Stat break: Tigers 69

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
G Brown                1     1    0    0        0    0     0       1      0     .000
I Brown                 4     0    0    0        0    0     0       0      0     .000
Cash                    17     1    4    4        2    0     0       0      0     .235
Freehan               15     0    2    1        0    0     0       0      0     .133
Horton                 20     4    7    5       0    0     2       1      1     .350
Kaline                 20     1    4    0       0    0      0       2      0     .200
McAuliffe           23     5    6    4       1    0      1       1      0     .261
Northrup             19     4    6    4        1    0     2       0      0     .316
Price                     5     2    3     3       0    0     2       0      0      .600
Stanley                20     5    8    4       2    0     2       1      1      .400
Tracewski             3     0    0    0       0    0      0      0      0      .000
Tresh                   12     2    3    3       1    0     1       1      0      .250
Wert                    18    3     4    2       0    1     1       2      0      .222

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

P Dobson            2      0      1.6       2     2      2      1       1        0      1    0     10.77
Hiller                  1      0      0.3       0     0      0      0       0        0      0    0       0.00
Lasher                1      0      2           2     0      0      0       0        0      0    0       0.00

Lolich                 2      2    15        11     4      4      7       7        0      1     0      2.40

McLain               2      2    16        13     7      7      2       9        0      1    1      3.94

McMahon           1      0      1          0     0      0      0       1        1      0    0      0.00

Sparma               1      0       1         1     0      0      0       2        0      0     0      0.00
Timmerman        1      0      1          2     0      0     0       1        1       0     0      0.00

Wilson                1      1      7          6     4      3     2       3        0       1     0      3.86

Stat break: Tigers 09

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Avila                     5     0    1     1        0    0     0       2      0     .200
Mi Cabrera         20     5    8      1        2    0     1       1      0     .400
Everett                  8     1    1     0        1    0     0       1      0     .125
Granderson         22     1    6     3        0    0     0       0      0     .273
C Guillen            15     3    3     1        0    0     0       3      0     .200
Huff                      5     0    1     0        0    0     0       1      0     .200
Inge                     13     2    2     1       1     0     0      3       0     .154
Laird                   11     0     2    1        1    0     0       1      0     .182
Ordonez              13     1    2     0       0     0      0      1      0     .154
Polanco               17     2    3     4       0     0     2       0      0     .176
Raburn                  8     0    2     0       1    0      0      1       0     .250
Santiago               5      0    1    1        0    0      0      0      0      .200
Thames                4      1    1     3       1    0      0       0      0     .250
C Thomas            6      0    0     0       0     0     0       0      0     .000

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

Galarragga          1      0      3          3     2      2      1       2        0      0    0       6.00
E Jackson           1      1      7          2     2      2      3       6        0      0     0       2.57
Lyon                   2      0      1.6       0     0      0      0       1        0      0     0      0.00

Miner                  1      0      2          0     0      0      1       1        0      0     0      0.00

R Perry               2      0      3,3       3     2      2      1      2         0      0    0       5.41

Porcello              1      1      4.3     14     6      6      2       3        0     0     1     12.47

Rodney               2      0      1.6       4     4      4      1       1        1      0     1    21.56
Seay                   2       0      2          3     0      0     0       0        0       0     0      0.00

Verlander           2       2    12.6    22    10     9      2       9        0      1     1       6.43

Washburn          1       1      7          6     2     2      0       2        0      0     1       2.57

Paul bracket: 69 Tigers beat 09 Tigers in five games

Game One: 09 Tigers 5, 69 Tigers 2
WP: Verlander (1-0)
LP: McLain (0-1)
Save: Rodney (1)
HR: Mi. Cabrera (1)

Game Two: 69 Tigers 6, 09 Tigers 3
WP: P. Dobson (1-1)
LP: Rodney (0-1)
Save: Northrop (1), McAuliffe (1)

Game Three: 69 Tigers 8, 09 Tigers 6
WP: Wilson (1-0)
LP: Porcello (0-1)
Save: McMahon (1)
HR: Horton (1), Price (1)

Game Four: 69 Tigers 3, 09 Tigers 2
WP: McLain (1-1)
LP: Washburn (0-1)
HR: Price (2), Polanco (1)

Game Five: 69 Tigers 10, 09 Tigers 1
WP: Lolich (1-0)
LP: Verlander (1-1)
HR: Wert (1), Polanco (2), Tresh (1), Stanley 2 (2), Northrop (2)

The 2009 Tigers seemed briefly in command of the series, but two disastrous innings put the series on a different course, and the 1969 Tigers won the last four games.

