Editor’s note: Tournament games are played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. Three-man pitching rotations will be used for starting pitchers. Injuries are in-game only during this single elimination event.
The Los Angeles Dodgers broke open a tight contest with four runs in the top of the seventh inning on the way to a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 1969 Strat-o-Matic Tournament.
With the win, Los Angeles advances to the final game of the National League West Bracket as the Dodgers will play at the winner of the affair between the Cincinnati Reds at the San Francisco Giants.
Atlanta led 1-0 as starting pitcher Phil Niekro allowed just four hits through six innings before the Dodgers would send him to the showers in the seventh.
Bill Sudakis began the rally in the seventh with a single before Niekro retired Tom Haller on a fly ball.
Ted Sizemore singled and then Niekro walked pinch-hitter Manny Mota to load the bases.
Maury Wills hit a grounder Braves first baseman Orlando Cepeda, who cut down Sudakis at the plate to preserve the shutout.
Unfortunately for the Braves, Willie Crawford cleared the bases with a double and Niekro was done.
Trouble continued for the Braves as Pat Jarvis took over for Niekro. Willie Davis added a single that made it 4-1 as Crawford raced home.
Jarvis got out of the seventh before he ran into problems in the eighth.
Sudakis reached on an error by Braves third baseman Clete Boyer and Haller followed with a two-run homer and the Dodgers were in front 6-1.
Cecil Upshaw finished up on the mound for the Braves in the eighth and ninth.
Niekro (0-1) gave up four runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
For the Dodgers, Claude Osteen (1-0) picked up the win working six innings giving up a run on four hits with two walks and a strikeout.
Atlanta scored in the fourth on Osteen with a RBI single by Cepeda.
Pete Mikkelsen tossed a scoreless seventh before Jim Brewer finished up for the Dodgers.
The Braves added their final tally in the eighth when Rico Carty doubled as Henry Aaron scored from first.
1969 Tournament Schedule
Second Round Results and Pairings
NL East Bracket
(1) New York Mets 1, (5) Philadelphia Phillies 0
(3) Pittsburgh Pirates 3, (2) Chicago Cubs 2
NL West Bracket
(4) Los Angeles Dodgers 6, (1) Atlanta Braves 2
(3) Cincinnati Reds at (2) San Francisco Giants
AL East Bracket
(4) Washington Senators at (1) Baltimore Orioles
(6) Cleveland Indians at (2) Detroit Tigers
AL West Bracket
(4) Kansas City Royals at (1) Minnesota Twins
(3) California Angels at (2) Oakland A’s
First Round Results
NL East Bracket
(1) New York Mets, bye
(5) Philadelphia Phillies 4, (4) St. Louis Cardinals 2
(3) Pittsburgh Pirates 10, (6) Montreal Expos 0
(2) Chicago Cubs, bye
NL West Bracket
(1) Atlanta Braves, bye
(4) Los Angeles Dodgers 8, (5) Houston Astros 5
(3) Cincinnati Reds 5, (6) San Diego Padres 3
(2) San Francisco Giants, bye
AL East Bracket
(1) Baltimore Orioles, bye
(4) Washington Senators 7, (5) New York Yankees 1
(6) Cleveland Indians 6, (3) Boston Red Sox 4
(2) Detroit Tigers, bye
AL West Bracket
(1) Minnesota Twins, bye
(4) Kansas City Royals 3, (5) Chicago White Sox 2
(3) California Angels 4, (6) Seattle Pilots 3 (12 innings)
(2) Oakland A’s, bye