SECTIONAL III:  Two pennant winners and three division champs make for a strong group here, although accompanied by one of the true “WTF” teams of the tournament.  The Dodgers have a couple of entries here, and it could be an all-LA final, although a 100+ win Killer B’s Astros team threatens to head that off; even so, the 2017 Dodger variant is the ELO prediction to move on.  The eight entries and their paths to the sectional:

1958 Yankees:  ELO ranking 121, actual record 92-68, World Series champions.  This championship squad seemed to be at its best against stronger opposition, managing six wins without much contribution from Mickey Mantle, who finally got untracked in round six with a two-homer game.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  1999 Royals (1917) 6-2; 1973 Dodgers (328) 2-1; 1955 Red Sox (612) 7-2; 1938 Phillies (2344) 6-5; 1967 Braves (1174) 4-2; 2003 Braves (177) 6-0.  Key performers:  Hank Bauer 3 HR, 9 RBI; Tony Kubek 1 HR 6 RBI; Mickey Mantle 3 HR 5 RBI; Bob Turley 2-0 18 IP 5 HA 0.50 ERA.

1987 Brewers:  ELO ranking 898, actual record 91-71.  The unheralded Brewers lost HOFer Robin Yount for eight games in the first round of the tournament, but they haven’t let that phase them as they’ve relied on the big bat of one-year wonder Bill Schoeder and a knack for coming back once relief ace Dan Plesac enters the game.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  1966 Astros (1966) 2-1; 1994 Pirates (1887) 7-5; 1967 Giants (517) 8-2; 1990 Mariners (1527) 12-8; 1992 Expos (847) 7-1; 1974 Dodgers (92) 2-1 (12).  Key performers:  Bill Schroeder 3 HR 9 RBI; Paul Molitor 6 RBI; Greg Brock 6 RBI; Rob Deer 1 HR 5 RBI; Teddy Higuera 2-0 17.1 IP 8 HA 1.04 ERA; Dan Plesac 2-0, 1 SV, 7 IP 3 HA 0.00 ERA.  Injuries:  Robin Yount (2 games remaining).

2017 Dodgers:  ELO ranking 86, actual record 104-58, NL pennant winners.  These Dodgers started off strong against tough opposition, then had to squeeze by less formidable opposition and survived thanks to dominating closer Kenley Jansen’s three saves.  Teams defeated to reach round seven: 1962 Tigers (738) 5-2; 1949 Dodgers (120) 7-4; 1991 Angels (1107) 5-4; 1987 Royals (1117) 5-4; 1947 Cubs (1658) 2-1; 1963 Pirates (1455) 14-2. Key performers:  Curtis Granderson 2 HR 7 RBI, Yaiel Puig 2 HR 6 RBI, Cody Bellinger 2 HR 6 RBI, Kenley Jansen 3.1 IP, 1 HA, 0.00 ERA, 3 SVs.

1947 Senators:  ELO ranking 2058, actual record 64-90.  This is the Cinderella of the final 32 teams, a squad that has no business playing at this level.  They only faced one really good team en route to the sectionals, a pennant-winning A’s squad, but even so these Senators had been underdogs in five of their six games.  Hardly a team of stars, their success has been due to the fact that the core players on the team such as Vernon, Yost, and Wynn have come through when needed.  Teams defeated to reach round seven: 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.  Key performers:  Mickey Vernon 2 HR 7 RBI, Eddie Yost 1 HR 7 RBI.

1995 Padres:  ELO ranking 1555, actual record 70-74.  Mediocre on paper, these Padres began their run by knocking off a pennant winner and then recorded four more straight upsets before finally meeting and beating an evenly matched team in the super-regional final.  Basically a two man show, with the squad taking advantage of the brief PED-fueled peak of Ken Caminiti.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:  2021 Astros (155) 3-2; 2000 Reds (683) 4-3; 2001 Giants (503) 3-1; 1969 Senators (1172) 5-1; 2017 Twins (1115) 8-7; 1997 Brewers (1577) 6-2.  Key performers:  Ken Caminiti 3 HR 11 RBI, Tony Gwynn 8 RBI, Trevor Hoffman 1-0, 4.6 IP, 3 HA, 1.93 ERA, 1 SV.

