Yes, no other post 1900 team comes very close to that.

TEAM # 4 - 1942 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/1942.shtml

MANAGER - Billy Southworth
106-48 (.688) - First Place National League
Post Season - Beat the Yankees in the world series 4 games to 1.
Runs Scored - 755
Runs Allowed - 480
OPS+ - 109
ERA+ - 134

I consider this Cardinal team as the best National League team ever. They beat a tremendous Yankee team in the world series, and beat them easily, winning 4 games in a row after the game one loss, including 3 straight wins in Yankee Stadium. It was the Yankees only world series loss in the 28 year period between 1926 and 1955. The bookmakers must have made a fortune on this series. This team went 43-8 over their last 51 regular season games, winning 12 of their last 13 games to finally put Brooklyn away.

RF Enos Slaughter (OPS+ 156) and 21 year old LF Stan Musial (OPS+ 151) were the top 2 hitters with Slaughter scoring 100 runs with 98 RBIs, and leading the league in hits, triples and total bases. 7 of the 8 position players (Slaughter, Musial, C Walker Cooper, 1B Johnny Hopp, SS Marty "Slats" Marion, 3B Whitey Kurowski, and CF Terry Moore) were above league average at the plate, and there were 3 other good hitters (Ray Sanders, Harry Walker, Coaker Triplett) who all saw significant time. This was a team like the 1998 Yankees who had about 20 players who were all better than the league average player. Jimmy Brown fielded well at 2B and 3B. Kurowski was solid at 3B with Marion spectacular at SS. Terry Moore was a top notch fielder in CF.

The pitching staff was led by league MVP Mort Cooper (22-7, 1.78) who had 10 shutouts. Johnny Beazley (21-6, 2.13) went 2-0 in the world series. Max Lanier (13-8, 2.96) was one of several great left handers that the Cardinals would have in this decade. Ernie White (7-5, 2.52), Lon Warneke (6-4, 3.29), Harry Gumbert (9-5, 3.26) and Howie Pollet (7-5, 2.88) all had between 12 and 19 starts. Howie Krist (13-3, 2.51) and Murray Dickson (6-3, 2.91) were great swingmen.

The offense led the league in runs, hits, doubles, triples, hit by pitches, batting average, OBP, SLG%, and OPS. The defense led the league in shutouts, fewest hits allowed, strikeouts WHIP, ERA, ERA+, lowest batting average allowed, lowest OBP allowed, fewest stolen bases allowed (33), and most opponents caught stealing (56). That means that their opponents were only successful on steals 37% of the time.

And this team was this good with just two hall of famers, Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter.

We are down to just 3 teams and everybody knows which 3 teams they are. Really they could be in any order as I am now dissecting gnats here.





TEAM # 3 - 1927 NEW YORK YANKEES

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1927.shtml

MANAGER - Miller Huggins
110-44 (.714) - First Place American League
Post Season - Swept the Pirates 4 games to none in the world series
Runs Scored - 975
Runs Allowed - 599
OPS+ - 135
ERA+ - 120

The legendary 1927 Yankees, always in the discussion when people talk about the greatest baseball teams of all time. When your #3 batter sets a record with 60 HRs and your #4 batter sets a record with 173 RBIs you're gonna win a lot of games. RF-LF Babe Ruth (.356/.486/.772, OPS+ 225, 158 runs, 60 HRs, 164 RBIs) and 1B Lou Gehrig (.373/.474/.765, OPS+ 220, 149 runs, 117 extra base hits, 173 RBIs) were the most devastating 1-2 punch in baseball history this season. And they also had 2B Tony Lazzeri (OPS+ 125) with 18 HRs and 102 RBIs, LF-RF Bob Meusel (OPS+ 135) with 103 RBIs and leadoff hitter and CFer Earle Combs (OPS+ 141) with 147 runs scored. Even the starting catcher Pat Collins (OPS+ 116) was a good hitter. It did not even matter that SS Mark Koenig and 3Bman Joe Dugan were well below average hitters. Koenig had just a .320 OBP but he still scored 99 runs hitting second in front of Babe and Lou. Not a great fielding team, although Koenig did the job at SS and Lazzeri and Dugan were pretty good too. Combs had a good season in CF, and even Babe at 32 years old fielded well this season.

