All-Time MLB Playoffs Quarterfinals

Game 6
(13) 1922 Giants 10, (1) 1927 YANKEES 8 (Wins 4-2)
(10) 1970 Orioles 4, (8) 1929 ATHLETICS 2 (Wins 4-2)

NEW YORK- W-Douglas (2-0) L-Pipgras (0-1) HR NYY- Gehrig
PHILADELPHIA- W-McNally (1-1) L-Quinn (1-1) S-Richert (2)

Match-ups for the MLB Semifinals
(10) 1970 Baltimore Orioles vs. (13) 1922 New York Giants
(11) 1912 Boston Red Sox vs. (12) 1976 Cincinnati Reds

Interesting that 2 teams from each league and that there are two pairs of teams that are or within 10 years of one another. Its also interesting that the teams ranked 10-13 are the ones that have made it. Now some of you might be fuming that none of the Yankee teams made it especially the 1927 team. But remember as the top ranked team they got to face the lowest ranked team in each round. Also some of you might be angry at the pitching match-ups, but I based those on the historical record that's to Baseball-Reference.com, which keeps boxscores from every playoff game. I then made the appropriate rotation. Also remember the simulation of What If Sports is based on a computer simulation and so I don't control anything on that end. I was personally shocked the 1927 Yankees didn't make it to the semifinals, but I wasn't shocked when they didn't. So far only the 1985 Chicago Bears have lived up to their billing as the #1 ranked team in their sport. So starting October 2, the semifinals will begin as the Giants travil to Baltimore for Game 1 of their series.

All-Time MLB Playoffs Quarterfinals

Game 5
(12) 1976 REDS 9, (2) 1939 Yankees 2 (Wins 4-1)
(11) 1912 RED SOX 5, (3) 1907 Cubs 2 (Wins 4-1)

CINCINNATI- W-Gullet (2-0) L-Ruffing (0-2) HR NYY- Selkirk; CIN-Concepcion 2
BOSTON- W-Wood (2-0) L-Overall (0-2) S-Hall (1)

All-Time MLB Playoffs Quarterfinals

Game 4 & 5
(13) 1922 GIANTS 9, (1) 1927 Yankees 3 (Series 3-2)
(12) 1976 REDS 7, (2) 1939 Yankees 5 (Series 3-1)
(11) 1912 RED SOX 2, (3) 1907 Cubs 0 (Series 3-1)
(8) 1929 Athletics 6, (10) 1970 ORIOLES 0 (Series 2-3)

NEW YORK- W-Barnes (1-0) L-Hoyt (0-1) HR NYY- Ruth
CINCINNATI- W-Sarmiento (1-0) L-Chandler (0-1) S-Eastwick (2) HR NYY- Gordon, Dickey; CIN- Bench
BOSTON- W-Bedient (1-0) L-Brown (0-1)
BALTIMORE- W-Earnshaw (1-1) L-Cuellar (1-1) HR PHI- Simmons (2), Haas

All-Time MLB Playoffs Quarterfinals

Game 3 & 4
(13) 1922 GIANTS 6, (1) 1927 Yankees 5 (10 innings) (Tied 2-2)
(12) 1976 REDS 6, (2) 1939 Yankees 3 (Series 2-1)
(11) 1912 RED SOX 5, (3) 1907 Cubs 0 (Series 2-1)
(10) 1970 ORIOLES 4, (8) 1929 Athletics 3 (Series 3-1)

NEW YORK- W-Ryan (1-1) L-Moore (0-1) HR NYY-Ruth (2), Gehrig
CINCINNATI- W-Nolan (1-0) L-Gomez (0-1) S-Eastwick (1) HR NYY-DiMaggio (2), Selkirk; CIN- Foster
BOSTON- W-O'Brien (1-0) L-Reulbach (0-1)
BALTIMORE- W-Lopez (1-0) L-Shores (0-2) HR PHI-Cochrane, Foxx

All-Time MLB Playoffs Quarterfinals

Game 3
(13) 1922 GIANTS 5, (1) 1927 Yankees 1 (Series 1-2)
(8) 1929 Athletics 7, (10) 1970 ORIOLES (Series 1-2)

NEW YORK- W-Douglas (1-0) L-Pennock (0-1) S-Jonnard (1)
BALTIMORE- W-Quinn (1-0) L-McNally (0-1) HR PHI- Simmons

