I'll use 1901 as my cutoff point for Major League Baseball, the start of the American League, and with rule changes that are with us to this day. Going back before that, it was a different game. Maybe Cap Anson, King Kelly, John Montgomery Ward or Old Hoss Radbourn could have adapted; but when we're talking about entire teams, who's kidding who?
This time, I'm going to split 64 teams into 2 Leagues, and then into 2 Divisions of 16 teams each, seeding by victory total. Only teams that won the World Series are eligible.
American League Eastern Division
1. 1998 New York Yankees, 114-48
2. 1927 New York Yankees, 110-44
3. 1961 New York Yankees, 109-53
4. 1970 Baltimore Orioles, 108-54
5. 2018 Boston Red Sox, 108-54
6. 1939 New York Yankees, 106-45
7. 1912 Boston Red Sox, 105-47
8. 1929 Philadelphia Athletics, 104-46
9. 2009 New York Yankees, 103-59
10. 1978 New York Yankees, 100-63
11. 1911 Philadelphia Athletics, 101-50
12. 1983 Baltimore Orioles, 98-64
13. 2004 Boston Red Sox, 98-64
14. 1904 Boston Red Sox, 95-59
15. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, 95-67
16. 1924 Washington Senators, 92-62
I already had the '27 Yanks, so I didn't also need the 107-win '32 team with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The '39 Yanks had the most wins in the Joe DiMaggio era; the '61 team, the most in the Mickey Mantle era. I included the '78 team only because that was my team as a kid.
I picked the 2 Red Sox teams, out of the 4, with the most wins. The '31 A's won 107, but they lost the World Series. The '69 Orioles had 109 wins, but they lost the World Series. The '66 O's were too close in time. The '92 Jays won 1 more game, but the '93 Jays were more talented. The Tampa Bay Rays, of course, have never won the World Series.
American League Western Division
1. 1984 Detroit Tigers, 104-58
2. 1968 Detroit Tigers, 103-59
3. 2017 Houston Astros, 101-61
4. 1917 Chicago White Sox, 100-54
5. 2002 Anaheim Angels, 99-63
6. 1989 Oakland Athletics, 99-63
7. 1920 Cleveland Indians, 98-56
8. 2005 Chicago White Sox, 99-63
9. 1948 Cleveland Indians, 97-58
10. 1991 Minnesota Twins, 95-67
11. 2015 Kansas City Royals, 95-67
12. 1973 Oakland Athletics, 94-68
13. 1935 Detroit Tigers, 93-58
14. 1945 Detroit Tigers, 88-65
15. 1906 Chicago White Sox, 93-58
16. 1985 Kansas City Royals, 91-71
The A's had teams in their Oakland runs of greatness with more wins, but these were the best 2 of their 6 Pennant winners so far. Same with the Astros: They won 107 in 2019, but lost the World Series, in spite of whatever they had been doing to cheat.
Same with the franchise now known as the Los Angeles Angels (they dropped "of Anaheim" for the 2016 season): They've had better teams, but only the 1 Series winner. Same with the Royals: Their 1977 and 1980 teams might have been better than their 1985, and their 2014 might have been better than their 2015, but it's winning the World Series that counts.
The '87 Twins, at 85-77, were the lowest seed of the 17 teams that could have gone in the West to win a World Series, and were too close in time to the '91 Twins, anyway.
The Texas Rangers have never won a World Series, and the Seattle Mariners have never won a Pennant.
National League Eastern Division
1. 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates, 110-44
2. 1986 New York Mets, 108-54
3. 1905 New York Giants, 105-48
4. 1969 New York Mets, 100-62
5. 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, 98-55
6. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, 98-64
7. 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, 97-65
8. 1954 New York Giants, 97-57
9. 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates, 95-59
10. 1914 Boston Braves, 94-59
11. 1921 New York Giants, 94-59
12. 2019 Washington Nationals, 93-69
13. 2008 Philadelphia Phillies, 92-70
14. 1980 Philadelphia Phillies, 91-71
15. 1933 New York Giants, 91-61
16. 1995 Atlanta Braves, 90-54
I dropped the '22 Giants, since they won 1 fewer game than the '21 version. I dropped the 1997 and 2003 Florida Marlins, since I needed to drop 2 more, and they were both Wild Card teams. And also because both Marlin titlists had known cheaters, Gary Sheffield and Ivan Rodriguez, respectively. Finally, I dropped the '25 Pirates: Not because of anything against the Pirate franchise or the City of Pittsburgh, but because they were a relatively weak champion, and because it made it easier to avoid a Buccos vs. Buccos matchup in the 1st Round.
The Nationals have now won a World Series, but they never won a Pennant as the Montreal Expos.