The pitching does not get enough credit on this team. The staff led the league with an ERA+ of 120 and also led in ERA easily at 3.20. The ace was Waite Hoyt (22-7, 2.63) who tied for the league lead in wins with Ted Lyons. Hoyt had the best ERA in the league among any full time starters. Herb Pennock (19-8, 3.00) was a strong #2 starter. Urban Shocker (18-6, 2.84) was great in his last full season before his untimely death the following year. Dutch Ruether (13-6, 3.38) was the #4 starter with George Pipgras (10-3, 4.11) being the only full time pitcher on the staff with a below average ERA. The player that put this staff over the top was rookie Wilcy "Cy" Moore (19-7, 2.28). He had an incredible season, leading the league in ERA and ERA+ (171), saves (13) and WHIP while throwing 213 innings in 50 games. Moore had 12 starts and finished 30 games.

The story is that the Pirates lost the world series to the Yankees in batting practice for game one in Forbes Field, as they watched Ruth and Gehrig hitting missiles out of the ballpark. There were two one run games in the series, but the Yankees still swept it in 4 games, outscoring Pittsburgh 23 to 10 in the process. Hoyt, Moore, Pipgras and Pennock each got one win in the series, with Moore also saving game one for Hoyt. Babe hit 2 HRs and had 7 RBIs, and Gehrig had 2 doubles and 2 triples with 4 RBIs as the two horses had more combined RBIs than the Pirates scored runs in the series. The 1927 Yankees became the first American League team to sweep a National League team in the world series.

Hall of famers from this team are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Earle Combs, Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, and manager Miller Huggins, with Urban Shocker having a pretty strong case too.

The team's offense led the league in runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, HR's, walks, batting average, OBP, SLG%, walks, OPS and OPS+. The defense led the league in shutouts, fewest hits allowed, fewest walks allowed, WHIP, ERA, ERA+, lowest average allowed and lowest OBP allowed.

My thinking in ranking the 1927 team only at #3 is this.

1 - They have the lowest LQ of these 3 teams.

2 - It's a flawed team that got no hitting from SS and 3B and not that much from catchers. Only average fielding too, at best. Of course Babe and Lou back to back in the batting order makes up for lots of flaws!

3 - They benefited from having two players who had figured out how to hit the long ball before many other players had. If they played in later eras they would not have that huge advantage.

4 - The bench is very weak, and a serious injury to any of their key players would have been a big problem.

5 - Their pitching was great, but without much depth. They really only had 6 good pitchers and they would have had a problem competing in later times when bullpens became so much more important.

6 - In numerous simulated tournaments and seasons that I have run in various games they have performed just a smidge below the other two teams that are ranked ahead of them, although they have done better than both of the other teams in the current 64 Team Tournament that I am playing.

TEAM # 2 - 1998 NEW YORK YANKEES

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1998.shtml

MANAGER - Joe Torre
114-48 (.704)
Post Season - Beat Texas in the Division Series 3 games to none. Beat the Indians in the ALCS 4 games to 2. Swept the Padres in the world series, 4 games to none.
Runs Scored - 965
Runs Allowed - 656
OPS+ - 117
ERA+ - 114

This is CLEARLY the best team since the game was integrated in 1947. They set an American League record with 114 wins (which was broken just 3 years later), swept Texas in the first round of the playoffs, then fell behind the Indians 2 games to 1 in the ALCS before winning the next 3 games to win that series. And they capped it off by sweeping the NL champion Padres in 4 games. Their overall record finishing at 125-50 including the post season. That's a .714 winning percentage including the post season.

No one player stood out on this team as evidenced by them not having a serious contender for either the MVP or the Cy Young awards. They were as great as they were because 20 or more players on the team all had above league average seasons at the same time.

