Two teams have moved on to the second round, as the fourth-seeded 1961 Orioles (The Richards-Harris Express) swept the 13th-seeded 2002 Orioles (Grover Sings the Blues), and the 14th-seeded 2006 Birds (Sam's Town) were ousted in four by the third-seeded 1983 champs (The Advantageous Advancement of Altobelli).
Going into game five of the first round, there are six series still alive. Five of them are at 3-1. Only the 8-9 matchup (1963 v. 1995) is tied up at two.
The Dukes of Earl 11, Jimmie's Jammers 3
The Dukes of Earl win the series, 4-1
WP: Dave McNally (2-0) ... LP: Bob Turley (0-2)
HR: Gil Coan, JJ (2)
Summary: That'll do it for the '54 Orioles, who did at least press a fifth game, something I didn't think was really possible. The matchup here is sort of like the modern Orioles facing off with the '27 Yankees.
Frank Robinson sparked the win with a 3-for-5 game including a double and five RBIs. Brooks was 4-for-4 with a walk. Boog and Buford both walked three times.
For the Jammers, Gil Coan hit his second and last home run of the tournament, and shortstop Billy Hunter made two errors. They actually outhit the Dukes 10-9, but Earl's team worked 12 walks, too. '54 ace Bob Turley went seven and two-thirds, walking 10 and striking out five. He gave up nine runs, eight earned. Jimmie Dykes gave the home fans something to see, I guess.
Reganomics 4, Billy Hitchcock Presents 0
Reganomics lead the series, 3-2
WP: Mike Mussina (1-1) ... LP: Steve Barber (1-1)
Summary: I could do this one in one sentence, check it out.
Mike Mussina shuts out the '63 Orioles on six hits, outdueling Steve Barber in their second head-to-head, and the '95 Orioles scrape four runs across to take a 3-2 series lead back home.
OK, some numbers. Rafael Palmeiro was 3-for-5 with two ribeyes, and Kevin Bass (!) had two hits in a rare start against lefty Barber.
John Orsino had three base knocks for Hitchock's team, and their other hits came from Aparicio, Gentile and Boog. Only Boog's went for extra bases, as he rapped out a double.
The Hitchcock guys have their backs against the wall now, as Regan's team is but one win from moving on to face the Dukes of Earl in what could be a more interesting matchup than it might appear at first glance.
Diamond Dave and the Stars of Today 6, Davey's Goliaths 0
Davey's Goliaths lead the series, 3-2
WP: Jeremy Guthrie (1-1) ... LP: Mike Mussina (1-1)
HR: Luke Scott, SoT (2) ... Kevin Millar, SoT (3)
Summary: Whoa, dude. Diamond Dave's boys are putting up a real fight, and if they hadn't blown the 7-1 lead in game four, really should be up 3-2 in this series.
In the third inning, Mora singled home Roberts, followed by Huff beating out a double play ball, which allowed Markakis to come home and make it 2-0. Millar hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Markakis singled home Markakis the same inning, making it 5-0. A solo shot from Luke Scott in the fifth made it 6-0, where it would stay.
Guts threw a five-hit shutout with no walks and five strikeouts. Mussina was tagged for six earned on seven hits in five and two-thirds innings.
The Oatesimate Warriors 10, Mazzilli's Mooks 1
The Oatesimate Warriors win the series, 4-1
WP: Mike Mussina (1-1) ... LP: Rodrigo Lopez (1-1)
HR: Glenn Davis, OW 2 (2)
Summary: After winning game one, the Mooks were swept out by the Oatesimate Warriors, who scorched them here in game four on the strength of two Glenn Davis home runs. Hey, who said Glenn Davis never did anything for the Baltimore Orioles and was a rotten waste of time and resources, and who ever said, "Hey, F YOU Glenn Davis, you turd"?
In all, Davis had five RBIs for the game. Leo Gomez and Chris Hoiles had two apiece, and the Warriors overcame four fielding errors (Cal, Brady, Gomez, Milligan) to cruise to the series victory.
The Mooks only scored on a sacrifice RBI from Miguel Tejada. 1992 Mike Mussina went nine on 121 pitches, and Rodrigo Lopez was out after four and a third. Dave Borkowski relieved Lopez and couldn't get a single out, so Rick Bauer came in and finished the rest of the game. It was already 9-0 by the time Bauer came in anyway.
The Oatesimate Warriors will move on to meet the stern challenge of EDDIE MURRAY and the '83 Orioles.
Devil Ray's Team 5, Robby's Near Miracles 1
Devil Ray's Team win the series, 4-1
WP: Mike Mussina (2-0) ... LP: Jeff Ballard (0-2)
Summary: Hey, how about being harsh? Just when it counted the most, Frank Robinson's 1989 Birds pulled the ol' choke job. Ahaha! Ahhh. Ahhh. Eh. This is, again, just a reflection of how not really good the '89 O's and their 87-75 record really were.
This matchup was also harsh, because they kind of had to win basically every other game and make Mussina v. Ballard a non-factor. It's a terrible matchup. The 10th-seeded Miller team went up 2-0 in the first, but the '89 O's chipped back and made it 2-1 in the second. The '99 team pushed across runs in the fourth, sixth, and eighth, and now they'll move on to the second round.
'99 Mussina is the only one of the many ace Mussinas to go 2-0 in his first two starts.
Ripken was 4-for-4 with a double for the Miller team, but didn't score or plate anyone. Mike Bordick was 2-for-4 with two RBis.
The Bauer-y Boys 13, The Ripken Family 1
The Bauer-y Boys win the series, 4-1
WP: Dave McNally (2-0) ... LP: Mike Boddicker (0-2)
HR: Frank Robinson, BB (3) ... Boog Powell, BB (3)
Summary: If you can't quite read it, go ahead and click on that image to get the full size version and see the claim about Booger made by Dell Sports.
This does it for the '87 Orioles, as they bite the dust hard, going down 13-1 and giving up 21 hits to the '66 champs. The only guy in the '66 lineup that didn't have a mult-hit game was Curt Blefary (1-for-5).
Aparicio, Snyder, Brooks and Blair had three hits each; Frank, Boog, Davey and Etch had two apiece, and Frank and Boog both went deep, both men homering for the third time in the tournament.
Probably best it ends now. Had they won, they go back to Memorial Stadium in 1966 (I like to imagine they're time traveling, too!) with Eric Bell on the hill, and what's the point? Had they won this game, might as well forfeit anyway. Eric Bell. C'mon.
Updated Brackets, with Advanced Teams in Bold:
(1) The Dukes of Earl (1970)
(16) Jimmie's Jammers (1954)(8) Billy Hitchock Presents (1963)
(9) Reganomics (1995)(5) Davey's Goliaths (1997)
(12) Diamond Dave and the Stars of Today (2008)(4) The Richards-Harris Express (1961)
(13) Grover Sings the Blues (2002)(6) The Oatesimate Warriors (1992)
(11) Mazzilli's Mooks (2004)(3) The Advantageous Appointment of Altobelli (1983)
(14) Sam's Town (2006)
(7) Robby's Near Miracles (1989)
(10) Devil Ray's Team (1999)(2) The Bauer-y Boys (1966)
(15) The Ripken Family (1987)