'86 Mets top '01 Mariners in 7 for Bracket 2 title
The quest to crown the best single-season team in MLB history is complete, and the 1986 Mets are the last team standing in the Dream Seasons edition of the MLB Dream Bracket. The Amazin's, who won the '86 World Series, held off the 2001 Mariners in Game 7 to claim the title.
The simulated competition, featuring many of the greatest teams in baseball history, was produced by Out of the Park Baseball 21, MLB’s most realistic strategy game (PC and Mac).
Filling out the original 64-team bracket -- with the American League on one side and the National League on the other -- were two entries from each franchise, along with three Negro League teams (the 1931 Homestead Grays, 1942 Kansas City Monarchs and 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords) and the 1994 Montreal Expos.
Here's a closer look at how each series unfolded.
Finals
1986 New York Mets def. 2001 Seattle Mariners, 4-3
Game 1: SEA 3, NYM 2
Game 2: NYM 2, SEA 1
Game 3: NYM 9, SEA 0
Game 4: NYM 3, SEA 0
Game 5: SEA 9, NYM 1
Game 6: SEA 6, NYM 0
Game 7: NYM 3, SEA 0
Box scores | Play-by-play
Reminiscent of the 2001 season, the Mariners' incredible run once again came to a disappointing end at the hands of a New York team. This time, however, it was the Mets -- the 1986 version, to be exact -- that prevented Seattle from winning that elusive championship. Despite dropping the series opener, New York appeared to be cruising toward the Dream Bracket 2 title after winning the next three games by a combined score of 14-1, capped by shutouts in Games 3 and 4.
The Mariners, however, managed to make things interesting with a bit of an offensive outburst against a Mets pitching staff that had allowed an average of just 2.7 runs per game up to that point. Seattle outscored New York, 15-1, in Games 5 and 6, while handing Ron Darling his first loss of the tournament with a 6-0 triumph in Game 6 to set up a winner-take-all showdown.
Bob Ojeda, who tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings in New York's 9-0 victory in Game 3, managed to up the ante even further by throwing eight scoreless frames in the finale. Hall of Famer Gary Carter put the Mets on the board with an RBI single in the fourth, and Mookie Wilson added a two-run homer later in the inning to provide all of the offense, while Jesse Orosco pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the 3-0 victory.
Ojeda finished the tournament 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA in eight starts, while Darling went 7-1 with a 1.44 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 62 2/3 innings. Sid Fernandez (2-1, 2.73 ERA) and Dwight Gooden (5-3, 3.12 ERA) rounded out the Mets' dominant starting rotation, which posted a combined 2.16 ERA for the tournament. FULL SERIES RECAP
Semifinals
AL
2001 Seattle Mariners def. 2004 Boston Red Sox, 4-3
Game 1: BOS 5, SEA 0
Game 2: BOS 5, SEA 4
Game 3: SEA 4, BOS 3
Game 4: SEA 7, BOS 4
Game 5: BOS 2, SEA 1
Game 6: SEA 3, BOS 2
Game 7: SEA 2, BOS 0
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Mariners seem to be on a mission to virtually avenge the disappointing finish to their record-tying 2001 regular season. Seattle dropped the first two games of this series and found itself trailing three games to two before rallying past the 2004 Red Sox with back-to-back victories at Fenway Park to close out the series. Curt Schilling tossed a gem in Game 1, striking out nine and allowing only two hits over six scoreless innings, as Boston cruised to a 5-0 victory. The Red Sox held on for a 5-4 win in Game 2 before the Mariners bounced back with a pair of victories to even the series, capped by Bret Boone's clutch go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 4.
Schilling, however, was once again brilliant in Game 5, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings to put the Red Sox one win away from a berth in the Dream Bracket finals with a 2-1 victory. The Mariners refused to go away, with Mark McLemore delivering a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning of Game 6 to ultimately set up the winner-take-all showdown. John Olerud started Game 7 with a bang, crushing a two-run homer in the first inning off Red Sox starter Bronson Arroyo. Those two runs held up as the only tallies for either team, with Seattle starter Aaron Sele throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings before a trio of relievers -- Jeff Nelson, Arthur Rhodes and Norm Charlton -- combined for 2 2/3 hitless frames to shut the door. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL
1986 New York Mets def. 1975 Cincinnati Reds, 4-1
Game 1: NYM 3, CIN 2
Game 2: NYM 3, CIN 2
Game 3: CIN 9, NYM 4
Game 4: NYM 1, CIN 0
Game 5: NYM 4, CIN 1
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Big Red Machine finally met its match in the semifinals. The 1986 Mets continued to lean on their pitching staff in this matchup, limiting the '75 Reds to just five runs in New York's four wins. The series started with a pair of one-run decisions, with Mookie Wilson hitting a go-ahead homer in the top of the ninth to lift the Mets to a 3-2 victory in Game 1. Next up, Ron Darling continued his incredible Dream Bracket run with yet another gem in Game 2, holding the Reds to one run on two hits over 6 1/3 innings. Darling improved to 7-0 with a 1.45 ERA in eight starts through the semifinals.
Though Cincinnati broke out for nine runs in Game 3 -- eight of which came against New York's bullpen -- the Mets responded by holding the Reds to just one run over the final two games. In fact, Game 4 remained scoreless on both sides until the bottom of the ninth inning, when Howard Johnson delivered a pinch-hit, walk-off single to put the Mets within one win of the finals with a 1-0 victory. New York closed it out in Game 5, with Darryl Strawberry finishing a homer shy of the cycle and driving in all four of the Mets' runs in a 4-1 victory. Strawberry drove in seven of the Mets' 15 runs for the series, and his 22 RBIs for the tournament are tied with Hall of Famer Gary Carter for the team lead. FULL SERIES RECAP
Quarterfinals
AL Region 1
2004 Boston Red Sox def. 1954 Cleveland Indians, 4-1
Game 1: CLE 6, BOS 5
Game 2: BOS 4, CLE 2
Game 3: BOS 8, CLE 5
Game 4: BOS 7, CLE 6
Game 5: BOS 5, CLE 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 2004 Red Sox were the epitome of never giving up in this series, while the 1954 Indians are left to wonder what could have been. After winning the opener, the Indians dropped four straight games, all of which were decided in the eighth inning or later. Johnny Damon hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning in Game 2 that proved to be the difference, while the Red Sox snapped a 5-5 tie with a three-run eighth in Game 3 to take a two games to one lead.