Eight of the nine starting offensive players all had an OPS+ of 102 or better. C Jorge Posada (OPS+ 115) had 17 HRs and 63 RBIs in just 409 PA. 1B Tino Martinez (OPS+ 124) had 28 HRs and 123 RBIs. 2B Chuck Knoblauch (OPS+ 102) scored 117 runs. SS Derek Jeter (OPS+ 127) hit .324 and led the league with 127 runs, along with 19 HRs and 84 RBIs. 3B Scott Brosius (OPS+ 121) came over in a trade and shocked everybody with 19 HRs and 98 RBIs even though he usually batted 9th. Scott also took home the world series MVP and had a huge HR against Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. CF Bernie Williams (OPS+ 160) won the batting title at .339, scored 101 runs and had 26 HRs and 97 RBIs. RF Paul O'Neill (OPS+ 130) had 24 HRs and 116 RBIs. DH Darryl Strawberry (OPS+ 132) had 24 HRs and 57 RBIs. LF Chad Curtis (OPS+ 90) was the weakest hitting starter and even he scored 79 runs. Chad's biggest ever moment came the following season when he hit a TITANIC walkoff home run in the world series against the Braves. Part timers Tim Raines (53 runs, 47 RBIs), and especially Shane Spencer (OPS+ 236) made big contributions. Spencer (.373/.411/.910) was amazing, with 10 HRs and 27 RBIs in just 73 PA, as if the Yankees needed more hitting. Brosius was the team's best fielder in the infield, with Curtis their best outfielder. Even Jeter had one of his better years in the field.

You don't win 125 games without great team pitching and this team had lots of it. The starters were David Cone (20-7, 3.55), Andy Pettitte (16-11, 4.24), David Wells (18-4, 2.49), Hideki Irabu (13-9, 4.06) and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez (12-4, 3.13). Swingman Ramiro Mendoza (10-2, 3.25) was very valuable as a spot starter and a long reliever. Closer Mariano Rivera (3-0, 1.91 with 36 saves) was to become the best reliever ever. Mike Stanton (4-1, 6 saves in 79 innings) and Jeff Nelson (5-3, 3.79) were the left and righty setup men. Australian giant Graeme Lloyd (3-0, 1.67) was the LOOGY. Even Darren Holmes (3.33 ERA in 51 innings) contributed with 2 saves.

There were no historic individual seasons, far from it. But it was the deepest team ever in terms of having like 24 players all playing better than a league average player. Raines and Torre are already hall of famers, and I expect them to be joined by Jeter and Rivera for sure, probably Andy Pettitte, and maybe David Cone someday.

The offense led the league in runs scored, walks, fewest strikeouts, OBP, OPS and OPS+. The defense led the league in complete games, shutouts, fewest hits allowed, fewest home runs allowed, WHIP, ERA, ERA+, lowest average allowed and lowest OBP allowed. Best team I ever saw since I started watching baseball in the early 1960s.

TEAM # 1 - 1939 NEW YORK YANKEES

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1939.shtml

MANAGER - Joe McCarthy
106-45 (.702) - First Place American League
Post Season - Swept the Reds in the world series, 4 games to none.
Runs Scored - 967
Runs Allowed - 556
OPS+ - 119
ERA+ - 132

This is my pick as the greatest team of all time, nosing out the 1998 Yankees and the 1927 Yankees. They had a run differential of +411, and a Pythagorean record of 111-40. So they were 5 games worse than they should have been with that run differential. They rolled over a very good Reds team in the world series, outscoring them 20-8 in the 4 games. And they had this great season despite losing their captain, Lou Gehrig, early in the season to an eventual fatal illness. Imagine if they had Gehrig playing 1B at just his 1938 level of play instead of Dahlgren. They would have been even better.

Their best hitter was CF Joe DiMaggio (.381/.448/.671) with an OPS+ of 184, with 30 HRs and 126 RBIs. Joltin' Joe missed a month with a foot injury, and Marse Joe just stuck Tommy Henrich in CF and the team went 26-4 during Joe's injury. The Yankee Clipper won the batting title and also nosed out Jimmie Foxx for the top OPS+ in the league. Rookie Charlie Keller (.334/.447/.500) split time in LF and RF and scored 87 runs with 83 RBIs in just 111 games. LF-RF George Selkirk scored 103 runs with 101 RBIs. Henrich (.277/.371/.429) chipped in with 64 runs and 57 RBIs off the bench. C Bill Dickey (.302/.403/.513) scored 98 runs and had 105 RBIs. 2B Joe Gordon had 28 HRs and 111 RBIs. SS Frank Crosetti did not hit much but still scored 109 runs in this lineup. Babe Dahlgren took over for Gehrig, batted 8th in the lineup, and had 89 RBIs, and made a bunch of sensational fielding plays during the year. 3B Red Rolfe (OPS+ 130) led the league with 139 runs scored. Seven of the 8 regulars had 80 or more RBIs, and 7 of them also scored 87 or more runs. All 8 position players hit 10 or more HRs, which may have been the first time that this occurred. Crosetti, Gordon and DiMaggio were all gold glove level fielders, with Rolfe and Dahlgren very good also. This team was a juggernaut. And the pitching was better than the offense!