1984 Cubs:  ELO ranking 519, actual record 96-65, won NL East.   This Cubs team reeled off four straight wins against inferior competition, but then proved their worth by knocking off two very good teams to reach the sectional, with Jody Davis being an unexpected spark at the plate.   Teams defeated to reach round seven:  1953 Red Sox (1039) 5-3; 1986 Twins (1835) 4-3; 2013 Blue Jays (1460) 8-3; 2019 Tigers (2375) 10-2; 2021 Giants (69) 1-0; 1993 Blue Jays (239) 12-4.  Key performers:  Jody Davis 3 HR 11 RBI,Leon Durham 1 HR 6 RBI, Ron Cey 1 HR 6 RBI, Ryne Sandberg 2 HR 5 RBI. 

1998 Astros:  ELO ranking 110, actual record 102-60, won NL Central.  The Killer B’s have come through for these Astros, while other than Randy Johnson the rotation has had to rely heavily upon closer Billy Wagner in clutch situations.  Teams defeated to reach round seven:   1999 Rockies (1776) 3-2; 2009 Yankees (33) 7-5; 1983 Padres (1268) 10-7; 1941 Red Sox (556) 5-1; 2017 Blue Jays (1409) 6-2;  1950 Browns (2273) 4-0.  Key performers:  Biggio 3 HR 7 RBI, Jeff Bagwell 2 HR 7 RBI, Moises Alou 2 HR 6 RBI, Billy Wagner 5.2 IP, 2 HA, 0.00, 2 SV.

2013 Dodgers:  ELO ranking 407, actual record 92-70, won NL West.  These Dodgers have put on one of the more dominating runs in the tournament, outsourcing their opposition 46 to 6 over their six games.    Teams defeated to reach round seven: 1996 Reds (1097) 7-0; 2021 Pirates (2323) 16-1; 1965 Cardinals (922) 8-3; 1996 Cubs (1313) 7-0; 2006 Cardinals (568) 3-1; 2010 Braves (538) 5-1.  Key performers:  Juan Uribe 3 HR 8 RBI, Yasiel Puig 2 HR 8 RBI, Adrian Gonzalez 2 HR 7 RBI, AJ Ellis 1 HR 6 RBI, Clayton Kershaw 2-0 18 IP, 9 HA, 0.50.  Injuries:  Mark Ellis (3 games remaining).

Round 7 action

As Series champs, the 1958 Yankees were hefty ELO favorites over the solid but unspectacular 1987 Brewers, particularly as the latter were missing HOFer Robin Yount for the duration of the tournament.  Furthermore, the pitching matchup seemed to favor the Yanks, as they had Don Larsen (9-6, 3.07) going against Bill Wegman (12-11, 4.24) of the Brew Crew.  The Yanks start off quickly with a solo homer by Gil McDougald in the top of the 1st, and Andy Carey adds a 2-run shot in the third to put New York up by a 3-0 margin.  Meanwhile, Larsen looks like he’s in perfect game form as he allows just one hit through the first 5 innings.   With runs looking tough to come by, Milwaukee pulls Wegman for Chuck Crim to begin the 6th, the in the 7th Carey knocks an RBI single and after New York loads the bases, Crim beans Mickey Mantle to drive in another–but Mantle is hurt and is out of the game, making the run very costly.  A two-run single by Mike Felder in the bottom of the inning gets the Brewers on the board and makes it look like that costly run may be necessary, but Larsen is perfect the rest of the way and the Yankees move on with the 5-2–but will be without their primary offensive weapon for their round eight matchup.

