13 crazy stat lines from Dream Bracket Rd. 1
The MLB Dream Bracket presented by DraftKings is off to a rousing start, with epic performances and surprising outcomes aplenty in the first round.
The tournament began with 32 teams -- an all-time squad from each of the 30 Major League clubs, plus a team representing the Negro Leagues and another made up of current 25-and-under stars. The first round played out over 16 seven-game series, which were simulated by Out of the Park Baseball.
We've pored through the data and compiled the 13 most ridiculous stat lines from the opening round.
And the home run leader is ...
Frank Robinson, CIN: .231 AVG, 4 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 BB (Series vs. WSH)
The player with the most home runs in the first round of the MLB Dream Bracket wasn't Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez or Willie Mays. It wasn't Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome or Sammy Sosa, either. It was Frank Robinson, who blasted four homers in seven games against the Nationals. Robinson was no stranger to the big moment during his career, as he played in five World Series and produced 10 homers with a .887 OPS in 35 playoff games, on top of the 586 home runs he hit in the regular season. However, he never had more than two homers in any single playoff series, or more than three in any postseason overall.
Jackie, Duke rise to occasion
Jackie Robinson, LAD: 5-for-6 (Game 3 at SD)
Duke Snider, LAD: 2 HR, 7 RBIs (Game 3 at SD)
Both Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider were Hall of Famers for the Dodgers in their careers. They played on the squads that infamously had to ‘Wait Til Next Year,’ then finally broke through and won the World Series in 1955, and Snider was still on the team when they won in 1959. They were big contributors in the Dream Bracket’s first round, too, especially in Game 3 at the Padres. Robinson went 5-for-6 out of the leadoff spot, setting the table for the rest of the offense, which combined to score 11 runs. In his Major League career, Robinson had two five-hit games total -- one each in 1950 and 1951. His career high for hits in a postseason game? That would be three. Snider was a huge part of the offense in the game, knocking two homers, including a grand slam, and driving in seven runs. His career best for RBIs in a Major League game was six.
Gehrig’s golden sombrero
Lou Gehrig, NYY: 0-for-4, 4 K (Game 1 vs. SEA)
Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig was legendary in his time for the Yankees, and one thing in particular -- among many -- that he excelled at was not striking out. His most strikeouts in any season of his career was 84, in 1927 when he also had 717 plate appearances. He never struck out more than three times in a game, and never more than twice in any postseason contest. But things went a bit differently in Dream Bracket Game 1 against the Mariners. Mighty Gehrig registered his first-ever four-strikeout game, striking out three times against Randy Johnson -- twice swinging and once looking -- and once against J.J. Putz, swinging.
Lajoie carries Indians
Nap Lajoie, CLE: 17 hits, 6 multi-hit games (Series vs. Negro League All-Stars)
Nap Lajoie, a Hall of Famer for the Indians, was known for his hitting prowess. His Cooperstown plaque calls him a “Great Hitter,” and it’s quite true. Lajoie hit .338 for his Major League career overall and .339 during his time in Cleveland. During his 21-year career, he had just four seasons with a batting average below .290, and three of those came when he was 39 or older. His hitting was at the forefront during Round 1 of the Dream Bracket, as the Indians took on the Negro League All-Stars. Lajoie totaled 17 hits, the most of any player, racking up six multi-hit games. He finished the series strong, with four hits in the decisive Game 7. The most hits in a best-of-seven series in postseason history is 14, most recently done by Marco Scutaro in the 2012 NLCS for the Giants.
Cobb steadies Tigers
Ty Cobb, DET: .483 BA, 3 HR, 7 RBIs (Series vs. LAA)
Ty Cobb's 22 seasons in Detroit were prolific, as the slugger won 12 batting titles and hit .368 over 2,806 career games for the Tigers. Though he played in just three World Series with the club, all of which were losses, there’s no question that he carried the team throughout his career. The same was true in the Dream Bracket, as he hit .483 with three homers and seven RBIs in the Tigers’ series against the Angels, which went seven games. In the decisive Game 7, Cobb went 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs, as the Tigers won, 12-7. His 14 hits and 25 total bases in the series were both second most among all players in Round 1.
Atypical showing for Stan The Man
Stan Musial, STL: 7 K (Series vs. COL)
Stan Musial was a three-time MVP, 24-time All-Star and seven-time batting champ for the Cardinals in his Hall of Fame career, winning three World Series with St. Louis. He never struck out more than 46 times in a season. He struck out just 18 times total in 700 plate appearances in his MVP-winning 1943 campaign. His 21 seasons with at least 350 plate appearances and fewer than 50 strikeouts are tied for most in Major League history, with Ty Cobb. But strikeouts were a bit of a problem for him in Dream Bracket Round 1, though the Cardinals advanced. Musial had seven strikeouts in the six-game series. He had just four strikeouts in his entire postseason career -- in 99 plate appearances across 23 games. He struck out in each of the first three games of the Dream Bracket series. He never struck out in consecutive games in his postseason career.
