My 128-team TRIPLE-knockout

[RandySteinman]

I am heading into the nitty-gritty of a big 128-team triple-knockout GTOP tournament that I started solitaire just over one year ago.
No DH’s (since 76% of the teams in the tournament did not use a DH in real life), three-man pitching rotations (with options in place for the #4 and #5 starters to also start on occasion), and injuries potentially lasting up to a maximum two games.
I separated the 128 teams into eight 16-team divisions, broken down by era.  After 328 games, each division has now been pared down to just four contenders.  Here is the upcoming schedule for the remaining 32 teams:

Cobb Division (1901-1917)
1912 Giants (undefeated) vs 1916 Dodgers (1 loss)
1901 White Sox (2 losses) vs 1902 Pirates (2 losses)

Ruth Division (1918-1935)
1927 Yankees (undefeated) vs 1922 Browns (1 loss)
1930 Cardinals (2 losses) vs 1922 Giants (2 losses)

Williams Division (1936-1960)
1959 White Sox (undefeated) vs 1946 Red Sox (1 loss)
1954 Indians (2 losses) vs 1937 Yankees (2 losses)

Mays Division (1961-1975)
1961 Yankees (undefeated) vs 1967 Cardinals (1 loss)
1969 Orioles (2 losses) vs 1967 Red Sox (2 losses)

Bench Division (1976-1985)
1984 Tigers (undefeated) vs 1983 Orioles (1 loss)
1985 Blue Jays (2 losses) vs 1978 Red Sox (2 losses)

Alomar Division (1985-1998)
1998 Padres (undefeated) vs 1990 Reds (1 loss)
1993 Phillies (2 losses) vs 1993 Giants (2 losses)

Ortiz Division (1998-2008)
1999 Rangers (undefeated) vs 1998 Braves (1 loss)
2002 Athletics (2 losses) vs 2001 Mariners (2 losses)

Pujols Division (2008-2019)
2015 Blue Jays (undefeated) vs 2011 Rangers (1 loss)
2019 Dodgers (2 losses) vs 2009 Yankees (2 losses)

The eventual winner of each division will then advance to another triple-elimination ‘Elite Eight’ that will determine the tournament champion.  It’s been a lot of fun so far, with a lot of interesting storylines:

1998 Braves’ catcher Javy Lopez has been a run-producing machine.  In Atlanta’s seven games in the Ortiz Division, Lopez has driven in 19 runs on the strength of five homers and a .345 batting average.

In his six games, George Brett of the 1980 Royals batted .591 (13-for-22 w/ 3 walks), with an OPS of 1.731.  Unfortunately, Kansas City lost three of those six games and were knocked out of the Bench Division.

Of the four teams still alive in the Ortiz Division, none of them even made it to the World Series in real life.  The top seed in the division, the '98 Yankees, were eliminated after six games.

To date, three pitchers in the tournament are 0-and-3. But Jack Taylor (1906 Cubs), Kirby Higbe (1941 Dodgers) and Dennis Martinez (1995 Indians) all pitched very well, despite their combined 0-9 record. In 71.2 innings, the trio allowed only 23 earned runs for a combined ERA of 2.89. That’s well under the tournament’s current overall ERA of 3.49.

The 1940 Reds were eliminated in three straight games, but don’t blame their pitching staff.  In 27 innings, the Reds allowed just five earned runs for a team ERA of 1.67.  Williams Division opponents batted just .163 against them.  But, offensively, the '40 Reds could muster only one run in three games.

The tournament fielding percentage is .980… right about where it should be.  But three unbeaten teams (the 1927 Yankees, '61 Yankees and '98 Padres) have combined to handle 494 Total Chances without making an error.

Statistical Leaders:

Batting Leaders (min 22 PA’s):
George Brett (1980 Royals) .591
Hank Greenberg (1934 Tigers) .500
Felipe Alou (1962 Giants) .481

OPS (min 22 PA’s):
Ted Williams (1946 Red Sox)  1.923
George Brett (1980 Royals)  1.731
Eddie Murray (1983 Orioles)  1.570

Home Runs:
Joe Dimaggio (1937 Yankees) & Ted Williams (1946 Red Sox)  6 each
Javy Lopez (1998 Braves)  5

Runs Batted In:
Javy Lopez (1998 Braves)  19
Ted Williams (1946 Red Sox) & Eddie Murray (1983 Orioles)  13 each