Red Ruffing (21-7, 2.93) was the staff ace, and he also had a big year as a hitter, batting .307 with 20 RBIs. Eight different pitchers had 10 or more starts on this deep staff. Besides Ruffing there was Lefty Gomez (12-8, 3.41), Bump Hadley (12-6, 2.98), Atley Donald (13-3, 3.71), Monte Pearson (12-5, 4.49), Oral Hildebrand (10-4, 3.06), Steve Sundra (11-1, 2.76) and Marius Russo (8-3, 2.41). Johnny Murphy had a so-so year as the closer, with 19 saves but a 4.40 ERA. Seven pitchers had an ERA+ of 128 or better.

This team's offense led the league in runs homers, walks, OBP, SLG%, OPS and OPS+. The defense led in complete games shutouts, saves, fewest hits allowed, WHIP, ERA, ERA+, lowest average allowed, lowest OBP allowed, fewest errors, fielding pct., and fewest combination of wild pitches and passed balls allowed. Counting the post season they were 110-45 (.710) with a run differential of +423.

Hall of famers from this team are Lou Gehrig, Joe Gordon, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, and manager Joe McCarthy. Wes Ferrell also has a good case and was on the last veteran's committee ballot for his era.

GREATEST MLB TEAMS

1 - 1939 New York Yankees (AL) - All told they were 110-45 (.710) with a run diff. of +423.
2 - 1998 New York Yankees (AL) - All told they went 125-50 with a run differential of +337.
3 - 1927 New York Yankees (AL) - 110-44 with a run differential of +376 and swept the world series.
4 - 1942 St. Louis Cardinals (NL) - 106-48, beat a great Yankee team in 5 games in the world series.
5 - 1975 Cincinnati Reds (NL) - Won 108 games and won a classic world series over the Red Sox.
6 - 1906 Chicago Cubs (NL) - Went 116-36 (.763), best regular season record since 1885.
7 - 1948 Cleveland Indians (AL) - Run Differential of +272, led the league in OPS+ and ERA+.
8 - 1953 New York Yankees (AL) - Beat Brooklyn in 6 games to win their 5th consecutive world series.
9 - 1910 Philadelphia Athletics (AL) - Won the first of 3 world series and 4 pennants in 5 years.
10 - 1929 Philadelphia Athletics (AL) - Went 104-46 (.693), beat Cubs in 5 games in the world series.
11 - 2016 Chicago Cubs (NL) - Run Differential of +252 is unheard of in modern day baseball.
12 - 1969 Baltimore Orioles (AL) - Won 109 games and swept the Twins in the ALCS.
13 - 2001 Seattle Mariners (AL) - Won an AL record 116 games and had a run differential of +300.
14 - 1986 New York Mets (NL) - Won 108 games and won their division by 21 and a half games.
15 - 1984 Detroit Tigers (AL) - They won 35 of their first 40 games and never looked back.
16 - 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) - Scored 775 runs and allowed just 440 runs going 103-36 (.741).
17 - 1905 New York Giants (NL) - Mathewson shuts out the Athletics 3 times in 6 days in the series.
18 - 1912 Boston Red Sox (AL) - Beat the Giants in the 10th inning of the deciding world series game.
19 - 1998 Atlanta Braves (NL) - Won 106 games and slugged .453 as a team with pitchers hitting.
20 - 1995 Cleveland Indians (AL) - Went 100-44 (.694), 14 games better than the next best AL team.
21 - 1968 Detroit Tigers (AL) - Beat Bob Gibson and his 1.12 ERA in game 7 of the world series.
22 - 1961 New York Yankees (AL) - Won 109 games as The M & M Boys combined for 115 home runs.
23 - 1896 Baltimore Orioles (NL) - Swept Cleveland 4 straight games in the Temple Cup.
24 - 2007 Boston Red Sox (AL) - Swept Colorado in the world series.
25 - 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) - Led league with 798 runs scored and only 561 runs allowed.
26 - 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers (NL) - Won 105 games, the most in the NL from 1945 through 1974.
27 - 1935 Chicago Cubs (NL) - Won 21 games in a row down the stretch.
28 - 1935 Detroit Tigers (AL) - Beat the Cubs in the world series in 7 games.
29 - 1897 Boston Beaneaters (NL) - Scored 1025 runs and allowed just 665 runs.
30 - 1954 New York Giants (NL) - Swept the 111 win Indians in the world series.
31 - 1885 Chicago White Stockings ( NL) - Went 87-25 (.777) to edge the Giants in a wild race.
32 - 1885 New York Giants (NL) - Finished 2 games behind Chicago with a .759 winning percentage.
33 - 1972 Oakland Athletics (AL) - Beat the Big Red Machine in 7 games in the world series.
34 - 2002 Anaheim Angels (AL) - Beat the Giants 4 games to 3 in the world series.
35 - 1884 Providence Grays (NL) - Swept the New York Mets of the AA in the first world series.
36 - 1886 St. Louis Browns (AA) - Only AA Team to beat the NL in the world series.
37 - 1875 Boston Red Stockings (NA) - Won the pennant by 18 and a half games.
38 - 1922 New York Giants (NL) - Swept the Yankees 4-0 in the world series (also one tie game).
39 - 1891 Boston Reds (AA) - Won the pennant by 8 and a half games over St. Louis.
40 - 2001 Oakland Athletics (AL) - Run differential of +239 in one of the toughest divisions in history.

