{"id":58129,"date":"2023-04-21T18:00:12","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T22:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=58129"},"modified":"2023-04-21T12:09:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T16:09:14","slug":"mlb-final-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/04\/21\/mlb-final-four\/","title":{"rendered":"The MLB Final Four Comes Down to Some Surprises"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the ultimate objectives of any sport is to win a championship. Whether that’s the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, or something else, winning championships solidifies a team in the historical record books. It also gives them the right to call themselves the best until they successfully defend their title or a new champion rises to the challenge and defeats them. Many teams in Major League history have been called Champion; 118, to be exact. Ruling the baseball landscape for a season is a tremendous and worthwhile accomplishment. However, the winner of the tournament here will be a true legend.<\/span><\/p>\n

We began with 16 of the best teams over the past century a few weeks ago. Some stood tall, while others fell. We were privy to an outstanding balance between surprise and predictability. Mighty outfits like the 1998 <\/span>New York Yankees<\/span><\/a>\u00a0did not make it out of the Sweet Sixteen. Thus was the stage set for the Elite Eight, which featured more of the same aforementioned balance. More favorites, like the 2001\u00a0<\/span>Seattle Mariners<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the 1954\u00a0<\/span>Cleveland Indians<\/span><\/a>, also fell to upstarts from lower seedings. Now, the MLB Final Four have converged at the place where baseball history has made its home: Cooperstown, New York. Upon this neutral site, a champion will stand among the rest. But first, we must discuss the road to the title game itself. Here, without further ado, is the MLB Final Four.<\/span><\/p>\n

MLB Final Four<\/span><\/h2>\n

9-seed: 2018 Boston Red Sox (108-54) vs. 12-seed: 2019 Houston Astros (107-55)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Here’sHere’s a contest that nobody predicted would populate the MLB Final Four. Nevertheless, they are formidable opponents. Each stake is a claim to a real-life American League Championship. The 2018\u00a0<\/span>Boston Red Sox<\/span><\/a> wound up going all the way and winning a World Series title. Both rosters have some of the most extensive arrays of talent that are familiar to late 2010s baseball fanatics. Names like <\/span>Xander Bogaerts,\u00a0J.D. Martinez,\u00a0Rafael Devers,\u00a0Jose Altuve,\u00a0Alex Bregman,\u00a0Justin Verlander,\u00a0Gerrit Cole, and the list continues. Add in two excellent managers,\u00a0Alex Cora\u00a0and\u00a0A.J. Hinch, and you have the makings of a veritable Duke\/North Carolina matchup. The fact that it’s on a neutral field puts on yet another layer to a contest that, on paper, should be among the best in the tournament.<\/p>\n

Due to seeding, the Red Sox are the home team, and Cora is not taking any chances here. He’sHe’s sending 12-game winner\u00a0<\/span>Chris Sale\u00a0to the mound. However, since Sale has a history of being somewhat injury-prone, bullpen arms\u00a0Heath Hembree\u00a0and\u00a0Matt Barnes\u00a0are ready to step in should the need arise. On the other side of the diamond, Hinch and the Astros are putting their fate in the hands of the veteran\u00a0Wade Miley. Miley won 14 games with a solid 3.98 ERA and a 116 ERA+ during the regular season. This matchup could all come down to how the pitchers perform. If Sale gets hurt and the Sox turn to their bullpen, the 2019\u00a0Houston Astros<\/a>\u00a0could have the advantage. Should Miley have a dip in his consistent roller coaster performances, then the Red Sox would be on the upside.<\/p>\n

A Predictable, Yet Unpredictable Outcome<\/span><\/h3>\n

Indeed, it does happen that Miley has a lackluster game, and the Red Sox take full advantage of it. They score five runs on the strength of 13 hits. The night is complete with multi-hit performances from\u00a0<\/span>Hanley Ramirez,\u00a0Eduardo Nunez, and\u00a0Jackie Bradley Jr.\u00a0However; the true hero is leadoff hitter\u00a0Mookie Betts. He has three hits, capped off by a three-run homer to help give the Red Sox some insurance in the seventh inning. Meanwhile, Sale is good enough to help Boston win this MLB Final Four showdown. He goes six strong innings, and his only blemishes are solo shots from Altuve and\u00a0Josh Reddick. The bullpen comes in and falters, making the score too close for Red Sox fans’ comfort. That said, closer\u00a0Craig Kimbrel\u00a0is lights out as he shuts the door on the Astros in the ninth.<\/p>\n

Final: Red Sox 5, Astros 3<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong>6-seed: 1969 Baltimore Orioles (109-53) vs. 7-seed: 1961 New York Yankees (109-53)<\/span><\/h3>\n

The MLB Final Four’sFour’s last matchup could not get any more identical, nor could it feature two more exciting teams. Both are from the 1960s, feature truckloads of Hall of Fame talent, and were among the most feared teams of their seasons. They even have matching records. However, while there are a lot of similarities across the board, there are two glaring differences, managerially speaking. The 1969\u00a0<\/span>Baltimore Orioles<\/span><\/a>\u00a0have the fiery 38-year-old\u00a0<\/span>Earl Weaver, who managed to bring an AL Pennant to Baltimore in his first full season as skipper. Meanwhile, the 1961 Yankees are managed by rookie shot caller\u00a0Ralph Houk, who seemed content to\u00a0balance<\/a>\u00a0calm management with yelling at seemingly corrupt officials.<\/p>\n

