John bracket: 1924 Pirates defeat 2017 Rockies in seven games

Game 1: Rockies 5, Pirates 4 (10 innings)
WP: Holland (1-0)
LP: Yde (1-1)
HR: Arenado (4)

Game 2: Pirates 3, Rockies 2
WP: Kremer (2-0)
LP: Marquez (1-1)
HR: Gonzalez (2)

Game 3: Rockies 6, Pirates 2
WP: Freeland (1-0)
LP: Meadows (1-1)
Save: Holland (4)

Game 4: Rockies 4, Pirates 3 (10 innings)
WP: Ottavino (1-0)
LP: Adams (0-1)
Save: Holland (5)
HR: Blackmon (1)

Game 5: Pirates 8, Rockies 4
WP: Cooper (1-0)
LP:  Anderson (2-1)
HR: Arenado (5)

Game 6: Pirates 6, Rockies 0
WP: Kremer (3-0)
LP: Marquez (1-2)
HR: Cuyler 2 (2), Traynor (1)

Game 7: Pirates 8, Rockies 5 (11 innings)
WP: Morrison (2-0)
LP: Holland (1-1)
HR: Smith (2), Story (1), Wright (1)

The 1924 Pirates won the final three to take a tight series that featured three extra-inning games.

Nolan Arenado led off the bottom of the 10th of Game One with a homer off reliever Emil Yde to give the Rockies the win. The Rockies scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Johnny Morrison and Yde to send the game into extras. Charlie Blackmon had three doubles and a bases-loaded walk for Colorado.

Ray Kremer went the distance in Game Two to even the series for Pittsburgh. The righty allowed two runs on six hits, one a solo homer by Carlos Gonzalez. Earl Smith went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run and an RBI for the Pirates, and Eddie Moore and Glenn Wright each had three hits.

The series shifted to 1924's version of Forbes Field for Game Three. The Rockies got four scoreless innings of relief from Pat Neshek, Chris Rusin, Adam Ottavino, Antonio Senzatela and Greg Holland to support Kyle Freeland, who was credited with the win for five innings of two-run ball. Arenado drove in two runs for Colorado.

Blackmon's 10th inning homer off Babe Adams lifted the Rockies to their third win of the series in Game Four. Blackmon scored three of Colorado's four runs (Arenado had the other) and had a triple and single. Moore scored two of Pittsburgh's three runs; he and Kiki Cuyler had back-to-back triples in the first inning off Tyler Chatwood.

Pittsburgh won its first elimination game on the strength of a five-run third inning in which the Pirates hit four consecutive doubles off starter and loser Tyler Anderson -- Cuyler, Wright, Pie Traynor and Charlie Grimm. Wright went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, a single and a steal; he scored one run and drove in four. Wilbur Cooper went the distance despite allowing a two-run homer to Arenado in the opening frame and single runs in the third and fifth innings. Arenado singled twice and totaled three RBIs.

The series reverted to 2017's Coors Field, and Kremer threw another complete game win to send the series to a seventh game. This one was a five-hit shutout in which no Rockie reached second base. Cuyler hit a pair of two-run homers and Traynor hit a solo shot, all off German Marquez.

The decisive tilt was a see-saw affair. Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, with Wright hitting a leadoff homer in that frame off Jon Gray and Rabbit Maranville and starter Lee Meadows contributing RBI singles. But Trevor Story hit a three-run homer in the Rockies' four-run third for the lead. Pittsburgh retook the lead in the sixth, with Meadows driving in another run with a base hit, but Blackmon's two-out single in the bottom of the frame retied it. The 5-5 score held though the 10th inning. Morrison relieved Meadows in a double switch in the eighth inning after catcher Johnny Gooch was injured, and the Rockies got scoreless innings from Mike Dunn, Jake McGee and Neshek before turning the game over to Holland in the ninth. The Rockies tried to get a third inning from their closer in the 11th, and failed. With one out, Maranville walked, Smith homered and Max Carey walked; by the time Ottavino and Rusin got out of the inning, another run had scored. Morrison wrapped the game, and the series, with a fourth scoreless inning of relief.

Player of the Series: Ray Kremer

Pitching restriction: Morrison cannot pitch in Game One of the third round and should be limited to one inning in Game Two.

Projected rotation: Cooper-Yde-Kremer-Meadows-(Cooper)-(Yde)-(Kremer)