Game One pitted Denny McLain against Justin Verlander, two of the American League's best pitchers from their respective seasons, and for six innings they dueled to a 1-0 score. Miguel Cabrera homered in the fourth inning to give Verlander the slender lead. McLain cracked in the seventh, allowing four runs. The 69 Tigers rallied for two runs in the eighth, but Brandon Lyon got a double play to end the threat, and Fernando Rodney had a perfect ninth for the save.

Game Two was going the same direction. The 09 Tigers plated solo runs in the second, third and fifth innings against Mickey Lolich, and Edwin Jackson took the 3-0 lead into the eighth inning. The two men Jackson faced in the eight reached, and reliever Bobby Seay couldn't keep them from scoring. Rodney entered for the ninth with a 3-2 lead, and Jim Northrop greeted him with the game-tying homer. Rodney got the next two hitters, but then Mickey Stanley doubled, pinch-hitter Gates Brown walked and Dick McAuliffe launched the walk-off three-run homer into Tiger Stadium's overhang.

The evened series moved to Comerica Park for Game Three, and the 09 Tigers got off the mat with a four-run fourth against Earl Wilson. The inning ended when Al Kaline threw Alex Avila out at the plate, and the 69 Tigers immediately responded with a six-run inning of their own with eight straight men reaching against Rick Porcello. The 69 Tigers later got solo homers from Willie Horton and Jim Price, who entered the game after Bill Freehan was hit by a pitch during the fifth-inning rally.

McLain got the start on three days rest in Game 4 and outdueled Jarrod Washburn. Price, subbing for the bruised Freehan, hit a two-run homer in the seventh, which gave the 69 Tigers the cushion to withstand Placido Polanco's two-run homer in the ninth. McLain shrugged off the homer to get the complete game.

The 09 Tigers went to the short-rest well again with Lolich for Game Five, and the lefty allowed just three hits and one run in seven innings (he also walked five). Verlander, on full rest, did not fare so well, yielding seven runs in six innings. The last three came on a homer by Stanley, who added another homer in the eighth.

Stanley is player of the series. He went 8-for-20 with five runs and four RBIs while shifting between shortstop and centerfield without a misplay.

Pitcher availability: All will be on full rest for the second round.

Stat break: Yankees 09

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Me Cabrera         13     0    2    0        0    0     0       2      0     .154
Cano                   21     2    8    2        2    0     1       2      0     .381
Cervelli                 3     0    0    0        0    0     0       0      0     .000
Damon                18     5    5    4        2    0     1       1      0     .278
Gardner               16     1    6    3        0    0     1       0      1     .375
J Hairston Jr.         4     1    1    0       1    0     0       0      0     .250
Jeter                    21     3    7     1       1    1     0       2      0     .333
H Matsui             11     0    1    0        0    0     0      0      0     .091
J Molina                1    0    0     0       0    0      0      0      0     .000
Posada                17     4    7     6       2    0     1       0      0     .412
A Rodriguez       19     6    8    5       0    0      2      2      0      .421
Swisher               15     4    4    4       1    0      3      2      0      .267
Teixeira                 8    3    2     1      0    0      0       3      0     .250

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

Aceves                1      0      2          0     0      0      0       2        0      0    0       0.00
Burnett                1      1      8          2     0      0      0       2        0      1    0       0.00
Chamberlain       1      1      6          8     3      3      0       1        0      0     1      4.50

Coke                   1      0      0.6       0     0      0      0       0        0      0     0      0.00

Gaudin                1      0      2          2     3      3      2       0        0      0    0     13.50

Hughes               1      0      2          7     3       3      0       1        0     0    0     13.50

Pettitte                1      1      6.3       4     2      2      3       4        0      1     0      2.84
Rivera                2       2      2          1     0      0     0       1        2       0     0      0.00