The losses only got worse from there for the Indians, with Dave Roberts hitting a walk-off single in the 10th inning of Game 4 before Bill Mueller delivered a series-clinching, walk-off two-run double to cap a furious ninth-inning rally in Game 5. The Indians had entered the ninth with a 4-1 lead, but watched it slip away courtesy of a two-run triple by Roberts before Mueller's game-ending two-bagger. Manny Ramirez stayed hot in the series with four homers and seven RBIs in five games, bringing his tournament totals to eight home runs and 19 RBIs. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL Region 1
1975 Cincinnati Reds def. 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2
Game 1: CIN 4, PIT 3
Game 2: CIN 8, PIT 0
Game 3: PIT 6, CIN 4
Game 4: CIN 6, PIT 4
Game 5: PIT 6, CIN 1
Game 6: CIN 9, PIT 6
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Big Red Machine continues to prove exactly why it's so dangerous, finding new ways to win every round. Despite Pete Rose and Johnny Bench combining to hit just .125 (6-for-48) and Tony Pérez clubbing zero homers after entering with a team-leading eight home runs in three rounds, the 1975 Reds eliminated the '60 Pirates in six games. Joe Morgan and George Foster helped pick up the slack offensively, chipping in six RBIs apiece, while Gary Nolan continued his hot streak on the mound. Nolan went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in the series, and he is now 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA over the two most recent rounds after posting a 6.48 ERA in three starts over the first two rounds. FULL SERIES RECAP
AL Region 2
2001 Seattle Mariners def. 1942 Kansas City Monarchs, 4-3
Game 1: SEA 7, KC 3
Game 2: KC 4, SEA 1
Game 3: SEA 18, KC 0
Game 4: KC 7, SEA 2
Game 5: SEA 5, KC 1
Game 6: KC 1, SEA 0
Game 7: SEA 9, KC 1
Box scores | Play-by-play
This was the ultimate back-and-forth series, with the 2001 Mariners and 1942 Monarchs alternating victories the entire way. The series managed to go the distance despite Seattle outscoring Kansas City 42-17 thanks to an 18-0 rout in Game 3 and a 9-1 victory in the Game 7 clincher. The Monarchs, meanwhile, simply ran out of gas, managing just one run in each of the final three games. As has been the case throughout this tournament, it was a balanced effort for the Mariners, with Bret Boone and Mike Cameron leading the way with two homers apiece. Cameron and Mark McLemore tied for the team lead with eight RBIs, while McLemore and Ichiro Suzuki paced Seattle with 12 hits each. The one constant for Seattle has seemingly been '01 All-Star Freddy Garcia, who improved to 5-0 with a 2.27 ERA in eight starts in the tournament. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL Region 2
1986 New York Mets def. 1995 Atlanta Braves, 4-2
Game 1: ATL 4, NYM 3
Game 2: NYM 4, ATL 0
Game 3: ATL 5, NYM 2
Game 4: NYM 4, ATL 1
Game 5: NYM 3, ATL 0
Game 6: NYM 5, ATL 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
Atlanta's Hall of Fame pitching trio of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine wasn't quite as dominant as it had been in previous series, but it was ultimately Ron Darling -- and a pair of costly Braves errors -- that proved to be the difference in this NL East clash. Darling continued his brilliant run with a pair of stellar performances, including a Game 6 gem in New York's series-clinching victory.
With the series knotted at two games apiece, Dwight Gooden sent the Braves to the brink of elimination when he struck out eight over six scoreless innings to outduel Maddux (three runs over 6 2/3 innings) in Game 5. Darling followed it up by striking out 11 while holding Atlanta to one run over seven innings in Game 6. Glavine allowed five runs -- all unearned -- in that series-deciding game, with the Mets plating all five of their runs in the sixth inning after Chipper Jones and Mark Lemke committed errors on back-to-back plays, with the Braves leading 1-0 at the time. With the two wins, Darling improved to 6-0 with a 1.45 ERA in seven starts in the tournament. FULL SERIES RECAP
Round of 16
AL Region 1
2004 Boston Red Sox def. 1961 New York Yankees, 4-1
Game 1: BOS 10, NYY 3
Game 2: NYY 3, BOS 2
Game 3: BOS 7, NYY 6
Game 4: BOS 10, NYY 3
Game 5: BOS 11, NYY 1
Box scores | Play-by-play
It turns out the self-proclaimed "Idiots" were simply too much for the 1961 Yankees to handle. The Red Sox put up double-digit run totals in three of the five contests, while averaging 8.0 runs per game against Whitey Ford and company. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez hit a combined .395 (17-for-43) with two homers apiece, while Johnny Damon added two homers of his own and a team-leading six RBIs. As for the Yankees, they had trouble getting anything going outside of Mickey Mantle, who went 8-for-19 (.421) with a homer and four RBIs in the series. The rest of his Yankees teammates combined to hit .231, with Hall of Famers Roger Maris (1-for-21, .048) and Yogi Berra (3-for-21, .143) combining for zero RBIs. FULL SERIES RECAP
1954 Cleveland Indians def. 1970 Baltimore Orioles, 4-1
Game 1: CLE 13, BAL 9
Game 2: CLE 8, BAL 7
Game 3: BAL 3, CLE 1
Game 4: CLE 11, BAL 1
Game 5: CLE 5, BAL 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Orioles came out swinging against the Tribe's vaunted rotation, scoring 16 runs over the first two games -- only to come away with a pair of losses. After relying on a pitching staff that allowed only 18 runs through the first two rounds, the Indians had to lean a bit more on their offense in this series, but Hall of Famer Larry Doby and company were up to the challenge. Doby hit .391 with a pair of homers -- including a clutch game-tying shot in the ninth inning of Game 2 -- to lead a Cleveland offense that averaged 7.6 runs per game in the series. The Indians clinched the series with a 13th-inning walk-off walk in Game 5, with Baltimore left-hander Marcelino Lopez entering with one on and two outs, only to walk all three batters he faced. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL Region 1
1975 Cincinnati Reds def. 1957 Milwaukee Braves, 4-2
Game 1: MIL 7, CIN 4
Game 2: CIN 7, MIL 0
Game 3: CIN 4, MIL 3
Game 4: MIL 9, CIN 5
Game 5: CIN 7, MIL 5
Game 6: CIN 9, MIL 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
After pitching lights out all tournament, 1957 World Series MVP Lew Burdette finally had a letdown in the decisive game of this series. Burdette, who allowed just four earned runs over 27 innings (1.33 ERA) in his first four starts, was tagged for five runs over just 1 2/3 frames in Game 6, putting the Braves in a hole they couldn't escape.
For the Reds, Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan rebounded from disappointing performances in the second round to carry the load against the Braves. Bench, who went 2-for-18 with one RBI in the second round, hit a pair of homers and drove in a team-best seven runs in this round, while Morgan (1-for-15 last series) hit .321 (9-for-28) with four extra-base hits and four stolen bases. FULL SERIES RECAP
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates def. 1997 Florida Marlins, 4-3
Game 1: FLA 3, PIT 1
Game 2: PIT 5, FLA 1
Game 3: PIT 3, FLA 2
Game 4: FLA 6, PIT 4
Game 5: FLA 2, PIT 1
Game 6: PIT 5, FLA 3
Game 7: PIT 3, FLA 0
Box scores | Play-by-play
This was arguably the most dramatic series of the tournament so far, with three of the seven games being decided in extra innings -- and each team providing fans with flashbacks to its championship season. For the 1960 Pirates, the only team to win the World Series with a walk-off homer in Game 7, that trip down memory lane came courtesy of Roberto Clemente. The Hall of Famer snapped a scoreless tie in Game 7 with a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning to send the Pirates to their third consecutive Game 7 victory in this series. Oh, and Bill Mazeroski -- the player who hit the '60 Series-clinching homer -- started the 10th-inning rally this time around with a leadoff single, before coming around to score on Clemente's three-run dinger.