National League Western Division
1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds, 108-54
2. 1907 Chicago Cubs, 107-54
3. 1944 St. Louis Cardinals, 104-49
4. 2016 Chicago Cubs, 103-58
5. 1967 St. Louis Cardinals, 101-60
6. 1940 Cincinnati Reds, 100-53
7. 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers, 99-63
8. 1919 Cincinnati Reds, 96-44
9. 1957 Milwaukee Braves, 95-59
10. 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, 94-58
11. 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers, 94-67
12. 2012 San Francisco Giants, 94-68
13. 1982 St. Louis Cardinals, 92-70
14. 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers, 63-47, translates to 93-69 over a full 162-game season
15. 1990 Cincinnati Reds, 91-71
16. 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, 90-72
Here, I dropped a bunch where there were title teams too close together, like with the '40s Cards, the '60s Dodgers, the '70s Reds and the 2010s Giants.
The San Diego Padres have never won a World Series. Nor have the Colorado Rockies. Nor have the Milwaukee Brewers, in either League.
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Here we go:
AL East 1st Round
1. 1998 New York Yankees vs. 16. 1924 Washington Senators. What would Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, et al. have done against Walter Johnson? Probably what they did in that 1996-2001 run against Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Kevin Brown, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Al Leiter, Mike Hampton, Freddy Garcia, Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson.
In other words, they wouldn't have won every game, but they would have been able to win the series. Yanks in 6.
2. 1927 New York Yankees vs. 15. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. What could Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, George Pipgras and Bob Shawkey have done with Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor, Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter? More than Al Leiter, Dave Stewart, Pat Hentgen and Todd Stottlemyre could have done against Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri. Yanks in 5.
3. 1961 New York Yankees vs. 14. 1904 Boston Red Sox. Mickey Mantle vs. Cy Young. Can you imagine it? Can you imagine the rest of the Sox' staff against this squad of Bronx Bombers? Yanks in 5.
4. 1970 Baltimore Orioles vs. 13. 2004 Boston Red Sox. I have given each of these teams a month to prepare, including the announcement that they will be tested for steroids now, and before every game. In other words, if you cheat, we will catch you. Furthermore, I have given these games umpires who will know when a pitcher is purposely trying to injure a batter.
In other words, the rules of baseball will be enforced. In other words, the Sox are screwed. Seriously, you think a non-roided David Ortiz is going to take a Mike Cuellar screwball deep? Dream on. O's in 4 straight.
6. 1939 New York Yankees vs. 11. 1911 Philadelphia Athletics. I had to tweak the seedings here, because I wanted to avoid "a team playing itself" in the 1st Round. These A's had great pitching, but even without Lou Gehrig, these Yanks won 106 games. Maybe Connie Mack's later group of A's could have won this, but Eddie Plank and Chief Bender can be canceled out by Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing. Yanks in 6.
7. 1912 Boston Red Sox vs. 10. 1978 New York Yankees. Of course, the '78 Yanks would have to face a Red Sox team. And if they thought Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Carlton Fisk were tough, wait 'til they get a load of Tris Speaker.
Actually, aside from the Grey Eagle, these Sox weren't especially good hitters. Their best weapon was Smoky Joe Wood, who went 34-5 that year, and then hurt his arm in the next year's Spring Training and was essentially done as a great pitcher at age 25. In other words, Smoky Joe's 1912 was every bit as good as Ron Guidry's 1978. If Wood goes up against Louisiana Lightning in Games 1, 4 and 7, the Yankees are in trouble.
So they would have to win it in 6 or less. Given the rest of Boston's pitching, Reggie, Thurman, Graig, Sweet Lou, Chris and Mick the Quick could do it. Yanks in 6.
8. 1929 Philadelphia Athletics vs. 9. 2009 New York Yankees. The last title team of George Steinbrenner's life had to get past some pretty good pitchers: John Lackey, Scott Kazmir, Cliff Lee, Jamie Moyer and Cole Hamels. Could they have handled Lefty Grove? Maybe not. Could they have handled George Earnshaw, Rube Walberg and Eddie Rommel? Probably.
The big question is whether CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte would have shut down one of the most fearsome attacks in baseball history, including Hall-of-Famers Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane. Also, it would be interesting to see how Alex Rodriguez responds to having to play in Shibe Park, a ballpark built in 1909, and not for guys who are 6-foot-3. A's in 6.
AL West 1st Round
1. 1984 Detroit Tigers vs. 16. 1985 Kansas City Royals. I had to move the '45 Tigers up 2 seeds so they didn't face another Tiger team in the 1st Round. The '84 Tigers beat the Royals in the AL Championship Series.
The '85 Royals were a little better than the '84 Royals, but they were not better than the '84 Tigers. After all, the '85 Royals came within 1 umpiring mistake of getting knocked out of the World Series in Game 6 on their own field. This one doesn't go that far. Tigers in 5.