....................

In relation to your top 5:

http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-predic ... b-network/

That was amazing!

But Bruce to his credit DID get in two NL Central teams in middling cities

Okay guys, with no real baseball now, I am presenting a big tournament featuring the greatest baseball teams of all time. I am using Diamond Mind Baseball to run the tournament. There are 124 teams in the tournament, so the top 4 seeds get a bye and the other 120 teams play a series with the 60 winners joining the 4 teams with a bye, to get into the round of 64.

Each series will be 162 games head to head. If a series is tied 81-81 there will be one extra game at the home park of the team with the better run differential. Teams are playing in the park that they played in at the time, with ballpark characteristics effecting the games. All games played in a neutral era, which is based on the average MLB numbers over the course of most of the 20th century. The DH is only used in the home park of teams that actually used a DH.

I ran a full season for each team against teams from their own eras to get stats to use for the seedings. Three of the teams are Negro League teams from before MLB integrated. These are all multi-year teams, no single season teams.

Here are the brackets:

=======================================================================

SECTION A

1---------------------------------- 1915-18 Red Sox
|_ 1915-18 Red Sox
16
|_ BYE

8---------------------------------- 1976-78 Royals
|_ 1976-78 Royals (82-80)
9
|_ 1996-98 Padres
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
5---------------------------------- 1917-19 White Sox
|_ 1917-19 White Sox (86-76)
12
|_ 2002-03 Angels

4---------------------------------- 1988-90 A's
|_ 1988-90 A's (89-73)
13
|_ 1949-50 Phillies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1996-97 Orioles
|_1996-97 Orioles (118-44)
15
|_1888-89 Bridegrooms

7---------------------------------- 1977-78 Dodgers
|_ 1969-70 Twins
10
|_ 1977-78 Dodgers (91-71)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

6---------------------------------- 2001-02 A's
|_ 1976-78 Phillies
11
|_ 2001-02 A's (86-76)

3---------------------------------- 1949-53 Yankees
|_ 1949-53 Yankees (105-57)
14
|_ 1930-31 Cardinals

===========================================================================

SECTION B

1---------------------------------- 1991-99 Braves
|_ 1991-99 Braves (117-45)
16
|_ 1912-13 Senators

8---------------------------------- 1963-65 White Sox
|_ 1963-65 White Sox (83-79)
9
|_ 1981-82 Brewers
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

5---------------------------------- 1924-25 Monarchs
|_ 1924-25 Monarchs (103-59)
12
|_ 1997-99 Astros

4 --------------------------------- 1971-75 Athletics
|_ 1971-75 Athletics (94-68)
13
|_ 1896-99 Reds
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1921-23 Yankees
|_ 1921-23 Yankees (115-47)
15
|_ 1944-45 Browns

7---------------------------------- 1985-86 Angels
|_ 1985-86 Angels (93-69)
10
|_ 1893-95 Giants
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
6----------------------------------- 1921-24 Giants
|_ 1921-24 Giants (95-67)
11
|_ 1982-83 Orioles

