Tournament of World Series Champions

[Det42]

And that's it for Round 3! We're down to the round of 16, halfway through the tournament. Here are a couple of stats from the round:
Top seeds were 9-7 (a lot of upsets)
Yankee teams were 7-3 (5-1 if you don't count Yankee/Yankee matchups)
Half of the top 10 have been eliminated. We still have #3, 4, 5, 7 and 10 remaining.
The bottom of each side of the bracket is a Yankee/Yankee matchup, and this is the 3rd straight round where there are exactly 2 of those. (If the 1998 and 1961 Yankees both win, we'll have 2 more in Round 5)

Now for Round 4! Here are your matchups:

#64 1963 Dodgers vs. #49 1948 Indians
#40 1968 Tigers vs. #24 1928 Yankees
#4 1998 Yankees vs. #20 1986 Mets
#5 1939 Yankees vs. #21 1937 Yankees
#34 1955 Dodgers vs. #15 1915 Red Sox
#7 1929 Athletics vs. #10 1905 Giants
#3 1907 Cubs vs. #14 1961 Yankees
#38 1951 Yankees vs. #54 1977 Yankees

I'm taking a break for the long weekend, but we'll get Round 4 started by the middle of next week. The rounds will be going by a bit faster from now on.

Attached is an updated version of the bracket.

[Det42]

1968 Detroit Tigers (#40) 4, 1928 New York Yankees (#24) 1
MVP: Denny McLain (Det 1968) 2-0, 1.59 ERA, 17.0 IP, 6 K, 3 BB, 17 HA
Game 1 saw both pitchers throwing a complete game 6-hitter, but the Tigers managed to score 2 runs (both by Bill Freehan), while Denny McLain kept the Yankees scoreless. Detroit broke Game 2 open in the 2nd inning with 4 runs. The Yankees scored a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, but they could never really get going against Earl Wilson. The Tigers started the scoring of Game 3 with another 4-run inning, this time in the 3rd. New York had better luck against McLain this time, but still couldn't match the output of that one inning, and went down 3-0 in the series. It was New York that started Game 4 with a big inning, scoring 3 in the 1st. They scored another in the top of the 6th, but the Tigers had yet another 4-run inning in the bottom of the 6th. The Yankees wouldn't be stopped though, and they continued scoring in the 7th and 8th, with Archie Campbell coming in to pitch 2 scoreless innings for the save, and an extension of the series. Game 5 saw another 3-run 1st inning, this time by Detroit. They scored 2 more in the 5th, and New York couldn't figure out Mickey Lolich, who held them to 2 runs. Willie Horton hit 2 home runs, and ended with 4 RBI.
Scores:
Det 2 NYY 0
Det 5 NYY 2
Det 6 NYY 3
NYY 7 Det 4
Det 5 NYY 2
The 1968 Tigers' next opponent will be the winner of the 1963 Dodgers / 1948 Indians series.

[Det42]

1977 New York Yankees (#54) 4, 1951 New York Yankees (#38) 2
MVP: Thurman Munson (NYY 1977) .429/.520/.810, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Game 1 started out a close game, but with 3 in the 5th, the 1977 Yankees took a 6-2 lead. The 1951 Yankees came back with 1 in the 6th and 2 in the 8th, but left the bases loaded in that inning and Sparky Lyle threw a 1-2-3 9th to give '77 the win. The '51 Yankees had a big 5-run 2nd inning in Game 2, but the '77 Yankees tied it up with 3 in the 4th and 2 in the 5th. They followed that up with an 8th inning that featured a Thurman Munson solo homer and an RBI double by Graig Nettles, and those turned out to be all they needed. The '77 Yankees were looking for a 3-0 series advantage with a 3-2 lead in Game 3. But the '51 Yankees scored in the 7th and 8th innings and kept '77 from even threatening. The '77 Yankees again looked for their 3rd win in Game 4, and had a 1-0 lead in the 9th. But the top of the 9th saw Yogi Berra lead off with a solo shot on the first pitch he saw, and later an RBI single by Mickey Mantle for the game winning run and a series tie. Don Gullett wouldn't let the series get away from his '77 Yankees, and threw a 2-hit shutout in Game 5. It looked like there was going to be a 7th game, as the '51 Yankees led Game 6 3-1 in the 9th. But Munson came through again, hitting a 2-run shot off of Eddie Lopat, which was followed by an RBI single by Bucky Dent to take a 4-3 lead. Sparky Lyle came in to pitch a scoreless 9th for the series win.
Scores:
NYY77 6 NYY51 5
NYY77 7 NYY51 5
NYY51 4 NYY77 3
NYY51 2 NYY77 1
NYY77 5 NYY51 0
NYY77 4 NYY51 3
The 1977 Yankees' next opponent will be the winner of the 1907 Cubs / 1961 Yankees series.