All-Time MLB Playoffs Quarterfinals

Game 2
(2) 1939 YANKEES 4, (12) 1976 Reds 1 (Tied 1-1)
(3) 1907 CUBS 7, (11) 1912 RED SOX 0 (Tied 1-1)

NEW YORK- W-Pearson (1-0) L-Zachry (0-1) S-Murphy (1) HR NYY-Gordon
CHICAGO- W-Pfiester (1-0) L-Collins (0-1)

All-Time MLB Playoffs Quarterfinals

Game 1 & 2
(1) 1927 YANKEES 7, (13) 1922 Giants 6 (10 innings) (Series 2-0)
(12) 1976 Reds 5, (2) 1939 YANKEES 2 (Series 1-0)
(11) 1912 Red Sox 6, (3) 1907 CUBS 1 (Series 1-0)
(10) 1970 Orioloes 3, (8) 1929 ATHLETICS (Series 2-0)

NEW YORK- W-Shawkey (1-0) L-Ryan (0-1) HR NYY-Meusel
NEW YORK- W-Gullet (1-0) L-Ruffing (0-1) S-Sarmiento (1)
CHICAGO- W-Wood (1-0) L-Overall (0-1) HR BOS- Yerkes
PHILADELPHIA- W-Cuellar (1-0) L-Earnshaw (0-1) S-Lopez (1)

All-Time MLB Playoff Quarterfinals

Game 1
(1) 1927 YANKEES 4, (13) Giants 2 (Series 1-0)
(10) 1970 Orioles 7, (8) 1929 ATHLETICS 6 (Series 1-0)

NEW YORK- W-Thomas (1-0) L-Shea (0-1)
PHILADELPHIA- W-Palmer (1-0) L-Shores (0-1) S-Richert (1) HR PHI- Simmons

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 7
(2) 1939 YANKEES 6, (15) 1984 Tigers 3 (Wins 4-3)

NEW YORK- W-Murphy (1-0) L-Morris (0-2) HR NYY- Keller (2)

Match-ups for the Quarterfinals:
(1) 1927 New York Yankees vs. (13) 1922 New York Giants
(2) 1939 New York Yankees vs. (12) 1976 Cincinnati Reds
(3) 1907 Chicago Cubs vs. (11) 1912 Boston Red Sox
(8) 1929 Philadelphia Athletics vs. (10) 1970 Baltimore Orioles

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 6
(2) 1939 YANKEES 6, (15) 1984 Tigers 4 (Tied 3-3)
(3) 1907 CUBS 5, (14) 1954 Giants (Wins 4-2)
(11) 1912 Red Sox 4, (6) 1905 GIANTS (Wins 4-2)

NEW YORK- W-Pearson (1-1) L-Scherrer (1-1) S-Murphy (1) HR NYY- Keller (2), Crosetti
CHICAGO- W-Pfiester (1-1) L-Corwin (0-1)
NEW YORK- W-Hall (1-0) L-Ames (1-1)

Playoff Update...
Tomorrow September 19, the 15th-seeded 1984 Detroit Tigers will send Jack Morris to the mound in Yankee Stadium against the 2nd-seeded 1939 New York Yankees' Lefty Gomez in Game 7 of their 1st Round Playoffs series. The following scenarios for the quarterfinals will be the outcome for either team winning.

If (2) 1939 New York Yankees win:
(1) 1927 New York Yankees vs. (13) 1922 New York Giants
(2) 1939 New York Yankees vs. (12) 1976 Cincinnati Reds
(3) 1907 Chicago Cubs vs. (11) 1912 Boston Red Sox
(8) 1929 Philadelphia Athletics vs. (10) 1970 Baltimore Orioles

If (15) 1984 Detroit Tigers win:
(1) 1927 New York Yankees vs. (15) 1984 Detroit Tigers
(3) 1907 Chicago Cubs vs. (13) 1922 New York Giants
(8) 1929 Philadelphia Athletics vs. (12) 1976 Cincinnati Reds
(10) 1970 Baltimore Orioles vs. (11) 1912 Boston Red Sox

Either outcome will result in some very intriguing match-ups for the Quarterfinals starting on September 12 when the 1927 Yankees will play either the 1922 Giants or the 1984 Tigers.