3----------------------------------- 1990-92 Pirates
|_ 1990-92 Pirates (111-51)
14
|_ 1885-88 Browns

=======================================================================

SECTION C

1---------------------------------- 1996-01 Yankees
|_ 1996-01 Yankees
16
|_ BYE

8---------------------------------- 1991-93 Blue Jays
|_ 1893-95 Phillies
9
|_ 1991-93 Blue Jays(91-71)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
5---------------------------------- 1979-81 Expos
|_ 1979-81 Expos (88-74)
12
|_ 1921-22 Browns

4---------------------------------- 49-56 Dodgers
|_ 1949-56 Dodgers (95-67)
13
|_ 1995-97 Rockies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1919-21 Indians
|_1919-21 Indians (102-60)
15
|_1982-83 Braves

7---------------------------------- 1969-71 Orioles
|_ 1969-71 Orioles (106-56)
10
|_ 1880-82 Grays
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

6---------------------------------- 1970-72 Pirates
|_ 1970-72 Pirates (83-79)
11
|_ 1961-62 Reds

3---------------------------------- 1910-14 Athletics
|_ 1910-14 Athletics (96-66)
14
|_ 1936-37 Giants

===========================================================================

SECTION D

1---------------------------------- 1926-28 Yankees
|_ 1926-28 Yankees (137-25)
16
|_ 1880-82 White Stockings

8---------------------------------- 1965-67 Giants
|_ 1965-67 Giants (98-64)
9
|_ 1891-93 Beaneaters
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

5---------------------------------- 1967-69 Tigers
|_ 1967-69 Tigers (86-76)
12
|_ 1995-97 Dodgers

4 --------------------------------- 1946-49 Red Sox
|_ 1946-49 Red Sox (90-72)
13
|_ 1918-19 Cubs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1906-08 Cubs
|_ 1906-08 Cubs (108-54)
15
|_ 1949-50 Tigers

7---------------------------------- 1978-79 Pirates
|_ 1978-79 Pirates (101-61)
10
|_ 1888-89 Giants
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
6----------------------------------- 1993-94 Expos
|_ 1941-42 Dodgers
11
|_ 1993-94 Expos (87-75)

3----------------------------------- 1960-64 Yankees
|_ 1960-64 Yankees (105-57)
14
|_ 1984-85 Padres

=======================================================================

SECTION E

1---------------------------------- 1936-39 Yankees
|_ 1936-39 Yankees
16
|_ BYE

8---------------------------------- 1980-81 Astros
|_ 1980-81 Astros (89-73)
9
|_ 1915-16 Phillies
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
5---------------------------------- 1993-94 White Sox
|_ 1993-94 White Sox (95-67)
12
|_ 1886-87 Wolverines

4---------------------------------- 1985-87 Cardinals
|_ 1985-87 Cardinals (82-81)
13
|_ 1934-35 Tigers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1972-76 Reds
|_1972-76 Reds (93-69)
15
|_1998-99 Rangers

7---------------------------------- 2001-02 Diamondbacks
|_ 1892-93 Spiders
10
|_ 2001-02 Diamondbacks (92-70)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

6---------------------------------- 1995-97 Indians
|_ 1995-97 Indians (92-70)
11
|_ 1967-68 Cardinals

3---------------------------------- 1932-33 Senators
|_ 1932-33 Senators (92-70)
14
|_ 1919-20 Robins

===========================================================================

SECTION F

1---------------------------------- 1894-98 Orioles
|_ 1894-98 Orioles (107-55)
16
|_ 1936-37 White Sox

8---------------------------------- 1935-38 Cubs
|_ 1935-38 Cubs (98-64)
9
|_ 1911-13 Giants
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

5---------------------------------- 1906-08 Naps
|_ 1906-08 Naps (86-76)
12
|_ 1960-61 Pirates

4 --------------------------------- 1985-86 Yankees
|_ 1907-09 Tigers
13
|_ 1985-86 Yankees (85-77)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1976-78 Yankees
|_ 1976-78 Yankees (107-55)
15
|_ 1905-06 White Sox

7---------------------------------- 1954-55 Giants
|_ 1954-55 Giants (82-80)
10
|_ 2001-02 Mariners
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
6----------------------------------- 1994-95 Reds
|_ 1969-70 Mets
11
|_ 1994-95 Reds (86-76)