[Det42]

1948 Cleveland Indians (#49) 4, 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers (#64) 2
MVP: Joe Gordon (Cle 1948) .375/.423/.583, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Sandy Koufax only gave up 1 run in a complete game, while Frank Howard went 3-for-4 and the Dodgers took Game 1. After being down 2-0 early in Game 2, the Indians scored 3 in the 4th to take the lead, only to lose it in the 5th when the Dodgers scored 2 more. But Cleveland scored another in the 6th to tie it, then got an RBI single from Dale Mitchell in the 8th to tie the series. Game 3 was scoreless until the 5th, when the Dodgers scored 2, and then added another 2 in the 6th. The Indians came back with runs in the 7th and the 8th, but it wasn't enough. Game 4 was 1-1 after 4, but both teams had a big 5th, with Cleveland scoring 6 and L.A. scoring 3. The Dodgers added runs in the 6th and 8th, and even got a runner to 2nd in the 9th, but couldn't push the tying run across, and the series was tied again. Game 5 started as a pitchers duel, with no one scoring in the first 5 innings. Then the Indians broke loose, scoring 3 in the 6th, 2 in the 7th, another 2 in the 8th and 1 more in the 9th. Bob Lemon finished his 6-hit shutout. Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning of Game 6, and L.A. tied it in the top of the 7th. But back-to-back RBI singles by Larry Doby and Dale Mitchell in the bottom of the inning won the series for Cleveland.
Scores:
LAD 3 Cle 1
Cle 5 LAD 4
LAD 4 Cle 2
Cle 7 LAD 6
Cle 8 LAD 0
Cle 3 LAD 1
The 1948 Indians' next opponent will be the 1968 Tigers, who defeated the 1928 Yankees in 5 games.

[Det42]

1939 New York Yankees (#5) 4, 1937 New York Yankees (#21) 3
MVP: Bill Dickey (NYY 1939) .448/.484/.724, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Here's another matchup of teams with nearly identical rosters. The 3rd inning of Game 1 saw the 1937 Yankees score 4 runs. That's all anyone scored in this game, as the 37s' Lefty Gomez threw a 4-hit shutout. Game 2's 3rd inning was also big, this time for the 1939 Yankees, who got 7 runs, giving them a 7-2 lead. Their own version of Lefty Gomez got the win, as the '37 Yankees just couldn't get enough runs past him. Game 3 was still scoreless in the 9th, and 1937's Lefty Gomez was again dominating, as he was in the midst of a 4-hit shutout. In the bottom of the 9th, 1937's Joe DiMaggio hit a leadoff single, which was immediately followed by a 2-run walk-off homer by Bill Dickey. Game 4 saw the 1937 Yankees break a 2-2 tie in the 7th with 3 runs, then adding another in the 8th. The '39 Yankees did get a run in the 9th, but stranded Tommy Henrich on 3rd, and the '37s went up 3-1 in the series. With 4 runs in the 1st inning of Game 5, the 1937 Yankees were looking to end the series quickly, and they still had a 7-4 lead after 7. But the 1939s jumped out with 4 runs in the 8th and another 2 in the 9th for a tremendous late-game comeback. Both the 1939 versions of Bill Dickey and Joe DiMaggio had 4 hits. They extended the series again in Game 6, where the 1939 Red Ruffing threw a 6-hit complete game, giving up only 1 run. Game 7 was all about the pitchers, featuring the second game of the series to be scoreless in the 9th. A 2-out walk-off single by 1939's Joe Gordon scored the only run, and won the series.
Scores:
NYY37 4 NYY39 0
NYY39 8 NYY37 4
NYY37 2 NYY39 0
NYY37 6 NYY39 3
NYY39 10 NYY37 7
NYY39 5 NYY37 1
NYY39 1 NYY37 0
The 1939 Yankees' next opponent will be the winner of the 1998 Yankees / 1986 Mets series. (And that happens to be next)

[Det42]