2. 1968 Detroit Tigers vs. 15. 1906 Chicago White Sox. The "Hitless Wonders" against the team that won it all in "The Year of the Pitcher." The Pale Hose may have outplayed their crosstown rivals with their all-time record of 116 wins, but while they may have had to face Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, they didn't have to face Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich. Tigers in 5.
3. 2017 Houston Astros vs. 14. 1945 Detroit Tigers. No wires. José Altuve and his pals will have to face MVP Hal Newhouser naturally. They'll also have to put Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole up against Hank Greenberg. Good luck with that. Tigers in 5.
4. 1917 Chicago White Sox vs. 13. 1935 Detroit Tigers. Greenberg. Charlie Gehringer. Goose Goslin. "The G-Men." If gamblers want to win this one, they won't have to pay off Shoeless Joe Jackson or any other South Sider. Tigers in 6.
5. 2002 Anaheim Angels vs. 12. 1973 Oakland Athletics. The Angels were pretty close to getting knocked out in 6 on their own field. And that was against a team managed by Dusty Baker. Now, imagine a team with Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue and Rollie Fingers, managed by Dick Williams, with Charlie Finley barred from entering the stadium. A's in 5.
6. 1989 Oakland Athletics vs. 11. 2015 Kansas City Royals. Again: No steroids. The A's won't need 'em: Those Royals weren't that good. They choked in Game 7 at home the year before, and the big reason they won in 2015 is that they were playing the 2015. Mets, a team that collapsed completely when you stood up to them. A's in 5.
7. 1920 Cleveland Indians vs. 10. 1991 Minnesota Twins. The Tribe rode the emotional lift of playing for the late Ray Chapman, and had Tris Speaker hitting, playing center field, and managing. But they'd never played at night, indoors, or on artificial turf. In short, they've never seen anything like the Metrodome. Twins in 7.
8. 2005 Chicago White Sox vs. 9. 1948 Cleveland Indians. The '05 ChiSox looked like a team of destiny, but if Josh Paul had thrown to 1st base, they would have been down 2-0 in the ALCS, and might not even have won the Pennant, and their World Series sweep of what was probably a better Astro team than 2017-19 wouldn't have happened. Indians in 7.
This Division: 5 upsets, although the top 2 survive.
NL East 1st Round
1. 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. 16. 1995 Atlanta Braves. Honus Wagner, meet Greg Maddux. Braves in 6.
2. 1986 New York Mets vs. 15. 1933 New York Giants. Mel Ott vs. Dwight Gooden. Carl Hubbell vs. Darryl Strawberry. And the Giants won't be bringing Calvin Schiraldi in to pitch. Or Bob Stanley. And even if they do, manager Bill Terry was still capable of hitting spectacularly and playing a good 1st base. Showing New York what "baseball like it oughta be" really means, Giants in 6.
But McGraw's 1st title team played at a time when depth wasn't really necessary. The Phils had depth, offensively and defensively. And what would Schmidt and Greg Luzinski have made of the Polo Grounds? Phils in 6. So that's the top 3 seeds all going down.
4. 1969 New York Mets vs. 13. 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. Okay, Charlie Manuel and company, you're not facing the Tampa Bay Rays now. You're facing a bunch of "Miracle" workers who knocked off a 109-win Baltimore team. And Gil Hodges will keep his team calmer than Joe Maddon kept his.
5. 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers vs. 12. 2019 Washington Nationals. This time, the Nats are facing a team that doesn't need to cheat. Duke Snider. Roy Campanella. Gil Hodges. These guys are killers. An aging but still effective Jackie Robinson. Carl Furillo. Both past batting champions. And Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg are each going to have to make at least 1 start in the cramped confines of Ebbets Field.
And these Dodgers didn't care that they had to face the Yankees 1 more time, and won't be facing the Yankees this time. Dodgers in 5.
6. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. 11. 1921 New York Giants. Willie Stargell did play at the Polo Grounds when the Mets hosted the Pirates early in his career. Dave Parker is going to like it. And the Giants just won't have the pitching: Art Nehf was no Mathewson. Pirates in 4 straight.
7. 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. 10. 1914 Boston Braves. Like the '69 Mets, these Braves were called a "Miracle" team. Their luck will run out against Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Al Oliver, and the rest of the "Lumber Company." Pirates in 5.
8. 1954 New York Giants vs. 9. 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates. Vern Law, Bob Friend and Harvey Haddix didn't like facing an older, wiser Willie Mays. They won't like facing him when he's younger and just feeling his oats for the 1st time. They also won't like facing Monte Irvin, Hank Thompson, Don Mueller and Whitey Lockman.
This won't go to a Game 7, and if Bill Mazeroski has any heroics, it will be with his glove. Giants in 5.
