SCHEDULE: ROUND 1 - REGION 4:
4) 1954 Cleveland Indians vs. 13) 1909 Detroit Tigers
1954 Cleveland Indians:
4 Seed – Region 4
Record: 111-43
Result: Lost World Series 4-0 to New York Giants
Entry to Tournament: Automatic bid (Best Indians team ever)
Elo Rank: 24
Key Players:
Bobby Avila (2B) .341, 15 hr, 67 rbi, 112 r, 7.1 WAR
Al Rosen (3B) .300, 24 hr, 102 rbi, 147 OPS+
Notes:
This team ranks very highly among the all-time greats, but were swept aside in the World Series, and still haven’t won one since, and so they are not very fondly remembered among the best. Held the AL record for wins in a season until the 1998 Yankees surpassed them with 114.
The team boasts five Hall of Famers and the starting staff has five pitchers with an ERA+ of 110 or higher and hurled 77 CGs (almost half the schedule).
Further reading:
http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1954-baseball-history.html
1909 Detroit Tigers:
13 Seed – Region 4
Record: 98-54
Result: Lost World Series 4-3 to Pittsburgh Pirates
Entry to Tournament: At large bid (Wildcard – Key Player Ty Cobb)
Elo Rank: 145
Key Players:
Ty Cobb (OF) .377, 107 rbi, 115 r, 76 sb, 193 OPS+, 9.9 WAR
Sam Crawford (OF) .314, 97 rbi, 83 r, 152 OPS+
George Mullin (SP) 29-8, 2.22 era, 1.10 whip, 29 cg in 35 gs, 303 IP
Notes:
Third straight world series defeat for this team, and they wouldn’t win another pennant until 1934. Though they may be a competitive entry in the bracket they were ultimately selected solely to get the great Ty Cobb in it. Otherwise, as I expect dead ball teams to struggle in this tourney, this team may have been passed over for someone else.
Further reading:
http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1909-baseball-history.html