Clemente's series-clinching shot came two games after the Marlins had a deja vu walk-off ending of their own. Edgar Renteria hit a walk-off single up the middle to score Craig Counsell in the 12th inning of Game 5 vs. the Pirates, reminiscent of the Marlins' World Series-clinching win over the Indians in 1997, when ... Renteria hit a walk-off single up the middle to score Counsell in the 11th. FULL SERIES RECAP
AL Region 2
1942 Kansas City Monarchs def. 2019 Houston Astros, 4-2
Game 1: KC 3, HOU 2
Game 2: KC 8, HOU 3
Game 3: HOU 12, KC 2
Game 4: HOU 7, KC 0
Game 5: KC 2, HOU 1
Game 6: KC 7, HOU 5
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Astros made this one interesting by outscoring the Monarchs 19-2 in Games 3 and 4 to even the series at two games apiece, but Hall of Famers Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith proved to be too much for the Houston bats. Paige and Smith combined to go 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA, while Kansas City's other two starters -- Jack Matchett and Booker McDaniel -- combined to allow 15 runs in just 8 1/3 innings (16.20 ERA). Hall of Fame outfielder Willard Brown again made his mark in this series, crushing the decisive go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning of Kansas City's series-clinching win in Game 6. Brown leads the team with five homers and 19 RBIs through three rounds. FULL SERIES RECAP
2001 Seattle Mariners def. 2011 Texas Rangers, 4-3
Game 1: SEA 2, TEX 1
Game 2: TEX 4, SEA 3
Game 3: SEA 8, TEX 7
Game 4: SEA 3, TEX 2
Game 5: TEX 10, SEA 5
Game 6: TEX 4, SEA 3
Game 7: SEA 10, TEX 6
Box scores | Play-by-play
This AL West battle was about as close as it gets, with five of the seven games decided by a single run -- and the winner-take-all Game 7 coming down to the late innings. After falling behind three games to one, the Rangers bounced back to even the series behind remarkable performances from Nelson Cruz and Adrián Beltré, who finished with four homers apiece and 16 combined RBIs in the series.
Cruz hit his fourth homer of the series -- and seventh of the tournament -- in Game 7, helping the Rangers keep pace through six innings. Yet with the game tied 6-6, Edgar Martinez clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference in the series. Mike Cameron, who had hit a three-run shot earlier in Game 7, led the Mariners in home runs (three) and RBIs (seven) for the series after racking up zero of each in the previous round. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL Region 2
1986 New York Mets def. 1994 Montreal Expos, 4-3
Game 1: NYM 7, MON 3
Game 2: MON 7, NYM 6
Game 3: MON 3, NYM 2
Game 4: MON 6, NYM 2
Game 5: NYM 4, MON 3
Game 6: NYM 9, MON 3
Game 7: NYM 5, MON 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
After steamrolling their way through the first two rounds, the 1986 Mets were pushed to the brink against the Expos before rallying with three consecutive victories to move on. Daryl Strawberry proved to be the key for the Mets, homering in each of their four victories. In fact, Strawberry went 6-for-16 (.375) with four homers and nine RBIs in New York's four wins, compared to 2-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the three losses, including an 0-for-4, four-strikeout effort in Game 3. He saved the best for last, crushing a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 7 after the Expos had rallied to take a 4-3 lead with three runs in the top half of the frame. FULL SERIES RECAP
1995 Atlanta Braves def. 2019 Washington Nationals, 4-2
Game 1: ATL 3, WSH 0
Game 2: ATL 4, WSH 2
Game 3: ATL 6, WSH 3
Game 4: WSH 4, ATL 1
Game 5: WSH 3, ATL 2
Game 6: ATL 7, WSH 5
Box scores | Play-by-play
In the battle of star-studded rotations, the Braves' Hall of Fame trio proved to be too much for the Nationals' superstar duo. Four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux tossed eight scoreless innings to outduel three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (two runs over seven innings) in Game 1, while 1995 World Series MVP Tom Glavine (two runs in six innings) helped lead Atlanta past 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg (two runs in 5 1/3 innings) in Game 2. John Smoltz then struck out nine over five scoreless innings in Game 3, staking the Braves to what proved to be an insurmountable 3-0 series lead. The Nats rebounded with back-to-back wins, but Glavine outdueled Strasburg once again in Game 6 to finish it off. FULL SERIES RECAP
Round of 32
AL Region 2
1942 Kansas City Monarchs def. 1998 New York Yankees, 4-3
Game 1: KC 1, NYY 0
Game 2: NYY 4, KC 2
Game 3: KC 9, NYY 5
Game 4: KC 14, NYY 6
Game 5: NYY 3, KC 1
Game 6: NYY 4, KC 3
Game 7: KC 1, NYY 0
No MLB team has won more games in a single season (playoffs included) than the 1998 Yankees (125), but New York came up short in this second-round showdown with the Monarchs. Kansas City took the opener, 1-0, as Hall of Famer Satchel Paige threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings. After the Yankees tied up the series, the Monarchs slugged their way to victories in Games 3 and 4, putting up a combined 24 hits and 23 runs.
The Yankees bounced back in Game 5, and evened up the series in Game 6 when Derek Jeter hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning. But the Monarchs were able to squeak out another 1-0 win in Game 7, with Newt Allen’s double plating the series-deciding run in the top of the 10th.
2019 Houston Astros def. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2
Game 1: HOU 4, TOR 3
Game 2: TOR 11, HOU 10
Game 3: HOU 10, TOR 2
Game 4: HOU 3, TOR 1
Game 5: TOR 5, HOU 2
Game 6: HOU 14, TOR 3
After sweeping their way through the 1991 Twins in the first round, the 2019 Astros had a tougher test in the second round against the 1993 Blue Jays. The first two games were decided by one run, as Houston took Game 1, 4-3, and Toronto won a wild Game 2, 11-10. The Astros erased a 9-4 deficit with a six-run sixth inning in the second game, but the Jays tied it up on Devon White’s homer off Roberto Osuna in the bottom of the ninth, and won it on Ed Sprague’s walk-off single in the 12th.
Houston grabbed Games 3 and 4, with Zack Greinke and Wade Miley each turning in a strong start, and put the series away with a 14-run outburst in Game 6, as Yuli Gurriel tallied six RBIs and George Springer hit his fourth homer of the series.
2011 Texas Rangers def. 2002 Anaheim Angels, 4-0
Game 1: TEX 5, ANA 1
Game 2: TEX 6, ANA 2
Game 3: TEX 4, ANA 1
Game 4: TEX 7, ANA 6
After defeating the 2018 Red Sox in five games, the ’11 Rangers sent another World Series champion packing with their second-round sweep of the ’02 Angels. Texas got strong starts from C.J. Wilson, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis in the first three games and held Anaheim to just four runs as it raced to a 3-0 series lead.
Matt Harrison struggled in Game 4, but Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli hit back-to-back homers in the top of the fourth inning, giving the Rangers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Cruz had three homers with five RBIs in the series, while Adrián Beltré hit .538 (7-for-13) with a homer, five doubles and five RBIs.
2001 Seattle Mariners def. 1988 Oakland Athletics, 4-1
Game 1: SEA 6, OAK 3
Game 2: SEA 5, OAK 0
Game 3: OAK 5, SEA 4
Game 4: SEA 7, OAK 2
Game 5: SEA 4, OAK 3
Mariners starters Freddy Garcia and Jamie Moyer were unscored upon in the first two games, helping Seattle take a 2-0 series lead over the 1988 A’s. Oakland got in the win column in Game 3 behind Dave Henderson’s go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Mariners limited the A’s to five runs in the final two games to close it out. Every Seattle starter had at least one hit in Game 5, and Garcia tossed five innings of two-run ball to earn his second win of the series.
NL Region 2
1986 New York Mets def. 1998 San Diego Padres, 4-2
Game 1: SD 3, NYM 2
Game 2: NYM 5, SD 3
Game 3: NYM 7, SD 6
Game 4: NYM 3, SD 2
Game 5: SD 6, NYM 4
Game 6: NYM 5, SD 0
Kevin Brown helped the 1998 Padres win the opener, outdueling Dwight Gooden on the mound and also socking two doubles off his counterpart. However, the 1986 Mets responded with a 5-3 win in Game 2, as Gary Carter crushed a pair of two-run homers. In Game 3, Darryl Strawberry had four hits, including a homer, and Ray Knight came up with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Mets a 2-1 series lead.