NL West 1st Round
1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. 16. 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. These Cards barely survived Game 6 of the World Series against a Texas Rangers team that really wasn't all that good. What are they going to do against the Big Red Machine? Reds in 4 straight.
2. 1907 Chicago Cubs vs. 15. 1990 Cincinnati Reds. The year before, the Cubs fell victim to the 1st true World Series upset. The '90 Reds pulled another great Series upset. Frank Chance's boys will be facing a modern team, and how will he, Johnny Evers and Joe Tinker handle the artificial turf of Riverfront Stadium? Then again, how will Barry Larkin handle a Theodore Roosevelt-era field at West Side Park? Reds in 6.
3. 1944 St. Louis Cardinals, 104-49 vs. 14. 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. I tweaked this seeding a little so I wouldn't end up with Cards vs. Cards in the 1st Round. Here's a matchup I'd love to have seen: Not-quite-21-year-old Fernando Valenzuela vs. not-quite-24-year-old Stan Musial. Screwball vs. corkscrew stance.
Actually, the Dodgers were lucky. They barely squeezed by the Astros and then the Expos in the Playoffs, and would have been swept by the Yankees had Reggie not gotten hurt, and still would have lost the Series if George had let Bob Lemon start him when he was ready to return. Tommy Lasorda will have no such luck with Stan the Man. Cards in 5.
4. 2016 Chicago Cubs vs. 13. 1982 St. Louis Cardinals. A bunch of scrappers against another: I think Joe Maddon would have enjoyed managing against peak Whitey Herzog. But these Cubs had enough of something previous Cub challengers -- 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945, 1969, 1984, 1989, 1998 and 2003 -- didn't have enough of: Character. Cubs in 7.
6. 1940 Cincinnati Reds vs. 11. 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers. The '88 Dodgers were among the weakest World Series winners ever. No Hall-of-Famers. No, not Kirk Gibson. No, not Orel Hershiser. That 1 ball hit by Gibson turned a possible 4-game sweep by the A's into a 5-game win by the Dodgers. And while he was no Dennis Eckersley, the Reds could have brought lefty Johnny Vander Meer in to face Gibson. Reds in 6.
7. 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. 10. 1934 St. Louis Cardinals. Oh, here's a pitching duel for the ages: Sandy Koufax vs. Dizzy Dean. And no getting out of it because of Yom Kippur this time: This is not October.
Other than that, though, the '63 Dodgers were weak. Yes, they had batting champion Tommy Davis, base-stealing wizard Maury Wills, and big bomber Frank Howard. But they were also the 1st team ever to win the World Series without a single offensive player going to the Hall of Fame. No, Wills isn't in it. Nor is Howard, whose 382 career homers give him as many as Jim Rice, who is in. Just Koufax and Don Drysdale.
And if the Gashouse Gang could overcome the '34 Tigers' big trio of Lynwood "Schoolboy" Rowe, Tommy Bridges and Elden Auker, they could overcome the '63 Dodgers' big trio of Koufax, Drysdale and Claude Osteen. Cards in 7.
8. 1919 Cincinnati Reds vs. 9. 1957 Milwaukee Braves. For the rest of their lives, Hall-of-Famer Edd Roush and the rest of the 1919 Reds swore that they still would have won the Series if it was fully on the level. They have a case: They won 95 games that season, while the "Black Sox" won just 88. We'll never know for sure.
What we do know for sure is that Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Eddie Mathews and a young Hank Aaron not only beat a Yankee team that was fully trying, and fully healthy (which wasn't always the case: Mantle played just 1 game each in 1955, which the Yankees lost, and 1961, which they won anyway), but clinched in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium. (Aaron has gone on record as saying the Braves were more intimidated by The Stadium than they were by the Yankees themselves.) Braves in 7.
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AL East Quarterfinals
1. 1998 New York Yankees vs. 12. 1983 Baltimore Orioles. In 1996, the Yankees beat an older Cal Ripken and some steroid freaks. Would the improved '98 Yanks beat young Cal, prime Eddie Murray, and a pretty good pitching staff? They beat better teams. Yanks in 6.
2. 1927 New York Yankees vs. 10. 1978 New York Yankees. Murderer's Row vs. my childhood heroes. Time for me to take the blinkers off: '27 Yanks in 5.
3. 1961 New York Yankees vs. 8. 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. Even batting righthanded, Mantle would have had trouble with Grove. Roger Maris, only a lefty, even more so. Indeed, in '61, the Yanks didn't face a Grove-level pitcher.
The AL only had one that year... and it was their own, Whitey Ford. Whitey took care of business with lineups full of killers, so if Ralph Houk doesn't put him up against Grove, the Yanks can win this. Yanks in 6.
