GTOAT - Greatest Team of All Time Tournament

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 1 - REGION 2:

6) 2016 Chicago Cubs vs. 11) 2011 Texas Rangers

This has the potential to be a really good series, with a lot of pitching and lineup depth on each side. Two lefties take the mound in game 1, CJ Wilson vs. Jon Lester, at the great setting that is Wrigley Field. Nether pitcher was really up for the task and there were fireworks early. Nelson Cruz would crush a three-run shot in the 2nd and the Rangers would lead 5-0 by the 3rd. In the bottom of the 3rd though the Cubs would put up a touchdown. Zobrist, Soler, Contreras and Fowler all drove in runs in the inning. So ironically, in a game where neither pitcher saw the fourth inning, there wasn’t another run scored. The game would end 7-5 to the Cubs, but both bullpens are quite used up already which could make for some interesting decisions going forward.

Game 2 feature Colby Lewis vs. Jake Arrietta and neither got off to a good start, though nothing as bad as the previous game. Addison Russell drove in two for the Cubs in the 1st, while Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz combined for three RBIs in the 3rd. Once again there were no more runs after the early action. Both starters completed six and the bullpens were great again, and the Rangers tie the series with the 3-2 win.

Game 3 was the first really well pitched game by the starters, Kyle Hendricks going into the 8th and allowing three runs, while Derek Holland completed seven with ten strikeouts and two runs. Adrian Beltre’s run scoring double in the 5th gave the home team the 3-2 lead and it ended that way. Texas now leads 2-1 in the series.

Postseason veteran Jon Lester was back on the mound for Chicago in game 4 on short rest, against youngster Alexei Ogando. Zobrist would drive in Fowler in the first for an early lead, but Lester ran into trouble in the form of a five-run inning in the 3rd. Ian Kinsler’s 3-run shot was the big one for Texas. The Cubs would finally get to Ogando in the 6th with a four-run inning and tie it up 5-5. The back and forth action continued in the next half inning with Texas the lead again 6-5. In the 8th Addison Russell knocked a two-run dinger off reliever Mike Adams and the Cubbies led for the first time, 7-6. They would make it 8-6 in the top of the 9th and send Aroldis Chapman to close it out. The Rangers had other plans though, and Elvis Andrus would hit a two-run single to win the game and put Texas on the verge of a second round spot.

Another playoff tested arm, John Lackey, passed over by Chicago in game 4 will now have the tournament on the line on one extra day’s rest. He is opposed by CJ Wilson trying to atone for his game 1 disaster. Both shouldn’t have even bothered showing up to the park. The Cubs would score three in the first and the Rangers would answer with six of their own. Five in the third for the Cubs would give them an 8-7 lead, which didn’t last long. Six more in the 5th would finally be enough. The Cubs win game 5 by a final of 17-11. This one was wild. The Cubs hit four home runs, two by Dexter Fowler, while the Rangers hit three of their own. The game featured 30 hits and 10 walks. Lackey didn’t get out of the first, and CJ Wilson recorded only one out in the third. The Cubs are alive and the series shifts back to Wrigley.

Game 6’s story was a familiar one, the lack of starting pitching. Jake Arrietta gave up eight runs and retired one batter! The game was 10-0 Rangers after one inning. Colby Lewis didn’t pitch great, giving up five of his own, but he was spotted more than enough for the win. Josh Hamilton had four RBIs across two different at bats against two different pitchers in the first inning alone. With an eventual final of 12-5 the Rangers take the series in six games.

Adrian Beltre would get the Series MVP hitting .480 with 8 RBIs. In my opinion Mike Napoli was robbed, as he hit four homers and drove in ten runs. Ben Zobrist was the best Cub and had a case if his team had won.

[tavo2311]

Well only the first round is done, but more than half the total match-ups have been completed with 32 of the eventual 63 series' done. Below are some metrics.

Note for the first table of favorites vs. underdogs, “underdog” was not applied to 9 or 10 seeds beating 7 and 8 seeds but for the record the lower seeds were 3-5 in those match-ups.

Favorites:
Region 1: 5-1
Region 2: 4-2
Region 3: 2-4
Region 4: 1-5
Overall: 12-12

By Seed:
#1: 3-1
#2: 2-2
#3: 1-3
#4: 3-1
#5: 2-2
#6: 1-3
#7: 2-2
#8: 1-3
#9: 3-1
#10: 2-2
#11: 3-1
#12: 2-2
#13: 1-3
#14: 3-1
#15: 2-2
#16: 1-3


By Decade:
1900s 1-4
1910s 2-2 (*one game against each other)
1920s 4-0
1930s 3-0
1940s 2-1
1950s 2-3
1960s 3-2
1970s 5-2
1980s 4-3
1990s 1-5
2000s 3-5
2010s 2-5 (*one game against each other)

By Length of Series:
4 games: 4
5 games: 9
6 games: 12
7 games: 7

By Team:
Yankees: 8 entries, 4 remaining (4-4)
A's: 5 entries, 4 remaining (4-1)
Tigers: 4 entries, 3 remaining (3-1)
Cardinals: 2 entries, 2 remaining (2-0)
Mets: 2 entries, 2 remaining (2-0)
Senators: 2 entries, 2 remaining (2-0)
Red Sox : 4 entries, 1 remaining (1-3)
Pirates: 3 entries, 1 remaining (1-2)
Orioles: 2 entries, 1 remaining (1-1)
Blue Jays: 2 entries, 1 remaining (1-1)
Dodgers: 2 entries, 1 remaining (1-1)
Indians: 2 entries, 1 remaining (1-1)
Reds: 2 entries, 1 remaining (1-1)
White Sox: 2 entries, 1 remaining (1-1)
Angels 1 entry, 1 remaining (1-0)
Diamondbacks: 1 entry, 1 remaining (1-0)
Marlins: 1 entry, 1 remaining (1-0)
Padres: 1 entry, 1 remaining (1-0)
Rangers : 1 entry, 1 remaining (1-0)
Royals: 1 entry, 1 remaining (1-0)
Twins: 1 entry, 1 remaining (1-0)
Braves: 2 entries, 0 remaining (0-2)
Cubs: 2 entries, 0 remaining (0-2)
Giants: 2 entries, 0 remaining (0-2)
Phillies: 2 entries, 0 remaining (0-2)
Astros: 1 entry, 0 remaining (0-1)
Brewers: 1 entry, 0 remaining (0-1)
Expos: 1 entry, 0 remaining (0-1)
Mariners: 1 entry, 0 remaining (0-1)
Nationals: 1 entry, 0 remaining (0-1)
Rays: 1 entry, 0 remaining (0-1)
Rockies: 1 entry, 0 remaining (0-1)