1998 New York Yankees (#4) 4, 1986 New York Mets (#20) 3
MVP: Scott Brosius** (NYY 1998) .469/.500/.719, 1 HR, 6 RBI
**I don't know why, but the summary screen doesn't name an MVP. However, the CPU-generated write-up of Game 7 does, so that's who I used.
A matchup of two powerhouse teams lived up to the hype, with the home team losing 6 straight games. The Mets started Game 1 with a 1-0 1st inning lead, which the Yankees turned into a 2-1 lead for themselves in the 4th. The Mets came back again in the 5th with 3 more and held on to win. Game 2 was all Mets, leading from the 4th inning onward. The Yankees were never really in this one. Sid Fernandez pitched 8.0 innings, giving up 5 hits and both Yankee runs. The Yankees came back in Game 3 with a run in the 1st and 4 more in the 2nd. This time it was the Mets who were never in it, and David Wells pitched a complete game. Most of the scoring in Game 4 came in the 1st inning, which saw the Yankees with a 2-1 lead. That's all they'd need, as their pitching was near-perfect from then on (although they did use 5 pitchers anyway). The Yankees then took the series lead in Game 5 by going up 3-1 after 5, and adding 4 more in the 7th. The Mets added 3 of their own in the 8th on a Kevin Mitchell homer, but it wasn't nearly enough. The Mets stretched the series to the limit by dominating Game 6, scoring 1 in the 2nd, 2 in the 3rd and 3 in the 4th. The Yankees scored 3 of their own in the bottom of the 4th, but they couldn't keep up. Game 7 wasn't even close. The Yankees took a 6-1 lead and never looked back. Bernie Williams went 3-for-4 with 3 runs and 5 RBI, with all 3 hits being home runs.
Scores:
NYM 4 NYY 3
NYM 5 NYY 2
NYY 8 NYM 2
NYY 3 NYM 1
NYY 7 NYM 4
NYM 8 NYY 4
NYY 10 NYM 1
The 1998 Yankees' next opponent will be the 1939 Yankees, who defeated the 1937 Yankees in 7 games. That will be a #4 vs. #5 matchup.

[Det42]

1915 Boston Red Sox (#15) 4, 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (#34) 3
MVP: Duffy Lewis (Bos 1915) .345/.387/.483, 0 HR, 6 RBI
Game 1 saw Boston open with a huge 5-run 1st, which became 6-1 after 3, and remained that way until the 8th. That's when Brooklyn sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 9 runs, not only erasing Boston's lead, but destroying it. The Red Sox did score 1 in the 9th, but by then it was just not enough. Game 2 was just a smaller version of the previous game. Boston had a 1-0 lead early, but the Dodgers scored 2 in the 6th and another 4 in the 7th to run away with it. Game 3 also had something in common with Game 1, as Boston started with 5 runs in the 1st. This time, however, they held on and got their first win of the series. Game 4 was the first time that Brooklyn scored first, scoring all 5 of their runs in the first 4 innings. Johnny Podres held the Sox scoreless until the 8th, and only gave up 1 run in a 4-hitter, giving the Dodgers a 3-1 series lead. Boston had yet another big 1st inning in Game 5, getting 3 runs, and they had a 4-1 lead in the 9th. Brooklyn started another late-game comeback, as Jim Gilliam hit a 2-out, 2-run triple in the bottom of the 9th. Pee Wee Reese walked to put runners at the corners and the winning run on, but Frank Kellert flew out to end the game. Game 6... wow. It was deja vu all over again for Boston, as they took a 4-0 lead into the 9th, only to have Brooklyn make another comeback. The Dodgers sent 12 more hitters to the plate in the top of the 9th (9 of which came up with 2 outs), scoring 6 and taking the lead with the series in their grasp. But the Red Sox had a 2-out comeback of their own in the bottom of the 9th. After a lead-off single, two outs, and a "reached on error," Larry Gardner hit a double that scored both runners and tied the game again. Two pitches later, Tris Speaker lined a single to left field, scoring Gardner and tying the series. While the final score doesn't show it, Game 7 was dramatic for the first 2/3 of it. The 2nd inning saw Boston go up 2-1, but the Dodgers tied it in the 4th. The Sox then took a 1-run lead in the 6th... and then sent 12 to the plate (a lot of batting around in this series) in scoring 6 more runs and running away with the game and the series.
Scores:
Brk 10 Bos 7
Brk 6 Bos 1
Bos 7 Brk 3
Brk 5 Bos 1
Bos 4 Brk 3
Bos 7 Brk 6
Bos 10 Brk 2
The 1915 Red Sox's next opponent will be the winner of the 1929 A's / 1905 Giants series.