D Robertson       1       0      1         1     1     0     0        1        0       0     0      0.00

Sabathia             2       2    16          8     1     1     7        9        0      2     0      0.56

Stat break: Yankees 69

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Boehner                1     0    0    0        0    0     0       0      0     .000
Clarke                 22     5    6    1        2    0     0       0      2     .272
B Cox                    7     0    1    0        0    0     0       1      0     .143
F Fernandez        11     2    1    1        0    0     1       4      0     .091
Gibbs                     7     0    2    1        0    0    0       0      0     .286
J Hall                     7     2    2    1       0    0     0       1      0     .286
Kenney                13     2    4    3       0    0     0       0      2     .308
Michael               18     0    4    1        0    0     0      3      0      .222
Munson                 2    0    0     0       0    0      0      0      0     .000
Murcer                19     1    1    2       0    0      1       2      0     .053
Pepitone              19     1    3    0       0    0      0      0      1      .158
Bi Robinson          6     0    0    0       0    0      0      1      0      .000
R White               19    1    6     1      0    0      0       2      0     .316
R Woods               9     0    4    3       1    1      0       1     0      .444

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

Aker                    2      0      3          1     0      0      2       2        0      0    0       0.00
Bahnsen              1      1      3          6     6      6      2       1        0      0    1     18.00
Burbach              1      0      2          0     0      0      2       1        0      0    0       0.00
Downing             1      1      3          5     6      6      2       1        0      0     1    18.00
Hamilton             1      0      2          2     1      1      1       2        0      0     0      4.50

K Johnson          1      0       4          4     0      0      0       1        0      0     0      0.00

Kekich               1      0       2          5     3      3      2       3        0      0    0     13.50

McDaniel           2      0      2          2     1       1      0       0        1      0    0       4.50

F Peterson          1      1      8        10     2      2       0       5        0      0     1      2.25
Stottlemyre        2       2   14         16  11    11       3       3        0      1    1       7.07

Paul bracket: Yankees (09) defeat Yankees (69) in five games

Game One: 09 Yankees 11, 69 Yankees 5
WP: Sabathia (1-0)
LP: Stottlemyre (0-1)
HR: F Fernandez (1), Swisher (1), Al Rodriguez (1), Damon (1), Gardner (1)

Game Two: 09 Yankees 2, 69 Yankees 0
WP: Burnett (1-0)
LP: F Peterson (0-1)
Save: Rivera (1)
HR: Al Rodriguez (2)

Game Three: 09 Yankees 6, 69 Yankees 3
WP: Pettitte (1-0)
LP: Bahnsen (0-1)
Save: Rivera (2)
HR: Posada (1), Damon (2), Murcer (1)

Game Four: 69 Yankees 6, 09 Yankees 4
WP: Stottlemyre (1-0)
LP: Chamberlain (0-1)
Save: McDaniel (1)
HR: Swisher (2)

Game Five: 09 Yankees 7, 69 Yankees 0
WP: Sabathia (2-0)
LP: Downing (0-1)
HR: Swisher (3), Cano (1)


All leads were safe in this series; The first team to score not only won each game, they were never as much as tied.

The opener began as a pitchers duel. Through three innings, Mel Stottlemyre and CC Sabathia combined to yield just one hit apiece. But in the third Alex Rodriguez followed a Robinson Cano walk with a homer; in the fourth Brett Gardner and Johnny Damon hit back-to-back four-baggers; and in the fifth Nick Swisher capped a three-run inning with a solo shot. The final score was made superficially closer in the ninth when Chad Gaudin allowed four runs highlighted by a Ron Woods triple.

Game Two was a pitchers duel; Fritz Peterson went the distance for the 69 Yankees, scattering 10 hits without a walk and allowing two runs. A.J. Burnett was even better for the 09 Yankees: He allowed two safeties and two walks without allowing a run in eight innings. Mariano Rivera tossed a perfect ninth for the save. Rodriguez homered in the sixth.

Jorge Posada's first-inning three run homer in the classic Yankee Stadium staked Andy Pettitte to a quick lead, and Damon added to it with a second-inning two-run shot. The 09 Yanks scored six runs off Stan Bahnsen in the first three innings. They got no more off Ken Johnson (four innings) and Jack Aker (two) but needed none.