[tavo2311]

Region 1:
1) 1939 New York Yankees over 16) 2007 Colorado Rockies (4-1)
2) 1970 Baltimore Orioles over 15) 1982 Milwaukee Brewers (4-2)
3) 1986 New York Mets over 14) 2005 Chicago White Sox (4-1)
4) 1953 New York Yankees over 13) 1993 Toronto Blue Jays (4-2)
5) 1989 Oakland A’s over 12) 1998 Houston Astros (4-2)
11) 2002 Anaheim Angels over 6) 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers (4-0)
7) 1935 Detroit Tigers over 10) 1977 Philadelphia Phillies (4-1)
9) 1949 Boston Red Sox over 8) 1994 Montreal Expos (4-1)

Region 2:
1) 1975 Cincinnati Reds over 16) 2019 Washington Nationals (4-3)
2) 1911 Philadelphia A’s over 15) 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3)
14) 1925 Washington Senators over 3) 1961 New York Yankees (4-1)
4) 1995 Cleveland Indians over 13) 1985 New York Yankees (4-3)
5) 1984 Detroit Tigers over 12) 1957 Milwaukee Braves (4-3)
11) 2011 Texas Rangers over 6) 2016 Chicago Cubs (4-2)
10) 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers over 7) 1912 Boston Red Sox (4-1)
9) 1969 New York Mets over 8) 2002 Oakland A’s (4-2)

Region 3:
1) 1927 New York Yankees over 16) 2012 Tampa Bay Rays (4-0)
15) 1972 Oakland A’s over 2) 1998 New York Yankees (4-2)
14) 1977 Kansas City Royals over 3) 2004 Boston Red Sox (4-2)
4) 1942 St. Louis Cardinals over 13) 1954 New York Giants (4-2)
12) 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates over 5) 1995 Atlanta Braves (4-3)
11) 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks over 6) 1968 Detroit Tigers (4-2)
10) 1933 Washington Senators over 7) 2011 Philadelphia Phillies (4-0)
9) 1917 Chicago White Sox over 8) 1919 Cincinnati Reds (4-1)

Region 4:
16) 2003 Florida Marlins over 1) 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3)
15) 1984 San Diego Padres over 2) 1906 Chicago Cubs (4-0)
14) 1965 Minnesota Twins over 3) 2001 Seattle Mariners (4-2)
13) 1909 Detroit Tigers over 4) 1954 Cleveland Indians (4-1)
12) 2015 Toronto Blue Jays over 5) 1904 New York Giants (4-2)
6) 1929 Philadelphia A’s over 11) 1978 New York Yankees (4-1)
7) 1967 St. Louis Cardinals over 10) 1983 Baltimore Orioles (4-2)
8) 1921 New York Yankees over 9) 2018 Boston Red Sox (4-3)

[tavo2311]

Here are the round two match-ups. I will be drawing the regions at random and then playing all four series for that region before moving on to the next.

REGION 1
1) 1939 New York Yankees vs. 9) 1949 Boston Red Sox
4) 1953 New York Yankees vs. 5) 1989 Oakland A’s
3) 1986 New York Mets vs. 11) 2002 Anaheim Angels
2) 1970 Baltimore Orioles vs. 7) 1935 Detroit Tigers

REGION 2
1) 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. 9) 1969 New York Mets
4) 1995 Cleveland Indians vs. 5) 1984 Detroit Tigers
11) 2011 Texas Rangers vs. 14) 1925 Washington Senators
2) 1911 Philadelphia A’s vs. 10) 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers

REGION 3
1) 1927 New York Yankees vs. 9) 1919 Chicago White Sox
4) 1942 St. Louis Cardinals vs. 12) 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates
11) 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. 14) 1977 Kansas City Royals
10) 1933 Washington Senators vs. 15) 1972 Oakland A’s

REGION 4
8) 1921 New York Yankees vs. 16) 2003 Florida Marlins
12) 2015 Toronto Blue Jays vs. 13) 1909 Detroit Tigers
6) 1929 Philadelphia A’s vs. 14) 1965 Minnesota Twins
7) 1967 St. Louis Cardinals vs. 15) 1984 San Diego Padres

[tavo2311]

Region 1 played out mostly as expected. The top five seeds all advanced and none required a 7th game. The 6 seed 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers were swept aside, so that was somewhat of a surprise, but that had to be the closest of any possible four game series sweep. A 14th inning loss, a couple blown leads in the 9th or later, and a 5-run total deficit over the 4 games. Round two will bring us a Yankee / Red Sox rivalry series, with Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio going against rival and sibling Joe DiMaggio and team. Mantle and McGwire get to go at it as well. And I think the 2nd seed 1970 Orioles have a tricky one to navigate in 1935 Tigers who may be a bit underrated here.

Region 2 had one big upset with the elimination of the 1961 Yankees at the hands of Walter Johnson and co from 1925. The top two seeds narrowly avoided their own upset, the ’75 Reds finding themselves in a tie game in the 9th of game 7 and the 1911 A’s winning a thrilling 7th game in the tourney’s first all-dead ball matchup. The marquee matchup of the 2nd round should be the 4/5 block with the 1995 Indians and 1984 Tigers. These two teams each have the potential to do some real damage but one will be out in the round of 32. Also intriguing will be the ’69 Mets and ’75 Reds, seeing if the Mets can pull off another miracle in this series between teams from similar eras.

Region 3 lost their 2nd and 3rd seeds, teams that many thought had a real chance to win it all in the ’98 Yankees an ’04 Red Sox. Maybe our recency bias had these guys overrated related to the best in the entire history of the game? It didn’t end there either. The 4,5,6,7, and 8 seeds are all gone too. The ’27 Yankees didn’t need much help to make it out of this region, but they have to be really licking their chops now. Because of all the upsets the 2nd round doesn’t bring too much appeal on the surface. Shoeless Joe is going against Ruth/Gehrig, etc… so that should be fun to watch. Two of the ’77 Royals, ’01 D’backs, ’33 Senators, and ’72 A’s are going to be in the Sweet 16. We may get some close series’ between those teams but we’re gonna need storylines to develop in order to build any real excitement.

