LAST TEAM STANDING Tournament

[Devtoth]

14 teams spanning time and space battled it out until there was just one LAST TEAM
STANDING.

The 1924 St. Louis Cardinals managed by Joel Medvidovich defeated the 1906 Reds managed by Matt Demello four games
to one and were crowned the champions of the Last Team Standing Tournament.

Tournament format was as follows: Any team was eligible to enter so long as their winning percentage was less than .426. 14 managers chose teams spanning 1906 to 2020, stretching from Seattle to Atlanta, and the action kicked off with each team playing the other twice, with the bottom two teams (1977 Braves and 1924 Browns) handed their walking papers after the completion of the round. Round 2 would see the 1997 Cubs and the 1975 Tigers bow out while the 2018 Reds dominated,
compiling an impressive 17-5 mark (each of the remaining 12 teams played the other teams twice). Round MVP honors went to 1924 Cards second baseman Rogers Hornsby (remember
that name, folks), who hit .404 with nine home runs, 28 runs and 26 RBI in 22 games, while the top pitching performance was turned in by teammate Jesse Haines, who was 5-0 with a 3.42 ERA. Thanks to Ryan Mountcastle’s 25 RBI, the 2020 Orioles were the team to beat in Round 3 with a won-loss mark of 14-4. Hornsby continued his torrid play with a .514 BA and .593 OBP, his performance enough to ensure the Cards would move on despite a so-so 10-8 record. The top pitcher of the round was Luis Castillo of the 2018 Reds, who was 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA. The 2011 Orioles, the 1983 Mets and the 1970 Royals were all kicked to the curb at the conclusion of
the round.

The wheat was separated from the chafe in Round 4 as we said goodbye to three of the competition’s seven remaining teams - the powerhouse 2017 Giants, the 1990 Braves and the
1979 Mariners. The 1906 Reds emerged as a serious contender, blowing through the round with a gaudy 11 wins in 12 games (the sole defeat coming at the hands of the 2020 Orioles). Mountcastle’s .438 batting average led all comers while Buster Posey (2017 Giants) logged an eye-catching all-around performance with a .391 BA, nine runs and 11 RBI. Not surprisingly, the 1906 Reds had the best pitching of the round, with teammates Jake Weimer (2.33) and Bob
Ewing (2.67) each going 3-0.

In Round 5, the four remaining teams played each other four times to determine the two teams in the championship round. And it all came down to the final game of the final series. The 1924 Cards were already assured a spot in the championship, but their opponent was in question. If the Orioles defeated the Cards in the final game, the O’s would advance and play the Cards for the title. But if the Cardinals won, the 1906 Reds would slip in the back door instead. Perhaps deciding they’d rather face Cincinnati (in retrospect, a wise decision), the Cardinals ran roughshod over the Orioles, winning the decider 19-6. Hornsby was once again who we thought he was, compiling a .460 BA to go along with 10 walks and 15 runs over the 16 games. But he had plenty of competition for the best player of the round – the O’s Jose Iglesias was 23 for 46
with 14 doubles, nine runs and 16 RBI, and his 1.000 slugging percentage easily led the round, or any other round, for that matter.

After all that, the best-of-seven final between the 1924 Cardinals and the 1906 Red Stockings was a bit anti-climatic. Basically, too much Hornsby, too many errors committed by the Reds. St. Louis took the opener 2-1, the Reds committing three errors which led to both runs being unearned. The Redbirds cruised in Game 2, 8-2, Hornsby 4 for 5 with three runs and catcher Mike Gonzalez driving in five. Cincinnati got on the board in Game 3, improbably, scoring three times in the bottom of the ninth to reverse a 3-1 deficit and walking off with a 4-3 win, but it was the Cards turn to come back in Game 4. With the Reds leading 3-2 and six outs away from squaring the series at 2-2, St. Louis scored four in the eighth and won going away 6-3. A defeated Cincinnati squad took the field for Game 5 only to witness another sublime performance from the St. Louis shortstop; Hornsby was a homer short of the cycle and scored three runs to lead the Cardinals to a 7-4 win and the LTS championship. Hornsby’s performance in the final (10 for 18, five extra base hits, eight runs, four RBI) cemented his selection as Player of the Tournament. In 78 games, Hornsby hit .444, and when he wasn’t slapping extra base hits (20 doubles, 13 triples, 13 home runs) he was being intentionally
walked to the tune of 27 times, contributing to his OBP of .545.

Writen by Matt Demello

Directors Note:
Congrats to everyone that to part to make this such a successful event.
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