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It's UPDATE time. This post will deal with the first round Bracket A, which was arranged thusly:
Bracket A
Old-timers
No. 4 1933 Giants vs. No. 1 1929 Athletics
No. 3 1965 Dodgers vs. No. 2 1956 Yankees
Modern
No. 4 1994 Expos vs. No. 1 2005 White Sox
No. 3 1977 Dodgers vs. No. 2 1983 Orioles
** (4) 1933 Giants vs. (1) 1929 Athletics (Best of 5)
The '29 Athletics won this series, 3 games to 1.
Game 1 (at PHI): Athletics 5, Giants 1 (Lefty Grove out dueled Carl Hubbell)
Game 2: (at PHI): Giants 11, Athletics 3 (Giants show they CAN hit after all ...)
Game 3: (at NYC): Athletics 14, Giants 13 (back-and-forth, wildly entertaining game)
Game 4: (at NYC): Athletics 14, Giants 2 (Carl Hubbell gets shelled ... Grove wins again)
NOTES: It went as expected. The 1929 A's just had too much firepower. Philly's Al Simmons (10-for-18, 6 RBI) got Series MVP honors but they could just as easily have gone to Jimmy Foxx (8-for-20, 2 HR, 11 RBIs) or Bing Miller (11-of-18, 2 RBI, hitting near top of lineup).
** (3) 1965 Dodgers vs. (2) 1956 Yankees (Best of 5)
The 1965 Dodgers routed the Yankees, 3 games to 0.
Game 1 (at NYC): Dodgers 6, Yankees 3 (Koufax out-pitches Whitey Ford)
Game 2 (at NYC): Dodgers 7, Yankees 0 (Claude Osteen, CG shutout)
Game 3 (at LAD): Dodgers 4, Yankees 3 (Don Drysdale wins too!)
NOTES: I thought Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and the Yankees would put up more of a fight since they were slightly favored. But no. The 1965 Dodgers have incredible pitching, but their hitting is — to put it gently — unimpressive. This was a case where the stats didn't tell the tale. The Dodgers were scrappy, active and opportunistic at the bat and on the bases, playing their mid-60s brand of ball. The Yankees were still stuck in the 50s. Wes Parker of the Dodgers was Series MVP after going 7-for-11 at the plate with 2 homers and 3 RBI. Jim Lefebvre's stat line was more indicative of the way the Dodgers played: 2-of-9, 1 HR, 6 RBIs. They pounced on every chance they got.
MODERN BRACKET
(4) 1994 Expos vs. (1) 2005 White Sox (Best of 5)
The 1994 Expos won this series, 3 games to 1
Game 1 (at CHI): Expos 10, White Sox 2 (Expos snap 1-1 tie with 5-run 6th)
Game 2 (at CHI): White Sox 8, Expos 2 (Sox strike back with 16-hit barrage)
Game 3 (at MON): Expos 8, White Sox 6 (Walk-off win! Moises Alou 3 HRs, 6 RBI!)
Game 4 (at MON): Expos 6, White Sox 5 (Expos rally from 5-1 deficit)
NOTES: Can't call it an upset. The Expos were the best team in baseball in the strike-shortened 1994 season, at 74-40 when the lights went out. The Series MVP was Moises Alou. He went 9-for-18 with 4 HRs and 7 RBI -- 3 of those homers and 6 of those ribbies came in Game 3 where Alou delighted the Olympic Stadium fans with a 3-run jack in the 7th to tie the score at 6-6, then won it with a 2-run blast in the bottom of the 9th. The Sox had a 5-1 lead after 6-1/2 innings of Game 4, but Montreal rode its previous night's momentum to another comeback win, again in walk-off fashion with Freddie Benavides scoring on a single by Rondell White to snap a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the 9th.
(3) 1977 Dodgers vs. (2) 1983 Orioles (Best of 5)
1983 Orioles won this series, 3 games to 2
Game 1 (at BAL): Orioles 3, Dodgers 2 (A walk-off win for Baltimore to start it off)
Game 2 (at BAL): Orioles 13, Dodgers 4 (18 hits by Orioles, and an 8-run 4th inning)
Game 3 (at LAD): Dodgers 3, Orioles 0 (Don Sutton pitches 3-hit shutout)
Game 4 (at LAD): Dodgers 7, Orioles 2 (Burt Hooton, 11 Ks in 7 IP)
Game 5 (at BAL): Orioles 5, Dodgers 1 (Mike Boddiker 13 Ks in 8 IP)
NOTES: Orioles stars Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray were a combined 10-for-37 with just 1 RBI between them, but many others came through. SP Mike Boddiker went 2-0 (beating Tommy John both times) and struck out 23 Dodgers in 15 innings of work ... Series MVP was Orioles OF Gary Roenicke: 7-for-19, 3 HR, 9 RBIs.
NEXT ROUND: (Best of 7)
Old-timers: (1) 1929 Athletics vs. (3) 1965 Dodgers
Modern: (2) 1983 Orioles vs. (4) 1994 Expos
In coming updates, I'll share the results of the Class A Bracket's semifinals and finals.
Last edited by webrian; 04-01-2016 at 04:01 AM.
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