Stolen Bases:
Lou Brock (1967 Cardinals) & Mark McLemore (2001 Mariners)  5 each
Twelve players tied with 4

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Pitching W-L Leaders:
Charlie Root (1929 Cubs), Greg Maddux (1998 Braves), Bill Swift (1993 Giants), Lefty Gomez (1937 Yankees) & Jeff Pfeffer (1916 Dodgers):  All 3-0

Earned Run Average (min 18 IP):
Whit Wyatt (1941 Dodgers)  0.00
Six pitchers tied with 0.50

Strikeouts:
Greg Maddux (1998 Braves)  26
Freddy Garcia (2001 Mariners)  25

WHIP (min 18 IP):
Aaron Cook (2007 Rockies) & Kyle Hendricks (2016 Cubs)  0.44 each
Waite Hoyt (1927 Yankees)  0.56

Saves:
Eight pitchers tied with 2

[RandySteinman]

Am now down to my ‘Sweet 16’ in this tournament. Only two teams remain in each bracket, meaning each division championship series is now set:

Cobb Division (1901-1917)
1912 Giants (undefeated) vs 1916 Dodgers (must win 3 times)

Ruth Division (1918-1935)
1927 Yankees (undefeated) vs 1922 Browns (must win 3 times)

Williams Division (1936-1960)
1946 Red Sox (1 loss) vs 1954 Indians (must win twice)

Mays Division (1961-1975)
1967 Cardinals (1 loss) vs 1967 Red Sox (must win twice)

Bench Division (1976-1985)
1984 Tigers (1 loss) vs 1985 Blue Jays (must win twice)

Alomar Division (1985-1998)
1998 Padres (1 loss) vs 1993 Giants (must win twice)

Ortiz Division (1998-2008)
1998 Braves (1 loss) vs 2002 Athletics (must win twice)

Pujols Division (2008-2019)
2015 Blue Jays (undefeated) vs 2019 Dodgers (must win 3 times)

The eventual winning team in each division then advances to a clean-slate, 8-team triple-elimination bracket to determine the overall champion.

[RandySteinman]

Bracket winners have been decided:

Cobb Division: 1912 Giants
Ruth Division: 1927 Yankees
Williams Division: 1946 Red Sox
Mays Division: 1967 Red Sox
Bench Division: 1984 Tigers
Alomar Division: 1998 Braves
Ortiz Division: 1998 Padres
Pujols Division: 2015 Blue Jays

Those eight teams now advance to a fresh triple-knockout tournament to determine the overall champion.
First-round match-ups are as follows (Starting Pitchers and their tournament W-L records and ERA’s are in brackets):

1967 Red Sox (Lonborg 1-0, 2.81) @ 1912 Giants (Mathewson 2-0, 1.50)
1927 Yankees (Hoyt 3-0, 3.88) @ 1998 Braves (Maddux 4-0, 0.77)
1984 Tigers (Morris 3-0, 0.35) @ 1946 Red Sox (Hughson 2-0, 3.18)
1998 Padres (Brown 2-0, 1.73) @ 2015 Blue Jays (Price 2-0, 1.69)

It’s interesting to note that the pitching aces of the teams to qualify for the Elite Eight are a combined 19-and-oh in the tournament.

[RandySteinman]

I’m down to four teams in this marathon tournament of 128 GTOP teams.
Curiously enough, all four were World Series losers in real life…

The 1912 Giants remain undefeated.
The 1946 Red Sox and 1998 Padres each have one loss and will face each other in the next game.
The 1967 Red Sox have two losses.

Final order of finish of the other teams to make the Elite Eight:
5. 2015 Blue Jays
6. 1998 Braves
7. 1984 Tigers
8. 1927 Yankees

[RandySteinman]

My Championship Final is set. The 1912 Giants will face the 1946 Red Sox for the 128-team GTOP title. Since the Giants have only one loss in this triple-knockout format, Boston must beat New York twice.
The starting pitching matchup in the first game at the Polo Grounds will be Mickey Harris (3-0, 2.44 ERA @ Jeff Tesreau (3-0, 3.00 ERA).
If the Red Sox win, they will force a deciding game back at Fenway. It will pit Christy Mathewson (3-1, 1.66 ERA) @ Cecil Hughson (3-2, 3.50 ERA).
Both teams are injury-free and have all relievers rested and available.
Let’s go…