[Det42]

1961 New York Yankees (#14) 4, 1907 Chicago Cubs (#3) 3
MVP: Ralph Terry (NYY 1961) 2-1, 1.33 ERA, 27.0 IP, 12 K, 5 BB, 21 HA
Game 1 was all Cubs, with Chicago scoring 3 in the 1st and keeping a steady lead the whole way, thanks to the pitching of 3-Finger Brown. Game 2 was much more evenly matched, with both teams scoring 2 in the 1st and 1 more run later, making it 3-3 for about half the game. Then, with runners at 1st and 3rd with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, Chicago's Johnny Kling hit a routine ground ball to SS Tony Kubek. Instead of going for a double play, he went home to try to stop the run from scoring. The throw was late and the Cubs won again. Game 3 saw Brown and Whitey Ford each pitching spectacular games, keeping each other's teams scoreless into the 11th inning. That's when the Yankees finally came through, with a 1 out walk-off single by Mickey Mantle. The Cubs scored 3 runs in the 3rd inning of Game 4 and held that 3-0 lead until the 9th. New York attempted a comeback, with Mantle nailing a 2-run homer with 2 outs, narrowing the lead to 3-2. Lee Thomas followed with a single, but Roger Maris struck out to end the game. Game 5 was a shorter version of Game 3; Jack Pfiester and Ralph Terry were each throwing shutouts into the 9th inning. That's when Pfiester gave up 3 straight singles without getting an out, including a walk-off by Elston Howard. The Yankees continued their 9th inning magic in Game 6. With the score tied at 3, pitcher Whitey Ford hit an RBI single that was the winning RBI. Game 7 looked to be all Yankees at the start, as they scored 4 in the 1st and another in the 2nd. But the Cubs chipped away at the lead, and soon it was tied at 5. It stayed that way until the 10th, when the Yankees put 2 more on the board. The Cubs couldn't answer in the bottom of the inning, and the series went to the Yankees.
Scores:
ChC 5 NYY 2
ChC 4 NYY 3
NYY 1 ChC 0 (11)
ChC 3 NYY 2
NYY 1 ChC 0
NYY 4 ChC 3
NYY 7 ChC 5 (10)
The 1961 Yankees' next opponent will be the 1977 Yankees, who beat the 1951 Yankees in 6 games.

[Det42]

1905 New York Giants (#10) 4, 1929 Philadelphia Athletics (#7) 3
MVP: Art Devlin (NYG 1905) .417/.500/.625, 1 HR, 4 RBI
The Giants started strong out of the gate in Game 1, scoring 4 in the 1st. But they were shut out for the next 5 innings, while the A's put up all 7 of their runs during that span. New York did get another run, but they couldn't match Philly's offense. Mule Haas went 3-for-4, including a 3-run homer in the 3rd. The Giants got even in Game 2, in a close pitchers duel where both teams scored a run in the 1st and were mostly shut out from there. Both Joe McGinnity and George Earnshaw gave up 6 hits, but Sammy Strang's RBI single in the top of the 4th won it for the Giants. The A's started Game 3 with 2 runs, then the two teams traded single runs for the next 3 innings, giving Philly a 3-2 lead after 4. Lefty Grove held New York scoreless the rest of the way, and the A's added a few more runs. Game 4 was a slugfest, with Philadelphia jumping out with 3 runs in the 1st, only to have New York get 1 in the 1st and another in the 2nd. The A's added 1 more in the 3rd to increase their lead to 4-2, but the Giants answered with 4 in the bottom of the 3rd to take their own 6-4 lead. By the 9th it was 9-4 Giants, but the A's weren't done. They scored 3 runs and had runners at the corners when Jimmy Dykes flew out to left to end the game, and the Giants tied the series. Game 5 started with New York scoring 7 in the 1st and it never got better for Philadelphia. A's starter Rube Walberg only went 1.1 innings, giving up 10 runs. The top 4 in the Giants order all went 3-for-5, and George Browne went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI. The Giants had 20 hits total. Game 6 battled into extra innings, which the A's won in the bottom of the 10th when Strang, a SS playing RF, misplayed a ball and allowed Haas to score. The A's started Game 7 with 2 runs in both the 1st and 2nd. New York scored a run in the 3rd, but really responded with 4 in the 5th. Both teams scored one more time, and despite outhitting the Giants 14-6, the A's fell just short of advancing.
Scores:
Phi 7 NYG 5
NYG 2 Phi 1
Phi 6 NYG 2
NYG 9 Phi 7
NYG 14 Phi 4
Phi 6 NYG 5 (10)
NYG 6 Phi 5
The 1905 Giants' next opponent will be the 1915 Red Sox, who beat the 1955 Dodgers in 7 games.