4. 1970 Baltimore Orioles vs. 6. 1939 New York Yankees. Joe McCarthy's teams faced some tough pitching from 1936 to 1943, so going up against Cuellar, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally and Pat Dobson wouldn't have been daunting. Would Brooks Robinson have made the difference? Not if DiMaggio and company hit the ball over him. Yanks in 6.
AL West Quarterfinals
1. 1984 Detroit Tigers vs. 14. 1945 Detroit Tigers. It doesn't seem fair to have 2 Detroit vs. Detroit matchups and an Oakland vs. Oakland matchup in the same round, but that's what we have. The '84 group is just too deep for the war-depleted '45 team. '84 Tigers in 6.
2. 1968 Detroit Tigers vs. 13. 1935 Detroit Tigers. McLain lost Games 1 and 4 against Bob Gibson. He won't have to go up against Gibson. He will have to go up against the G-Men and catcher-manager Cochrane. '35 Tigers in 7.
6. 1989 Oakland Athletics vs. 12. 1973 Oakland Athletics. Just imagine Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco and the young Mark McGwire hitting against the artistry of Catfish Hunter and Vida Blue. Just imagine Reggie facing Smoke Stewart. '73 A's in 5.
9. 1948 Cleveland Indians vs. 10. 1991 Minnesota Twins. Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek won't be facing Charlie Liebrandt now. It'll be Bob Feller and Bob Lemon. Now imagine Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby, Joe Gordon, Dale Mitchell and a young Al Rosen hitting inside the Metrodome. Indians in 5.
NL East Quarterfinals
4. 1969 New York Mets vs. 16. 1995 Atlanta Braves. Can the Miracle continue? Of course: If you can beat Palmer, Cuellar and McNally, you can beat Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. If you can stop the Robinsons and Powell, you can stop David Justice, Fred McGriff and Chipper Jones. Mets in 7.
5. 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers vs. 15. 1933 New York Giants. Arguably, the best Brooklyn Dodger team vs. the best New York Giant team. As a lefty, Duke Snider might really struggle against Carl Hubbell. But so might Mel Ott against Johnny Podres. Given the dimensions of Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds, this could be a wild one. But if Don Newcombe has his stuff, then he could cancel King Carl out. Dodgers 7.
6. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. 14. 1980 Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies made the Playoffs every year from 1976 to 1983, except for 1979 when the Pirates beat them out for the NL East title, and 1982 when the Cards did it.
This Keystone State Classic will feature some ugly fields and some ugly uniforms, but some great baseball. Will the calm of Chuck Tanner help the Bucs win, or will the mad motivating mouth of Dallas Green push the Phils over the top? The Pirates don't have a Carlton, but they do have a better bullpen. It's tough. But I think the Phils are a better team, top to bottom. Phils in 7.
7. 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. 8. 1954 New York Giants. The young Willie vs. the veteran Roberto. Peak Leo Durocher managing against an aging but still proud Danny Murtaugh. This time, the Pirates don't have the better bullpen, and I think that makes a difference. Giants in 7.
NL West Quarterfinals
1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. 15. 1990 Cincinnati Reds. Okay, 1990 Reds, you've had your fun. That ends now. Maybe Larkin was a better shortstop than Dave Concepcion, and Eric Davis was definitely a better center fielder than Cesar Geronimo. But the way to beat the Big Red Machine was to have the better starting pitching, and the '90 Reds simply didn't. '75 Reds in 5.
3. 1944 St. Louis Cardinals vs. 10. 1934 St. Louis Cardinals. Stan's men vs. the Gashouse Gang. Musial vs. Ol' Diz. But the '34 Cards also had Joe Medwick, who, before a 1940 beaning, looked like he was headed for 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.
On the other hand, pretty much every strength the '34 Cards had, the '44 Cards were stronger at it, including defense and their fabled baserunning. The '44 team didn't have a Dean brother? They might not have needed one. '44 Cards in 7.
4. 2016 Chicago Cubs vs. 9. 1957 Milwaukee Braves. A big battle on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Cubs had to get past the Giants and the Dodgers, both Playoff perennials, to get into the Series, and then a tough Indians team took them literally beyond the prescribed limit: Game 7 went to 10 innings.
But can we really say they faced a better team than the '57 Yankees? We can say the '57 Braves faced that team, and beat them. And they had better pitching. Braves in 6.
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AL East Semifinals
1. 1998 New York Yankees vs. 6. 1939 New York Yankees. So it's all Yankees from here on out, is it? Now, I'm going to have to really think about it. How do David Cone, Andy Pettitte, David Wells and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez stop young Joe DiMaggio, Tommy Henrich, Charlie Keller and Joe Gordon, and prime Bill Dickey?
Well, Pettitte and Wells were lefties, so Henrich, Keller and Dickey might have had trouble. And Coney and Duque were tricksters, often looking like they were making up pitches as they went along. Maybe that would spell trouble for even The Great DiMaggio.