If you thought Region 3 was filled with upsets, Region 4 was truly decimated. The top five seeds are all gone! The 6th seed 1929 A’s was one that was seen to be under-seeded, potentially severely, coming in, and now they are the best remaining team. The 8th seed ’21 Yankees have to be watched as well. After surviving a 7th game against the 2018 Red Sox they now get the 2003 Marlins. Josh Beckett will get another chance to silence a favored Yankees lineup. The highlight of round two in my opinion is the ’29 A’s vs. ’65 Twins. I think this one will be close, and I’ll predict now that the region’s winner is the winner of this one.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 1:

2) 1970 Baltimore Orioles vs. 7) 1935 Detroit Tigers

The second round is kicked off with Schoolboy Rowe vs. Jim Palmer in Baltimore. While both pitched well it was clearly Palmer who was on the top of his game. Memorial Stadium witnessed a complete game shutout with only five baserunners for Detroit, none past first base. Catcher Elrod Hendricks drove in three in a 4-0 win for Baltimore.

In game 2 Baltimore jumped ahead early with a 2-run HR by Davey Johnson in the first. The pressure was really on the Tigers as their scoreless inning streak to start the series reached 15 innings. Finally in the 7th they pulled to within 2-1 on a Goose Goslin double, but Baltimore would respond with a four spot putting this one out of reach. The final was 6-1 and the series shifts to Detroit.

Game 3 featured more dominant starting pitching by the Orioles. Dave McNally went 8.1 with 4 hits and no runs in another shutout win. Boog Powell and Paul Blair’s three RBIs in the opening frame was more than enough, but Powell would add a two run dinger for good measure in the 8th. The O’s must have been offended by all of that talk of Detroit being a tough out. But they haven’t finished the job yet.
Detroit’s bats finally woke up in game 4 and walloped Baltimore pitching for nine runs in the first three innings. Hank Greenberg had a 1st inning home run and a 3rd inning grand slam! Baltimore wouldn’t score until the 9th to make the final a slightly less embarrassing 11-2.

Game 4 featured both team’s aces back on the mound and it was another good duel. Jim Palmer extended his scoreless innings streak this series to 17 innings by going 8 shutout with 3 hits. But Schoolboy Rowe only gave up a single hit in his outing and the game went scoreless all the way to the 11th where Baltimore RP Eddie Watt gave up a couple walks, and error, and a wild pitch for a 1-0 Detroit win. What a way to keep themselves alive, and now it is interesting at 3-2.

As the series returned to Baltimore the home team must have been starting to feel a bit more pressure than they would have liked despite being so dominant early on. Then Hank Greenberg made them REALLY uneasy. A 1st inning 2-run double and a 3rd inning homer gave a 7-1 lead to starter Tommy Bridges early and it was done from there. A 9-1 final has forced a deciding game 7!

Any hopes of Detroit staging a historic comeback from three down were dashed early. Five runs in the first two innings, highlighted by Paul Blair’s 3-run bomb, and six superb innings from Dave McNally led to 5-1 final and a HUGE sigh of relief in Baltimore.

Jim Palmer was given the series MVP over Dave McNally. Either way both were amazing and we are splitting hairs here. Palmer pitched 17 shutout innings but didn’t get the 2nd win because he left a 0-0 game. McNally on the other hand only went 14+ innings in his two starts, but only gave up one run and got two wins.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 1:

4) 1953 New York Yankees vs. 5) 1989 Oakland A’s

Dave Stewart and Whitey Ford highlight game 1 at Yankee Stadium of what should be a great matchup. These guys have their work cut out for them with the powerful lineups they face. Stewart wasn’t so up to the task, giving up 5 runs through 4.2. Ford rolled through five, but gave way to his bullpen who gave up five in a 6-5 Oakland victory.

Game 2 was another close one. New York held a 1-0 lead until the 8th when Rickey Henderson tied it with a solo shot. The bombers would grab the lead again with a Yogi Berra hit in the bottom 8th but Oakland tied it again in the 9th. With New York desperate to avoid dropping a second home game pinch hitter Bill Renna walked it off in the bottom of the 13th. Allie Reynolds went three shutout relief innings for the win.

With the series 1-1 and back in 1989 Oakland we have the DH in play. Eddie Lopat would run into trouble early and New York trailed 3-0 but would pull two back in the 5th. Dennis Eckersley would be on to save the 3-2 lead but would blow it and the A’s trailed 4-3. Tom Gorman then blew a save of his own when Oakland SS Mike Gallego doubled in a run in the bottom of the 9th. Gorman would get the “BS win” though when Eckersley unthinkably allowed runs in consecutive innings. This time a Mickey Mantle solo shot and the Yankees win 4-3.

Whitey Ford was brought back on three day’s rest in game 4 and it showed. He didn’t make it out of the third inning before giving up 9 runs. New York would take him off the hook, scoring 9 of their own in the 5th and 6th, chasing starter Storm Davis. But in the bottom of the 6th Rickey Henderson’s bases loaded double retook the lead for Oakland and the would hold on to win 13-10. Rickey Henderson starred in this one, getting on base four times, scoring twice and driving in four.

Game 5 was a low scoring affair between starters Jim McDonald and Dave Stewart. The teams traded runs in the 5th, and that was it until Mickey Mantle’s 2nd HR of the series in the 8th gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Allie Reynolds pitched two perfect innings in late relief for New York who now have a 3-2 series lead and two games in the Bronx.

Seventeen game winner Bob Welch was tasked with keeping Oakland alive, and he barely did. He only surrendered 3 hits in 6 innings, but walked 8! New York left each and every one of them on base though, 23 in all, and were shutout in the end. Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson, and Dave Parker all homered in the 6-0 win that tied the series and forced a game 7.

The Yankees did not bring back ace Whitey Ford on short rest for the second time in the series after he was shelled in the first attempt. He would likely be available out of the pen though. Instead it was Eddie Lopat who got the nod, and gave up early runs including two RBIs by Mark McGwire. Yogi Berra would homer off Mike Moore in the 5th to make it 3-1, but former Yankee Rickey Henderson would drive in two the next inning for a 5-1 lead. Eckersley again gave up runs, very unlike him, and it was 5-3 in the 9th with the tying run up when he finally was able to close it out. The A’s win a very entertaining back and forth series and may face another Yankees team in the next round.

The goat of the series most definitely goes to Mantle, who hit .103 (though with 2 HRs) and made many crucial outs with runners on. The MVP was predictably Rickey Henderson, who hit .387 with 2 HRs, 10 RBIs, and 6 Runs.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 1:

3) 1986 New York Mets vs. 11) 2002 Anaheim Angels

The Mets enter this one as heavy favorites after their stunning starting pitching performance in the first round. Dwight Gooden took the mound in game 1 and was not as dominant as expected, but still got through 8 innings with 4 runs. Roger McDowell got the save in a 6-4 back and forth game and Kevin Mitchell drove in 3 for the Mets.