Final order of finish of the other teams to make the Elite Eight:
3. 1967 Red Sox
4. 1998 Padres
5. 2015 Blue Jays
6. 1998 Braves
7. 1984 Tigers
8. 1927 Yankees

[RandySteinman]

The first game of the title series was a thriller. With their tournament on the line, the Red Sox rebounded from an early 4-1 deficit to stun the Giants 5-4.
With the game tied, Boston took the lead in the top of the ninth. But in the bottom of the inning, New York loaded the bases with one out. Red Sox reliever Clem Dreisewerd (C-Z) came in to strike out Josh Devore for the second out, before Larry Doyle grounded out to Dreisewerd to end the game.
After a night of time travel out of the 1912 Polo Grounds, the championship will now be decided tomorrow at 1946 Fenway. The Giants’ Christy Mathewson (A-YZZ) faces Boston’s Cecil Hughson (B-XZ)…

[RandySteinman]

After a tournament lasting 390 games and 480 days, the New York Giants of 1912 left nothing in doubt.
The Giants ran the '46 Red Sox silly, stealing seven bases en route to an easy 11-2 victory in the title game of this GTOP tournament of 128 teams spanning from 1901 to 2019. Six different Giants had multiple hits, including Larry Doyle who went 4-for-5 with a walk, stole two bases and scored three runs.
New York rapped out 17 hits (16 singles and a double) in support of winning pitcher Christy Mathewson, who went the distance allowing eight hits while striking out six. Mathewson finished the tournament with a 4-1 record and an ERA of 1.73.

Despite going 0-for-3 with a walk in the championship game, Ted Williams was the unanimous choice for Tournament Hitting MVP. The Red Sox slugger led the event in every major offensive category, including HR’s (9), AVG (.404), OBP (.593), SLG (1.053) and OPS (1.646).
Greg Maddux of the 1998 Atlanta Braves was the Pitching MVP, going 6-0 with a 0.68 ERA. Maddux tossed five complete games, allowing only four earned runs in 53 innings of work.
The Gold Glove winner was 1B George Scott of the 1967 Red Sox, who fielded 195 chances error-free, finishing the tournament with 183 putouts and 12 assists.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the event was Babe Ruth of the 1927 Yankees. Despite winning the Ruth Division (for teams from 1918-1935), New York received little production from their famous slugger, who batted only .194 with two homers and five RBI.
A notable hitting oddity in the tournament was Wally Gerber of the 1922 St. Louis Browns. In 44 plate appearances, Gerber put every ball into play, finishing the tournament with no strikeouts and no walks. But the shortstop batted only .233 with four RBI in 11 games.

Statistical Leaders:

Batting Leaders (min 45 PA’s):
Ted Williams (1946 Red Sox) .404
George Sisler (1922 Browns) .400
Fred Merkle (1912 Giants) .373

OPS (min 45 PA’s):
Ted Williams (1946 Red Sox) 1.646
Jose Bautista (1915 Blue Jays) 1.404
Javy Lopez (1998 Braves) 1.167

Home Runs:
Ted Williams (1946 Red Sox) 9
Javy Lopez (1998 Braves) 7
Four players tied with 6

Runs Batted In:
Javy Lopez (1998 Braves) 25
Ted Williams (1946 Red Sox) 20
Tony Conigliaro (1967 Red Sox) 18

Stolen Bases:
Fred Merkle (1912 Giants) 9
Buck Herzog (1912 Giants) 8
Three players tied with 7

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Pitching W-L Leaders:
Greg Maddux (1998 Braves) 6-0
Dave Ferriss (1946 Red Sox) & Lee Stange (1967 Red Sox) Each 5-0

Earned Run Average (min 40 IP):
Greg Maddux (1998 Braves) 0.68
Jack Morris (1984 Tigers) 0.90
Lee Stange (1967 Red Sox) 1.44

Strikeouts:
Cecil Hughson (1946 Red Sox) 52
Greg Maddux (1998 Braves) 44
Jim Lonborg (1967 Red Sox) 37

WHIP (min 40 IP):
Greg Maddux (1998 Braves) 0.62
Jack Morris (1984 Tigers) 0.70
Christy Mathewson (1912 Giants) 0.77

Saves:
Bob Klinger (1946 Red Sox) 3
Fifteen pitchers tied with 2