The '69 Yankees opened Game Four with a bid to run Joba Chamberlain out of the ballpark. Horace Clarke led off with a single, stole second, stole third and scored on Jerry Kenney's single. Kenny then stole second and third before scoring on Bobby Murcer's groundout. Later in the inning, Joe Pepitone was picked off trying for the fifth steal of the frame.

Stottlemyre, pitching on three days rest, shut out the 09 Yankees for the first six innings. He wild-pitched a run home in the seventh and gave up three straight doubles to open the eight before getting Posada to ground into an inning-ending double play. Lindy McDaniel got the save, but not before allowing a two-out homer to Swisher.

Posada, Swisher and Sabathia put an end to the 69 Yankees ambitions in Game Five. Posada smacked a three-run double in the first off Al Downing, and Swisher followed with his third homer of the series. Sabathia tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, and Alfredo Aceves retired all six men he faced to wrap up the series.

The 09 Yankees had several contenders for player of the series honors -- Swisher, Damon, Posada, Sabathia -- but the winner was Rodriguez, who scores six runs and drove in five while going 8-for-19.

Pitcher availability: All pitchers will be fully rested for the second round.

Projected rotation: Sabathia-Burnett-Pettitte-Chamberlain-(Sabathia)-(Burnett)-(Pettitte)

Stat break: Mets 69

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI  2B  3B  HR  BB  SB  Avg,
Agee                   28     5    6     3        2   0     0     2      2     .214
K Boswell           18     3   8    1        1    0     0     2      1     .444
Charles                 8     1    2     0        0    0     0     0      0     .250
Clendenon            9     1    0     0       0    0     0      1      0     .000
Garrett                20     1    4     1       1    0     0      2      0     .200
Gaspar                  3      0    0     0       0    0     0     1      0     .000
Grote                  16     1     1     2       0    0     1     1      0     .063
B Harrelson        20     1    3     2       0    1      0     4     0     .150
C Jones               30     2  13    4        1    0     1     1      0     .433
Kranepool           19     1    3    1       1    0      0     1      1     .158
J Martin              10     0    2    1        1    0     0      0     0     .200
Pfeil                      8     0    2     1       1    0     0     0      0     .250
Shamsky            20     3     6     3      1    0      1     0      0     .300
Swoboda              8     0     2    0       0    0      0     0      0     .000
Weis                    5     1      1    0       0    0      0     1      0    .200

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.   W    L   ERA

Cardwell             1      1      7          7     2      2      1       3      0     0    1     2.57
Gentry                 2      2   14.6      13     8     8      5        9      0     1     0    4.91

Koonce                1      0     0.3        1     0     0      0       1      0     0     0    0.00

Koosman             2      2   13         16     5      5      2      6       2     1    1     3.46

McAndrew          1      0     1           0     0      0      0       0      0     0    0     0.00

McGraw             2      0     2.6        3      2     2       0      0       0     1    0     6.74
Ryan                  2       0    4           2     0       0     1       4       0     0    0     0.00

Seaver                2       2  16.6       12     6       4     4       9      0      1     1    2.16

R Taylor             2      0    2.6         1     0        0     0      0      2      0     0    0.00

Stat break: Mets 09

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Beltran                27     5    9    5        3    0     1       1      1     .333
Castillo               24     4    5    0        1    0     0       2      0     .208
A Cora                 7      0    0     0       0    0     0       0     0      .000
Francoeur            20     1    3    2        0    0     1      0      0     .150
A Hernandez          8     2    4     0       1    0     0     0      0     .500
Murphy               20     1    5     2       1    0     0       6      4     .250
Pagan                    5     0    0     0       0    0     0      1      0     .000
Reed                     6     0     0    0       0    0     0      0      0     .000
Reyes                  22     4    7     1       1    0      0     2     2     .318
Santos                 10     1    3     1       1    0     1      0      0    .300
Schneider            11     1    1    0       0    0     0      1      0     .091
Sheffield             24     2    8    7        1    0     2      1     0      .333
Tatis                    11    0    3     0       0    0      0     1      0    .273
Wright                26    3    5     6       0    0      2     2      0     .192