And with their lineup, and Joe Torre's hunches, maybe the '98 Yanks could get past Gomez, Ruffing, Monte Pearson and Steve Sundra in the '39 rotation. '98 Yanks in 7.
2. 1927 New York Yankees vs. 3. 1961 New York Yankees. Here we go: Murderer's Row vs. the M&M Boys. Houk would tell Ford, Ralph Terry and Bill Stafford to forget about stopping Ruth and Gehrig, just get your outs where you can. Miller Huggins would say the same to Hoyt, Pennock, Pipgras and Shawkey regarding Mantle and Maris.
The bullpen might make the difference. The '27 Yanks had one of the earliest good relievers, Wilcy Moore. But the '61 Yanks had Luis Arroyo, Jim Coates and Hal Reniff. Sorry, Babe. '61 Yanks in 7.
1. 1984 Detroit Tigers vs. 13. 1935 Detroit Tigers. The '84 Tigers jumped out to a 35-5 start. But they didn't have to face a bunch of killers like Mickey Cochrane's men. '35 Tigers in 6.
NL East Semifinals
4. 1969 New York Mets vs. 14. 1980 Philadelphia Phillies. Surprised to see me include a Met team in the last 16? Well, so am I. And it's not the 1986 team? Actually, that's less surprising: As I've said a few time, the wrong Met title team is called a "miracle."
Tom Seaver, age 25. Steve Carlton, age 35. I can almost hear Darth Vader tell Luke Skywalker he's been taught well, but he's not a Jedi yet.
Dallas Green was a yeller, much like Earl Weaver, the manager that Gil Hodges outfoxed in October '69. And did the '80 Phils have a better lineup than the '69 O's? No.
But the '80 Phils were the toughest team in the history of Philadelphia baseball -- or, at least, since the 1929-31 A's. They were seasoned veterans, whereas, with a few exceptions like Donn Clendenon and Ed Charles, the '69 Mets were mostly kids who didn't realize that this was supposed to be hard. The '80s Phils knew, having come so close 3 times, but having it snatched away, and they weren't about to let it happen again.
The Miracle comes to an end. Phils in 6.
NL West Semifinals
1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. 9. 1957 Milwaukee Braves. In 1948 in Boston, with Spahn and Johnny Sain being actually backed up fairly well by Vern Bickford and Bill Voiselle, it wasn't quite "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." In 1957 in Milwaukee, it was Spahn and Burdette and then Buhl is what you get.
But if that team were transported to 1975 in Cincinnati, they might want to start a divine appeal for inclement weather. And while their rotation wasn't the equal of their lineup, the '75 Reds did have good starters in Don Gullett, Jack Billingham, Fred Norman and Gary Nolan. And a very good bullpen. Reds in 5.
3. 1944 St. Louis Cardinals vs. 5. 1967 St. Louis Cardinals. Can you imagine Gibson brushing Musial back? Of course you can. Can you imagine Stan slicing Gibby's next pitch down the line for a double anyway? Yes. And the '44 Cards wouldn't be facing Gibson in every game.
But the '67 Cards would be a tougher day-to-day opposition than most teams the Cards faced during The War. '67 Cards in 7.
Divisional Finals
AL East: 1. 1998 New York Yankees vs. 3. 1961 New York Yankees. We have a best team of the pre-renovation Yankee Stadium era (1923-1973), and a best team of the post-renovation Yankee Stadium era (1976-2008).
Let's presume that everybody is healthy. Darryl Strawberry was the only major player unavailable for the '98 postseason, but in '61, Mickey Mantle played only in Game 3, while Yogi Berra, still a threat -- he homered in Game 2, the only game of the Series the Yankees lost -- sat out Game 5.
The '61 Reds had a good lineup, roughly the equal of the '98 Yanks. And that was the only postseason round the '61 Yanks had to go through. The '98 Yanks had to face Texas, Cleveland and San Diego, and each team may well have been as good as their respective franchises have ever been. So they're not going to be daunted by facing a lineup with Mantle, Maris, Berra and Moose Skowron in it.
Home-field advantage won't make much difference: Although left and center field are a lot further out for the '61 Yanks, that won't bother Bernie Williams, and the '98 Yanks will have the post-renovation Stadium for Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 anyway.
If we go by the starting rotations the teams actually used in their respective World Series, it will be Whitey Ford vs. David Wells in Game 1, Ralph Terry vs. Orlando Hernandez in Game 2, Bill Stafford vs. David Cone in Game 3, Ford vs. Andy Pettitte in Game 4; and, if we presume each Series had gone the limit, it would have been Terry vs. Wells in Game 5. Stafford vs. El Duque in Game 6, and Ford vs. Cone in Game 7. Man alive, would I love to see that Game 7!