[Det42]

And that's it for Round 4! We're down to the final 8 teams, and it won't be long now! Here are a few tidbits about this round:

Higher-ranked teams were 4-4.
5 of the 8 series went the full 7 games. There were no sweeps.
Half the remaining teams are Yankees teams. Because they're all playing each other, this guarantees that half of the final 4 teams will also be Yankees teams.
The 1905 Giants are the only remaining National League team.

Here are your matchups for Round 5!

1948 Indians vs. 1968 Tigers
1998 Yankees vs. 1939 Yankees
1915 Red Sox vs. 1905 Giants
1961 Yankees vs. 1977 Yankees

I'm going to be slowing it down for this round; I'm only planning 1-per-day instead of 2. Then for the last 2 rounds... well, I think I know what I want to do, it's just actually doing it is the issue. Stay tuned!

An updated version of the bracket is attached.

[Det42]

1948 Cleveland Indians (#49) 4, 1968 Detroit Tigers (#40) 0
MVP: Bob Lemon (Cle 1948) 2-0, 0.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 16 K, 1 BB, 9 HA
The games were close, the series was not. Game 1 was all Bob Lemon, who held the Tigers to only 3 hits and 1 walk. Detroit never got a runner past 2nd base. The Tigers led Game 2 3-2 until the Indians tied it in the 7th inning. It stayed 3-3 until the 13th inning, when Cleveland's offense came to life. They scored 6 runs in the inning, capped by Ken Keltner's bases loaded double, followed immediately by a 2-run home run by Joe Gordon. The Tigers went quietly in the bottom of the inning. Detroit led Game 3 3-1 in the 9th, looking to narrow the gap in the series. But pitcher Roy Face couldn't get an out before giving up a single and a triple, then throwing a wild pitch, tying the game. He got the next 3 batters out, and another game went to extra innings. It stayed tied until the 14th, when Joe Gordon hit a 3-run walk-off home run to give the Indians a 3-0 series lead. Cleveland started Game 4 with a run in the 1st and another in the 3rd. The Tigers answered with one in the 4th, but that's all they could manage and Cleveland finished the sweep.
Scores:
Cle 3 Det 0
Cle 9 Det 3 (13)
Cle 6 Det 3 (14)
Cle 4 Det 1
The 1948 Indians' semi-final opponent will be the winner of the 1998 Yankees / 1939 Yankees series.

[Det42]

1905 New York Giants (#10) 4, 1915 Boston Red Sox (#15) 2
MVP: George Browne (NYG 1905) .391/.417/.478, 0 HR, 6 RBI
Boston took a 3-1 lead in Game 1, which they held until the Giants scored a run in the 7th, which merely made it 3-2. But a double by Billy Gilbert in the bottom of the 8th scored 2 more, and New York edged out a victory. The Red Sox also scored first in Game 2, going up 3-0 in the middle of the 4th. But the bottom of the 4th saw New York scoring 4 runs, again snatching the lead away. Each team would score another run, but the Giants hung on to win again. Game 3 saw New York take the lead early with 2 runs in the 1st. It didn't last long, as Boston scored 4 runs over the next 3 innings to take a 4-2 lead. But that also didn't last long, because the Giants scored in the each of the next 2 innings to tie it at 4. New York would then take a 5-4 lead into the 9th. Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson struggled in the bottom of the 9th, loading the bases on the first 3 batters. The 4th batter, Duffy Lewis, then hit an RBI single to tie the game. Mathewson finally got the first out of the inning on Harry Hooper, but unfortunately for the Giants, it was on a deep fly ball which scored the winning run. Red Sox pitcher Duth Leonard was rough early in Game 4, but managed to come out of it only down 1-0. Not only did he mostly dominate the New York lineup after that, the rest of the team picked him up from the 5th inning on, scoring 4 runs and tying the series. Game 5 was the longest game in the tournament so far. Giants pitcher Red Ames threw 13.0 innings, and there were still 6 to go. The Giants tied the game at 2 in the 6th inning, and no one would score for the next 13. Much like Mathewson before, Boston pitcher Ray Collins loaded the bases on the first 3 hitters he faced in the 19th inning, which was then followed immediately by an RBI single from Sammy Strang. The next 2 batters - Mike Donlin and Dan McGann - had a sac fly and a 2-RBI single, respectively, and suddenly the Giants were up by 4. A double play ended the inning, and the Sox got a 2-out single by Larry Gardner followed by another by Hick Cady. But Gardner tried to make it to 3rd on Cady's hit, and was thrown out to finally - finally - end the game. New York's Bill Dahlen was 0-for-8 for the game. Game 6 was tied at 3 going into the 8th. The Red Sox scored 2 in the top of the 8th, both on errors. But the Giants answered with 3 of their own in the bottom of the inning, and held on to take the series.
Scores:
NYG 4 Bos 3
NYG 5 Bos 4
Bos 6 NYG 5
Bos 4 NYG 1
NYG 6 Bos 2 (19)
NYG 6 Bos 5
The 1905 Giants' semi-final opponent will be the winner of the 1961 Yankees / 1977 Yankees series.