Ron Darling extended the streak to six straight games with at least 8 innings pitched for Mets starters in the tournament. He was cruising through six but gave up three runs on big hits to Darin Erstad and Garrett Anderson in the 7th to pull Anaheim within one. But in the 8th Darling induced a double play with Glaus up and the two runners on and left the game with 13 strikeouts. McDowell got the save for the 2nd straight night, and the Mets still have only used five total pitchers through seven tournament games.

Rookie John Lackey was sent to the mound in game 3 in sunny southern California with the Angels reeling. He had a 1-0 lead heading into the 4th, but LA-native Darryl Strawberry launched one and in the 5th Gary Carter hit is own. The Mets were suddenly up 4-1 and on their way to a 3-0 series lead. Bob Ojeda went the full nine for New York in a shocker.

The Mets bats wasted no time getting going in game 4. Gary Carter hit a 3-run homer in the 1st and the Mets would still lead 3-2 into the 6th when Garret Anderson doubled in two against Sid Fernandez for a 4-3 lead. The rare Angels lead did not last however. Kevin Mitchell drove in two in the 7th to retake the lead, and then the Mets brutalized Brendan Donnelly to the tune of e 7-run 8th inning. The series was as good as over, and all that remained was to see if a Fernandez would make it nine straight games of at least 8 innings pitched. With a 12-4 lead in hand, why not? He would eventually give way at 148 pitches for the final out. And only the 6th Mets pitcher used all tourney, John Mitchell, would throw a total of one pitch, record an out, and end the sweep.

These Mets are now set up for an what should be ann amazing series against the 1970 Orioles. Gary Carter took the MVP award, hitting .500 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 1:

1) 1939 New York Yankees vs. 9) 1949 Boston Red Sox

Famous baseball rivalry at its best here, and a sibling rivalry to boot. Game 1 saw starters Mel Parnell and Red Ruffing each give up three early runs, with Ted Williams and Joe Gordon driving in two each. The game would go to the 9th 3-3, with both starters still in there, when Johnny Pesky doubled off Ruffing for a 5-3 lead. Parnell would finish the complete game and give the Sox a 1-0 lead.

Lefty Gomez was tasked with avoiding the two game deficit and he pitched well for a while, giving up only a solo HR to Vern Stephens in the 4th. The Yankees were up 2-1 in the 8th, when Stephens took him yard for the 2nd time in the game, this one a go-ahead 2-run shot. Johnny Pesky would add another big hit, driving in two, and Ellis Kinder would hold on to complete the game in a 6-4 win. The tournament’s top overall seed is on the ropes, down two and going to Fenway.

Joe Dobson was given the start for Boston in game 3, and only allowed three hits. The problem was his 8 walks though! But time and again he made the big pitch at the right time, and New York left 19 runners on base. The Yankee’s 3-4 hitters, Henrich and DiMaggio, were 0-8, with 8 runners left on themselves. The Yankees would enter the 9th down 2-0, when Charlie Keller finally broke through for them with an RBI double. With the tying run on 2nd Dobson was able to close out the third straight complete game for Boston starters and put the Sox one game away from the round of 16.

Game 4 saw the Yankees come out swinging to desperately avoid the sweep. They were able to push across three for a 3-0 lead into the 5th. Ted Williams and Vern Stephens would each plate one in the 5th and the Yankee’s lead was cut to one. In the bottom of the 8th, with starter Monte Pearson still in there instead of one of their dominant relievers, Red Sox RF Al Zarilla capped a three hit game with a game tying RBI. Then in the 11th, Bobby Doerr hit a 2-run walk off HR to cap a scintillating sweep of the #1 seed Yankees.

What a surprise this was! The 1939 Yankees do not make the third round, and in a sweep no less, to a team that didn’t play a real-life postseason game. The series was a very close one though, for a sweep. The run differential was only 7 total in 4 games, games 1 and 2 were each tied in the 8th or later, game 3 ended with the tying run on base, and game 4 was tied in the 11th. New York just couldn’t get the big hit and Boston did. The Yankees had one regular hit above .235 in the series. Both DiMaggio’s hit only .200, and Ted Williams .250 with a couple RBIs for a surprisingly quite series. Vern Stephens was named the MVP, hitting .389, with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 3:

Wow the last couple weeks at work have really dragged me away from this, but the tournament continues today with another high seed on the field. Are we in for another massive upset?

1) 1927 New York Yankees vs. 9) 1917 Chicago White Sox

While an intriguing series on paper because of the names involved, the 1917 White Sox should be seriously overmatched here. But with the tournament’s #1 overall seed knocked out this round, Murderer’s Row will not be taking anyone lightly.

In game 1 Eddie Cicotte was spotted a run in the top of the 1st on an Eddie Collins double. But New York responded, tying it in the 1st, leading in the 3rd, and then the Babe took Cicotte deep for a three-run bomb in the 5th. The bombers would pull away to an easy 9-2 win behind Ruth’s four RBIs and Waite Hoyt’s complete game.

Veteran Lefty Williams was tasked with changing the momentum of the series but he didn’t get the message. The Yankees scored in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th innings to go up 10-1 midway through. Earle Combs drove in five, and the Iron Horse hit a homer in the eventual 13-1 win.

Wow, New York really rolled into Chicago on fire, and the off day did nothing to cool them off. The balanced onslaught continued with three RBIs from Tony Lazzeri this time helping New York to build an 8-0 lead en route to a 10-1 win. Chicago was held to four hits by Urban Shocker, and Shoeless Joe drops to .111 on the series.

Game 4 started with a two-run shot by Babe Ruth but Chicago finally responded. Buck Weaver had a two-run single in the 1st, and another in the 2nd. Shoeless Joe broker out of his slump with four hits and three RBIs, and the White Sox avoid the sweep with a 10-3 victory with Cicotte going the complete game.

Game 5 was another very balanced attack in a big New York win. The 11-3 win featured both runs scored and driven in by seven different Yankees. Waite Hoyt returned on full rest for another complete game win, and this high seed is safely into the Sweet 16.

With many candidates to choose from, including Hoyt’s 2-0 18 IP, and Ruth’s 3 HRs and 8 RBIs, the MVP goes to centerfielder Earle Combs, who had 11 hits in 22 at bats, .773 slugging and 8 RBIs.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 3:

11) 2001 Diamondbacks vs. 14) 1977 Kansas City Royals

A couple of upstarts now find themselves with a very good chance to move into the “2nd weekend” of the tourney.

In the series opener starter Curt Schilling was spotted three in the 1st on a Luis Gonzalez homerun off Dennis Leonard. He would cruise through eight innings giving up seven hits and two runs. The Royals bullpen came up big, throwing 5 innings of shutout ball, but they could never pull closer than the eventual final score of 4-2. Arizona is out in front early.