The Mets also took Game 4, walking it off on Wally Backman’s two-run single in the bottom of the 15th. After a Padres victory in Game 5, the Mets closed out the series with a 5-0 win in Game 6, as Keith Hernandez homered and drove in three runs to support Ron Darling’s seven shutout innings.
1994 Montreal Expos def. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3
Game 1: PIT 8, MON 7
Game 2: MON 9, PIT 2
Game 3: PIT 5, MON 2
Game 4: MON 11, PIT 6
Game 5: PIT 2, MON 0
Game 6: MON 8, PIT 4
Game 7: MON 2, PIT 1
The 1994 Expos continued their march through Dream Bracket 2 with a second straight seven-game triumph, edging the Pirates in a tightly contested series. The Expos fell into a 3-2 hole after Pittsburgh right-hander Bert Blyleven threw a two-hit shutout in Game 5, but they responded with an 8-4 win in Game 6, as Larry Walker went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Walker was the driving force for Montreal’s offense throughout the series, hitting .355 with four homers, four doubles and 10 RBIs. In Game 7, Walker’s single moved the go-ahead run into scoring position in the top of the eighth inning, and Darrin Fletcher followed with a single of his own to plate the decisive run.
2019 Washington Nationals def. 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3
Game 1: WSH 3, ARI 1
Game 2: ARI 6, WSH 0
Game 3: ARI 14, WSH 4
Game 4: WSH 15, ARI 3
Game 5: ARI 3, WSH 0
Game 6: WSH 4, ARI 1
Game 7: WSH 7, ARI 1
The Nationals’ offense was inconsistent in this series, scoring 15 runs in Game 4 but getting shut out twice. Ian Kennedy and three relievers combined for the second of those shutouts in Game 5, spoiling Max Scherzer’s 13-strikeout performance and putting Washington in a 3-2 hole.
But much like they did in the 2019 World Series, the Nats stepped up with their backs against the wall. After Stephen Strasburg fired 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in Washington’s Game 6 victory, Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Kurt Suzuki all homered in Game 7 to back Patrick Corbin’s seven-inning gem.
1995 Atlanta Braves def. 2004 St. Louis Cardinals, 4-1
Game 1: ATL 2, STL 1
Game 2: STL 8, ATL 3
Game 3: ATL 11, STL 4
Game 4: ATL 5, STL 3
Game 5: ATL 8, STL 7
The Cardinals were seemingly on the verge of a 1-0 series lead after Chris Carpenter threw seven scoreless innings in Game 1, but Fred McGriff’s two-run homer off Jason Isringhausen in the top of the ninth gave the Braves the win. St. Louis tied up the series in Game 2, as Edgar Renteria and Jim Edmonds combined for five hits and five RBIs, but it was all Braves from that point on.
In Atlanta’s Game 3 win, John Smoltz struck out 13 batters over seven shutout innings, while the Braves’ offense erupted for 11 runs on 17 hits, including homers by McGriff, Javy López and Chipper Jones. After another Braves victory in Game 4, McGriff hit his third homer of the series -- again taking Isringhausen deep -- to walk off Game 5 and send Atlanta to the next round.
AL Region 1
1961 New York Yankees def. 1931 Homestead Grays, 4-2
Game 1: NYY 9, HOM 2
Game 2: HOM 7, NYY 2
Game 3: NYY 13, HOM 11
Game 4: HOM 5, NYY 4
Game 5: NYY 4, HOM 0
Game 6: NYY 8, HOM 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
Josh Gibson hit .435 with two homers and seven RBIs for Homestead, but it wasn’t enough, as the 1961 Yankees outlasted the 1931 Grays in six games. Whitey Ford won both of his starts, allowing one run with 16 strikeouts over 14 innings, and Yogi Berra and Clete Boyer slugged three home runs apiece for New York. The Yankees’ offense put up 15 hits and eight runs in Game 6 to back starter Bill Stafford, who fired 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in the series-clinching win. FULL SERIES RECAP
2004 Boston Red Sox def. 1996 Texas Rangers, 4-3
Game 1: TEX 2, BOS 0
Game 2: BOS 7, TEX 2
Game 3: BOS 3, TEX 2
Game 4: TEX 4, BOS 1
Game 5: TEX 5, BOS 0
Game 6: BOS 7, TEX 4
Game 7: BOS 3, TEX 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Rangers took a 3-2 series lead behind right-hander Ken Hill, who kept the Red Sox off the board in Games 1 and 5. But Boston avoided elimination with a win in Game 6, as Pedro Martinez allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings and David Ortiz recorded four RBIs to set up a winner-take-all Game 7. Coming off eight scoreless innings and 11 strikeouts in Game 3, Bronson Arroyo stepped up again in the deciding game, holding Texas to two runs in seven innings, and Johnny Damon crushed a go-ahead solo homer with two outs in the top of the ninth to help Boston advance. FULL SERIES RECAP
1970 Baltimore Orioles def. 1983 Chicago White Sox, 4-3
Game 1: CWS 8, BAL 6
Game 2: BAL 19, CWS 1
Game 3: CWS 5, BAL 3
Game 4: BAL 12, CWS 7
Game 5: CWS 7, BAL 0
Game 6: BAL 5, CWS 4
Game 7: BAL 5, CWS 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
Although the Orioles piled up 19 runs in Game 2 and another 12 in Game 4, they found themselves in a 3-2 hole after 1983 AL Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt threw a shutout in Game 5. But Baltimore did just enough to win the series, posting 5-4 wins in each of the final two games to oust Chicago. The Orioles’ four-run seventh inning was the difference in Game 7, capped by Frank Robinson’s two-run single. Baltimore center fielder Paul Blair led all players with five homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.405 OPS. FULL SERIES RECAP
1954 Cleveland Indians def. 1985 Kansas City Royals, 4-1
Game 1: KC 4, CLE 1
Game 2: CLE 2, KC 1
Game 3: CLE 4, KC 0
Game 4: CLE 5, KC 0
Game 5: CLE 6, KC 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Royals started off strong in Game 1, taking the opener after Frank White hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the top of the 13th inning. But Cleveland reeled off four straight wins, as Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Mike Garcia and Early Wynn combined to hold Kansas City to three runs (two earned) in 27 1/3 innings of work. The Tribe has lost just one game through the first two rounds. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL Region 1
1975 Cincinnati Reds def. 2012 Washington Nationals, 4-0
Game 1: CIN 4, WSH 0
Game 2: CIN 6, WSH 5
Game 3: CIN 5, WSH 1
Game 4: CIN 8, WSH 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 1975 Reds made quick work of the 2012 Nationals in this second-round matchup, taking care of business in four games. Jack Billingham held Washington to one hit over 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 1, and Cincinnati put up four runs in the bottom of the eighth to break a scoreless tie. The eighth proved to be the magic inning for the Reds in Game 2 as well, as they scored twice in the frame, tying the game and then taking the lead.