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

Feliciano             3      0      3.3       1     1      1      3       2        0      0    1     2.71
Green                  2      0      3          1     0      0      0       2        0      0     0    0.00

Maine                 1      1       7          4     1     1      0        4        0      1     0    1.29

Misch                  2      0      5          8     2      2      0       2        0      0    0     3.60

Parnell                3      0      5.3        3     0      0      2       5        0      0    0     0.00

Pelfrey               2       2    12         13     5      5     3       3        0       1     1    3.75
Redding             2       2      5         12   10      9     5       2        0       0     1  16.20

F Rodriguez       3       0      2           2     0     0     1        2        2       0     0    0.00

J Santana            2      2    16          10     2     1     3      15       0      1     1      0.56
Stokes                2      0       2.6        3     2      2     2        2       0     0     0      6.74

John bracket: 69 Mets defeat 09 Mets in seven games

Game One: 09 Mets 5, 69 Mets 1
WP: J Santana (1-0)
LP: Seaver (0-1)
HR: Sheffield (1)

Game Two: 09 Mets 4, 69 Mets 1
WP: Pelfrey (1-0)
LP: Koosman (0-1)
Save: F. Rodriguez (1)
HR: Beltran (1)

Game Three: 69 Mets 9, 09 Mets 5
WP: Gentry (1-0)
LP: Redding (0-1)
Save: Taylor (1)
HR: Shamsky (1), Sheffield (2), Grote (1)

Game Four: 09 Mets 4, 69 Mets 1
WP: Maine (1-0)
LP: Caldwell (0-1)
Save: F. Rodriguez (2)
HR: Francoeur (1)

Game Five: 69 Mets 2, 09 Mets 1
WP: Seaver (1-1)
LP: J Santana (1-1)
HR: Wright (1)

Game Six: 69 Mets 5, 09 Mets 2
WP: Koosman (1-1)
LP: Pelfrey (1-1)
Save: Taylor (1)
HR: Santos (1)

Game Seven: 69 Mets 4, 09 Mets 3
WP: McGraw (1-0)
LP: Feliciano (0-1)
HR: C Jones (1), Wright (2), Schneider (1)


The Miracle Mets of 1969 narrowly avoided a first-round ouster at the hands of their 2009 counterparts, winning the final three games of the series, the last with a run in the bottom of the ninth.

Game One swung on a three-run homer in the fourth inning by Gary Sheffield. That blast broke a scoreless duel between Tom Seaver and Johan Santana. The '09 Mets made it 5-0 with a pair of unearned runs in the eighth inning, and the '69 Mets would only muster a meaningless run in the ninth.

Jerry Koosman spluttered through six innings in Game Two, allowing only one run through six innings despite allowing at least two base runners in five of those innings. But that only left him in a 1-1 duel with Mike Pelfrey, and Koosman's escape act failed in the seventh when Carlos Beltran reached him for a three-run homer. Francisco Rodriguez entered with two on in the ninth to snuff a late rally.

The 09 Mets took their 2-0 series lead to Citi Field and immediately got shelled. The 69 team got a three-run homer from Art Shamsky in the first inning and ripped Tim Redding for eight runs in the first three innings. Sheffield hit a three-run shot of his own off Gary Gentry in the fourth inning, and the '09 team's bullpen held the '69 team to one run in six innings. The '09 team pulled to within four runs, but Ron Taylor came in to douse an eighth-inning rally and retire the five hitters he faced.

John Maine threw a gem in Game Four for the '09 Mets, allowing just four hits in seven innings, three of them by Cleon Jones. Don Cardwell allowed just two runs in seven innings, but that was too many even before Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run homer off Tug McGraw.

The series turned in a brilliant pitching duel in Game Five. This time Seaver outdueled Santana, although one of the two runs the '69 team plated off the lefty in the third inning was unearned. Seaver went the distance, allowing a homer to David Wright among his six hits. Santana went eight innings, allowing four hits.

The series returned to Shea Stadium for Game Six, and the '69 Mets evened the series behind Koosman (one run in six innings), Nolan Ryan (an unearned run in two innings) and Taylor.