The Royals must not have been feeling great having to face Randy Johnson already down a game, but George Brett led off the game with a homerun and the Royals would build a 3-0 lead into the 7th behind starter Jim Colborn. The bottom of the Arizona order would chase him though, with a three-run 7th led by catcher Damian Miller. Into the 10th we went where John Mayberry, Sr. drove in two off closer Byung-Hyun Kim in his 2nd inning of work, and after they added a third run reliever Mark Littell in his 2nd inning of work closed out the 6-3 win. To Kansas City we go.

Kansas City thrilled the home crowd early, with Mayberry launching a three-run shot in the first inning. Steven Finley and Damian Miller again would combine for three in the 2nd as the bottom of the order continues to contribute for Arizona. Luis Gonzalez would hit a go-ahead three-run bomb in the 7th and with a couple more insurance runs Arizona would ease its way late to an 8-3 victory and a series lead.

Game 4 continued the back and forth theme of the series. For the 2nd straight game Kansas City scored three in the first frame, but this time added to it in the mid innings and eventually built a 7-2 lead behind Andy Hassler. The bullpen would give up a couple garbage runs but KC ties the series and we go to a pivotal game 5 with the aces returning.

Both Leonard and Schilling pitched well in their rematch and game 5 went to the 7th with the Royals clinging to a 2-1 lead. Luis Gonzalez would triple in two, in the four-run 7th to take a 5-2 lead. But Darrell Porter was able to touch up Schilling in the bottom of the inning and the game was tied 5-5 into the 10th. It was there that reliever Mark Littell hung a breaking ball to Mark Grace and the Royals were suddenly down 7-5. Arizona closer Kim, trying another two inning outing after his game 2 blown save, was more successful this time with a 1-2-3 bottom 10th. Arizona is on the brink of the next round and has Randy Johnson fully rested.

The Big Unit was mostly dominant over 8.2, striking out 12 and giving up 4 baserunners total (though all four scored). Steve Finley hit a 3-run shot in the 2nd and that was the series ender. The final score of 6-4 was close but the Royals never seemed in it. Johnson had to come out after his one mistake of the night and Kim got the one-out save to finish the series.

No surprise that the series MVP went to Luis Gonzalez who hit .455, slugged .955, hit 2 HRs, and 9 RBIs.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 3:

4) 1942 St. Louis Cardinals vs. 12) 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates

Game 1 featured Bert Blyleven vs. Mort Cooper in St. Louis. Cooper was knocked around by the Pittsburgh lineup for 6 runs in 2.2 IP. They were able to close within 6-3 by the 7th, but Kent Tekulve would come on for a two inning save and the underdogs are ahead early in the series.

Game 2 featured another 6-0 lead for the Bucs. The offensive star today was catcher Ed Ott with three hits and three runs driven in. John Candeleria went 6 strong, and Jim Bibby danced around trouble for the three-inning save in a 7-3 final. The Cardinals starters really underperformed in this one and they’ve now dug quite a hole.

Game 3 saw the Cardinals hold their first lead of the series with a run in the 5th. They would lead again 3-1 in the 8th, but a Willie Stargell double tied it up. In the 10th, St, Louis pinch hitter Ray Sanders would take Tekulve deep and Howie Pollet would close out the 10th 1-2-3. The Cardinals inch back into the series.

Game 4 saw fireworks early for both sides. Stan Musial finally got his first hit of his dreadful series and drove in three first inning runs. But St. Louis ace Mort Cooper returned on short rest to get blasted again allowing three of his own in the bottom of the 1st. There would go on to be runs in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th, in a wild 7-7 tied game into extra innings for the 2nd straight day. Dave Parker would draw a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th to literally walk-off and taker a 3-1 series lead. What an awful way for the Cardinals to lose.

Speaking of Cardinals and disappointing, Game 5 started with another three-run first for Pittsburgh, led by Dave Parker’s 2-run double. St. Louis would fight back though, tie it in the 6th on catcher Walker Cooper’s 2-run triple, and take a 5-4 lead in the 8th, with Cooper driving in his 4th run of the day on a single which also completed the cycle. What a game for Cooper! Game 3 winner Howie Pollet was called upon to close it down and send the series back to St. Louis, but the Pirates had other plans. Bill Madlock ended it, sending the crowd into a frenzy with a three-run bomb for an 8-5 final score and a most unlikely sweet 16 berth.

Madlock’s walk-off HR sealed the MVP, as he hit .478 with 8 RBIs and 4 runs scored. On the flip side Stan Musial came up might small, hitting .200 with his only RBIs of the series all on one hit in game 4. Three Cardinals starters had ERAs over 10.00, giving almost no chance to the favorites.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 3:

10) 1933 Washington Senators vs. 15) 1972 Oakland A’s

The slew of underdog matchups continues here in the nation’s capital. A classic-names matchup of Catfish Hunter and General Crowder led it off and while both did well, Crowder got the best of it. The game was 0-0 to the bottom of the 6th where Luke Sewell, Buddy Myer, and Joe Cronin hit back to back to back doubles in a three-run inning. Crowder would make his only mistake in the 8th and give up a solo shot but the game ended 3-1 in favor of Washington.

In game 2 Oakland starter Ken Holtzman struggled through only four innings and the Senators built a 5-0 lead by the 5th. Earl Whitehill would go 8 shutout innings for the Senators and a 6-1 victory sends the series to Oakland with the A’s backs nearing the wall.

Blue Moon Odom was cruising into the 5th of a 0-0 game when light hitting third basemen Ossie Bluege started to drive the dagger into Oakland with a grand slam! The lead would balloon to 6-0 before Oakland scratched back two runs in the 9th on a Bert Campaneris hit. It was much too little much too late though, and the Senators are looking for the sweep.

Vida Blue went seven strong innings for Oakland, but a pair of solo HRs early by Washington were enough to get him. Monte Weaver would throw seven innings and only give up a run, and the Senators take the 3-1 win for a series sweep.

This team may be one to watch out for in the upset-ridden region 3. They are now the 2nd highest seed remaining! Third baseman Ossie Bluege took the MVP honors, hitting only .267, but slugging .933 with 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. A case could’ve been made for the starting staff of Washington to share it, combining for 30.1 IP of less than a 1.00 ERA. In Oakland they’re not happy with loudmouth Reggie Jackson who failed to back up his big words, hitting a measly .200 with 0 runs or ribbies.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 2:

4) 1995 Cleveland Indians vs. 4) 1984 Detroit Tigers

One of the more anticipated 2nd round matchups starts in Cleveland today with Jack Morris and Charles Nagy the starters. The Indians jumped on Morris early with Eddie Murray and Manny Ramirez driving in three runs. Morris would settle down and the game stayed 3-0 to the 8th. Morris and reliever Rozema would give up a grand slam to Paul Sorrento, and a three-run shot to Manny Ramirez. Nagy gets the complete game in an 11-1 thrashing.

