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.
One swing was all it took to determine the result of am intense pitcher’s duel between Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies and Tom Seaver of the New York Mets.
A three-run homer by Philadelphia’s Don Money gave the Phillies a 3-0 victory over the Mets in the first round of the 1972 Strat-o-Matic Tournament.
Both pitchers were dominant on the mound as they each fanned 11 and in the sixth they both struck out all three batters that faced.
Carlton (1-0) gave up three hits and walked one in his complete game effort, while Seaver (0-1) allowed four hits with a walk in eight frames.
Unfortunately for Seaver, three of the hits came in the top of the seventh of a scoreless affair.
Willie Montanez singled with one out and then raced to third on a single by Greg Luzinski.
After Seaver struck out Bill Robinson, Money cashed in his chips with a mighty swing that provided the only runs of the contest.
Seaver stuck around to toss a perfect eighth before Tug McGraw worked the ninth, but the Mets couldn’t respond with any offense except a pinch-hit single by Willie Mays in the bottom of the eighth.
Carlton finished off the Mets in the bottom of the ninth by retiring Ken Boswell, Tommie Agee and Rusty Staub.
The Phillies advance to the second round to face the Chicago Cubs with Ken Reynolds getting the start, while the Cubs will have Fergie Jenkins on the mound.
1972 Tournament
Second Round Pairings
NL East Bracket
(4) St. Louis Cardinals at (1) Pittsburgh Pirates
(6) Philadelphia Phillies at (2) Chicago Cubs
First Round Results and Pairings
NL East Bracket
(1) Pittsburgh Pirates, bye
(4) St. Louis Cardinals 5, (5) Montreal Expos 3
(6) Philadelphia Phillies 3, (3) New York Mets 0
(2) Chicago Cubs, bye
AL East Bracket
(1) Detroit Tigers, Bye
(5) Cleveland Indians at (4) New York Yankees
(6) Milwaukee Brewers at (3) Baltimore Orioles
(2) Boston Red Sox, bye
AL West Bracket
(1) Oakland A’s, Bye
(5) California Angels at (4) Kansas City Royals
(6) Texas Rangers at (3) Minnesota Twins
(2) Chicago White Sox, bye
NL West Bracket
(1) Cincinnati Reds, Bye
(5) San Francisco Giants at (4) Atlanta Braves
(6) San Diego Padres at (3) Los Angeles Dodgers
(2) Houston Astros, bye