Game Seven was a gem. Redding got a quick hook after allowing two runs in the first, and when Jones homered off Pat Misch to lead off the third, the '69 Mets had a 3-0 lead. But Wright made it 3-2 with a two-run homer off  Gentry in the sixth, and Brian Schneider tied it with a solo shot off Gentry in the seventh. Misch, Bobby Parnell and Pedro Feliciano combined to hold the '69 Mets scoreless after Jones' homer until the bottom of the ninth.

Ed Charles pinch hit for Tug McGraw and got his second hit of the series, advancing to second on a throwing error by Luis Castillo. Rodriguez immediately entered and retired Tommy Agee on a tapper to the mound, with Charles holding at second. Bud Harrelson then walked, and Jones ripped a gapper to plate Charles and end the series.

Even though his team lost. Johan Santana is player of the series for his brilliant work: 16 innings in two starts with just one earned run allowed.

Pitcher availability: Koosman can pitch Game Two with the penalty, Game Three without. Gentry can pitch Game Three without penalty,

Projected rotation: Seaver-Koosman (w/ penalty)-Gentry-Caldwell or Ryan-(Seaver)-(Koosman)-(Gentry)

The 1969 cards: Bunning and Bouton

The 1969 set arrived the other day, and two issues immediately arose.

No. 1: Jim Bouton is not coded to start. No. 2: The Dodgers have TWO Hall-of-Fame pitchers with no room in the rotation.

Taking the latter first: In the Ringo bracket, I made a point of using a pair of washed-up Hall of Fame pitchers in the first round: Steve Carlton (Twins) and Phil Niekro (Blue Jays.) Both started Game Four; Niekro won and Carlton lost, but their teams advanced. I intend to find first round starts, at least, for Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz with their 2009 teams.

But the 1969 Dodgers have Jim Bunning and Don Drysdale. Neither is coded to relieve, and both rank behind the durable trio of Bill Singer, Claude Osteen and Don Sutton, a group that even under the restrictions I laid out before play began could start every game of every round without penalty.

Making things more difficult: Unlike the Jays and Twins, the '69 Dodgers figure to be underdogs in their first round to the '09 Dodgers.

Bunning was a 200-plus inning guy in 1969. Unlike the others, he wasn't ineffective and just hanging on. He should be in a rotation in this tournament. He also spent more time, made more starts and pitched more innings in 1969 with the Pirates than with the Dodgers, and the '69 Pirates can use him. So I shall reassign him to the '69 Pirates. Drysdale will remain with the Dodgers. He may not get a start.

----

Bouton made one start in 1969 with the Pilots and one with the Astros. He has two cards and is listed as a reliever.

My intent was to have him start the opener for Seattle. I may still do that -- declare a fifth-inning point of weakness and use him to start. The Pilots certainly don't figure to be a threat to make noise in this tournament.

On the other hand, I have (at least so far) avoided giving multiple starts to pitchers with fewer than 100 innings on their cards. This is why Doyle Alexander, John Tudor and Pascual Perez were saved until their teams Game Four in the Ringo bracket. Ditto Eric Nolte of the Padres, and keeping him from starting Game Seven might have saved the Cardinals bacon in that first round.

I doubt I'll have Bouton start for the '69 Astros. They have plenty of superior starting candidates. The Pilots are another matter, It requires more thought,

Ringo bracket: End Round 1

Teams advancing: Astros 87, Blue Jays 87, Cardinals 87, Expos 87, Giants 87, Rangers 87, Royals 87, Twins 87

Teams eliminated: Braves 87, Brewers 87, Cubs 87, Orioles 87, Padres 87, Pirates 87, Tigers 87, White Sox 87

Two series went seven games, four went six games, none went five, two went four. Of the 56 possible games, 46 were played.

----

The biggest upset was the Rangers knocking off the Tigers, who had the most wins in baseball in 1987 and had to be considered a contender to win this tournament coming in. That outcome was just luck. The real-life Rangers were not a good defensive squad, and the pitching staff walked a lot of hitters. In this series, they made the plays, and the Tigers just didn't get hits around the walks.

Upsets of a milder sort: The Royals swept the Brewers and the Astros prevailed in seven over the Pirates. Those were, by won-lost records, the most even drawings in the bracket, and in both cases the team with fewer wins came through. So I call them upsets, although neither is all that surprising.