Game 2 was rough for the starters, and saw the Indians again jump out on top with a four-run 1st off Dan Petry. Detroit would then respond and tie it up in the 2nd. The back and forth game’s key point was in the the 7th. With Dennis Martinez tiring, Kirk Gibson drew a key walk to load them up, Lance Parrish drove in two, and Darrell Evans drove in two. With the 8-7 lead in hand, closer Willie Hernandez threw an immaculate 9-pitch, 3-strikeout inning for the save and a tied series.

Orel Hershiser and Milt Wilcox contested game 3 as the series shifts to Detroit. Detroit would jump to a 3-0 lead but in the 4th Cleveland erupted for five, highlighted by Jim Thome’s grand slam. Detroit clawed back and Larry Herndon would tie the game at 5-5 with a double off Hershiser in the 7th. Then in the 8th Lance Parris and co. would touch up Julian Tavarez for four runs and a 9-5 lead. Willie Hernandez would get a five out save for a 9-7 final. Detroit leads the series 2-1.

The Indians certainly showed some urgency in game 4 as Eddie Murray and Albert Belle both went deep early and built a 6-0 lead, but Mark Clark apparently didn’t like pitching with such a big lead, as the game would be tied at 6 with Kirk Gibson’s grand slam in the 5th. The moment of the game came in the 7th when Detroit reliever Doug Bair served up Albert Belle’s 2nd dinger of the game. Jose Mesa would save the 8-6 victory for a tied series.

The aces returned for the always pivotal game 5. You certainly couldn’t tell they were aces by the linescore. Cleveland opened up a 3-0 first inning lead. Detroit exploded for six runs in the 3rd, keeping the series’ status quo of big innings with Howard Johnson’s bases loaded triple. Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome would each hit 2-run bombs in the 4th and the game was 9-6 before the stands were full. With individual runs in the 6th and 7th Detroit pulled to within a run, but Jose Mesa would get a five out save and Cleveland leads the series 3-2.

What a highly entertaining series this has been, with four close, high scoring games after game 1’s blowout. The first big moment in game 6 was Albert Belle’s 2-run double capping a 3-run 3rd inning. Cleveland would add another in the 6th and the game was uncharacteristically low scoring into the late innings. Forty year old Dennis Martinez never faced trouble, giving up only 5 hits and no walks in a 120-pitch complete game shutout. By a final of 4-0 Cleveland wins the series in six!

Albert Belle was the easy pick for MVP slashing .435/.500/.870, with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 2:

2) 1911 Philadelphia A’s vs. 10) 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers

Carl Erskine and Jack Coombs square off in game 1 in Philly. This one was a back and forth affair, with Brooklyn striking first for a 5-0 lead by the 3rd. Carl Furillo’s grand slam being the big hit. But the game swung in the bottom of the 3rd and 4th with three runs in each for Philly. Frank “Home Run” Baker getting in on the action with the 3-run shot. With the 6-5 lead still intact in the top of the 6th Duke Snider took Cy Morgan, the starter who was on in relief after Coomb’s poor outing, out of the park for an 8-6 lead. Preacher Roe, the Brooklyn starter on in relief of their own shelled pitcher, went 5.1 relief shutout innings for the win, giving up 1 hit and no walks. What a gem he threw, but what will it do to the rotation for the rest of the series?

Game 2’s starters fared much better, on both sides, but Eddie Plank was the real star. Going eight innings with only 99 pitches, Plank gave up 4 hits and 2 runs, all coming after the A’s build a 6-0 lead already. Six different Philly hitters drove in a run in this one.

Though the tied series shifts to Brooklyn for game 3, the edge might really be swinging to Philadelphia as the depth of their rotation (1,050 innings from their top four SPs) should start to show the difference in quality vs. Brooklyn top to bottom. Chief Bender vs. Billy Loes was the matchup here, underscoring the previous point. Philly right fielder Danny Murphy had himself a day with two, 2-run HRs, leading to a 7-2 win for the A’s.

Game 4 had a return of the two #1 SPs on short rest, though not really short given their abbreviated outings previously. Both pitched much better this time, and the game was close throughout. Eventually Pee Wee Reese would drive in two in the 8th to extend the lead to 6-3, and Jim Hughes would close it out. The series is now tied at 2-2.

Game 5 was a classic, one of the games of the tourney thus far. Cy Morgan and Preacher Roe each had no hitters through the first three innings. The A’s had a big 4th helped along by Stuffy McInnis’ three run triple. Cy Morgan would continue to cruise and the Dodgers would get only one back for a 3-1 game going to the 9th. That’s when McInnis struck again and extended the lead to 5-1. On in relief for Philly was Boardwalk Brown, who spectacularly imploded! Jackie Robinson and Don Thompson each had RBIs for a 5-4 game when Jim Gilliam hit a walk off grand slam! The Dodgers with the most unlikely bottom of the 9th comeback and a 3-2 series lead.

Russ Meyer got the nod for Brooklyn, but would have a tough job ahead trying to close the series vs. Eddie Plank in hostile grounds. Both starters pitched gems, with only lone runs pushed across in the top 4th and bottom 7th. The game went to the 9th tied still when Carl Furillo’s and Jim Gilliam’s back to back run scoring doubles off Boardwalk Brown (tough series) opened a 3-1 lead. Jim Hughes came on for his second save of the series and got the A’s 1-2-3 to end it. Another big upset as a #2 seed falls. Plank pitched great, but the A’s managed a measly 3 hits in the game, and Boardwalk Brown ends the tourney with a 23.63 ERA.

Right fielder Carl Furillo took the MVP award home hitting .304 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 2:

11) 2011 Texas Rangers vs. 14) 1925 Washington Senators

There has always been a lot of speculation on all-time greats like Walter Johnson facing today’s hitters. This series will give us as good a glimpse as any. The Rangers lineup is absolutely loaded. Nelson Cruz hitting 6th and Mike Napoli 7th!? The Big Train will be something to watch getting through these guys.

His game 1 opponent in Texas will be CJ Wilson. Both started well. Johnson was perfect through the lineup one time before giving up his 1st hit on an 0-2 count to Elvis Andrus to lead off the 4th. That would be the last baserunner until the 6th when Andrus would get on again with a walk. After a stolen base he would score on a single to take a 1-0 lead. CJ Wilson was still cruising, and though he allowed the tying run to third base in the next inning his 7th and 8th Ks of the game would strand him there. The unlikely story of game 1 therefore was CJ Wilson outdueling Walter Johnson. The bullpen would close it out easily and the Rangers win the first game 2-0.