[Det42]

1939 New York Yankees (#5) 4, 1998 New York Yankees (#4) 0
MVP: Joe DiMaggio (NYY 1939) .588/.667/.941, 2 HR, 5 RBI
This series was all about offense; double digits were reached 4 times, and one other time a team got 9 runs. The 1939 Yankees had a big 2nd inning in Game 1, scoring 5 runs. 1998 also scored a run that inning, but 1939 came back with 1 and 2 in the next 2 innings, respectively. The '98s kept clawing away at the deficit, but never got close. Game 2 was a wild one. The '98s scored 2 in the 2nd, only to have the '39s match them in the 3rd. Then both teams scored a run in the 5th. The '39 Yankees scored another 2 in the top of the 6th, only to see the '98 Yankees score 4 in the bottom, for a 7-5 1998 lead. It stayed that way until the top of the 9th, with started with a single by Joe DiMaggio followed by a 2-run homer by George Selkirk, both off of Mariano Rivera, who was promptly removed. The '39s added 3 more runs before it was over, giving themselves a 10-7 lead. But that's not all. The 1998 Yankees put the first 2 batters on base and then, after a Paul O'Neill flyout, Tino Martinez hit a 340 foot 3-run homer to tie the game again. It stayed that way until the 11th, when the '39s got rolling again, scoring 3. Marius Russo took the '98 Yankees down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to win again. The 1939 Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning of Game 3, and a 3-0 lead after 4. By the 6th inning, however, it was tied at 3. But the '39s couldn't be held down, and they scored 2 more in both 7th and 8th innings, going up 3-0 in the series. Game 4 was another close slugfest. The '39s took a 2-1 lead into the 4th inning, which saw the '98s break out for 3 runs, all on a Scott Brosius home run. But the bottom of the inning saw the 1939 Yankee Joe DiMaggio hit a 2-run shot of his own, only after his team scored 3 other runs, and the '39s took a 7-4 lead. Then the 1998 Yankees took the lead back with a 4-run 6th, only to have the '39s tie it at 8 in the bottom of the inning, then take a 1-run lead in the 7th, which the '98s erased with one of their own in the 8th. Finally, in the bottom of the 8th, George Selkirk scored when Joe Gordon was walked with the bases loaded. That was the last run scored in the series, which ended in a sweep.
Scores:
NYY39 10 NYY98 5
NYY39 13 NYY98 10 (11)
NYY39 7 NYY98 3
NYY39 10 NYY98 9
The 1939 Yankees' semi-final opponent will be the 1948 Indians, who swept the 1968 Tigers in 4 games.

