REGIONAL #253:  It seems that as I get down to the final teams that have yet to play in the tournament, I discover that many of the remaining ones are quite good–where were these guys during some of the motley brackets that I’ve played over the past year?   This group has two pennant winners in the 2022 Phillies and the pandemic Dodgers; another non-pennant Dodger team from 2022 that nonetheless has one of the best ELO ratings of all time; an Astros team one season away from their trashcan-banging pennant; a Giants team two seasons away from a World Series win, and a Mets team from last season that has proved to be quite successful this year.  All in all, a very strong bracket, ignoring a couple of play-in teams that were not likely to last long.  I had a feeling that a Dodger team would win it, although I wasn’t sure if it would be the one that was successful in the post-season or the one that wouldn’t suffer from pandemic year usage complications.  Ultimately I went with the 2022 version over the 2020 squad in the final, as did the ELO ratings, although the latter suggested that a 2015 Pirates team that I ignored might be the best non-Dodgers team in the bracket.

First round action

Play-in game: With my brother Chuck in town and only one remaining entry for his favorite team, the Rockies, in the tournament, it seemed fitting that he take over the helm of the 2022 Rockies for their play-in game against the 2008 Pirates, which I would be directing.  Being a play-in game, both of these teams were dreadful, with the Rockies losing 94 games and the Pirates doing them one better (or worse) with 95 losses, though the matchup between Colorado’s Kyle Freeland (9-11, 4.53) and the Bucs’ Paul Maholm (7-7, 3.71) was better than the disasters that lurked at the back of these rotations.  Although Chuck was not the Strat veteran that I was, having different pursuits during our wayward childhoods, he nonetheless seemed to have inherited the shared genetic knack of jinxing our favorite squads, as the Pirates’ Jason Bay homers off Freeland’s Coors-influenced card in the top of the 1st, and a Xavier Nady RBI double in the 3rd makes it 2-0 Pirates.   However, the Rockies show some signs of life in the bottom of inning and a CJ Cron sac fly makes it a one-run game. In the 6th, Adam Laroche draws a leadoff walk and pinch runner Brian Bixler races to 3rd on a single, so Chuck calls upon closer Daniel Bard and his 1.79 ERA to try to stay in the game, but Bixler does plate on a Freddie Sanchez sac fly to provide a little padding.  Although Bard shuts down the Pirates the rest of the game, it is to no avail as the Rockies can’t get a hit against Maholm after their brief excitement in the 3rd, and Maholm finishes with a three-hitter as the Pirates move on with the 3-1 win and the final Rockies entry in the tournament heads for the hills.

The 2020 Dodgers were World Series champions in that pandemic season, with a 43-17 record and a stacked lineup led by MVP runner-up Mookie Betts and 9th place finisher Corey Seager; Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.16) was the mandated opening round starter who came in 9th for the Cy Young.   They faced the 2016 Astros, who were just a trashcan away from their own Series win the following season, but this was a good 84-78 team that had Jose Altuve finishing 3rd for MVP, and Chris Devenski (4-4, 2.16) was 4th for Rookie of the Year as a spot starter who was the only possibility in the rotation that might be able to compete with Kershaw.   The Dodgers strike first when Cody Bellinger leads off the 3rd with a single, steals second, and scores on a 2-base error by Astros 3B-3 Alex Bregman, and that remains the only run until the 8th when Will Smith slaps a 2-out 2-run homer that provides Kershaw with a little breathing room.  However, in the bottom of the 9th, Carlos Correa and Evan Gattis single to put the tying run at the plate with one away, so the Dodgers head to the pen for Adam Kolarek and his 0.95 ERA in an effort to put the game away.  Bregman lofts a sac fly to make it a two-run game but there are now two away, but 2B-3 Enrique Hernandez bobbles the third out and the winning run now comes to the plate.  The Astros decide to pinch hit with future Dodger Teoscar Hernandez, and the roll is a 6-5:  groundout on Kolarek and the Dodgers hang on to win 3-1 even though Devinski only allows four hits while striking out 11.  

The first round matchup between the 2023 Mets and the 2008 Giants involved the two lowest-rated teams in the bracket who didn’t require a play-in game.   The Mets had a disappointing 75-87 record lthough they would reach the NLCS the following (this) year; there was significant MVP support for Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, and Kodai Senga (12-7, 2.98) finished 7th in the Cy Young sweepstakes.  The Giants’ record was slightly worse at 72-90 although their ELO ranking was much worse; still, they were only two seasons away from a pennant, and Tim Lincecum (18-5, 2.62) was the NL Cy Young winner, providing a formidable equalizer for a team that had little punch left when Barry Bond retired after the previous season.  The Giants jump out to a quick lead in the top of the 1st, courtesy of bad defensive plays by Mets 3B-4 Brett Baty and 1B-4 Alonso that set up a 2-run single from Benji Molina.  However, San Francisco get rattled by RBI singles from two Franciscos, Lindor and Alvarez, in the bottom of the inning and the game is tied.  In the 2nd, Omar Vizquel races home on a 2-out Randy Winn single that puts the Giants back in the lead, and they add to it when Molina leads off the 3rd with a homer.  Lincecum gets out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 3rd with two clutch strikeouts, but the Franciscos come through again in the 5th when Lindor walks, steals second, and scores on an Alvarez single; Alvarez ultimately scores on a Starling Marte fielder’s choice and the game is tied once again after five.  A two run blast by Alonso followed by a Lindor double spells the end of the road for Lincecum as Sergio Romo replaces the ineffective ace and ends the inning while knocking out Mets 2B Jeff McNeil with an injury.  Meanwhile, Senga is dealing, but in the top of the 9th Aaron Roward leads off the inning with a single and PH Nate Schierholtz knocks a double to put the tying run in scoring position, so the Mets head to the pen for Brooks Raley with the game on the line.  Raley is flawless, stranding both runners and earning the save as the Mets escape with the 6-4 win. 

