As mentioned earlier, these teams above are classic teams from different eras which have made for some very interesting matchups in the postseason. In the wildcard games which I will feature in this post, the 1978 Milwaukee Brewers hosted the 1996 Cleveland Indians in the American League, while the "Senior Circuit" pitted the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals against the 1998 Houston Astros.
Indians Butcher Brewers Bullpen
The Cleveland offense chipped away at Milwaukee starter Mike Caldwell scoring single runs in each of the first three innings before exploding for 8 runs combined in the seventh and eighth innings off a chuck 'n duck Brewers bullpen to easily take the American League wildcard game by a 12-2 count.
Judging by the offensive prowess that both clubs featured throughout the regular season, this game was projected to be a slugfest. However, the Milwaukee offense couldn't get on track against Cleveland playoff ace Orel Hershiser. The "Bulldog" went eight innings scattering 10 hits and never really faced any adversity allowing only two runs.
Things could have been much different for Caldwell as he had the Indians down to their last out in the first three innings, but he just was unable to put them away as Cleveland notched 3 two-out runs. Second-guessing will be the order of the day for Milwaukee as they lifted Caldwell after only 5 innings exposing the weakness of the club which was middle relief pitching. Andy Replogle, Randy Stein, and Willie Mueller were ripped for seven earned runs in 2.1 innings. Brian Giles and Manny Ramirez delete the incendiary blows with Giles smacking a bases-loaded single to add a pair in the seventh, and Ramirez launched a two-run shot in the eighth. Ramirez, Giles, and Julio Franco combined to go 9-14 with three hits apiece. Franco homered in the eighth and scored three times.
It was a disappointing ending for the Brewers as the club finished with a 98-64 mark and had plenty of mashers that put up big numbers throughout the season, but they couldn't get the bats going when they needed to in this one and done contest. The Indians were no slouches ending up only one game behind the Brew Crew in the Wildcard race at 97-65, and in contrast to Milwaukee, their offensive leaders answered the bell in a profound manner.
Cooper Dazzles Star Struck Astros
St. Louis starter Mort Cooper grounded a potent Houston offense allowing only three hits while punching out a baker's dozen over eight innings of work to lead the upstart 1942 Cardinals to a 5-1 victory in the National League wildcard game. St. Louis captured one of the National League Wildcard spots with a 88-75 record, and their magical season will continue in the NLCS as they will face the 1990 Pittsburgh Pirates - the best team in baseball during the regular season boasting an eye-popping 117-45 record.
Houston ace Randy Johnson battled Cooper valiantly as the Cardinals clung to a 1-0 going into the seventh. A Marty Marion RBI single in the third was all the Cardinals were able to muster until Johnson finally faltered. Cardinals' first baseman Ray Sanders clubbed a solo homer to begin a four-run uprising. After the Sanders blast, the Cardinals hit a pair of singles to put runners on the corners. Jimmy Brown added a third single to make the score 3-0, and Marion picked up his second RBI of the game with another run-scoring single which brought Johnson's day to an end. Stan Musial closed the book on Johnson's day with the third RBI single of the inning to give St. Louis a commanding 5-0 lead.
Even though the Cardinals' win was considered an upset based on the regular season numbers with the Astros collecting 10 more wins (98-64), this 1942 squad were actual World Series champs in '42 beating the mighty New York Yankees 4-1. Cooper was 22-7 during that campaign with a 1.78 ERA.
Looking ahead, there are plenty of interesting matchups in the league championship series, including one classic Boston series that will feature the East division champion 1978 edition (108-54) going up against the 1941 squad (82-80) that won the weak sister American League Central division as they were the only team in the division to complete the season above .500. Cleveland will head to the Big Apple to face the '98 Yankees (110-52). In the other Senior Circuit series, the 1944 Pirates (89-73) put on a late-season push to snag the National League Central title edging the Cardinals by one game and will travel to Chavez Ravine to face the 1977 Dodgers (96-66).
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