the game, and when the Dodgers get a man on in the 8th Andrew Miller relieves Eovaldi and squashes the rally.  Meanwhile Kershaw is on cruise control, and so after nine the game is still tied 1-1 with extra innings on order.  Kershaw and Miller close out their last innings in the 10th, so the Dodgers trot out Evan Phillips and his 1.14 ERA, but things don’t go according to plan as after two straight singles, Teixeira gets hold of one for a 3-run blast and Dodger Stadium is deathly quiet.  With a three run lead, Justin Wilson gets the assignment to close things out, but an RBI double by Max Muncy puts the tying run at the plate and the crowd is coming back to life.  But not for long, as Wilson wraps up the 4-2 11 inning win and sends the Yankees on to round eight, cementing their place as the top performer in this project of all teams in Yankee history.

The survivors:  round eight

The world champion 1997 Marlins faced a persistent round eight opponent in the 1987 Tigers, a team that fell short in the ALCS but had the majors’ best record that season.  The matchup would test the tail end of the respective rotations, with veteran Al Leiter (11-9, 4.34) on the hill for the Marlins while swingman Eric King (6-9, 4.89) would try to avoid his gopher ball tendencies for Detroit.  Sure enough, in the top of the 1st Moises Alou rolls King’s solid 5-10 home run result for a solo shot, while in the 2nd a 4-9 HR split is missed and the runner is harmlessly stranded at second.  Meanwhile, Leiter is looking good, at least until the bottom of the 4th when Matt Nokes swats a two-run homer and it’s 2-1 Tigers with nobody out.  Leiter then records a couple of outs but struggles and loads the bases for Lou Whitaker, who promptly deposits the ball in the seats for a grand slam and the lit up Leiter heads to the showers without completing four innings. Livan Hernandez comes in and calms things down for a while, but in the bottom of the 7th he is rocked for a couple of extra base hits and by the time Jay Powell is able to come in and douse the flames, the Tigers lead 9-1 and things are looking pretty hopeless for Florida.  However, Gary Sheffield finds that complete homer on King for another solo shot in the 8th, and then a succession of hits in the 9th push across three more and the Marlins are nervously hoping that King can wrap things up without depleting an already tired bullpen.  Another two baserunners means that the Marlins are a home run away from making it a one-run game, but King gamely gets the final out and the Tigers move on to the sectional finals with a workmanlike 9-5 win. 

Brother Chuck had managed to kill off John Smoltz for the rest of the tournament in the previous game of the 1999 Braves, so for the safety of their pitching staff he decided to opt for the 2015 Yankees with ARod in his final phase, leaving Tall Tactician to manage the Braves on Friday Night Strat.  As a round 8 game, the teams were at the bottom of their rotations, but befitting teams advancing this far in the tournament both starters were solid, with Tom Glavine (14-11, 4.12) for the Braves and Michael Pineda (12-10, 4.37) on the mound for the Yankees.  And the pitchers dominate early, with nothing crossing the plate until Brian Hunter finds and converts his HR split for a solo shot in the top of the 3rd and a 1-0 Braves lead.  Sensing runs are going to be difficult to come by, TT goes early to his bullpen, with Rudy Seanez entering in the 6th and John Rocker taking over in the 8th.  Chuck responds with reliever Delin Betances, but he gets into trouble with Andruw Jones swatting a 2-out double in the 9th to put two runners in scoring position.  Although Betances doesn’t have a hit on his card, he has a fair number of walks, and the Yanks hit two of those in a row and Betances walks in the second run of the game.  But even that run proves unnecessary, as the Yankees can’t do a thing against the Braves pen who close out a 3-hit shutout and the Braves march on to the Elite Eight of the project with the 2-0 win.

Sectional finals

After getting John Smoltz permanently injured on the last out of the game earlier in the tournament, brother Chuck would see what he could do to the 1999 Braves with the top of their rotation on the hill in the form of Kevin Millwood (18-7, 2.68).  Meanwhile, I would guide the 1987 Tigers as I had through eight consecutive victories previously, although Chet Lemon was still nursing an injury suffered in the prior game; Frank Tanana (15-10, 3.91) was the best the Tigers had to offer despite some gopher ball issues.   But it’s Millwood who allows the first homer of the game, a solo shot by MVP Alan Trammell in the 1st, although an RBI double from Chipper Jones in the bottom of the inning quickly ties the game.  Both starters recover quickly, but the solid 4-10 home run result on Tanana is discovered by Brian Hunter in the 5th, and then Andruw Jones comes up with the same roll consecutively for back-to-back blasts and a 4-1 Atlanta lead.  In the 6th a solo shot from Matt Nokes narrows the gap to two, but Andruw drives in another in the 7th with a single that chases Tanana for Doyle Alexander-the reason these Braves have John Smoltz.  Alexander does his job but it’s too late as Millwood closes out a 4-hitter, with two of those being solo homers, and the Braves head to the Final Four with a 5-2 victory, their ninth in a row.

Interesting card(s) of Sectional IV:  The sectional final between the 1999 Braves and the 1987 Tigers involved a crossing of the paths of two pitchers fated to be forever linked in baseball history.  In the heat of their ‘87 pennant race, the Tigers desperately needed an addition to their rotation, and they particularly coveted veteran Braves starter Doyle Alexander; they finally acquired him by trading a 22nd-round draft pick with a 5-10 record on the Tigers Double-A team in Glen Falls, one John Smoltz.  Alexander led the Tigers to a torrid finish and the best record in baseball, but they were upset by the Twins in the ALCS to fall just short of the target.  Smoltz, of course, didn’t do too bad for himself, becoming a Hall of Famer who is the only pitcher to record over 200 wins and 150 saves.  Each faced challenges in this project.  By tournament rules, Alexander was ineligible to serve in the rotation as he was carded with less than 100 innings, and had to be used exclusively in relief; he did make multiple appearances, including an outing in the sectional final that was effective but too late to matter.  For his part, Smoltz managed to get knocked out of the tournament with an injury on the final roll of the Braves’ super-regional final.  Ironically enough, subbing for an injured starter would have been the one loophole that could have gotten a start for Alexander, but of course he wasn’t around to replace the player he’d been traded for.