World Series Teams Tournament 1980-2012

[steve wood]

The custom playoffs improvement last year and the playoff summary screen this year has gotten me interested in trying a large scale multi-round tournament. What I decided to do was make a league with the last 64 World Series participants and have them engage in playoff to find the best team.

League Set Up:

The league is set up with two subdivisions, one for American League teams and the other for National League teams. The league is set up to only have spring training then a nine game (ended up being ten games for a mysterious reason) regular season with trades, injuries and suspensions turned off. Then the playoffs injuries and suspensions are turned back on. The playoffs consist of 6 rounds of seven game series. The seeding is set up so that the first round faces off AL vs. NL teams but subsequent rounds could have teams from the same league matching up. The DH rule is only in effect when in an AL park.

Other settings; trades are turned off, no draft and no free agents, AI determines line-ups by ratings only. Rating based on real stats and strategy etc. normalized to 2005.

After regular season is finished teams are seeded for the playoffs. I will go though each series in each round to find who the ultimate World Series champion.

[steve wood]

1990 Oakland A’s vs 1984 San Diego Padres

The Last of the Bash Brothers Oakland teams faced off against a young Tony Gwynn and an aging Steve Garvey on the 84 Padres. Most of the games in this series were tight and for the most part the vaunted Oakland offense could never really get it going. Shut outs by Tim Lollar in game 3 and Eric Show in the decisive game six sealed the A’s fate. Out of the Oakland regulars only Ron Hassey and Rickey Henderson batted over .200. San Diego got valuable contributions from veterans Garvey and Nettles but Carmelo Martinez stole the show batting at nearly a 600 clip with 4 doubles and 2 home runs. Nettles’ two home runs in game six and Eric Show’s excellent control pitching clinched a decisive game six victory for the Padres.

Series MVP Carmelo Martinez LF Padres

[steve wood]

1997 Cleveland Indians vs 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks

Despite 13 strikeouts by Arizona’s Curt Schilling, the Indians started the series well, breaking open a tight game late to win game one. The rest of the series was all Arizona. Luis Gonzalez’s 2 run 8th inning homer in game two spurred and Arizona victory. Cleveland pitchers then allowed 27 run through the next three games leading Arizona to easily take the series.

Series MVP Luis Gonzalez LF Diamondbacks

[steve wood]

2002 Anaheim Angels vs 2005 Houson Astros:

After a Anaheim squeezed out a win in a tight game 1, the key point in the series came in the 9th inning of game two when the Angels scored 5 runs in the 9th to come back from a 4 run deficit to win the game. Another 1 run victory for the Angles in game 3 gave them a commanding series lead. Morgan Ensberg’s 2 homeruns in game 4 sparked Houston, propelling them to win two games to tighten the series. A convincing Angels win in game 6 gave them the series win. It was a team effort for the Angels as several hitters and pitchers made key contributions, though Adam Kennedy’s ability to consistently get on base and score runs earned him the series MVP.

Series MVP Adam Kennedy 2B Angels

[majesty95]

Cool idea! You might want to try shrinking the screen caps a bit though when posting. 850px width is usually good. Interested to see how this plays out!

[steve wood]

1980 Kansas City Royals vs 1989 San Francisco Giants
A high scoring series that started close until the San Francisco Offense got very hot and pulled away in the later games. The Giants won a close opening game then lost game 2 in extra innings and game 3 by 1 run. The offense kicked in at this point, scoring 9, 9 and 10 runs in the next three games to take the series. Will Clark and Kevin Mitchel led the way with +400 batting averages for the series and multiple HR’s and RBI’s. George Brett and Willie Wilson led an active Kansas City Offense but they were not able to compensate for the meltdown that occurred with Rich Gale, Larry Gura and Dennis Leonard in the final 3 games

Series MVP Will Clark 1B Giants



Majesty95, thanks for the tip, hope you enjoy!