Game 1. Ford, 25-4, vs. Wells, 17-4. In real life, Whitey was really on his game, pitching a 2-hit shutout. In contrast, Boomer did not have his best stuff, and the Yanks needed a 7-run 7th inning to win it. '61 leads 1-0.
Game 2. Terry vs. Duque. This is the 1 game in the Series the '61 team lost. Duque was strong. Series tied 1-1.
Game 3. Stafford vs. Cone. Stafford pitched well, but left losing 2-1 before a Yankee comeback. Cone didn't pitch well. '61 leads 2-1.
Game 4. Ford on 3 days' rest vs. Pettitte. Whitey left with a bad ankle after 5 innings, only up 2-0, but, as I said, no injuries here. Andy pitched 8 scoreless innings, and Whitey could have done the same. But I can see Andy hanging a slider, and Mickey unable to refuse. '61 leads 3-1.
Game 5. Terry on 3 days' rest vs. Wells on 4. Terry went 16-3 that year, and won the Cy Young Award the next season. But Wells may have been better in '98 than Terry was either year. We don't know what the '98 Yanks would have done in Games 5, 6 and 7, because they swept the Padres. But if Wells shook off his Game 1 start, and pitched like he did in Game 5 of the ALCS, then his team stays alive. '61 leads 3-2.
Game 6. Stafford on 3 days' rest vs. Duque on 4. Series tied.
Game 7. Ford on 3 days' rest vs. Cone on 4. It's all about the bullpen now. The '61 Yanks may have Luis Arroyo, but if they don't get to Ramiro Mendoza in the 7th inning or Mike Stanton in the 8th, here's how the 9th inning could go: Mariano breaks Maris' bat, fans Mickey on 3 pitches, and toasts the Moose. '98 Yanks come from 3 games to 1 down to win the greatest series ever.
AL West: 12. 1973 Oakland Athletics vs. 13. 1935 Detroit Tigers. That's right, 12th vs. 13th. In this case, the seedings did not reflect talent. Given the firepower the Oakland pitchers faced in their Green & Gold dynasty, I don't think they're going to be afraid of the '35 Tigers. Whereas the Tigers will look at the A's, and, colors aside, be reminded stylistically of the Cardinal team that beat them the year before. A's in 6.
Yes, that picture is in color.
Ebbets Field had blue seats and red railings.
NL West: 1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. 5. 1967 St. Louis Cardinals. Did Bob Gibson ever throw at Pete Rose? Here, he might. And Rose might get hit. And he might get up and trot to 1st base. And then he might try to break up a double play and pick a fight with the much smaller Dal Maxvill, the way he did with Bud Harrelson of the Mets in the '73 NLCS? You bet your sweet bippy. Oops, did I say, "bet," Pete?
Look, Gibson didn't win every World Series game he pitched. He lost 1964 Game 2, and 1968 Game 7. He just won the 7 he pitched in between, and looked absolutely dominant in so doing. But take the aces out of the equation, Gibson and... heck, who was the ace for the '75 Reds? Gullett?
Gibson is supposed to be the factor swinging this battle in the Cards' favor. But what if the Reds do to him what they did to the '70, '72 and '75 Pirates; the '73 Mets; the '75 Red Sox; and the '76 Phils and Yanks? What if they go the small-ball, nickel-and-dime, station-to-station, "death of a thousand cuts" route? In other words, what if they do to the '60s Cards what the '60s Cards themselves did so well? These teams, Gibson aside, were pretty much a mirror image of each other.
The '75 Reds didn't have a Gibson? True. But the '67 Cards didn't have a Rose. The '75 Reds didn't have a Cepeda? True. But the '67 Cards didn't have a Johnny Bench. The '75 Reds didn't have a... Never mind: The '67 Cards didn't have a Joe Morgan or a George Foster. And even if Gibson is brilliant 3 times, the Cards still have to win 1 more game, and at least 1 of their 4 wins will have to be at Riverfront. Reds in 7.
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American League Championship Series: East 1. 1998 New York Yankees vs. West 12. 1973 Oakland Athletics. Because of when I came along, I knew the great players for the A's, but I knew them only after they left. Reggie, Catfish and Ken Holtzman with the Yankees. Joe Rudi and eventually Reggie with the team then known as the California Angels. Rollie Fingers with the San Diego Padres and then the Milwaukee Brewers. Gene Tenace with the Padres and then the St. Louis Cardinals. Sal Bando with the Brewers. Bert Campaneris with the Texas Rangers, then the Angels, and retiring as a Yankee. Vida Blue with the San Francisco Giants. Bill North with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Reggie still thinks that if Charlie Finley hadn't been so cheap, and had kept them together, they could have won a couple of more World Series. Certainly, the Yankees not having him, Catfish and Holtzman would have made it a lot easier once they got to the ALCS.