After a 5-1 Reds victory in Game 3, George Foster and Dave Concepcion each collected four hits in Game 4, while Pete Rose went 5-for-5 with three doubles and four RBIs, helping Cincinnati close out the series. FULL SERIES RECAP
1957 Milwaukee Braves def. 1967 St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0
Game 1: MIL 4, STL 2
Game 2: MIL 3, STL 1
Game 3: MIL 5, STL 3
Game 4: MIL 7, STL 6
Box scores | Play-by-play
Braves hurlers Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette teamed up to throw 13 1/3 innings in Games 1 and 2, holding the Cardinals to three runs as Milwaukee took a 2-0 series lead. After a 5-3 win in Game 3, the Braves had an answer for every St. Louis rally in Game 4, coming back from deficits of 1-0, 4-1, 5-4 and 6-5 before finally walking it off on Bill Bruton’s sacrifice fly. Milwaukee’s Wes Covington led all players with three homers in the sweep, including two in Game 4. FULL SERIES RECAP
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates def. 1969 Chicago Cubs, 4-3
Game 1: PIT 4, CHC 1
Game 2: CHC 3, PIT 0
Game 3: CHC 2, PIT 0
Game 4: PIT 5, CHC 3
Game 5: CHC 3, PIT 0
Game 6: PIT 2, CHC 1
Game 7: PIT 6, CHC 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
Just like they did in the 1960 World Series and in the first round of this tournament, the Pirates pulled off a Game 7 win in their second-round matchup against the 1969 Cubs. Chicago blanked Pittsburgh in three of the first five games behind dominant starts from Bill Hands, Ken Holtzman and Fergie Jenkins, who threw a shutout in Game 5. But Vern Law rescued the Pirates in Game 6, firing eight innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 win that tied the series.
In Game 7, Ernie Banks gave the Cubs an early lead with a three-run homer in the top of the first inning, but the Pirates scored in the second, third and fourth to take the lead for good. Bill Virdon came up with the big knock for the Bucs, driving in two runs with a go-ahead two-out double in the bottom of the fourth. FULL SERIES RECAP
1997 Florida Marlins def. 1984 San Diego Padres, 4-3
Game 1: SD 5, FLA 2
Game 2: FLA 9, SD 1
Game 3: SD 3, FLA 2
Game 4: FLA 6, SD 2
Game 5: FLA 6, SD 2
Game 6: SD 6, FLA 4
Game 7: FLA 3, SD 0
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 1984 Padres took two of the first three games, but the 1997 Marlins evened up the series with a 6-2 victory in Game 4, as Liván Hernández threw a quality start and Jeff Conine went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. The clubs then split the next two games, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7.
Florida threw a shutout in the deciding game for the second straight series, with Alex Fernandez and Robb Nen teaming up to hold San Diego to three hits. Moises Alou’s two-run double in the bottom of the sixth made the difference, snapping a scoreless tie. FULL SERIES RECAP
Round of 64
AL Region 2
1998 New York Yankees def. 2019 Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2
Game 1: NYY 5, TB 2
Game 2: TB 7, NYY 6
Game 3: NYY 7, TB 0
Game 4: NYY 4, TB 3
Game 5: TB 7, NYY 2
Game 6: NYY 4, TB 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 2019 Rays gave the 1998 Yankees a tough fight in this first-round series, but New York ultimately triumphed in six games. Hall of Famer Derek Jeter had the series-clinching hit, crushing a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning in Game 6. Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada combined to go 29-for-71 (.408) with 13 extra-base hits and 16 RBIs for the Yankees, while Andy Pettitte struck out 12 batters over seven scoreless innings in his Game 3 start. FULL SERIES RECAP
1942 Kansas City Monarchs def. 2005 Chicago White Sox, 4-3
Game 1: KC 10, CWS 7
Game 2: CWS 6, KC 1
Game 3: CWS 3, KC 1
Game 4: KC 5, CWS 3
Game 5: CWS 9, KC 4
Game 6: KC 5, CWS 1
Game 7: KC 4, CWS 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Monarchs were resilient in this hard-fought matchup, battling back from series deficits of 2-1 and 3-2 to win in seven games. After Satchel Paige allowed four homers in Chicago's 9-5 win in Game 5, Kansas City's pitching staff held the White Sox to just three runs across Games 6 and 7, as Hilton Smith and Booker McDaniel combined for 15 shutdown innings. Willard Brown and Ted Strong teamed up to post five homers with 16 RBIs for the Monarchs in the series, while White Sox third baseman Joe Crede had four homers in a losing effort. FULL SERIES RECAP
2019 Houston Astros def. 1991 Minnesota Twins, 4-0
Game 1: HOU 6, MIN 3
Game 2: HOU 10, MIN 0
Game 3: HOU 4, MIN 0
Game 4: HOU 8, MIN 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 1991 World Series champion Twins were no match for the 2019 Astros, who yielded only six runs in a four-game sweep. Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke threw seven scoreless innings in Games 2 and 3, respectively, and Houston's bullpen was unscored upon in the series. Meanwhile, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa hit .556 (10-for-18) with three homers, two doubles and eight RBIs, and Josh Reddick was 9-for-12 (.750). FULL SERIES RECAP
1993 Toronto Blue Jays def. 1995 Cleveland Indians, 4-3
Game 1: TOR 8, CLE 2
Game 2: TOR 7, CLE 3
Game 3: CLE 4, TOR 1
Game 4: TOR 8, CLE 5
Game 5: CLE 7, TOR 4
Game 6: CLE 7, TOR 6
Game 7: TOR 6, CLE 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
Joe Carter, whose iconic walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series gave the Blue Jays their second straight title, was the hitting star in this series as well. Carter slugged two home runs in Game 7 and had seven extra-base hits with six RBIs in the series, helping Toronto oust Cleveland. Paul Molitor delivered eight RBIs of his own while hitting .357 for the Jays, and fellow Hall of Famer Jack Morris threw seven innings out of the bullpen without allowing an earned run. FULL SERIES RECAP
1988 Oakland Athletics def. 1984 Detroit Tigers, 4-3
Game 1: OAK 3, DET 2
Game 2: OAK 12, DET 0
Game 3: DET 6, OAK 1
Game 4: DET 1, OAK 0
Game 5: OAK 11, DET 2
Game 6: DET 5, OAK 1
Game 7: OAK 11, DET 6
Box scores | Play-by-play
In a matchup of 104-win teams from the 1980s, the A's got six homers and 18 RBIs from the Bash Brothers (Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco), while Oakland's rotation limited Detroit to seven earned runs in seven starts. And yet, the Tigers were just nine outs away from a series victory before imploding in the seventh inning of Game 7. The A's sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight times in that frame, turning a 6-3 deficit into a five-run lead they wouldn't relinquish. FULL SERIES RECAP
2001 Seattle Mariners def. 2015 Kansas City Royals, 4-2
Game 1: SEA 6, KC 2
Game 2: KC 12, SEA 7
Game 3: SEA 6, KC 0
Game 4: KC 1, SEA 0
Game 5: SEA 11, KC 3
Game 6: SEA 2, KC 0
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 2001 Mariners, who tied the MLB record for regular-season wins with 116, took down the 2015 World Series champion Royals in six games in their first Dream Bracket matchup. Kansas City could have taken a 3-2 series lead with a win in Game 5, but it squandered a 3-0 advantage, as Seattle scored 11 unanswered runs over its final four times at bat. Jamie Moyer then came within one out of a complete-game shutout in Game 6, a 2-0 Seattle victory. Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez drove the Mariners' offense throughout the series, hitting .391 with a homer, three doubles and four RBIs, while Mike Cameron chipped in eight RBIs. FULL SERIES RECAP