[steve wood]

1981 New York Yankees vs. 1999 Atlanta Braves

This was maybe the most exciting sweep series I have experienced in OOTP. Every game came down to the 9th or extra innings and the supurority of the Yankees bullpen was the deciding factor in the series. Game one was tied at 3 after 9 and a 2 run pinch hit home run by Dave Revering off Kevin McGlinchy gave the Yankees the lead for good in the 11th inning. In game 2 the Yankees came into the 9th down 1-2 but a Reggie Jackson Grand Slam, again off McGlinchy gave the Yankees a come from behind win. In Game three the Yankees again came into the 9th down 1-2 and this time it was Larry Milborne hitting a pinch hit walk off two run homer off McGlinchy. Finally game 4 went into extra innings tied at one. In the tenth inning a Dave Winfield walk off RBI single ended the series, this time off John Rocker. Goose Gossage earned 3 of the wins in the series, in 3.1 innings of work, only allowing 1 hit. Kevin McGlinchy earned 3 losses and finished the series with a 27.00 ERA. John Rocker was not much better with a 9.00 ERA in 3 innings of work. Atlanta Starters only gave up 6 runs in their 4 starts. Meanwhile, Yankee starters gave up 9 runs and their bullpen 0.
Series MVP Rich Gossage CL Yankees

[steve wood]

1992 Toronto Blue Jays vs. 1991 Atlanta Braves

The Blue Jays stayed maintained control throughout this short series. The best games were the first and last. The Blue jays scored 4 runs in the last three innings to come from behind to win game one. Despite allowing 12 base runners Jimmy Key kept the Braves off the scoreboard in game four to clinch the series. Mike Timlin pitched well to close out games and earned 3 saves. Dave Winfield earned the series MVP hitting 3 HR’s and hitting over 300. Though no single game was a blowout in every game the Blue Jays seemed in control and easily move to the next round.

Series MVP Dave Winfield RF Braves

[steve wood]

1998 New York Yankees vs. 1983 Philadelphia Phillies

This was one of the best series of the 1st round. Game one started as a pitcher’s duel between Andy Pettitte and John Denny. The Phillies finally broke through with 3 runs in the 6th inning and the bullpen came in to relieve Denny and preserve the shutout for the Phils. The Yankees evened the series in game two. The game went into extra innings tied 4-4, Jorge Posada hit a solo shot in the top of the tenth to give the yanks the win. The Yankees won game three, again by a 5-4 score as they had a balanced offense that chased Steve Carlton out of the game by the fifth inning. The Phils evened the series in game 4 behind another strong performance by John Denny and a triple and Homer by Mike Schmidt. A Critical Game five was a classic, Mike Schmidt hit two more homers to help the Phillies build an 8-6 lead but a two run homer by Jorge Posada tied the game in the bottom of the 9th and a 2 out RBI single in the tenth by Tim Raines gave the Yankees the win and a critical 3-2 series edge. Mike Schmidt hit Two Homers again in game 6 and Steve Carlton pitches a 1 run 10 K complete game to even the series at 3 games each. In game 7 Petite and Denny faced each other for a third time but in this case Denny was hit hard early in chased out of the game in the third By Jorge Posada’s third homer of the series. Though not at his best, Pettitte was able to keep the Phillies from piling up the runs and the Yankees prevailed in 7. In most cases Jorge Posada would be the obvious choice for series MVP with three critical homers but an exceptional performance of Mike Schmidt cannot be ignored. Without him the series would not have been close, he batted over 400 for the series, had a slugging percentage over 1300 hit 6 homers over the last 4 games and batted in 13 runs, an astonishing performance.

Series MVP Mike Schmidt 3B Phillies

[steve wood]

1999 New York Yankees vs 1992 Atlanta Braves

The Braves starting pitching completely dominated this series, allowing only 3 runs in the 4 games. The Yankees only led for 2 innings in the series, for a brief time in game 3 and that lead was quickly erased by Terry Pendelton who had a homer and 5 RBI’s in the one game that the Braves needed an offense. John Smoltz was the series MVP, allowing no runs in either of his starts and winning both games.