The second very strong representative of the franchise in the bracket, the 2022 Dodgers may not have won a pennant but their 111 wins and their ELO ranking indicated that they should have, with the latter being the best in MLB that season and one of the five best in history.  This team returned many of the biggest weapons from the 2020 team that had already advanced in this regional, but added Freddie Freeman (4th place in MVP votes) and Trea Turner (11th) to go along with Mookie Betts (5th), and Tony Gonsolin (16-1, 2.14) had a lower ERA than the NL ERA champ, who was also in this rotation.  The 2015 Pirates were probably the best Pittsburgh team in the past 30 years, with 98 wins but a rapid elimination in the postseason as a wild card.  Andrew McCutchen finished 5th for NL MVP, and Gerrit Cole (19-8, 2.60) was 4th for the Cy Young, earning them a #3 seed in this bracket and a challenge for the top ranked Dodgers.  Nobody crosses the plate until Chris Taylor’s fielder’s choice scores one for LA in the top of the 4th, and when Will Smith slaps a double off Cole’s card in the 6th, the Pirates waste no time in bringing in Joe Blanton and his 1.57 ERA and he quickly ends the threat.  He rapidly becomes the pitcher of record because Pedro Alvarez knocks a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning and the Pirates take the lead, but Trayce Thompson responds with a solo shot in the 8th to tie it at 2-2, and that’s still the score after nine so the game heads to extra innings.  With Blanton now burnt, the Bucs insert Joakim Soria, and that proves problematic as he issues four walks, one with the bases loaded to Justin Turner, and then PH Jake Lamb chops a 2-out 2-run single for a 5-2 lead.  With Gonsolin in his last inning of eligibility, he gets one out quickly but then he drops a grounder and, rattled, he yields a homer to PH Josh Harrison and it’s a one run game so the Dodgers summon Yency Almonte’s 1.02 ERA to try to preserve that lead.  And he does, striking out McCutchen to end the game and save the 5-4 extra inning win.   

I had steered the 2008 Pirates through a live play-in game, and now I would be guiding them in a Friday Night Strat challenge that would be more formidable:  the pennant winning 2022 Phillies helmed by Phillies fan Tall Tactician.  Those Phils may have won the NL but they finished 3rd in the NL East with an 87-75 record, and their ELO ranking was one of the poorer ones I’d seen for a pennant winner.  Nonetheless, they were still miles better on paper than the Pirates, so TT decided to save the top of their rotation for more imposing obstacles to come later in the tournament, tapping Ranger Suarez (10-7, 3.65) who was probably their third best.  My best option seemed to be Zach Duke (5-14, 4.82), which wasn’t a good sign, and neither was JT Realmuto’s solo homer that gave the Phils the lead in the 3rd.  But Duke settles down and RBI hits from Jason Bay and Ryan Doumit put the Pirates on top in the 4th.  However, not trusting Duke’s pockmarked card, when the Phils get a leadoff double in the top of the 7th I go to the bullpen for closer Matt Capps and he escapes the inning with no damage.  Unfortunately, the same doesn’t hold true in the 8th, as the Phils explode Capps with hit after hit that’s Capped by a three-run homer by Nick Castellanos and when the dust clears they lead 6-2, which is how it ends because other than the 4th inning, Suarez doesn’t allow a hit to finish a three-hitter and the Phils move on to the semifinals.

The survivors

Having already suffered one loss in this bracket, my brother Chuck figured he’d try a rematch and participate in the semifinal game between the 2020 Dodgers and the 2023 Mets.  We picked our teams randomly for this one, but Chuck drew the mediocre Mets which left me with the Series champion Dodgers, so it looked like his misfortunes might continue, particularly since the Dodgers mandated #2 starter Dustin May (3-1, 2.57) looked better than the Mets Max Scherzer (9-4, 4.01), who had his best games that season after he was traded to the Rangers.  Although May’s card was quite good, it had a problematic solid 5-9 homer, and Chuck found that result twice in the bottom of the 3rd resulting in solo homers by Brett Baty and Brandon Nimmo for a lead.  Will Smith quickly returns the favor in the top of the 4th by slapping a solo shot off Scherzer’s solid 4-9 homer to make it a one run game, and when the Dodgers get runners on 1st and 3rd with two out in the 6th, Scherzer is gone.   Chuck figures he’ll replace Scherzer with another mid-season trade victim, tapping Justin Verlander to work out of the pen as he doesn’t have sufficient innings to start any games.  Verlander quickly ends the threat, and in the bottom of the inning Chuck finds that 5-9 on May for the third time, this one with Pete Alonso, and although Victor Gonzalez comes in to shut down the Mets, it’s too late as Verlander is in control and preserves the 3-1 win for the Mets.  The Mets head to the finals despite only getting four hits, three of them solo homers off the pitcher’s card, but that’s enough to prevent an all-Dodgers finale.  