Texas must have been feeling wonderful heading into game 2 with a win vs. Johnson in their back pocket already, but Colby Lewis wasn’t up for the task. Washington struck for 6 runs by the 6th inning, and Stan Covaleski pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball. Roger Peckinpaugh would homer in the 6-2 win that tied the series. The most surprising thing so far might be the vaunted Texas offense scoring only four runs in two games, and they must feel fortunate at this point to not be trailing.

The nation’s capital would see Derek Holland take on Dutch Reuther, and the prospect for some more runs as move deeper into the rotation’s depth. But that is not the storyline that played out. Holland had just a gem of a start, at 8 ip with 4 hits and no walks, giving up 0. A 2nd inning run was good enough for a 1-0 victory for a 2-1 series lead. Reuther pitched great in defeat and has to feel hard done after that one.

If we don’t get runs in game 4 with Tom Zachary opposing Matt Harrison we may never get them in this series. No offense to those guys, but they’re clearly each the weakest links. Speaking of no “offense”, Texas’ is still in hiding. They scored 3 runs in this game, 2 of them in garbage time at 10-1 in the 9th inning. Goose Goslin led the Washington offense with two homeruns and the series is tied again.

Walter Johnson, at home, in a tied series, and Texas is weaker than in game 1 due to the no DH here in 1925. Senator’s fans have to be feeling good today. But can CJ Wilson repeat his game 1 heroics? He wasn’t as dominant but still pitched very well giving up only a run in six innings. Johnson countered with seven shutout, scattering four hits. One was a leadoff double by Beltre in the 5th but he struck out the side from there to end the “threat.” He would strike out 10 total and leave with one out in the 8th. Firpo Marberry would get the 5-out save, his 2nd of the series, and Washington heads to Texas with a 3-2 series lead.

Game 6 was an entertaining, back and forth affair. Texas would build leads of 3-0 and 5-3 just to be tied up both times. Michael Young’s single in the 7th and Ian Kinsler’s double in the 8th would build an 8-5 lead and Neftali Feliz pitched a perfect 9th for his 3rd save of the series. We are going to game 7.

Will the aces, Johnson and Wilson, be available out of the pen? Will Reuther and Holland even need them considering their 1-0 duel in game 3? Spoiler alert! Game 3 is immediately up for game of the tournament. The Senators scored in the 2nd and 4th innings to build an early 3-0 lead. But Texas would respond with runs in the 6th and 7th to tie it at 3-3. Then the real fun began. In the top of the 9th with Neftali Feliz on in relief, Ossie Bluege drew a walk and Roger Peckinpaugh, after trying to bunt twice in the at-bat, added to his 4 regular season homeruns with the biggest of his career. The 2-run shot giving a 5-3 lead to the visitors. Then in the bottom of the 9th with Firpo Marberry attempting another save for Washington, Mitch Moreland doubled and Ian Kinsler tied it up with his own dramatic 2-run homer. The 2nd 2-run homer in a 9th inning of a game 7! Elvis Andrus would then single and steal 2nd, but Marberry settled down and pitched out of the jam to extend the game. After an uneventful 10th inning, in the bottom of the 11th Kinsler would attempt to play hero again with a leadoff walk and steal of 2nd, but again the Senators would escape. The game would go into the 13th inning when hall of famer Goose Goslin on an 0-2 count takes Koji Uehara deep for a 6-5 lead. Then in the bottom of the 13th it was not Walter Johnson but instead Tom Zachary coming in from the bullpen. It would prove to be the wrong call. A single and two walks later the bases loaded with no outs. Again Johnson sat still and Vean Gregg was sent in to the game instead. Josh Hamilton would launch one to the track to get in the tying run on a sac fly, Mike Napoli would single but the runner held at 3rd, then with the bases loaded again Adrian Beltre was hit by a pitch! One of the best games ever to cap a classic series ends on a walk-off hit by pitch!

In the end the 1925 Senators probably went as far as they could have hoped. They were not a particularly great team and only got in so we could see Walter Johnson pitch, and pitch he did! In both rounds he was fantastic, and even makes a case for MVP as a loser in this series. Washington surely would have liked to see even a physically exhausted Johnson in the 13th of Game 7 though. Hindsight….. The rightful MVP goes to Ian Kinsler. .375, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 4 Runs, 2 SBs, the game 7 –tying homer in the 9th, and the series winning run in the 13th.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 2:

1) 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. 9) 1969 New York Mets

The Big Red Machine were pushed harder than most expected in the first round, but survived and find themselves the highest remaining overall seed in the tournament. The ’69 Mets pulled the slight upset vs. the 2002 A’s in the first round but see a serious step up in competition now.

Game 1 featured Tom Seaver vs. Gary Nolan and it was advantage Nolan in round 1 of this 2nd round fight. While Seaver danced around 7 walks and 6 hits in 7.1 ip and 130 pitches, Nolan smoothly finished 8 ip of 4 baserunners and 1 run. That run was in the 7th though and gave New York a 1-0 lead. That is until Tony Perez and Cesar Geronimo finally caught up with Seaver and chased him from the game while taking a 2-1 lead in the 8th. That is how it would end.

Game 2 followed a similar script with NY clinging to a 1-0 lead late. But unlike the previous day, Jerry Koosman would never lose it and once given three insurance runs in the top of the 9th would be allowed to finish the 145 pitch complete game shutout. Series is tied 1-1 heading to Queens, NY.

The Reds’ bats finally woke up in game 3 and exploded for 6 runs in the first couple innings. George Foster highlighted the onslaught with a grand slam. But Fred Norman couldn’t hold the gift he was given and the Mets would close to within 6-5. Cincy’s bullpen was able to hold it there though, and when all-time hits leader Pete Rose cleared the bases with a double in the 6th the Reds were on their way to an eventual final score win of 10-8.

In game 4 the Mets would score first but would only manage the one run off of Don Gullett. Mets starter Don Cardwell would go 8.2 holding the shutout until he was chased by a Cesar Geronimo double. The bullpen would allow the run to be driven in and the Mets, who were one out away from a tied series now find themselves in extra innings. Not much action occurred until the 13th when Dave Concepcion and Geronimo again, combined to drive in a couple runs and a 3-1 lead. Pat Darcy would close it out 1-2-3 for the Reds, and what a gut punch that loss is for NY! They still have another game at home, but down 3-1 after one out away from 2-2 has got to leave a mark.