2002 Anaheim Angels def. 1983 Baltimore Orioles, 4-3
Game 1: BAL 8, ANA 2
Game 2: ANA 7, BAL 6
Game 3: BAL 6, ANA 4
Game 4: ANA 4, BAL 3
Game 5: ANA 3, BAL 1
Game 6: BAL 5, ANA 1
Game 7: ANA 4, BAL 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
Much like they did in the 2002 World Series against the Giants, the Angels won their first-round matchup against the 1983 Orioles in seven games. Anaheim nearly fell into an 0-2 series hole, but a two-run double by Scott Spiezio and an RBI single by David Eckstein tied up Game 2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Angels won it on Tim Salmon's walk-off walk in the 12th. The Angels also came from behind to win Game 4 with two runs in the top of the eighth, and they scored four unanswered runs in Game 7. Troy Glaus homered three times in the series, including once in Game 7, and the Halos' relief quintet of Francisco Rodriguez, Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly, Ben Weber and Al Levine limited Baltimore to three runs in 20 innings of work. FULL SERIES RECAP
2011 Texas Rangers def. 2018 Boston Red Sox, 4-1
Game 1: TEX 4, BOS 3
Game 2: TEX 9, BOS 3
Game 3: BOS 7, TEX 0
Game 4: TEX 5, BOS 0
Game 5: TEX 5, BOS 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Red Sox may have dominated the 2018 season, winning a franchise record 108 games and defeating the Dodgers in the World Series, but they were quickly dispatched in the first round of the Dream Bracket. Josh Hamilton (four HR, 1.478 OPS), Adrián Beltré (.400 AVG, five RBIs) and Ian Kinsler (two homers, 1.256 OPS) did the heavy lifting on offense for the 2011 Rangers, and Texas erased a 4-0 deficit in Game 5 before walking it off on Mitch Moreland's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL Region 2
1986 New York Mets def. 2018 Colorado Rockies, 4-1
Game 1: NYM 4, COL 0
Game 2: NYM 3, COL 0
Game 3: NYM 1, COL 0
Game 4: COL 6, NYM 5
Game 5: NYM 9, COL 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Mets' pitching staff began this series with three consecutive shutouts, starting with a dominant two-hitter by Dwight Gooden in Game 1. Ron Darling followed by allowing only two hits and striking out 10 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 2 before handing it over to Roger McDowell and Jesse Orsoco to complete the shutout with 2 2/3 perfect innings of relief. Bob Ojeda kept it going in Game 3, scattering eight hits and three walks over five scoreless frames before four New York relievers finished off yet another shutout with four perfect innings. The Rockies' offense finally broke through in Game 4, led by home runs from Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado, but the Mets wrapped up the series with a 9-3 win in Game 5 behind catcher Gary Carter's two-homer, six-RBI effort. FULL SERIES RECAP
1998 San Diego Padres def. 2012 San Francisco Giants, 4-0
Game 1: SD 2, SF 0
Game 2: SD 4, SF 3
Game 3: SD 8, SF 6
Game 4: SD 3, SF 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
Padres ace Kevin Brown set the tone right out of the gate in this series, allowing just three hits over 8 1/3 scoreless innings to lead San Diego to a 2-0 victory in the opener. The Padres followed that up with a pair of unusual extra-inning victories. In Game 2, Giants reliever Javier Lopez took over in the bottom of the 11th and promptly walked the first two batters he faced before Greg Myers reached on an error to load the bases. Lopez then walked Quilvio Veras to bring in the winning run without San Diego even recording a hit in the decisive frame.
The Padres took a much different approach in the 11th inning of Game 3, with Greg Vaughn clubbing a grand slam -- his second homer of the game -- as part of a five-run 11th inning. Vaughn hit three of the Padres' five homers and accounted for seven of their 15 RBIs in the four-game sweep. FULL SERIES RECAP
1994 Montreal Expos def. 1990 Cincinnati Reds, 4-3
Game 1: CIN 4, MON 2
Game 2: MON 5, CIN 1
Game 3: MON 3, CIN 1
Game 4: CIN 9, MON 7
Game 5: MON 13, CIN 9
Game 6: CIN 7, MON 3
Game 7: MON 5, CIN 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
After the Expos dropped the series opener, a 22-year-old Pedro Martínez helped get his club back on track with a dominant performance in Game 2. The righty struck out nine while allowing just one run over 7 2/3 innings to lead the Expos to a 5-1 victory, evening the series at a game apiece. Martínez finished the series with a 1.35 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings in his two starts, while fellow starter Jeff Fassero went 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his two outings. Fassero turned in a quality start in the decisive Game 7 (three runs over six innings), while leadoff hitter Marquis Grissom went 2-for-4 with a triple and a pair of RBIs to lead the Expos to a 5-4 victory. FULL SERIES RECAP
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates def. 2003 Florida Marlins, 4-1
Game 1: FLA 7, PIT 1
Game 2: PIT 6, FLA 2
Game 3: PIT 2, FLA 1
Game 4: PIT 5, FLA 3
Game 5: PIT 6, FLA 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 2003 Marlins jumped out to an early series lead with a 7-1 win in the opener, but it was all Pittsburgh after that. The 1979 Pirates allowed only nine runs over the next four games, while reeling off four consecutive wins to clinch the series. It was a balanced attack from the Pirates, offensively, with four players -- Willie Stargell, Omar Moreno, Bill Robinson and Ed Ott -- tying for the team lead with three RBIs, while Stargell hit two of the club's five homers in the series. FULL SERIES RECAP
2004 St. Louis Cardinals def. 2008 Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2
Game 1: PHI 6, STL 3
Game 2: STL 6, PHI 4
Game 3: STL 3, PHI 2
Game 4: PHI 7, STL 4
Game 5: STL 5, PHI 2
Game 6: STL 6, PHI 4
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Phillies took Game 1 and found the series knotted at 2-2 through four games, but the Cardinals' tandem of Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen simply proved to be too much to handle. Pujols hit a clutch three-run homer that proved to be the difference in St. Louis' pivotal Game 5 win, before going 2-for-3 with another home run, two RBIs and three runs scored in a 6-4 victory in Game 6. Rolen added a homer and three RBIs of his own in the series-clinching triumph. Pujols and Rolen hit three homers apiece in the series, while each driving in seven runs. FULL SERIES RECAP
1995 Atlanta Braves def. 2011 Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3
Game 1: ATL 8, MIL 4
Game 2: MIL 4, ATL 0
Game 3: MIL 13, ATL 3
Game 4: ATL 10, MIL 0
Game 5: ATL 1, MIL 0
Game 6: MIL 12, ATL 11
Game 7: ATL 3, MIL 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
This back-and-forth matchup was arguably the wildest first-round showdown in the entire bracket. Led by a pair of homers from Hall of Famer Chipper Jones -- in his first two at-bats of the series no less -- the Braves jumped out to a 1-0 series lead. The Brewers responded with a 4-0 win in Game 2 behind six scoreless innings from starter Zack Greinke -- and then things started to get crazy. Atlanta took a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning of Game 3, only to have the Brewers score nine runs in the seventh, led by a three-run shot from Corey Hart and a two-run homer from Jonathan Lucroy. Prince Fielder and Hart then went back-to-back in the eighth to carry Milwaukee to a 13-3 win. The Braves responded with a 10-0 shutout in Game 4, then earned a pivotal 1-0 victory in Game 5.