In any case, the two will now battle to decide who advances to face the 2018 Red Sox in the National Title. For Weaver, the choice of a starter is simple. He has already started\u00a0Mike Cuellar\u00a0and\u00a0Dave McNally\u00a0in the tournament. The last of this three-headed dragon is future Hall of Famer\u00a0Jim Palmer. Then, Houk counters with two-time All-Star and World Series MVP\u00a0Ralph Terry. Both pitchers sport stellar numbers, winning 32 games combined in their respective seasons while only losing seven. The Yankees also boast a tremendously potent offense led by the bats of\u00a0Roger Maris\u00a0and\u00a0Mickey Mantle. The two hit 115 of the team’steam’s 240 homers in 1961. That said, the Orioles are nothing to sneeze at, with\u00a0Frank Robinson,\u00a0Brooks Robinson,\u00a0Boog Powell, and\u00a0Paul Blair\u00a0all notching over 20 home runs. In other words, this could turn into a slugfest.<\/p>\n

Tight Pitching & Clutch Hitting<\/span><\/h3>\n

But a slugfest is not in the cards with Terry and Palmer hurling balls at the catcher’scatcher’s mitt. Over and over again, the two teams sit down with no offensive success whatsoever. Each pitcher is locked in, and neither of the two powerful batting corps can get anything going. In the eighth inning, the game remains scoreless. Terry and Palmer are each in the middle of two-hit shutout bids. Then, with one out in the inning,\u00a0<\/span>Davey Johnson\u00a0finds Terry’sTerry’s first mistake and puts it in the seats for a solo home run. In the bottom of the frame, Yankee legend\u00a0Yogi Berra\u00a0ties things with a solo shot off Palmer. After an uneventful top of the ninth, the Orioles look to closer\u00a0Eddie Watt\u00a0to extend the game. It is not to be, as three straight hits from Maris,\u00a0Bill Skowron, and\u00a0Tony Kubek\u00a0seal the deal for New York.<\/p>\n

Final: Yankees 2, Orioles 1<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

MLB Final Four Recap<\/span><\/h3>\n

These were two sensational contests between four of the most excellent squads of the last century. One was more of an offensive affair, while the other showcased outstanding starting pitching. The bottom line is this: a modern Astros team with a penchant for big hits will square off with one of the most dominant Yankees teams ever\u2014the prize: being crowned the best baseball team of the century. We’ve seen the teams get sweet along with seeing them become elite. Now that the semi-finals are complete, only one game remains- the National Championship. Next time, we will determine who will rise above it all and claim the crown.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo Credit: \u00a9 David Boss-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

Players\/managers mentioned:<\/p>\n

Xander Bogaerts<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>J.D. Martinez<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Rafael Devers<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Jose Altuve<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Alex Bregman<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Justin Verlander<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Gerrit Cole<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>Alex Cora<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>A.J. Hinch<\/a><\/strong>, Chris Sale<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Heath Hembree<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Matt Barnes<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Wade Miley<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, Hanley Ramirez<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Eduardo Nunez<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>Jackie Bradley Jr.<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>Mookie Betts<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>Josh Reddick<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>Craig Kimbrel<\/a><\/strong>, Earl Weaver<\/a><\/strong>, Ralph Houk<\/a><\/strong>, Mike Cuellar<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Dave McNally<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Jim Palmer<\/a><\/strong>, Roger Maris<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Mickey Mantle<\/a><\/strong>, Frank Robinson<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Brooks Robinson<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Boog Powell<\/a><\/strong>, Paul Blair<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, Davey Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>Yogi Berra<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Eddie Watt<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Bill Skowron<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>Tony Kubek<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the ultimate objectives of any sport is to win a championship. Whether that’s the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, or something else, winning championships solidifies a team in the historical record books. It also gives them the right to call themselves the best until they successfully defend their title or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3515,"featured_media":58134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"1682052720","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"MLB Final Four","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"1000","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,14,5,17],"tags":[3298,1156,1734,1595,2309,198,323,3481,2675,5395,515,3482,611,293,1292,546,2183,2423,251,502,247,1191,1676,250,5399,6293,1427,2198,292,2750],"class_list":["post-58129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-orioles","category-redsox","category-astros","category-yankees","category-mariners","tag-aj-hinch","tag-alex-bregman","tag-alex-cora","tag-boog-powell","tag-brooks-robinson","tag-chris-sale","tag-craig-kimbrel","tag-dave-mcnally","tag-davey-johnson","tag-earl-weaver","tag-eduardo-nunez","tag-frank-robinson","tag-gerrit-cole","tag-hanley-ramirez","tag-heath-hembree","tag-jackie-bradley-jr","tag-jd-martinez","tag-jim-palmer","tag-jose-altuve","tag-josh-reddick","tag-justin-verlander","tag-matt-barnes","tag-mickey-mantle","tag-mookie-betts","tag-paul-blair","tag-ralph-terry","tag-roger-maris","tag-wade-miley","tag-xander-bogaerts","tag-yogi-berra"],"modified_by":"Matt Graves","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}