And leave a mark it did. Even with their ace on the mound they could not recover. The Reds jumped all over Seaver and knocked him out in the 4th inning up 5-1. The lead would balloon to 9-1 when Cesar Geronimo had another big hit, this time a 3-run double off Nolan Ryan. The game would end with a bit more respectable of a score at 9-4, but nonetheless there are no miracles for the Mets this time.

While MVP awards rarely ever go to losing teams, I would imagine there is never a case in a 5-game loss as opposed to a close 7-game series for example. But Art Shamsky of the Mets sure made a run at it. Slashing .727/.750/1.000 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs. In the end though its only an interesting side note. Series MVP actually goes to Gary Nolan at 2-0 with 17 ip, 15 hits and 1 walk, 10 ks, 2.65 era. Cesar Geronimo was a close second.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 4:

12) 2015 Toronto Blue Jays vs. 13) 1909 Detroit Tigers

A matchup 106 years in the making! Ty Cobb gets another chance to show his stuff vs. bat-flipping Jose Bautista and co.

29-game winner George Mullin will get the nod for Detroit and new arrival David Price will throw for the Jays. This was a great game to kick off the series. The Tigers were clinging to a 1-0 lead into the 8th when they added another. But Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista would drive in runs in the bottom of the 8th and the game stayed 2-2 all the way to the 13th when Ty Cobb took Roberto Osuna deep for a 2-run shot. They would add 2 more and win the game 6-2.

Game 2 started with R.A. Dickey giving up a solo shot to George Moriarity before the fans were even seated. But Dickey’s knuckler would flummox the Tigers from there, and three Blue Jay homeruns in the bottom of the 2nd sent them on their way to a 5-2 win to tie the series.

After the off-day it was Mark Buehrle vs. Ed Summers in game 3. Buerhle would give up 3 in the 3rd inning, and reliever Aaron Loup was taken deep by Cobb for 3 in the 6th. The Detroit pen would pitch three perfect innings and hold the 6-2 win.
In game 4, Moriarity again had a big hit, a 2-run single vs. Marco Estrada in the 3rd. Toronto would rally for 3 in the 7th though, with the bottom three hitters of the potent lineup accounting for all the RBIs. This time Osuna would get the clean save and the series is tied again.

With the momentum back on Toronto’s side and Price on the mound, you have to like their chances. Once Toronto rallied for three in the 1st it was looking real good. But The Tigers would scratch and claw their way back to a 4-3 lead with runs in four different innings. Bill Donovan was on the mount to close it out for Detroit when he has hard done by a two-out error. From there Ben Revere would tie it with a single and Jose Bautista would hit the go-ahead 2-run triple for a 6-4 lead that the Jays’ pen was able to hold. The series heads back north of the border with two chances for Toronto to end it.

Game 6 was an instant classic. Ty Cobb took Dickey deep for a 2-0 first inning lead, but the Jays tied it up until the 6th when Dickey gave up two more runs. In the bottom of the 7th, Chris Colabello had a pinch-hit RBI to tie it again, at 4-4. From there the bullpens were stunning, giving up no runs for almost a full game’s worth of play, into the 14th. This included two relievers for Toronto, Osuna and Hendriks, each throwing three relief shutout innings. Eventually Ben Revere would hit the walk-off single, driving in Troy Tulowitzki with the series-winning run.

Edwin Encarnacion gets the series MVP, hitting .407 with a pair of homers.

[tavo2311]

RESULTS: ROUND 2 - REGION 4:

6) 1929 Philadelphia A’s vs. 14) 1965 Minnesota Twins

Personally I’m excited to see this one. Coming in to the tournament I felt these two might have been under-seeded by yours truly and had some remorse. The first round series’ didn’t do anything to change that. Now the winner will be in the round of 16 in a region where the high seeds have mostly been decimated and will have as good a chance as any to make the final four run.

Mudcat Grant and Lefty Grove start us off in Philadelphia. Game 1 was tied 1-1 in the 5th when Max Bishop touched up Grant for three runs. When left fielder Bob Allison hit a three-run bomb the next inning the game was tied again. But Jimmy Dykes also took Grant yard and Philly took their 3rd lead of the game and would hold it 5-4.

Jim Kaat had what would kindly be described as a disappointing outing in game 2, giving up HRs to Jimmy Dykes, Mule Haas, and Haas again in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings. Rube Walberg would strikeout 10 Twins and the game would end 11-2.

The series shifted to Minnesota’s Metrodome for game 3 with optimism in the crowd, but Jim Perry couldn’t make it out of the 4th. Dykes hit his 3rd HR of the series and Mickey Cochrane added one as well. After building a 6-1 lead the A’s bullpen would make it nervy late, but eventually close out the 6-4 win for a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Camilo Pascual is tasked with saving the Twins’ hopes but gave up a 3-run homer to Jimmie Foxx in the opening frame. When Jimmie Hall’s HR began a 4-run bottom of the first Pascual was given 2nd life. He did nothing with it. He would give up the tying run in the 2nd and leave before recording an out. The game would go back and forth until at 6-6 in the 6th Zoilo Versalles, who was 4-4 with 4 runs scored in the game, hit a 2-run bomb. The Twins would go on to win 10-6 to keep the series hopes alive.

For the 2nd straight night the Twins, with their backs to the wall at home, would give up first inning runs. They would trail 3-1 all the way into the 8th when they hung a big crooked 7 on reliever Bill Brekenridge and company. Camilo Pascual saw three innings in relief as we was well rested from his 3-outs recorded the day before, and gave up only 2 hits. With a final score of 8-3 the Twins have made the A’s think a bit. There’s now an day off to travel back to Philly. Will it swing the momentum or make the A’s even tighter?

Jim Kaat opposed Rube Walberg again in game 6 and the Twins decided for once to take the lead early with a run in the first on a Tony Oilva single. Kaat would hand back the small lead quickly, and then was chased in the 6th with a few more crossing the plate. At 5-1 with six outs to go it was looking like the epic comeback was a pipedream all along, until light hitting second baseman Frank Quilici capped a 5-run inning with a bases clearing double. Suddenly Minnesota was ahead 6-5 and Dick Sitgman saved it cleanly. The Twins have fought all the way back to force a game 7!

Jim Perry and George Earnshaw are your game 7 starters, and I hope you didn’t blink because the A’s pushed across eight runs in the 2nd, and another five in the 3rd. Al Simmons homered twice, and Mule Haas drove in three runs as well, in the 13-3 drubbing that was certainly an anti-climatic end to the series. At least Minnesota went down fighting.

Jimmy Dykes, with his .423 average and 5 home runs, predictably took home the MVP.

[luckymann]

Loving this, mate! Can't wait to see how it pans out.