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 Oakland A’s won the first of three World Series titles in 1972.
Can the A’s survive a single elimination battle to claim the title in the 1972 Strat-o-Matic Tournament?
The seeding of each bracket was determined by overall season record. As a result, the top four seeds in order are the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds, the Oakland A’s and the Detroit Tigers.
Perhaps making things more interesting is the fact that although Oakland won the World Series, the A’s didn’t pick up any of the top individual awards in 1972.
Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox was the American League Most Valuable Player, while Cleveland Indians pitcher Gaylord Perry won the AL Cy Young Award. Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk was the AL Rookie of the Year.
In the National League, Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds was selected as the MVP with Steve Carlton earning the Cy Young Award for the last place Philadelphia Phillies. Jon Matlack of the New York Mets was the NL Rookie of the Year.
One great pitching performance or an outstanding game at the plate can lead to an upset in this format. Can you predict the winner?
1972 Tournament Schedule
First and Second Round Pairings
NL East Bracket
(1) Pittsburgh Pirates, bye
(5) Montreal Expos at (4) St. Louis Cardinals
(6) Philadelphia Phillies at (3) New York Mets
(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