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 6
(13) 1922 Giants 7, (4) 1932 YANKEES 4 (Wins 4-2)

NEW YORK- W-Douglas (1-0) L-Andrews (0-1) S-Jonnard (2) HR NYY-Sewell

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 5
(2) 1939 Yankees 6, (15) 1984 TIGERS 0 (Series 2-3)
(14) 1954 GIANTS 3, (3) 1907 Cubs 0 (Series 2-3)
(11) 1912 RED SOX 6, (6) 1905 Giants 4 (Series 3-2)
(10) 1970 ORIOLES 5, (7) 1998 Yankees 4 (10 innings) (Wins 4-1)

DETROIT- W-Ruffing (1-0) L-Petry (1-1) HR NYY- Dahlgren (2), Crosetti
NEW YORK- W-Maglie (1-0) L-Overall (1-1) HR CHI-Rhodes
BOSTON- W-Wood (1-1) L-McGinnity (0-2) HR BOS- Speaker
BALTIMORE- W-Beene (1-0) L-Stanton (0-2) HR NYY- Spencer; BALT-Buford

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 4 & 5
(15) 1984 TIGERS 6, (2) 1939 Yankees 5 (10 innings) (Series 3-1)
(3) 1907 Cubs 21, (14) 1954 GIANTS 1 (Series 3-1)
(4) 1932 Yankees 11, (13) 1922 GIANTS 10 (Series 2-3)
(12) 1976 REDS 7, (5) 1910 Athletics 6 (Wins 4-1)
(11) 1912 RED SOX 5, (6) 1905 GIANTS 4 (11 innings) (Tied 2-2)
(10) 1970 ORIOLES 11, (7) 1998 Yankees 10 (Series 3-1)
(8) 1929 Athletics 5, (9) 1909 PIRATES 4 (Wins 4-1)

DETROIT- W-Scherrer (1-0) L- Hildebrand (0-1) HR NYY- Gordon, Keller; DET- Johnson, Gibson, Trammell, Parrish
NEW YORK- W-Brown (1-0) L-Liddle (0-1)
NEW YORK- W-Moore (1-0) L-Jonnard (0-1) S-Wells HR NYY-Gehrig
CINCINNATI- W-Sarmiento (2-0) L-Atkins (0-2)
BOSTON- W-Smith (1-0) L-Elliot (0-1) HR BOS- Engle
BALTIMORE- W-Richert (1-0) L-Stanton (0-1) HR NYY- Knoblauch, O'Neill, Martinez (2); BALT- Blair
PITTSBURGH- W-Earnshaw (2-0) L-Camnitz (0-2) S-Shores HR PHI-Foxx

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 3 & 4
(1) 1927 Yankees 3, (16) 1917 WHITE SOX 2 (Wins 4-0)
(15) 1984 TIGERS 7, (2) 1939 Yankees 6 (Series 2-1)
(3) 1907 Cubs 2, (13) 1954 GIANTS (Series 2-1)
(13) 1922 GIANTS 6, (4) 1932 Yankees (Series 3-1)
(12) 1976 REDS 1, (5) 1910 Athletics (Series 3-1)
(6) 1905 Giants 6, (11) 1912 RED SOX (Series 2-1)
(10) 1970 ORIOLES 4, (7) 1998 Yankees (Series 2-1)
(9) 1909 PIRATES 4, (8) 1929 Athletics (Series 1-3)

CHICAGO- W-Shocker (1-0) L-Cicotte (0-2) S-Moore (2)
DETROIT- W-Hernandez (1-0) L-Gomez (0-1) HR NYY- Dickey
NEW YORK- W-Reubach (1-0) L-Gomez (0-1) S-Durbin
NEW YORK- W-Nehf (2-0) L-Allen (0-1) S-Jonnard (1) HR NYG- Meusel
CINCINNATI- W-Borbon (1-1) L-Dygert (0-1)
BOSTON- W-Ames (1-0) L-O'Brien (0-1) HR NYG- Dahlen
BALTIMORE- W-Watt (1-0) L-Rivera (0-1) HR NYY- Spencer; BAL- Buford
PITTSBURGH- W-Willis (1-0) L-Ehmke (1-1) S-Adams (1)