An apparent mismatch between the 104-win 2017 Dodgers and the 64-win 1947 Senators was one that the Dodgers perhaps should not be taking lightly, given that these Nats had reeled off six straight unlikely wins.   It would be up to Ray Scarborough (6-13, 3.41) to try to keep that streak going against LA’s Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32), and both pitchers seem up to the task as the game remains scoreless after six innings in which a total of only four hits were to be found.  However, reality sets in for the top of the 7th, as the Dodgers ride back-to-back doubles by Logan Forsythe and Chris Taylor for a 2-0 lead, with Washington calling upon Tom Ferrick out of the pen to try to keep things close.  And, sure enough, the magic of the Potomac seems to resurface, as the Senators respond by battering Hill and after Joe Grace rips a 2-run single to tie the game, it’s Stan Spence with a ball that clears cavernous Griffith Stadium for a two-run homer as even the lobbyists in the box seats rise to their feet.  It’s now up to Ferrick to try to hold that lead, but in the top of the 9th pinch hitter Austin Barnes cracks a solo shot to make it a one run game.  However, Ferrick holds serve to seal out the 4-3 Washington win and the remarkable Cinderella journey of the Senators continues as they next have a Sweet Sixteen date with the Yankees.

These were the last remaining entries in the tournament from the two contestants in this matchup between the 1984 Cubs and the 1995 Padres, so I recruited brother Chuck to roll for the Cubs as he does not share my antipathy towards the north siders; I would manage the Pads with Andy Benes (4-7, 4.17) going against his Scott Sanderson (8-5, 3.14) with both being pretty solid starters for #3 in the rotation.   However, both starters would begin the game on edge, with the Padres stranding runners on 2nd and 3rd in the top of the 1st inning, and in the bottom Cubs leadoff hitter and AA stealer Bob Dernier walked but was thrown out at second by Brad Ausmus.  There was no scoring until the top of the 4th when Jody Reed punches an RBI single for a 1-0 Padre lead.   Meanwhile, Benes was walking half the Cubs he faced but he didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the 4th, when Jody Davis cranks an RBI double to tie the game.  The Pads knock three hits in the 6th with Reed and Archi Cianfrocco driving in two for a 3-1 lead, but again the Cubs respond with Gary Matthews narrowing the margin to one.  And there it stands going into the bottom of the 9th, when Benes faces Cubs PH Gary Woods with the tying run on 2nd and two away.  Woods lofts a flyball to CF-1 Steve Finley and it looks like it’s game over–but no, I roll a “1” on the split and Finley muffs it for a 2-base error that ties the game and puts the winning run on 3rd.  However, once again Benes works his way out of the jam to send the game to extra innings.  Sanderson dispatches the Padres in the top of the 10th, while in the bottom of the 10th it’s Dernier with a single and then he takes third on a Matthews hit.  Now, with two out and the winning run 90 feet away, and slugger Leon Durham at the plate.  Chuck then blows my mind, announcing that he is going to steal home with AA Dernier–the same guy who was nailed stealing 2nd to begin the game.  Off he goes, the split roll…..5, he’s safe, Cubs win 4-3, and the first walk-off steal of home in the tournament has been accomplished.  

The Friday Night Strat crowd was treated to a battle of two NL division-winners, with Houston partisan Kevin getting online to man the helm of the 1998 Astros, a team he had guided to the sectionals in face-to-face combat, with workhorse Shane Reynolds (19-8, 3.51) getting the call.  Here, he would face another of the innumerable Dodgers teams still alive, this one the 2013 Dodgers, who we assigned to brother Chuck given his propensity to get Dodgers injured in the line of duty; Hyun Jin Ryu (14-8, 3.00) would get the start.  Unfortunately, it’s Kevin who excounters the injury bug, as the Astros’ primary weapon of the tournament, Craig Biggio, is injured to begin the game, and the split roll is a 20, meaning that it’s time to call the hearse.  Andre Ethier adds insult to injury with a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st, and although Jeff Bagwell comes up with an RBI double in the 3rd, Houston strands two runners in scoring position, and run-scoring singles from Juan Uribe and injury replacement Michael Young push the Dodger lead to 3-1 after three.  The Astros tie it in the 4th behind a 2-run Bill Spiers double, but Carl Crawford knocks one in with a 5th inning triple to restore the LA lead.   The Astros get another run-scoring hit from Spiers in the 6th to tie the game for the third time, but Carl Everett commits the 4th Houston error of the game in the 7th, setting up Adrian Gonzalez for an RBI hit that puts the Dodgers ahead; although Billy Wagner then enters the game and shuts things down, it’s too late as Kenley Jansen returns the favor for the Dodgers who survive the 5-4 win and advance.

