[Highlander]

1963 Minnesota Twins vs. 1966 Baltimore Orioles

The real Twins barely made it into the 1st round, as they were a 3rd place team in the AL with a 91-70 record. However, somehow they came through with a 90-72 record to advance here. It must be noted that they do have some players who played lesser roles on the real team that give them pretty good ratings in OOTP, so some of the success of this team is because of that. Other teams have that as well, but I noticed more players on this team than most others.

The real Orioles were 97-63 and swept the Dodgers in the World Series. They finished at 95-67 in the 1st round.

It seemed like the Orioles had the advantage in this matchup and without a major difference in years, challenges with playing outside their era wouldn't really come into play. However, the Twins jumped out in the 1963 season with an 87-75 lead. Orioles fans may hope that was just a fluke, but the Twins came right back with an 83-79 record in the 1966 season to advance with a record of 170-154.


2019 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. 1922 New York Giants

The 2019 Dodgers were 106-56 but were upset by the eventual upstart World Champion Nationals in the Division Series. They went 98-64 in the 1st round to leave no doubt about who should advance.

The 1922 Giants 93-61 and then swept the Yankees in the World Series, so they are a formidable opponent. Their 1st round victory was with an 88-74 record.

A good old Giants/Dodgers matchup....with almost 100 years between the teams! It seemed like the Dodgers would be at a big advantage in this one, but the Giants defended their home year with an 83-79 record to put a scare Dodger fans. 2019 quickly showed there was nothing to worry about, however, as the Dodgers flexed their muscle and finished at 103-59. The pitching depth of early year teams was an issue, but the bigger issue was that Giants pitchers just gave up a TON of HR. 4 players on the Dodgers hit over 40 with Joc Pederson hitting 62....the most I've seen so far. This Dodgers team will be tough.

1954 Cleveland Indians vs. 2012 Atlanta Braves

The real Indians were a very impressive 111-43, but then got swept by the Giants in the World Series. They were 93-69 in the 1st round, so they weren't quite as dominant as in real life.

The 2012 Braves were a 94-68 2nd place team that lost in the Wildcard to the Cardinals. They outperformed their real life selves in the 1st round and advanced with a 95-67 record.

This was a pretty interesting matchup with a team that had one of the best records ever, but kind of choked in the World Series against a team that barely scraped into this tournament at all. The Braves shocked me a bit by jumping out to an 85-77 lead in the 1954 season. I thought maybe the Indians would bounce back, but 2012 brought another 85-77 Braves win. Atlanta, much like the Giants in 1954, swept the Indians and advanced 170-154. The Braves have a couple of pitchers in Beachy and Medlen who did not pitch full seasons but were really good....they are coming up big so far. We'll see how long they can push this team farther.


2003 Boston Red Sox vs. 1978 Baltimore Orioles

The real Red Sox finished 95-67, in 2nd behind the Yankees. They lost to the Yankees in the LCS thanks to Aaron Boone's HR. They get some measure of revenge by representing 2003 here...I guess? In the 1st round they had a very convincing 101-61 record.

The 1978 Orioles are probably the most surprising team to make it this far that we've seen. They were in 4th place in the AL East with a 90-72 record....the bare minimum for making it to even the 1st round. However, their 86-76 record brought them here.

While the real Sox were not a hugely dominant team by any means, this OOTP version is looking really good. They won 101 games in the 1st round and came right out in the 1978 season here with a 104-58 record. The Orioles really had no chance after that, but the Red Sox won another 100 games in their own season to put up the most dominant win of any team so far....204-120. Is it because the Orioles were just lucky to get this far and weren't really that good, or could this Red Sox team be a real contender?

1948 New York Yankees vs. 1961 New York Yankees

We end the night with an all-Yankees matchup, including the famous 1961 team.

First, the real life 48 Yankees were only a 3rd place team in the AL that year with a 94-60 record. Not as big of a surprise as the 78 Orioles, but still not the team I expected to be here. They went 90-72 in the 1st round, though.

The 1961 Yankees are always in the discussion for best teams, but I never see them on the level of some of the real greats, despite having Mantle/Maris and some really good pitching. Johnny Blanchard will help them a lot, as well, as the DH will be used and he had a terrific partial season. The real 61 team did go 109-53 and then beat the Reds in the World Series. They went a much less impressive 92-70 in the first round.

The 48 Yankees jumped right out in their season with a record of 83-79 to send a signal that they weren't afraid of the M&M boys. However, the 61 Yankees were just a little better in their home season at 86-76 to advance with a 165-159 record. Even as a Yankees fan, I am not convinced this 61 team will be in serious contention for the title, but we shall see!

The next set of matchups will start with one that will pit teams from a couple of years you don't hear a whole lot about.....1945 and 1923.