The Brewers managed to fight off elimination in a wacky Game 6 in which the teams combined to score at least one run in each of the final nine half-innings. David Justice hit a game-tying three-run homer in the top of the ninth, only to have George Kottaras deliver a walk-off RBI single in the bottom half to force a decisive Game 7. Milwaukee was in control for the majority of the winner-take-all showdown, taking a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning. Yet with the Braves down to their final strike, Javy López crushed a go-ahead three-run homer -- his fourth of the series -- off LaTroy Hawkins to help lift Atlanta to a 3-2 series-clinching win. FULL SERIES RECAP
2019 Washington Nationals def. 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2
Game 1: WSH 5, LAD 0
Game 2: WSH 8, LAD 2
Game 3: WSH 7, LAD 5
Game 4: LAD 7, WSH 3
Game 5: LAD 13, WSH 5
Game 6: WSH 10, LAD 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
Max Scherzer set the tone in the series opener, striking out 11 over seven scoreless innings en route to a 5-0 victory. Co-ace Stephen Strasburg followed it up with a solid outing of his own in Game 2, limiting the Dodgers to two runs over seven innings of work, while Juan Soto went a perfect 4-for-4 and Howie Kendrick drove in four runs to lead the Nats to a convincing 8-2 win. Needing a win in Game 3, the Dodgers took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth, only to have Nats catcher Kurt Suzuki crush a go-ahead three-run homer that proved to be the game-winner. Though the Dodgers staved off elimination temporarily with back-to-back wins, the Nationals' offense erupted for 10 runs on 14 hits -- including homers from Kendrick, Suzuki and Victor Robles -- in a series-clinching 10-3 win in Game 6. FULL SERIES RECAP
2011 Arizona D-backs def. 2016 Chicago Cubs, 4-2
Game 1: ARI 4, CHC 0
Game 2: CHC 3, ARI 2
Game 3: ARI 8, CHC 2
Game 4: CHC 9, ARI 8
Game 5: ARI 4, CHC 0
Game 6: ARI 3, CHC 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
Ian Kennedy, who went 21-4 with a 2.88 ERA in his 2011 campaign, was absolutely dominant in this showdown with the '16 Cubs. The right-hander tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the D-backs to a 4-0 victory in Game 1, then followed it up with six scoreless frames in another 4-0 win in a pivotal Game 5. That second victory gave the D-backs a 3-2 series lead, and they finished it off in Game 6, when Gerardo Parra hit a series-clinching walk-off triple off left-hander Mike Montgomery in the 10th. FULL SERIES RECAP
AL Region 1
1961 New York Yankees def. 1979 California Angels, 4-0
Game 1: NYY 5, CAL 2
Game 2: NYY 6, CAL 2
Game 3: NYY 4, CAL 1
Game 4: NYY 8, CAL 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 1961 Yankees made quick work of the '79 Angels, securing a series sweep while limiting the Halos to no more than two runs in any of the four games. New York's starting rotation of Whitey Ford, Ralph Terry, Bill Stafford and Rollie Sheldon combined for a 2.22 ERA, while the bullpen allowed just one run over 11 2/3 innings. Offensively, left fielder Yogi Berra hit a blistering .529 (9-for-17) with a pair of RBIs, while the catching duo of Elston Howard and Johnny Blanchard (serving as DH) led the club with six RBIs apiece. FULL SERIES RECAP
1931 Homestead Grays def. 1985 Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1
Game 1: TOR 10, HOM 3
Game 2: HOM 7, TOR 0
Game 3: HOM 11, TOR 4
Game 4: HOM 6, TOR 1
Game 5: HOM 7, TOR 6
Box scores | Play-by-play
After his club dropped the opener, Hall of Famer Satchel Paige helped the Grays even the series by tossing a two-hit shutout in Game 2. Homestead's offense took over from there, racking up 24 runs over the final three games of the series, led by Hall of Famers Oscar Charleston, who hit .455 with two homers and seven RBIs, and Jud Wilson, who paced the club with three home runs and drove in seven runs of his own.
2004 Boston Red Sox def. 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, 4-1
Game 1: BOS 4, TB 3
Game 2: BOS 9, TB 3
Game 3: BOS 3, TB 1
Game 4: TB 7, BOS 5
Game 5: BOS 4, TB 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
While Pedro Martínez, Bronson Arroyo and Curt Schilling all held their own on the mound, Manny Ramírez proved to be Boston's MVP for this series. The slugger went 9-for-19 (.474) while hitting two of the Red Sox’s three homers and racking up a team-leading six RBIs. Ramírez went a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles in Boston's Game 2 victory, then hit a pair of home runs that accounted for all of the Red Sox’s offense in their 3-1 win in Game 3. FULL SERIES RECAP
1996 Texas Rangers def. 1968 Detroit Tigers, 4-1
Game 1: TEX 7, DET 4
Game 2: TEX 8, DET 6
Game 3: TEX 9, DET 5
Game 4: DET 10, TEX 6
Game 5: TEX 7, DET 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
Though Denny McLain earned both the AL MVP and Cy Young Awards in 1968, even he couldn't find a way to slow down the ‘96 Rangers' offense. McLain went 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in the series, while fellow starter Mickey Lolich put up an 11.12 ERA over two appearances and Earl Wilson conceded five runs in just 3 1/3 innings in his lone outing. The Rangers averaged 7.4 runs per game in the series, while scoring at least six in all five games. Texas combined for 11 homers in the series, including three from Dean Palmer and two apiece from Juan González, Rusty Greer and Mickey Tettleton. FULL SERIES RECAP
1985 Kansas City Royals def. 1972 Oakland Athletics, 4-0
Game 1: KC 2, OAK 1
Game 2: KC 6, OAK 1
Game 3: KC 5, OAK 4
Game 4: KC 4, OAK 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
Though the Royals swept their way past the Athletics, this series was much closer than that result might suggest. Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter allowed just two runs over eight solid innings in the opener, but he was outdueled by Royals starter Bret Saberhagen, who limited Oakland to one run over seven frames in a 2-1 victory. The defining moment of the series, however, came in Game 3, when the Royals overcame a 4-1 deficit with a four-run ninth inning to push the A's to the brink of elimination. Royals legend George Brett, who started that decisive rally with a leadoff homer, finished the series with a team-leading five RBIs. FULL SERIES RECAP
1954 Cleveland Indians def. 2005 Houston Astros, 4-0
Game 1: CLE 3, HOU 1
Game 2: CLE 6, HOU 2
Game 3: CLE 5, HOU 2
Game 4: CLE 9, HOU 5
Box scores | Play-by-play
After relying on a trio of Hall of Fame pitchers for the first three games of the series, the 1954 Indians finished off their sweep of the 2005 Astros with an offensive outburst in Game 4. Early Wynn allowed just one run over eight innings in Game 1, Bob Feller limited Houston to two runs in Game 2 and Bob Lemon struck out 10 while allowing just two runs over 6 1/3 frames in Game 3. As for Game 4, the Indians came out swinging, plating five runs in the first and four more in the second to account for all nine of their runs in a 9-5 series-clinching win. FULL SERIES RECAP
1983 Chicago White Sox def. 1965 Minnesota Twins, 4-0
Game 1: CWS 14, MIN 3
Game 2: CWS 5, MIN 3
Game 3: CWS 8, MIN 4
Game 4: CWS 4, MIN 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Twins actually jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the series opener, only to watch the White Sox score 14 unanswered runs over their final four innings, led by a bases-clearing double from Carlton Fisk and a three-hit performance from 1983 AL Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle. As if that wasn't bad enough, Minnesota again raced out to a 3-0 lead in Game 2 -- and the White Sox again rallied for the victory. After another convincing win in Game 3, Chicago staged one last comeback in Game 4, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to finish off the sweep with a 4-2 triumph. Kittle and Hall of Famer Harold Baines led the way with two homers apiece, while second baseman Julio Cruz turned in one of the more surprising lines of the first round: 8-for-16 (.500), three triples and six RBIs. FULL SERIES RECAP