3----------------------------------- 2001-02 Cardinals
|_ 2001-02 Cardinals (97-55)
14
|_ 1934-35 Indians

=======================================================================

SECTION G

1---------------------------------- 1942-46 Cardinals
|_ 1942-46 Cardinals
16
|_ BYE

8---------------------------------- 1998-99 Red Sox
|_ 1919-20 Reds
9
|_ 1998-99 Red Sox (85-77)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
5---------------------------------- 1901-03 Pirates
|_ 1901-03 Pirates (88-74)
12
|_ 1984-87 Tigers

4---------------------------------- 1999-00 Mets
|_ 1999-00 Mets (90-72)
13
|_ 1924-25 Senators
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1969-70 Cubs
|_1969-70 Cubs (99-63)
15
|_1882-85 Red Stockings

7---------------------------------- 1951-55 Indians
|_ 1975-78 Red Sox
10
|_ 1951-55 Indians (86-76)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

6---------------------------------- 1925-27 Pirates
|_ 1962-66 Dodgers
11
|_ 1925-27 Pirates (92-70)

3---------------------------------- 1933-35 Crawfords
|_ 1933-35 Crawfords (105-57)
14
|_ 1965-66 Indians

===========================================================================

SECTION H

1---------------------------------- 1942-45 Grays
|_ 1942-45 Grays (136-26)
16
|_ 1883-84 Beaneaters

8---------------------------------- 1957-59 Braves
|_ 1985-88 Mets
9
|_ 1957-59 Braves (87-75)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

5---------------------------------- 1954-55 White Sox
|_ 1977-78 Rangers
12
|_ 1954-55 White Sox (92-70)

4 --------------------------------- 1904-06 Giants
|_ 1904-06 Giants (91-71)
13
|_ 1914-15 Braves
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2---------------------------------- 1899-00 Superbas
|_ 1899-00 Superbas (105-57)
15
|_ 1892-93 Pirates

7---------------------------------- 2000-02 Giants
|_ 2000-02 Giants (87-75)
10
|_ 1939-40 Reds
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
6----------------------------------- 1947-48 Braves
|_ 1947-48 Braves (92-70)
11
|_ 1991-92 Twins

3----------------------------------- 1929-31 Athletics
|_ 1929-31 Athletics (99-63)
14
|_ 1903-04 Pilgrims

===========================================================================

The 1915-18 Red Sox have a bye, so our first matchup will be between the 1976-78 Royals and the 1996-98 Padres. This is an 8-9 matchup, so it should be a very even series. The Royals won the AL West in all 3 of these seasons, losing to the Yankees in the ALCS 3 times in a row. The team was led by hall of famer George Brett, along with Amos Otis. Frank White, Hal McRae, John Mayberry and Darrell Porter. Willie Wilson came in by 1978. The staff was led by Dennis Leonard, Larry Gura, Paul Splitorff, Al Hrabosky, Doug Bird and Mark Litell. They were managed by Whitey Herzog.

The 1996-98 Padres were led by hall of famer Tony Gwynn, along with Ken Caminiti, Greg Vaughan and Steve Finley. Pitchers included Kevin Brown, Andy Ashby, Sterling Hitchcock and hall of famer Trevor Hoffman. They shocked the world in 1998 and beat the Braves in the playoffs to get to the world series, where they were swept by the powerhouse Yankees. The 1996 team won the NL West but were swept by St. Louis in the division series. Rickey Henderson was there that year, along with Bob Tewksbury and Fernando Valenzuela. Their manager was Bruce Bochy.

Should be a good series. The DH will be used in the games played in KC.

ROYALS EDGE PADRES 82-80!

As expected this was a very close series, with both teams scoring the exact same number of runs for the season. Nobody could open up much of a lead for the first 100 games or so, but around then the Royals won 9 games in a row to take a nice lead. But the Padres won 12 in a row in September to take a one game lead with 7 games to play. The Royals then one 4 in a row to take a 3 game lead with 3 to play. The Padres kep battling, winning 2 games to cut it to one game with one game to play. Game #162 went into extra innings before the Royals pulled out an 8-5 win to take the series.