Had the Padres hung on to their series lead and beaten the Cardinals -- that would have been a major surprise. In many ways, the Padres were a difficult match for the Cards, even though a much weaker team. San Diego had Benito Santiago to negate the stolen base threat (when healthy) and a handful of "backwards" pitchers to combat St. Louis' switch-hitters.

Stat break: Pirates 87

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI  2B  3B  HR  BB  SB  Avg,
Belliard                 5     0    1    0        0    0     0     0      0     .200
Bonds                 27     3    2     0        1    0     0     1      0     .074
Bonilla                26     3    3    4        2    0     1     3      0     .115
Bream                 29     1    4     0       1    0     0     0      1     .138
Cangelosi             6      2    1     0       0    0     0     6      4     .167
Harper                  2      0    1     1       0    0     0     0      0     .500
LaValliere          19     2     6     1       0    0     0     2      0     .316
Lind                      6     1    3     1       0    0      0     0     0     .500
Morrison             13     3   4     3        2    0     2      0      0    .308
J Ortiz                   7     1    1    0       0    1      0     0      0     .143
Pedrique             20     1    4    3        0    0     0      0     0     .200
Ray                     19    2    8     2       1    0      1      2      0    .421
R Reynolds         12    0     0     0       0    0     0     2      0     .000
Van Slyke           27    2     6    5       2    0      1     2      0    .222

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.   W    L   ERA

Drabek                2      2    11        14     4      4      1       7        0     1    1    3.27
Dunne                 2      2    10        19    10     2      5       0        0     0     1   1.80

B Fisher              2      2    14        15      5     5      6     10        0     1     1   3.21

Gott                     2      0      2          1     1      1      0       0        2     0    0    4.50

Kipper                 3      0     4           0     0      0      2       2        0     0    0    0.00

Patterson             2      0     4           6     1       1     1       3       0      1     0   2.25
J Robinson          2       0     3          1     0       0     3       0        1      0     0   0.00

Smiley                2       0     5          6     4       4     4       5         0      0     0   7.20

D Taylor                2      2      3           0    0        0     0      3         0      0     0    0.00
Walk                   1      1     6         11    7       4      1      4         0      0     1    6.00

Stat break: Astros 87

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI  2B  3B  HR  BB  SB  Avg,
Ashby               25     5    9    7        0    1     1     3      0     .360
Bass                  24     2    6    3        2    0     1      2      0    .250
Caminiti            11    0    3     2       0    0      0      0      0    .272
J Cruz               24     1    5     2       1     0     0     4      0    .208
G Davis            29     5    9     9       4    0     2      1      0    .310
Doran               31     5    7      1      2    0     0      1      1    .226
B Hatcher         30     5  10     4       0    0     1      2      1    .333
Jackson               2     0    0     0       0    0    0      0      0    .000
Puhl                    9     2    2     0       0    0     0      2      0    .222
C Reynolds      21     4   10     1      4    1      0      2     0     .476
Thon                   6     0    1     0       0    0     0       0      0    .167
Walling            15     4     7    1        1    1     0       3     0     .467
G Young            7     0     3    0        0    0     0       2      1    .429

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.   W    L   ERA

Andersen            3      0      3.3        0     0     0      1      4        0     0     0     0.00

Childress            2      0      2           1     0     0      0       1        0     0     0    0.00

Darwin               1      1      7.3        5     3      3      7      8        0     0    1     3.68

Deshaies             1      1     5           4      3      3      1      2       0     1     0     5.40

Heathcock          2      0      3           2     0      0      1      2        0     0     0    0.00

Knepper             3       1    10          9      3      3      0       1       1     1    0     2.70

Meads                3       0      4.3       3      0      0      2      2        0     0     0     0.00

Ryan                   2      2    14         12     4      4      3      14       0     1     1    2.57
Scott                   2      2     11         12    8      7      1        9       0      1    1    5.72
D Smith              2      0       2           1    0      0      1       3        2     0     0    0.00

Ringo bracket: Astros (87) defeat Pirates (87) in seven games

Game One: Astros 3, Pirates 0
WP: Ryan (1-0)
LP: Drabek (0-1)
Save: D Smith (1)
HR: Ashby (1)