But how would the '73 A's, the strongest edition of that dynasty, have matched up with the '98 Yankees? Not as well as you might think. Blue and Holtzman weren't great postseason pitchers, and John "Blue Moon" Odom was already starting to wind down. Fingers was in Mariano Rivera's league as a reliever, and would often pitch 2 or 3 innings, removing the need for any other relievers. But I think the pitching gives the Pinstripes the edge. Yanks in 6.
National League Championship Series: West 1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. East 5. 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. So it's going to be a showdown between the '75 Reds and the '98 Yanks, the one that Joe Morgan, broadcasting on NBC and now on ESPN, is so sure Cincinnati will win?
Game 1: Don Newcombe vs. Don Gullett. Oddly, both of these teams lost Game 1, though it should be pointed out both started the Series on the road. Newk was 20-5 with 7 homers that year -- more home runs than were hit in '75 by Ken Griffey Sr. (4), Dave Concepcion (5) or Cesar Geronimo (6), and as many as were hit by Pete Rose, all of whom had a lot more at-bats.
Gullett pitched pretty well until the 7th, when the Red Sox hung 6 runs on the Reds. That's longer than Newk held out, and I can imagine manager Sparky Anderson, known as Captain Hook for how quickly he removed pitchers, reacting sooner this time. Reds lead 1-0.
Game 2: Billy Loes vs. Jack Billingham. Billingham pitched well into the 6th. Loes had nothing, and was knocked out of the box in the 4th. Reds lead 2-0.
Game 3: Johnny Podres vs. Gary Nolan. Podres pitched out of trouble in the 2nd, and cruised against the Yankees the rest of the way. Sparky decided to get cute: He only let Nolan pitch 4 innings, then Pat Darcy for 2, then Clay Carroll, then Will McEnaney, finally Rawly Eastwick. The Reds won this game in 10 innings, largely due to the Ed Armbrister-Carlton Fisk collision that Sox fans still swear was interference. The Dodgers win this one. Reds lead 2-1.
Game 4: Carl Erskine vs. Fred Norman. Neither starter had anything: Oisk didn't get out of the 3rd inning, and Norman not out of the 4th. The Reds got beat by Luis Tiant as they had in Game 1, while the Dodgers rode big hitting and the bullpen work of Don Bessent and Clem Labine to beat the Yankees. Series tied 2-2.
Game 5: Roger Craig vs. Gullett. Craig pitched decently for 6 innings, with Labine doing well the rest of the way. Gullett pitched better, though. Reds lead 3-2, and need to win only 1 out of 2 at Riverfront to take the Pennant.
Game 6: Karl Spooner vs. Nolan. Walter Alston had used 6 different starts in the Series' 1st 6 games. This is not a recommended way to run a ballclub. Spooner only got 1 out before allowing 5 runs, and while Russ Meyer and Ed Roebuck pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way, it was too late.
In 1975, Game 6 remains the game that everybody talks about, but, again, Sparky played musical chairs on the mound. Nolan went only 3 innings, and he ended up using 8 pitchers over the course of the game's 12 innings, closing with Darcy giving up the famous home run to Carlton Fisk.
That wouldn't be necessary if Alston holds true to form and starts Spooner. Why didn't he start Newcombe again? Newk didn't throw a pitch after the 6th inning of Game 1. So the Reds win the Pennant in 6 games, not because they were better, but because Alston was a fool.
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World Series: AL East 1. 1998 New York Yankees vs. NL West 1. 1975 Cincinnati Reds. Do I have to say it? Sparky's pitching changes doom the Big Red Machine.
Game 1 may well turn out how 1998 Game 1 did, with the Yanks pouncing in the 7th, which is how long Gullett lasted in 1975 Game 1. The Reds can't count on Billy Loes, or Bill Lee as in real life, choking under pressure, because, as the joke went, El Duque pitched for the 2 most demanding bosses in the Western Hemisphere: Fidel Castro and George Steinbrenner. The Yanks take a 2-0 lead to Riverfront.
In 1998 Game 3, the Yankees stunned the Padres with a big comeback, with Scott Brosius taking the supposedly unbeatable Trevor Hoffman over the center field wall. The Reds had Carroll, McEnaney and Eastwick: All were good, none was as good as Hoffman, who wasn't as good as Rivera. Cone will be fine. Game 4? Pettitte against Nolan, and the Yankees get the runs Andy needs.
This is not the 1976 World Series. Lo and behold, the Bronx Bombers sweep the Big Red Machine.
Would the '55 Dodgers have been a better opponent for the '98 Yankees? Maybe, if Newcombe can pitch Game 6, and everybody else does their job the same way. But it has to get that far first.
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