Paulie shows his power
Paul Konerko, CWS: .421 BA, .947 SLG, 3 HR, 7 RBIs (Series vs. KC)
Paul Konerko was a six-time All-Star for the White Sox in his 18-year career, winning ALCS MVP in 2005 en route to a World Series title. That postseason, he racked up 15 RBIs and five homers in 12 games. That postseason flair was evident yet again in Round 1 of the Dream Bracket, as Konerko hit .421 with a .947 slugging percentage, three homers and seven RBIs in five games against the Royals.
Foxx rakes, times two
Jimmie Foxx, OAK: .333 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 5 BB (Series vs. TB)
Jimmie Foxx, BOS: .440 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 6 BB (Series vs. TEX)
Jimmie Foxx was an offensive force for the Athletics and Red Sox alike during his career, posting an OPS north of 1.000 and winning the American League MVP Award with both teams (two with the A's, one with Boston). It was more of the same in the Dream Bracket's first round, as the Hall of Fame slugger had a combined 18 hits, four homers, 11 walks, 10 RBIs and 14 runs between the two clubs, each of which advanced. That included one of the best single-game performances of the tournament so far, as Foxx went 3-for-4 with two homers, a double, a walk and four RBIs for the Red Sox in Game 2 against the Rangers.
Brewers upset Giants after Playoff Bumgarner doesn't show up
Madison Bumgarner, SF: 3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 0 K, 2 BB (Game 4 at MIL)
In their matchup against the 15th-seeded Brewers, the second-seeded Giants took a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 and had Madison Bumgarner, one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time, on the mound. The left-hander holds a lifetime 2.11 ERA over 102 1/3 innings in the playoffs, and he allowed only six earned runs over 52 2/3 frames in the entire 2014 postseason. But Bumgarner met his match in the Crew, who scored seven runs off the southpaw in less than four innings, spoiling a five-homer game from the Giants' offense and tying up the series. Milwaukee ultimately knocked off San Francisco in seven games, notching the biggest upset (in terms of seeding) in the Dream Bracket's first round.
Two CG shutouts!? What year is it?
Wilbur Cooper, PIT: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 5 K, 1 BB (Game 2 vs. ARI)
Catfish Hunter, OAK: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 K, 1 BB (Game 5 vs. TB)
In real life, there hasn't been a postseason complete-game shutout since Bumgarner accomplished the feat in the 2016 National League Wild Card Game against the Mets, and the last time there were two shutouts was 2014, both by Bumgarner. The last complete game of any kind in the playoffs came in 2017, by Justin Verlander. But we saw a number of throwback performances in the Round of 32, including shutouts by Wilbur Cooper and Catfish Hunter. The D-backs' Zack Greinke also threw a nine-inning complete game, allowing one run on six hits against the Pirates.
Grove stymies Rays
Lefty Grove, OAK: 16 IP, 1.69 ERA, 18 K, 2 BB (Series vs. TB)
Facing a team that didn't play its first game until 57 years after he threw his final MLB pitch, the virtual Lefty Grove dominated the Rays like he did many other opponents in his career. The nine-time AL ERA champion tossed eight innings in both of his starts, allowing a total of three runs while tying for the tournament lead with 18 strikeouts. In real life, Grove struck out more than 11 batters only once in 624 games, and had a postseason career high of seven K's.
Dodgers rotation dominates
Dodgers rotation: 35 1/3 IP, 2.29 ERA, 32 K's, 8 BB (Series vs. SD)
The Dodgers' quartet of Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw, Don Drysdale and Orel Hershiser was too much for the Padres' lineup to handle, combining to allow just nine earned runs over 35 1/3 innings in a five-game triumph over San Diego. All five games were quality starts. Koufax started Games 1 and 5 and struck out 18 batters, which tied for the tournament lead in the Round of 32.
Strasburg struggles; Nats eliminated
Stephen Strasburg, WSH: 2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 K, 0 BB (Game 1 vs. CIN)
The Reds did what the Dodgers, Cardinals and Astros could not do last October -- defeat the Nationals in a game started by Stephen Strasburg. In real life, Strasburg has allowed only nine earned runs over 55 1/3 innings in the playoffs, but the virtual version of the right-hander gave up five runs in just two innings of work in Game 1 of Washington's series against Cincinnati. Strasburg rebounded with seven strong innings in Game 5 to help the Nats stave off elimination, but the Reds knocked off Washington in seven games, assuring that the club won't be following up a World Series title by winning the MLB Dream Bracket.