Game Two: Pirates 4, Astros 3
WP: Dunne (1-0)
LP: M Scott (0-1)
Save: Gott (1)
HR: Bonilla (1), G Davis (1), Van Slyke (1)

Game Three: Pirates 3, Astros 2
WP: Fisher (1-0)
LP: Darwin (0-1)
Save: J Robinson (1)

Game Four: Astros 7, Pirates 4
WP: Deshaies (1-0)
LP: Walk (0-1)
Save: Knepper (1)
HR: Morrison (1), B Hatcher (1)

Game Five: Pirates 4, Astros 1
WP: Drabek (1-1)
LP: Ryan (1-1)
Save: Gott (2)
HR: Ray (1)

Game Six: Astros 13, Pirates 4
WP: M Scott (1-1)
LP: Dunne (0-1)
HR: G Davis (2), Bass (1), Morrison (2)

Game Seven: Astros 3, Pirates 2
WP: Knepper (1-0)
LP: Fisher (1-1)
Save: D Smith (2)


The Houston Astros outlasted the Pittsburgh Pirates on the strength of its relief pitching and the bottom of the lineup.

Game One featured seven shutout innings by Nolan Ryan, followed by scoreless frames from bullpen mainstays Larry Andersen in the eighth and Dave Smith in the ninth. The big hit came from catcher Alan Ashby, who hit a two-run homer in the second off Doug Drabek. Shortstop Craig Reynolds scored the third Houston run after hitting a double.

The Pirates appeared to take control of the series with a pair of one-run wins in the next two games. Pittsburgh scored two runs in both the second and third innings of Game Two against Mike Scott, getting homers from Bobby Bonilla and Andy Van Slyke, and Mike Dunne allowed just two unearned runs in eight innings.

Game Three saw Pittsburgh take advantage of eight walks (and a hit batsman) by Danny Darwin. John Cangelosi drew four walks himself. He also stole a base and scored twice in the Pirates' 3-2 win.

Houston evened the series in Game Four, with eight-place hitter Reynolds popping two doubles and a triple. He also walked, scored twice and drove in one run. Seventh-place hitter Ashby had two hits, a ribbie of his own and a run scored. Jim Deshaies gave up two runs in the first but threw four scoreless after that, and Bob Knepper finished with three innings of one-run relief for the save -- the only run the Houston bullpen surrendered in the series. Barry Bonds, the Pittsburgh left fielder, committed a key error that accounted for three unearned runs.

The Astrodome portion of the series went Pittsburgh's way. Drabek held the Astros to one run in six innings, while the Pirates got to Ryan for three runs in the first, including a solo homer by Johnny Ray. The Ashby-Reynolds combination did go 5-for-7 with a walk, a double and the one Houston run.

The series then returned to Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium, and the Astros romped in Game Six. A seven-run second inning, fueled by a costly error by first baseman Sid Bream, gave Scott plenty of cushion. Glenn Davis drove in six runs in the 13-4 rout, with a homer, a double, a single and a bases-loaded walk. Six of the eight runs scored off Dunne were unearned.

The decisive seventh game saw the Astros pull Knepper out of the bullpen. The lefty had made two relief appearances, allowing one run in five innings. In his Game Seven start, he followed the Deshaies formula: two runs in the first followed by four scoreless frames. The Astros chipped away at Brian Fisher for single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings. Knepper gave way to a trio of righties: Rocky Childress for the sixth, Andersen for the seventh and eighth, and Smith for the ninth.

The final frame came with some excitement. Smith fanned the first two hitters, but then walked pinch-hitter Cangelosi. Ray singled. Pinch-hitter Jose Lind then tested the range of shortstop Reynolds, who made the play to end the game and the series.

Davis had nine RBIs in the series, but six of them came in the Game Six rout. Ashby and Reynolds were the more valuable components. Ashby hit .360 with seven RBI and five runs. Reynolds hit .476 (10-for-21) with four doubles and a triple. Ashby and Reynolds are co-players of the series.

Pitcher availability: Scott can pitch in Game Two with the penalty, Game Three without. Knepper is eligible to relieve in Game Three,

Projected rotation: Ryan-Deshaies-Scott-Knepper or Darwin-(Ryan)-(Deshaies)-(Scott)