Wrapping up Tournament Three

I certainly didn't foresee this outcome when I started this tournament almost a year ago. 

But the 1973 San Francisco Giants -- a No. 6 seed that finished third in its real-life division -- earned the title. They beat a No. 1 seed (the 2019 Twins), a No. 2 seed (1973 A's), a No. 3 seed (2019 Athletics), a No. 4 seed (2019 Cardinals) and a No. 5 seed (2009 Rockies). 

They were the lower seed in five of the six series. Three of the series went seven games, another two went six. The Giants found ways to win four games in each series. 

So what went right for the Giants that didn't in real life? A few possibilites, none of them mutually exclusive:

1) Luck. Of course. One aspect that stood out: The Giants corner infielders -- mainly Willie McCovey, Dave Kingman and Ed Goodson -- were atrocious defensively. As it happened, their problems afield did not seriously harm their team. Their miscues seldom if ever cose them a game.

2) Four of the series were against DH teams. The Giants may be been, with those three poor-fielder corner infielders, the best equipped of the tournament's non-DH teams to play with the rule. 

3) The Giants did not need to use a fifth starter, but then, neither did anybody else. But in the final four, they uniquely didn't have to use a fourth starter either. Juan Marichal relieved three times in the final two series and picked up a win. (He did replace Tom Bradley in the rotation halfway through the final round, and Bradley pitched a fraction of an inning in relief as well.)

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For the record:

2019 teams  won 29 series, lost 30.

2009 teams won nine series, lost six

1973 teams won 20 series, lost 23

The 1969 team won three series, lost one.

1961 teams won two series, lost two

The 1924 team lost its one series.