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 3
(1) 1927 Yankees 9, (16) 1917 WHITE SOX 2 (Series 3-0)
(4) 1932 Yankees 9, (13) 1922 GIANTS 4 (Series 1-2)
(5) 1910 Athletics 8, (12) 1976 REDS 5 (13 innings) (Series 1-2)
(8) 1929 Athletics 9, (9) 1909 PIRATES 6 (Series 3-0)

CHICAGO- W-Pennock (1-0) L-Russell (0-1)
NEW YORK- W-Brown (1-0) L-Shea (0-1) S-Moore (1)
CINCINNATI- W-Dygert (1-0) L-Borbon (0-1) HR PHI- Murphy
PITTSBURGH- W-Quinn (1-0) L-Leifield (0-1) S-Shores (1)

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 2
(15) 1984 Tigers 4, (2) 1939 YANKEES 2 (Series 1-1)
(14) 1954 Giants 3, (3) 1907 CUBS 2 (Series 1-1)
(11) 1912 Red Sox 2, (6) 1905 GIANTS (Series 1-1)
(10) 1970 Orioles 12, (7) 1998 YANKEES 1 (Series 1-1)

NEW YORK- W-Petry (1-0) L-Pearson (0-1) S-Scherrer (1) HR DET- Johnson (1), Parrish (1); NYY- Dickey (1)
CHICAGO- W-Antonelli (1-0) L-Pfiester (0-1) S-Grissom (1)
NEW YORK- W-Collins (1-0) L-McGinnity (0-1) S-Hall (1)
NEW YORK- W-Cuellar (1-0) L-Pettitte (0-1) HR BAL- Beford, Rettenmund, B. Robinson; NYY- Strawberry

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 1 & Game 2
(1) 1927 YANKEES 1, (16) 1917 White Sox 0 (Series 2-0)
(2) 1939 YANKEES 12, (15) 1984 Tigers 11 (Series 1-0)
(3) 1907 CUBS 3, (14) 1954 GIANTS 2 (Series 1-0)
(13) 1922 Giants 20, (4) 1932 YANKEES 0 (Series 2-0)
(12) 1976 Reds 5, (5) 1910 ATHLETICS 1 (Series 2-0)
(6) 1905 GIANTS 6, (11) 1912 Red Sox 3 (Series 1-0)
(7) 1998 YANKEES 4, (10) 1970 Orioles 0 (Series 1-0)
(8) 1929 ATHLETICS 8, (9) 1909 Pirates 5 (Series 2-0)

NEW YORK- W-Pipgras (1-0) L-Faber (0-1) S- Moore (1)
NEW YORK- W-Chandler (1-0) L-Monge (0-1) HR NYY- DiMaggio; HR DET- Gibson, Bergman, Herndon
CHICAGO- W-Overall (1-0) L-Worthington (0-1) S-Durbin
NEW YORK- W-Barnes (1-0) L-Gomez (0-1)
PHILADELPHIA- W-Zachry (1-0) L-Coombs (0-1) S-Easkwick (2)
NEW YORK- W-Mathewson (1-0) L-Wood (0-1) S-Wiltse (1) HR BOS- Speaker
NEW YORK- W-Wells (1-0) L-Palmer (0-1) HR NYY- Brosius
PHILADELPHIA- W-Rommel (1-0) L-Brandom (0-1) S-Yerkes (1)

All-Time MLB Playoffs 1st Round

Game 1
(1) 1927 YANKEES 2, (16) 1917 White Sox 1 (10 innings) (Series 1-0)
(13) 1922 Giants 5, (4) 1932 YANKEES 2 (Series 1-0)
(12) 1976 Reds 9, (5) 1910 ATHLETICS 6 (10 innings) (Series 1-0)
(8) 1929 ATHLETICS 9, (9) 1909 Pirates 2 (Series 1-0)

NEW YORK- W-Moore (1-0) L-Cicotte (0-1)
NEW YORK- W-Nehf (1-0) L-Ruffing (0-1) HR NYY-Ruth (1)
PHILADELPHIA- W-Sarmiento (1-0) L-Atkins S-Eastwick (1) HR CIN-Morgan (1), Foster (1)
PHILADELPHIA- W-Ehmke (1-0) L-Camnitz (0-1) HR PHI- Bishop (1)

The Next All-Time Playoff- Major League Baseball and the road to the All-Time World Series

Hello everyone,

Its been a while since I last posted after the end of Game 4 of the All-Time NBA Finals, won by the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers led by series MVP Wilt Chamberlain. This followed the All-Time Stanley Cup victory of the 1981-82 New York Islanders led by Playoff MVP Mike Bossey and the All-Time Super Bowl champions the 1985 Chicago Bears led by MVP Walter Payton. With three sports down, its time for baseball to take center stage as 16 teams will compete for the chance to compete in and win the All-Time World Championship.