The survivors: round 8

The Zoom game of the week could only be the David v Goliath matchup of the world champion 1958 Yankees and the 90-loss 1947 Senators, bearers of the Cinderella slipper for this tournament.  However, Goliath was sporting some bruises already as both Mickey Mantle and Enos Slaughter were out for this game, eliminating two main sources of offense for the Yanks, while the Senators’ Buddy Lewis was back after a minor injury suffered in their round seven game.  For round eight both teams were at the bottom end of their rotations, and although that usually spells doom for a bad team, the Senators were a rare exception with four decent starting pitcher, and Mickey Haefner (10-14, 3.64) would have to be decent with the Nats’ only good reliever burnt in the prior game.   Meanwhile, swingman Art Ditmar (9-8, 3.42) would get the start for the Bombers, who would be helmed by the Tall Tactician, while Eaglesfly was in charge of the underdog Senators.  Right away, Washington lets it be known that they are not intimidated, as an error by NY 3B-1 Andy Carey in the bottom of the 1st sets up an Al Evans RBI double for a quick Nats lead.  That lasts until the top of the 3rd, when the firepower of the Yanks asserts itself; Haefner can’t get anyone out as Norm Siebern, Carey, and Elston Howard all poke RBI hits, and the inning is capped by a Yogi Berra 2-run homer and suddenly the Yanks lead 5-1.  Eaglesfly searches in vain for any talent in the bullpen, so Haefner has a chance at redemption and he finally gets the last out of the inning.  With a 90-loss team at this point it seems like it would be game over down four runs, but in the bottom of the 4th it’s Washington’s turn to filibuster, with Ditmar falling apart after a successful squeeze play by Jerry Priddy, with Joe Grace adding an RBI single that precedes a 2-run double from Stan Spence and it’s now a tie game with runners on 2nd and 3rd.  TT pulls Ditmar immediately and leads Ryne Duren out to the mound, pointing him in the direction of home plate; Duren then walks a batter to load the bases, and then walks Buddy Lewis to drive in another run and the Senators miraculously have reclaimed the lead.  Still, the Yanks didn’t win seven games in a row by accident, and Gil McDougald’s RBI single in the 5th ties the game yet again.  The Senators then lose Buddy Lewis to injury once again, this time for the rest of the tournament, but that opens the door for supersub Gil Coan and his .500 batting average; Coan comes up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two out, but TT isn’t touching that and intentionally walks the bases loaded, a strategy that works when Duren whiffs Eddie Yost and the game is still tied.  It remains that way through the bottom of the 9th, with Bobby Shantz in to try to keep the Senators off the basepaths.  However, NY SS-3 Tony Kubek begins the inning by dropping a grounder, and after an out Priddy singles the winning run to 3rd.  With bottom of the order Mark Christman at the plate, Eaglesfly taps backup SS John Sullivan to pinch hit, risking a “4” at short if the gamble fails.  But, like most things for the Nats in this tournament, it does not fail; Sullivan slams a liner that drops and the winning run trots home for a 7-6 walkoff win for the unsinkable Senators move on to the Elite Eight with another jaw-dropping upset.