[Det42]

1977 New York Yankees (#54) 4, 1961 New York Yankees (#14) 2
MVP: Cliff Johnson (NYY 1977) .360/.385/.960, 5 HR, 9 RBI
The story of Game 1 was Ron Guidry, who held the 1961 Yankees to 3 hits with 1 walk in a complete game shutout. The '77s already had a 2-0 lead in Game 2 by the time the '61 team scored their first runs of the series, which came in the 5th and tied the game at 2. It stayed that way until the 9th, when the '61s walked off on a fielder's choice that scored Mickey Mantle from 3rd. Game 3 was scoreless for the first 5 innings. The 6th inning saw a run by the 1961 Yankees, and 2 by the '77s. The '61s tied it up again in the 7th on an RBI single from Elston Howard, but the '77 Yankees scored the winning run in the 8th, when Lou Pinella walked with the bases loaded. The '77 Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning of Game 4, but the '61s came back with 5 in the 3rd, capped by a grand slam hit by Lee Thomas on the first pitch he saw. Both teams would score a few more runs, and the '77s attempted a 9th inning comeback, scoring a run on a Willie Randolph single. But they couldn't quite make it. Game 5 was all the 1977 Yankees, scoring 6 in the 2nd and 3 in the 3rd, and shutting out the '61 Yanks until the 9th. Roger Maris hit a 3-run homer in the top of the 9th in the '61 Yankees' attempted comeback, but that was all they got. Both Dock Ellis and Whitey Ford pitched Game 6 like the winners they are, holding the game scoreless for 8 innings. But Cliff Johnson led off the top of the 9th with a solo shot off of Ford, and that's all they would need. Mickey Mantle did hit a 1-out double in the bottom of the inning, and got to 3rd base on a Maris ground out. But Howard also hit a routine ground ball, and that ended the series.
Scores:
NYY77 7 NYY61 0
NYY61 3 NYY77 2
NYY77 3 NYY61 2
NYY61 7 NYY77 5
NYY77 12 NYY61 3
NYY77 1 NYY61 0
The 1977 Yankees' semi-final opponent will be the 1905 Giants, who defeated the 1915 Red Sox in 6 games.

[Det42]

And there we have it, the end of Round 5! In this round, higher-ranked teams only went 1-3.

But now it's on to Round 6! Otherwise known as the semi-final round, or the Final... er, Last Remaining Four! And here they are:

#49 1948 Indians vs. #5 1939 Yankees
#10 1905 Giants vs. #54 1977 Yankees

From now on, to keep up the suspense (and a hint of realism in this very unreal concept), I'll be posting the box scores of one game per day (both series), rather than the entire series. Unfortunately, I can't include the game logs.

So, any predictions on how this will turn out?

Attached is the current update of the bracket.

[Det42]

1948 Cleveland Indians @ 1939 New York Yankees -- Game 1

Indians 3, Yankees 1
PotG: Bob Feller, Cle 1948

Indians lead the series 1-0

Bob Feller 6-hit the Yankees, who did score a run in the 9th. They nearly made a full comeback, as they had runners at 2nd and 3rd with only one out. But Joe Gallagher flew out to right and Buddy Rosar hit an infield popup to end the game.

[Det42]

1977 New York Yankees @ 1905 New York Giants -- Game 1

Yankees 4, Giants 2
PotG: Ron Guidry, NYY 1977

Yankees lead the series 1-0

The Yankees had control of this game just about the entire way, thanks mainly to the pitching of Ron Guidry. He didn't really have any trouble with the Giants until the 9th inning, but the Giants just couldn't get it done against him.

[Det42]

1948 Cleveland Indians @ 1939 New York Yankees -- Game 2

Indians 7, Yankees 2
PotG: Bob Lemon, Cle 1948

Indians lead the series 2-0

This one was all Indians, starting with 2 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd. The Yankees managed a couple of runs against Bob Lemon, but they were never really in this one.

[Det42]

1977 New York Yankees @ 1905 New York Giants -- Game 2

Giants 4, Yankees 3 (12 innings)
PotG: Christy Mathewson, NYG 1905

Series tied 1-1

The two teams traded runs until it was 2-2 going into extra innings. Reggie Jackson led off the top of the 12th with a solo homer, and the Yankees took a 1-run lead into the bottom of the inning. The Yankees got the first 2 Giants batters out, and then George Browne hit a routine grounder to second that should've ended it. But Randolph misplayed it, and Browne arrived at first base safely. This was followed by a single by Mike Donlin, and then a double by Dan McGann that scored both runners and won the game for the Giants.

[Det42]

1939 New York Yankees @ 1948 Cleveland Indians -- Game 3

Indians 6, Yankees 5
PotG: Larry Doby, Cle 1948

Indians lead the series 3-0

The Yankees started off strong, with 4 in the 1st. The Indians got 3 in the next 2 innings, and New York added an insurance run in the 7th. But then the Indians sent 8 to the plate in the 8th, scoring 3 more runs, taking the game, and coming one game away from a sweep.