First a reminder of whom has been selected to compete in this playoff. Thanks to Baseball Almanac (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/best_major_league_teams_ever.shtml) and the criteria of (1) teams needing to win the World Series, (2) no multiple teams in fewer than five years, and (3) only four teams per franchise, the following 16 teams will face of in the 1st Round...

(1) 1927 New York Yankees vs. (16) 1917 Chicago White Sox
(2) 1939 New York Yankees vs. (15) 1984 Detroit Tigers
(3) 1907 Chicago Cubs vs. (14) 1954 New York Giants
(4) 1932 New York Yankees vs. (13) 1922 New York Giants
(5) 1910 Philadelphia Athletics vs. (12) 1976 Cincinnati Reds
(6) 1905 New York Giants vs. (11) 1912 Boston Red Sox
(7) 1998 New York Yankees vs. (10) 1970 Baltimore Orioles
(8) 1929 Philadelphia Athletics vs. (9) 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates

As you can see from the list, the Yankees of course have four franchises. Of course some will complain that the four teams selected might not represent the best Yankee teams or that for the Yankees for isn't enough. Those who say this do have something to complain about as the 1917 White Sox have a rating of 796.808 while the 1950 Yankees have a rating of 797.835 . But the last Yankees team, the 1998 World Champions had a 858.244 way above the 1950 team who rated better than the 1961 Yankees who had 795.169 mark in the ratings with 1962 over a 100 points less. The rest of the Yankee championship teams in the 50s scored in the low to mid 700s with only the 1953 team getting into the upper 700 range with a 781.397 .

Of course, the 1917 White Sox comprise a team that two years later would be accused/did throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, who themselves got a good rating of 785.258 . But let me list the teams from 17 to 32 under the same criteria as the top 16, with a tweak on rule 2 where I will list the top four Yankees teams but if anyother franchise were to be within 5 years they won't be listed.

(17) 1914 Boston Braves 796.591
(18) 1961 New York Yankees 795.169
(19) 1903 Boston Red Sox 794.386
(20) 1986 New York Mets 788.162
(21) 1919 Cincinnati Reds 785.258
(22) 1953 New York Yankees 781.397
(23) 1920 Cleveland Indians 771.447
(24) 1923 New York Yankees 770.495
(25) 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 767.777
(26) 1931 St. Louis Cardinals 763.951
(27) 1948 Cleveland Indians 760.973
(28) 1989 Oakland Athletics 758.772
(29) 1995 Atlanta Braves 756.839
(30) 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers 755.295
(31) 1999 New York Yankees 753.111
(32) 1940 Cincinnati Reds 752.361

Now if the four Yankee teams listed above would have been disqualified then the 1935 Tigers, 1969 Mets, the 1906 White Sox, and 1933 Giants with the 2005 White Sox just missing the cut.

Looking at the list above you see that the inital 16 might in fact be the best of the best. But some others might say that the teams from 1903 to 1919, the 'Deadball Era' shouldn't be included for various reasons. But who can deny Chris Mathewson a place in the playoffs, or Horus Wagner, or the pitching of Brown with the combo of Tinkers-Evers-Chance behind him, or the 1912 Red Sox tremendous outfield, or Connie Mack's 1910 Athletics. Besides to determine the All-Time World Championship, you need teams from whatever era they might be from to be the best of the best.

And for the games to be played, I went through the postseason records thanks to Baseball Reference to find the starters in playoff games to determine rotations for each team. Each team has either a three man or four man rotation, I will do my best to start pitchers according to their era's conventions. Tomorrow half of the eight series will begin and the eight series victors will be 'reseeded' to that the highest surviving seeded teams faces the lowest surviving seeded teams. I hope you'll join me tomorrow and over the next few weeks.