Dixie bracket: 1973 Royals defeat 2019 Rangers in seven games

Game One: Royals 3, Rangers 2
WP: Splittorff (1-0)
LP: Minor (0-1)
Save: Dal Canton (1)
HR: A Cabrera (1), McRae (1), Otis (1), Mayberry (1)

Game Two: Rangers 6, Royals 4
WP: Sampson (1-0)
LP: Mingori (0-1)
Save: LeClerc (1)
HR: Mayberry (2)

Game Three: Royals 7, Rangers 5
WP: Drago (1-0)
LP: Jurado (0-1)
Save: Bird (1)
HR: Odor (1), Healy (1), A Cabrera (2)

Game Four: Royals 8. Rangers 3
WP: Fitzmorris (1-0)
LP: Allard (0-1)
Save: Mingori (1)
HR: Otis 2 (3), Mayberry (3), Schall (1)

Game Five: Rangers 5, Royals 3
WP: Minor (1-1)
LP: Splittorff (1-1)
Save: LeClerc (2)
HR: Healy (2), Choo (1)

Game Six: Rangers 3, Royals 2
WP: Sampson (2-0)
LP: Simpson (0-1)
Save: LeClerc (3)
HR: Choo (2)

Game Seven: Royals 6, Rangers 5
WP: Garber (1-0)
LP: Kelley (0-1)
HR: Rojas (1), Hovley (1), Healy (3)

The Royals, not known as a collection of sluggers, hammered 13 homers over the seven games, including a walk-off to win Game Seven.

The slugging started in Game One in the initial year of Royals Stadium; all three Kansas City runs came on solo shots from Amos Otis, Hal McRae and John Mayberry. Paul Splittorff allowed four hits in seven innings for the win, allowing a two-run homer to Asdrubal Cabrera in the sixth for all the Rangers' scoring.

The Rangers evened things in Game Two, batting around in the second inning against Steve Busby. After Mayberry's homer in the sixth evened the score at two, the Rangers scored a pair in the seventh off Steve Mingori and Bruce Dal Canton and kept that lead the rest of the way.

The series shifted to Arlington and the final season of Globe Life Field ofr Game Three. Dick Drago scattered 10 hits over six innings, allowing two runs, for the win. Roughned Odor hit a three-run homer in the eighth off Gene Garber to make the final score close.

The Royals won again in Game Four, with Al Fitzmorris allowing two earned runs and five hits in 5.2 innings. Otis hit a pair of homers and went 5-for-5; he scored three runs and drove in three. Mingori went the final 3.1 innings for the save.

On the brink of elimination, the Rangers came back for a 5-3 win in Game Five. Mike Minor allowed one run in six-plus innings for the win. Elvis Andrus went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run, a steal and an RBI.

Back in 1973 and the artificial turf of Royals Stadium for Game Six, Texas evened the series with a three-run inning in the eighth off Wayne Simpson and Dal Canton. Cabrera had the big hit, a two-run single with two outs that plated Andrus and Willie Calhoun.

That set up Game Seven. Texas scored two runs in the third and two more in the fifth off Drago, who went six innings but left with a 5-4 lead. Danny Santana tripled home the tying run in the seventh off Garber, who allowed just the one hit and run in three innings of work. Shawn Kelley pitched the ninth for Texas, and he retired the first two men, Fran Healy and Freddie Patek, but then Cookie Rojas lofted the game-winning and series-clinching homer.. It was the one game of the series that didn't end with a save.

Player limitations: Fitzmorris is limited to one start in the second round by the Pascual Perez rule. Garber should not pitch in Game One after his long stint in Game 7

Projected rotation: Splittorff-Fitzmorris-Busby-Drago-(Splittorff)-(???)-(Busby). Options for Game Six include Garber, Dal Canton, Simpson and Wright, depending on bullpen usage.