SCHEDULE: ROUND 1 - REGION 4:
An interesting match-up here is the first between the bitter rivals (though not the last as at least one second round matchup is looming). It is also the biggest difference in seasons between teams in the tournament at 97 years.
8) 1921 New York Yankees vs. 9) 2018 Boston Red Sox
1921 New York Yankees:
8 Seed – Region 4
Record: 98-55
Result: Lost World Series 5-3 to New York Giants
Entry to Tournament: At large bid (Ranking)
Elo Rank: 55
Key Players:
Babe Ruth (OF) .378, 59 hr, 168 rbi, 177 r, 17 sb, .512 obp, 1.359 ops, 238 OPS+, 12.6 WAR
Bob Meusel (OF) .318, 24 hr, 138 rbi, 104r, 17 sb, 128 OPS+
Carl Mays (SP) 27-9, 3.05 era, 1.21 whip, 30 cg in 38 gs, 138 ERA+
Notes:
This team gets in with a very justified ELO ranking of 55, but would’ve likely got in as a Storyline Wild Card even if not. Yes, they lost the World Series, and the 1923 team won it (the first of very many to come). And yes the Babe’s ridiculous 12.6 WAR was outdone by an unbelievable 14.1 WAR in 1923. But the 1921 squad was the first World Series appearance in their history, and even in losing against their landlords they set in motion the greatest dynasty in all American sports. The House that Ruth Built wouldn’t have been built (and renovated, and then built again) if it weren’t for this team. And finally, with 1927 a lock entrant, choosing 1921 over 1923 spaced it out a bit.
Further reading:
http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1921-baseball-history.html
2018 Boston Red Sox:
9 Seed – Region 4
Record: 108-54
Result: Won World Series 4-1 over Los Angeles Dodgers
Entry to Tournament: At large bid (Wildcard)
Elo Rank: n/a
Key Players:
Mookie Betts (OF) .346, 32 hr, 80 rbi, 129 r, 186 OPS+, 10.6 WAR
J.D. Martinez (DH) .330, 43 hr, 130 rbi, 111 r, 173 OPS+
Chris Sale (SP) 12-4, 2.11 era, 0.86 whip, 13.5 K
Notes:
Is this team really that good? Is this a case of recency bias? Well definitely not bias from me! The less Red Sox teams the better in my opinion. And I even had a reason to leave them out if wanted, with the cheating stuff (though in fairness I picked the bracket before the MLB investigation concluded). I do think this team was damn good though and worthy of an entry to the tourney.
Betts put up a 10+ WAR MVP season. Chris Sale was easily Cy Young caliber albeit in a shortened season. They held off a 100 win Yankees team, then beat them in the playoffs, then beat a 103 win defending champion just to get out of the AL. If they can survive a rivalry matchup out of the gate they may have a decent draw in region 4 with some potential dead ball era teams.
Further reading:
https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2018/1...ngeles-dodgers