Paul bracket: 1961 Cardinals defeat 2017 Marlins in six games

Game 1: Cardinals 5, Marlins 4
WP: McDaniel (1-0)
LP: McGowan (0-1)
HR: K Boyer (1), Musial (1)

Game 2: Cardinals 4, Marlins 3
WP: Jackson (1-0)
LP: Urena (0-1)
Save: BL Miller (1)
HR: Musial (2), Stanton (1)

Game 3: Marlins 1, Cardinals 0
WP: Conley (1-0)
LP: Gibson (0-1)
Save: Garcia (1)

Game 4: Cardinals 7, Marlins 1
WP: Simmons (1-0)
LP: Chen (0-1)
HR: K Boyer (2), Warwick (1)

Game 5: Marlins 6, Cardinals 2
WP: Straily (1-0)
LP: Sadecki (0-1)

Game 6: Cardinals 6, Marlins 5 (11 innings)
WP: BL Miller (1-0)
LP: Phelps (0-1)
HR: Musial (3), Ozuna (1)

Stan the Man was indeed the man for the Cardinals as they advanced.

Game One opened heavily in the Marlins favor, as they plated three unearned runs in the top of the first against Ray Sadecki. Ken Boyer hit a two-run homer in the third to narrow the gap. The Cardinals tied it in the sixth and Musial's solo shot in the seventh put St. Louis ahead.  Miami scored in the top of the ninth off Lindy McDaniel to even the score again, but Curt Flood led off the bottom of the ninth with a triple. Two intentional walks later (Musial and Boyer), Bill White singled for the walk-off.

Musial homered again in Game Two, this time with a runner on as part of a three-run inning that put St. Louis up for good. Two of the three runs allowed by Larry Jackson in eight innings were unearned. Carl Warwick threw out the tying run at home plate in the ninth to preserve the lead.

Adam Conley, pitching in Miami's home yard, threw a gem in Game Three, allowing just five hits and one walk in eight innings. Bob Gibson allow just two hits in his eight innings, but one of them came in an inning with two walks, and Justin Bour's sac fly in the fourth plated Dee Gordon with the only run of the game.

Fellow southpaw Wei-Yin Chen could not duplicate Conley's success in Game Four. Boyer hit a three-run homer in the fourth and Chen walked five in the inning. Chen found his control for the next four innings, but Warwick hit a solo shot in the fifth. That was plenty for Curt Simmons, who allowed one run on six hits in eight innings.

The Fish avoided elimination in Game Five, taking the lead in the second inning and never letting the Cardinals get back into it. Dan Straily allowed one run in five innings, and the Miami bullpen held the Cardinals to one run on two hits over the final four innings.

The series returned to St. Louis and Busch Stadium I (aka Sportsman's Park). Miami led 5-0 going into the bottom of the fourth, with Marcel Ozuna hitting a homer off Larry Jackson. But the Cards came back.. with Musial's fifth-inning homer pulling St. Louis to within two. In the seventh, a single, double, wild pitch and sac fly (by Musial) evened the score. Bob L. Miller wriggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 10th, and in the bottom of the 11th, Hal R. Smith led off with a walk and scored from first base on Warwick's triple to end the series.

Player of the Series: Stan Musial

Projected rotation: Gibson-Simmons-Sadecki-Jackson-(Gibson)-(Simmons)-(Sadecki)-(Jackson). {The '61 Cardinals will not reset their rotation.)