Series MVP John Smoltz SP Braves

[steve wood]

2007 Boston Red Sox vs. 2006 St. Louis Cardinals

If Josh Beckett could pitch every game this series would have likely had a different outcome. Beckett was masterful in game one pitching a 2 hit shutout to win the first game 1-0. St. Louis won the next 2 games of the series as their offense awakened with Preston Wilson driving in 4 runs in game 2 and balanced attack in game 3. Beckett pitched and dominated again in game 4, leading the Sox to tie the series up 2-2. Game five proved pivotal as St. Louis scored 3 runs in the first but the Red Sox charged back with 5 runs over the next 6 innings. However in the 9th inning St. Louis scored 3 runs off of Eric Gagne to take the game and the series lead. A comfortable 6-3 win in game six sealed the series for the Cardinals. Throughout the series Jim Edmonds was a constant for the Cards, hitting 2 home runs and driving in 8 key runs.

Series MVP Jim Edmonds CF Cardinals

[steve wood]

1983 Baltimore Orioles vs 2008 Philadelphia Phillies

Baltimore Thoroughly dominated this series. The Phillies lost each game by at least 4 runs, never got their vaunted offense rolling and could not stop Baltimore’s power hitters. Gary Roenicke and John Lowenstein both were impressive but Mike Boddicker, with a 1.06 ERA 2 wins and 17 K’s in 17 innings gets the MVP award.

Series MVP Mike Boddicker SP Orioles

[Big T]

Looks very interesting... I shall be following.

[steve wood]

1996 New York Yankees vs 2000 New York Mets

The teams split the first 4 games of the series with alternating wins and losses. The Mets dominated a critical Game 5 as Glendon Rusch pitched a two hitter and the Mets offense supplied 8 runs to gain the edge in the series. The Yankees took the early lead in game six but Melvin Mora his 1 2 run homer in the 5th to give the Mets a Narrow 2-1 lead and Mark Hampton and Armando Benitez held on the earn a series victory in 6 over the Yankees. Mike Piazza, Melvin Mora and Gledon Rusch all gave strong performances in the series but series turned on Rusch’s stellar game 5 performance, earning him the MVP.

Series MVP Glendon Rusch SP Mets

[steve wood]

1995 Cleveland Indians vs 2003 Florida Marlins

You cannot win games when you do not score runs, that is what Cleveland saw in this series. Scoring only 5 runs over 4 games, though Cleveland kept several games close, they were easily swept by the Marlins. Beckett was clutch, dominating Games 1 and 4 allowing 1 run in each game. Brad Penny combined with Brendan Looper for a shutout in game 2 and when the Indians finally broke past 1 run in game 3 Florida scored 10 as Ivan Rodriguez sparked the offense with 3 hits and 3 RBI’s. MVP is Becket who both set the tone and closed it out.
Series MVP Josh Beckett SP Marlins

[steve wood]

2012 Detroit Tigers vs. 2007 Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies hitters dominated the strong Tigers pitching staff. An Injury to Justin Verlander took him out of the series and Scherzer, Sanchez and Fister could not make up for his absence as the Rockies scored 5 to 7 runs in every game. Only in Game 4 did the tiger bats come alive scoring 10 runs to take the game. Garrett Atkins led the way, hitting two homers in game one to set the tone and finishing with a 350+ average 3 HR and 7 RBI. Ubaldo Jimenez pitched extremely well in games 1 and five only giving up one run over 15 innings.

Series MVP Garrett Atkins 3B Rockies

[steve wood]

The 2012 Giants took the first two games of the series with strong pitching performances by Barry Zito and Travis Blackley (?!) and surprising offense from Angel Pagan. Minnesota came back to win a tight Game 3 as Tom Brunansky singled to bring home Greg Gagne in the bottom of the 12th. In the last two games the Giants offense erupted for 10 and then 14 runs. Minnesota wasted a great series by Kirby Puckett who hit over 400 yet only scored and drove in 1 run. Angel Pagan was the offensive star batting over 400 and driving in 10 runs. Barry Zito had a great series, allowing only one run and 10 hits over 17 innings.

