MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Game 93

I've simulated 1380 games over the last three and a half months. And yet, those 1380 games weren't enough to narrow the field down from our 30 franchise representatives to 10.

I'll have more detail tomorrow once the field is fully set, but the basics of our situation today is this: the National League field is set. The American League has its division champions and top Wild Card, but we have a tie for the second one. As such, we need a one game playoff to determine the winner.

I touched on the basics of setting this game up with regards to home field advantage. The Orioles and Yankees split their eight games in the regular season, so I have to go to the next tiebreaker of total record against playoff teams. The Orioles went 13-13 against the 1995 Indians, 2004 Red Sox, 2011 Rangers, and 2001 Mariners, while the Yankees only managed an 11-15 mark. As such, our tiebreaking game will be played in Baltimore. The other major factor that comes into play with the Orioles involved is that, because of the setup of WhatIfSports and the fact that the 1970 Orioles played before the advent of the designated hitter, this game will be played without one.

This is a pure one-off simulation; I am not doing a best-of-three thing like I do with the Death to the BCS Playoffs. I will, The winner will advance to the American League Wild Card Series. This simulation is provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play ball!


Monday, July 17th

@ '70 BAL 6, '98 NYY 3
W: Cuellar (9-8) | L: Cone (9-6) | SV: Hall (2)

The Yankees left a couple men on in the top of the first, and the Orioles were able to take advantage, loading the bases with only one out to set up a three run double by Brooks Robinson. Mike Cuellar settled in, cruising for the next several innings while allowing just three more Yankee baserunners through six innings. David Cone settled in as well until the fifth, when he allowed three straight men to reach, capped off by a Frank Robinson RBI single. After a flyout, a walk loaded the bases, but Cone induced an inning-ending double play to limit the damage and keep it a 4-0 game. Don Buford added another run in the sixth with an RBI single to make it 5-0, but then the Yankees' bats awoke. Back to back one out singles set the table for a three run homer by Chuck Knoblauch to get New York on the board, and a Derek Jeter infield single knocked Cuellar out of the game. Pete Richert got out of the inning though, and Brooks Robinson got one of the runs back with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Baltimore's bullpen combined to allow no hits and just two walks, one apiece in the eighth and ninth innings, with Dick Hall getting called upon to get the final out, which he got by inducing a Jeter flyout and sending the Orioles to the Wild Card Series.

Brooks Robinson drove in four of Baltimore's six runs, Cuellar had a quality start of 6 2/3 innings allowing three runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out eight. Frank Robinson went 3-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Don Buford went 2-4 with two runs. David Cone allowed five runs, four of them earned, in six innings on seven hits, walking five and striking out four. Chuck Knoblauch had New York's big blow with a three run homer, but he also committed an error in the first inning that may have allowed the Orioles to grab the early advantage.

Congratulations to the 1970 Baltimore Orioles, who advance to the Elimination Round! I will have more full information on the Elimination Round tomorrow morning, with a bracket reveal and matchups, as well as something of a review of the regular season and how we got here.