With TT having steered the 2022 Phillies past the first round, we continued with a Friday Night Strat and let him try their hand in a semifinal game against the 2022 Dodgers, the team that probably should have won the NL given their historically good ELO rating.  ColavitoFan would take the reins of the Dodgers, and Julio Urias (17-7, 2.16) was the NL ERA leader and was 3rd in the Cy Young voting; TT countered with Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25), who finished 4th in the exact same vote.  With a matchup like that, a pitching duel might be expected, but that was thwarted by defensive miscues, both by the Dodgers good defense and the bad gloves of the Phillies.  Various unearned runs push the Phils to a 2-1 lead, but Will Smith slaps a three-run homer in the 4th to put the Dodgers on top, although Kyle Schwarber’s solo shot in the bottom of the inning narrows the gap to one.  Trea Turner’s RBI single extends the lead to 5-3, and when Nola gets in trouble in the 6th TT pulls him for Jose Alvarado but Cody Bellinger’s sac fly adds to the Dodger’s lead.  Disaster strikes in the 8th for the Dodgers as big weapon Freddie Freeman is essentially lost for the tournament to injury, just days after finishing up a remarkable World Series in real life, and the lofty ranking of this Dodger team has to plummet.  However, Urias is cruising in the late innings, until an error and a walk brings the tying run to the plate for the Phils in the bottom of the 9th; ColavitoFan takes no chances and summons Caleb Ferguson to try to get the last out.  He does, and the Dodgers head to the finals with a 6-3 win that somewhat settles the score against a third-place team that ended up in the Series instead of the 111-win Dodgers. 

With my brother Chuck now having headed home, it nonetheless seemed only fair that I drag him onto Zoom to continue his good work piloting the 2023 Mets into the regional final against the 2022 Dodgers, a dry run of sorts for the 2024 NLCS.  Of course, when Chuck checked his remaining rotation, it was clear this wasn’t exactly a favor, as David Peterson (3-8, 5.03) was perhaps the best of two terrible options.  On the other hand, I had the luxury of Clayton Kershaw (12-3, 2.28) as the third starter in an outstanding rotation, but my management of the Dodgers would be somewhat complicated with Freddie Freeman watching the game from the hospital after a gruesome injury in the semifinal.  But my task got a bit easier in the bottom of the 1st as Mookie Betts blasts a 2-run homer courtesy of Peterson’s card, and in the third Justin Turner singles through a drawn-in infield with the bases loaded for two more runs, in the process teaching Chuck about the perils of the ++’s.  Will Smith keeps on slapping with a three-run homer for a 7-0 lead, and Betts adds two more with his second 2-run dinger of the game in the 6th.  In the meantime, the Mets still don’t have a baserunner against Kershaw, but in the top of the 7th injury replacement 1B-5 Edwin Rios muffs a grounder for a 2-base error that ends the quest for a perfect game, and a miffed Kershaw then allows a single to lose the no-hitter.  He bears down and prevents any runs from crossing the plate, and ends with a flourish in the 9th, striking out the side to finish with 14 strikeouts in a 2-hit shutout as the Dodgers live up to their lofty rating and crush the Mets 9-0 to take the regional crown.  

Interesting card of Regional #253:   With a bunch of very contemporary teams in this bracket with cards that most Strat players would have seen recently, the furthest I could go back was 2008, so I figured I’d feature the card of the NL Cy Young winner from that season.  At age 24, Tim Lincecum got his real first chance as a regular in the rotation and he took full advantage, leading the league in strikeouts, fewest HR/9, and winning percentage, despite playing for a 90-loss team.  He repeated his Cy Young win the next season, and for three years he led the league in strikeouts despite a rather thin frame and an unusual pitching style.  However, for reasons that were never clear, at age 28 he suddenly didn’t seem to be the same pitcher, leading the league in losses and wild pitches in 2012 while sporting a 5.18 ERA; although there were brief flashes of his old self, he never regained his old form and his last stint in the majors was at age 32 with the Angels, with a limited but terrible performance during the 2016 season.  , In this tournament, although he had this imposing card from his youth, he pitched more like the older Timmy, as he was gifted two different leads in his first-round assignment and couldn’t hold any of them, absorbing the loss while not making it out of the 6th inning.  Even so, for four fleeting seasons this guy was as good as they came.