Series MVP Angel Pagan CF Giants

[steve wood]

2001 New York Yankees vs. 1998 San Diego Padres
This series grew into one of the best match-ups of round 1. The Yankees dominated the first two games behind Mark Mussina and Roger Clemens and looked to be in for an easy win. Ken Caminiti hit a huge 3 run homer in game 3 that gave the Padres and early lead and they held on to win 4-3. Game for was a classic, a back and forth game with several lead changes and clutch hits by the Padres late helped them come back and win the game 8-6. In the pivotal game 5 the Padres again jumped out to a big first inning lead but the Yankees slowly came back until they were behind by one run heading into the bottom of the 9th. With Trevor Hoffman unable to pitch because of overuse in the last two games, Scott Sanders had to come in to close it, but he allowed a David Justice single then an Alfonso Soriano Homer to lose the game to the Yankees 7-6. Game 6 again was a tight affair with the Padres scoring 3 runs in the 7th to tie it at 3-3. In the top of the 8th Randy Velarde pinch hit and hit single drove Paul O’Neal in for the clinching run. Soriano’s key home run and 7 total RBI’s earned him the series MVP.

Series MVP Alfonso Soriano 2B Yankees.

[steve wood]

1985 Kansas City Royals vs. 1990 Cincinnati Reds
The Royals took the first two games of the series in Cincinnati with Brett Saberhagen dominating in a 3-1 victory in game one and scoring 8 runs early in game 2 and holding on to win 8-7. Game 2 was also notable as the 85 version of Danny Jackson got the win and the 90 version of Danny Jackson the loss. As the series switched to Kansas City Cincinnati took charge scoring 24 runs in the 3 games to win all of them and take a 3-2 lead in the series. With their backs to the wall the Royals won a tight game six 2-0 behind stellar performances by Bud Black and Dan Quisenberry. The Royals brought Saberhagen to the mound to start for the third time in game seven but the reds torched him for five quick runs including a 3 run shot by Chris Sabo that chased him from the game. The Reds held the lead to win the game 5-2 and clinch a berth in the next round. George Brett was spectacular in the series batting .538. Heroes for the Reds came from the starting pitching including Jose Rijo who won twice including the pivotal game 7.

Series MVP Jose Rijo SP Reds

[steve wood]

1985 St. Louis Cardinals vs. 1989 Oakland A’s
This may have been the best series of round 1. The series started quietly with the A’s winning game 1 5-1 behind strong pitching from Bob Welch. Game 2 was a tight affair with a Mike Gallego homer breaking a 3-3 tie in the 7th. Luis Polonia adding a security run that was needed later in the inning and the A’s held on to win 5-4. Game 3 went 14 innings with Dave Henderson driving in Mark McGwire to give the A’s a 6-5 win and a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. The Cardinal were down 5-2 in the bottom of the 8th in game four and appeared to be on the way out when the Cardinals scored 3 runs in the inning to tie the game. In the bottom of the 10th a 2 run homer game the cardinal a 7-5 victory. Another Cedano Homer in Game 5 tied the game at 3-3 and sent in to extra innings with St. Louis again scoring in the 10th to win the game. Game six was tied 1-1 through 7 innings when Cedano hit his third homer of the series to give the Cardinals the lead. Both teams scored 3 runs in the 9th to make the final score 6-4. Now came game 7. Vince Coleman started the game with a double and a wild pitch and a ground out brought him home. This was all Joaquin Andujar needed as he pitched a masterful 2 hit shutout to win the game 1-0 and finish one of the greatest comebacks in postseason history. 3 extra-inning games, 2 one run games and 4 games where the winning run was scored in the last 2 innings made this a classic. Mark McGwire had 2 HR, 7 RBI and a 333 BA for Oakland but this performance did not Match Cesar Cedano’s who has 3 clutch HR’s 10 RBIs and the series MVP.
Series MVP Cesar Cedano LF Cardinals