Befitting a round eight battle, two excellent division winning teams face off with the 1984 Cubs and Steve Trout (13-7, 3.41) matched against the 2013 Dodgers and mid-season pickup Ricky Nolasco (13-11, 3.70).  The Cubs jump to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st on a Gary Matthews RBI double, but Trout yields a 2-run homer to Yasiel Puig in the bottom of the inning as LA quickly responds.  They aren’t done either, as Juan Uribe triples in two more in the 3rd to make it 4-1.  The Cubs retaliate in the 4th to make it a one-run game courtesy of RBI hits from Ron Cey and Keith Moreland, but once again the Dodgers respond in kind in the bottom of the inning, with an Andre Ethier solo shot and a Hanley Ramirez RBI single that chases Trout for Warren Brusstar.  Moreland knocks in a run in the 5th that narrows the LA lead to 6-4, but Ethier adds an RBI double to his totals and Nolasco bears down to finish things out as the Dodgers survive and advance with the 7-4 win, sending the final Cubs team in the tournament back to the card catalogs.

Sectional final

Nobody in the Friday Night Strat crowd would lay odds for a win by the Cinderella 1947 Senators against the 2013 Dodgers, who would be sending out Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw (16-9, 1.83) to add pitching dominance to their far greater offensive punch.  The Senators would counter with their ace, Walt Masterson (12-16, 3.13), and an injury to RF Buddy Lewis opens the door for supersub Gil Coan and his .500 batting average.  Eaglesfly Roy would attempt to continue his luck with the Nats, while brother Chuck was reluctant to manage the Dodgers, not wanting to be the bad guy who knocks Cinderella out of the tournament.  That concern was quickly abandoned, as Kershaw was initially unable to get anybody out, with a leadoff single by Coan starting off three straight hits, the last an RBI single from Stan Spence, but Kershaw manages to strand the bases loaded to keep the damage to one run.  However, the hit parade continues in the top of the 2nd, as this time it’s Joe Grace, Mickey Vernon, and Al Evans all cracking RBI singles and before most Dodgers fans have even parked, the Senators lead 4-0.  Spence adds a solo homer in the 4th, and with Kershaw clearly not handling the pressure, Chuck opts for closer Kenley Jansen to begin the 6th.  By then it seems far too late, because the Dodger weapons can’t pull any triggers against a masterful Masterson.  He limits the Dodgers to four hits to complete a shutout, and the lowly squad from Washington adds another upset to their collection, a 5-0 whitewashing that unbelievably sends the Senators to the Final Four.  

Interesting card of Sectional III:  I had already featured Gil Coan's card with his .500 batting average back in Regional #155, and although I was tempted to do it again since it is one of the more remarkable entries in Strat history, I opted for a guy who has actually played a larger role in the Senators amazing run to the Final Four.  Spence was a one-man offense for the Nats, with two homers and six RBI in the three games of the Sectional providing the margins needed by the remarkably solid Washington starting rotation.  It's good to see Spence get his shot at stardom in this tournament, because he had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time during his career.  His career began in the Red Sox system, where he was trying to break into an outfield of Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio, and Doc Cramer, and he never had much more than a cup of coffee in the lineup in Boston.  He didn't get a chance at being a regular until he was traded to lowly Washington at age 27, where he immediately made an impact, hitting over .400 early in the season and finished 3rd in batting to Boston's Williams and Johnny Pesky.  Spence did lead the league in triples and was selected to the All-Star team while finishing 8th in the MVP voting.  Now going great guns with the Senators, his career was then further interrupted by WW II military service, but upon returning in 1946 he was once again an All-Star receiving MVP votes, as he did in the 1947 season for the team that has become Endless Tournament legends.  However, by then he was 33 and was traded back to Boston, but he was out of the majors within two seasons.  Spence apparently felt that his career record had been seriously damaged by Boston's neglect, but his spirit can enjoy some vindication in that he has led his Senators team to the Final Four with nine straight wins in this project, while no Red Sox teams, including those with Williams and Dimaggio, made it past round five.