Year.......Team............................W......L.......Pct.GB......RF....RA
1976-78.... Kansas City Royals........82....80 .....506...-.....670...670
1996-98.... San Diego Padres......... 80....82......494..2.....670...670


I can't post all of the stats because they don't line up right, but here are some highlights.

George Brett went .329/.383/.539 with 26 HRs, 103 runs scored and 103 RBI.
Amos Otis at .292 with 106 runs scored.
Hal McRae had 91 RBIs.

Tony Gwynn hit .313, but scored just 72 runs.
Ken Caminiti went .300-19-89.
Steve Finley with 22 HRs and 94 RBIs

Dennis Leonard went 14-12, 3.09, with 11 complete games.
Larry Gura went 9-3, 3.11
Jim Colborn was 10-4, 3.23
Andy Hassler was 13-7, 3.65
Paul Splittorff had a bad year at 10-17, 4.02.
Al Hrabosky with 26 saves.

Joey Hamilton had a huge year at 16.9, 2.49.
Kevin Brown was just 13-12, 3.49
Trevor Hoffman with 37 saves, but a 3.80 ERA
Sterling Hitchcock got lit up at 8-13, 5.36.

The Royals will take on the top seeded 1915-18 Red Sox in the next round.

Tomorrow morning's series pits the #5 seed 1917-19 White Sox against the #12 seed 2002-03 Angels. The White Sox are better known as the Black Sox when they threw the 1919 world series to the Reds, but the 1917 White Sox were world champions, preventing the Red Sox from winning 4 in a row. The Red Sox won the series in 1915, 1916, and 1918.

The 1917 White Sox had phenomenal pitching, with 4 of their 5 main starters posting ERAs under 2.00. Eddie Cicotte was 28-12, 1.53. Hall of Famer Red Faber was 16-13, 1.92. Their big hitters were Eddie Collins, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch. Their manager was Pants Rowland, with Kid Gleason managing the 1919 club.

Everybody here probably remembers the world champion 2002 Angels. It's one of the only championship teams that will not have a hall of famer anywhere. Their best hitters were Garrett Anderson, Tim Salmon and Brad Fullmer, and Troy Glaus hit 30 HRs and had 111 RBIs. Their top starters were Ramon Ortiz, Jarod Washburn and Kevin Appier, along with a young John Lackey. Troy Percival was a lights out closer, with 40 saves in 44 chances. Mike Scioscia was the manager.

The White Sox are the favorite here, but this is certainly not gonna be all that easy.

WHITE SOX KNOCK OFF ANGELS, 86-76!

This series was close most of the way. The Angels led for much of the first half of the season but the White Sox took charge when they won 11 of 13 to close out June. The Angels closed to within 2 games in September, but the White Sox then won 7 of 9 to put things away. The Sox won by 10 games, and outscored the Angels by 34 runs on the season. It was very low scoring as the Sox pitching and the two ballparks held down the runs. It's almost impossible to hit one out of the White Sox ballpark.

Year.........Team..........................W.....L........Pct...GB.....RF....RA
1917-19...Chicago White Sox......86...76......531....- .....618..584
2002-03.. Anaheim Angels.........76...86......469...10.....584..618


The White Sox top hitters were:

Eddie Collins - .323 with 119 runs scored. He also stole 86 bases although he was caught 29 times too.
Shoeless Joe Jackson at .290 with 15 HRs and 89 runs scored.
Happy Felsch hit just .233, but had 82 RBI.

The Angels hitters included:

Tim Salmon at .277-12-59
Garrett Anderson - .269-14-77
Troy Glaus hit just ,228, but with 25 HRs and 70 RBI.

The White Sox pitching:

Red Faber went 19-10, 2.51 to lead the staff.
Joe Benz was 10-7, 2.56
Reb Russell went 10-5, 2.68 and also hit .316 with 11 extra base hits in 95 AB.
Jack Quinn was awesome in 76 games out of the bullpen, at 9-6, 2.21 with 15 saves.

Angels Pitching:

Kevin Appier - 13-9, 2.14
Jarrod Washburn - 14-10, 2.91
Ramon Ortiz killed them, at 6-16, 5.23.
Scot Shields (5-2, 1.92), Dennis Cook (3-2, 2.07) and Brian Donnely (11-6, 2.08) were all great in relief.

The White Sox move into round 2 where they will take on the winner of tonight's series between the 1988-90 A's and the 1949-50 Phillies.