1970 Baltimore Orioles def. 1995 Seattle Mariners, 4-2
Game 1: SEA 5, BAL 0
Game 2: BAL 4, SEA 0
Game 3: BAL 4, SEA 3
Game 4: SEA 3, BAL 2
Game 5: BAL 13, SEA 3
Game 6: BAL 9, SEA 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
Ken Griffey Jr. wasted no time making his presence felt in this series, clubbing a two-run homer in the first inning of Game 1 en route to a 5-0 victory. Unfortunately for Griffey and the Mariners, the Hall of Famer didn't get much help offensively the rest of the way, with Seattle scoring only 11 runs over the final five games of the series. Meanwhile, the Orioles' offense took the opposite approach, erupting for 22 runs over the final two games to take control of the series after it was tied 2-2. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson led the way with eight RBIs, while 1970 AL MVP Boog Powell clubbed a pair of homers for the O's. FULL SERIES RECAP
NL Region 1
1975 Cincinnati Reds def. 2007 Colorado Rockies, 4-2
Game 1: CIN 7, COL 4
Game 2: COL 6, CIN 4
Game 3: CIN 3, COL 2
Game 4: COL 4, CIN 3
Game 5: CIN 6, COL 3
Game 6: CIN 9, COL 5
Box scores | Play-by-play
This series ultimately turned into the Tony Pérez show. The Hall of Famer drove in a pair of runs in Cincinnati's series-opening victory, then came through with a clutch go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning of Game 3 to lift the Reds to a 3-2 win. Pérez added another home run in Game 4 and drove in all three of the Reds' runs, though it wasn't enough in a 4-3 loss that evened the series. After a Cincinnati win in Game 5, Pérez hit yet another homer and drove in two more runs in Game 6 to key the Reds' series-clinching victory. Pérez finished with a team-leading four home runs and 12 RBIs, more than twice as many as any other player in the series. FULL SERIES RECAP
2012 Washington Nationals def. 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords, 4-3
Game 1: WSH 6, PIT 3
Game 2: WSH 6, PIT 0
Game 3: PIT 6, WSH 4
Game 4: PIT 9, WSH 3
Game 5: WSH 4, PIT 0
Game 6: PIT 3, WSH 2
Game 7: WSH 4, PIT 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Nationals seemed to be on the verge of falling into an early hole in the series opener until they erupted for a five-run eighth inning, highlighted by Bryce Harper's go-ahead three-run homer. Things came a bit easier in Game 2, with Stephen Strasburg allowing just two hits over seven scoreless innings en route to a 6-0 victory. The Crawfords notched back-to-back wins to even the series, but Gio González responded with an absolute gem in Game 5 to put the Nats back in control. González allowed just one hit over seven scoreless innings before four Washington relievers combined to hold Pittsburgh hitless over the final two frames. The Crawfords scratched out a one-run victory in Game 6, setting the stage for a dramatic finish in the winner-take-all Game 7. Though the Nationals led 2-0 for most of the game, Pittsburgh scored a pair of runs in the eighth to tie it before Harper came through once again, putting the Nats ahead for good with a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth. FULL SERIES RECAP
1957 Milwaukee Braves def. 2001 Arizona D-backs, 4-2
Game 1: MIL 1, ARI 0
Game 2: MIL 4, ARI 1
Game 3: ARI 9, MIL 7
Game 4: ARI 2, MIL 0
Game 5: MIL 3, ARI 0
Game 6: MIL 8, ARI 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Braves pitching tandem of Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette was the difference in the series, combining to go 4-0 with a 0.59 ERA. Spahn was especially dominant, firing 17 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts and allowing only eight hits in his two starts. The D-backs did get a pair of wins to knot up the series at two games apiece, but Spahn’s complete-game shutout in Game 5 and Wes Covington’s five RBIs in Game 6 helped Milwaukee put Arizona away. FULL SERIES RECAP
1967 St. Louis Cardinals def. 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2
Game 1: MIL 7, STL 4
Game 2: STL 2, MIL 1
Game 3: STL 3, MIL 1
Game 4: MIL 2, STL 1
Game 5: STL 5, MIL 3
Game 6: STL 7, MIL 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
Cardinals ace Bob Gibson uncharacteristically struggled in Game 1, allowing seven runs on 11 hits in five innings as the Brewers took a 1-0 series lead. But St. Louis ultimately defeated Milwaukee in six games, with Mike Shannon going 2-for-3 with a homer and six RBIs in the clincher and Roger Maris hitting .529 in the series. Hall of Famer Paul Molitor went 11-for-21 (.524) for the Brewers over the first five games, but the Cards held him hitless with three strikeouts over five at-bats in the deciding contest. FULL SERIES RECAP
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates def. 1980 Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3
Game 1: PIT 4, PHI 2
Game 2: PHI 6, PIT 3
Game 3: PIT 5, PHI 4
Game 4: PHI 3, PIT 1
Game 5: PIT 4, PHI 2
Game 6: PHI 10, PIT 3
Game 7: PIT 6, PHI 5
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Pirates, who memorably won the 1960 World Series on Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homer in Game 7 against the Yankees, once again prevailed in a winner-take-all showdown to defeat the Phillies in the first round of Dream Bracket 2. Philadelphia took a 5-4 lead with a three-run eighth inning in Game 7, but the Bucs responded in the bottom of the frame, tying it up on Hal Smith’s solo homer and pulling ahead on Roberto Clemente’s RBI single. Tom Cheney’s 1-2-3 ninth inning closed out the back-and-forth series. Don Hoak led the way for the Pirates with 11 hits, including two homers, over 25 at-bats (.440) in the seven-game affair. FULL SERIES RECAP
1969 Chicago Cubs def. 1954 New York Giants, 4-0
Game 1: CHC 6, NYG 2
Game 2: CHC 2, NYG 1
Game 3: CHC 5, NYG 2
Game 4: CHC 8, NYG 3
Box scores | Play-by-play
The 1969 Cubs were firing on all cylinders against the 1954 World Series-champion Giants, outscoring New York 21-8 in a four-game sweep. After a 6-2 Cubs win in Game 1, Bill Hands took a shutout into the top of the ninth before Willie Mays swatted a game-tying solo homer with one out. But Chicago responded in the bottom of the frame, walking it off on Glenn Beckert’s RBI single. Ken Holtzman tossed five shutout innings and Billy Williams plated three runs in Game 3, and Williams, Ernie Banks and Don Kessinger combined for nine hits and seven RBIs in Game 4, sending the Cubs to the next round. FULL SERIES RECAP
1997 Florida Marlins def. 1969 New York Mets, 4-2
Game 1: FLA 4, NYM 3
Game 2: FLA 6, NYM 2
Game 3: NYM 4, FLA 3
Game 4: FLA 9, NYM 3
Game 5: NYM 3, FLA 2
Game 6: FLA 1, NYM 0
Box scores | Play-by-play
The Marlins’ bullpen was outstanding in the team’s four wins, holding the Mets to seven hits over 21 2/3 scoreless innings. Florida opened and closed the series with extra-inning victories, taking Game 1 on Luis Castillo’s walk-off single in the 14th and winning Game 6 in the 15th when Gary Sheffield scored the clinching run on a wild pitch. Sheffield and Moises Alou each had two home runs and four RBIs for the Marlins in the series, while Charles Johnson hit .333 with a homer, three doubles and five RBIs to help the Fish advance. FULL SERIES RECAP
1984 San Diego Padres def. 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-0
Game 1: SD 8, BRO 0
Game 2: SD 9, BRO 7
Game 3: SD 5, BRO 4
Game 4: SD 8, BRO 2
Box scores | Play-by-play
It was all Padres in this first-round matchup, as they needed just four games to send Brooklyn packing. The Friars set the tone for the series in Game 1, collecting 15 hits to support Ed Whitson’s 6 1/3 scoreless innings in an 8-0 win. San Diego stunned the Dodgers with five runs -- three on Graig Nettles’ go-ahead homer -- in the bottom of the eighth inning to win Game 2, then squeaked out another close victory in Game 3. Game 4 was tied through nine innings before the Padres erupted for six runs in the top of the 10th, pulling ahead on Nettles’ two-run double. FULL SERIES RECAP