The MLB all-time bracket challenge: Part 1
By Bill Felber
The MLB All-Time Bracket Challenge (Part 1)
1910 Philadelphia Athletics vs. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays
Connie Mack’s early A’s teams in Philadelphia are a challenge for any opponent. Although largely overlooked today, the 1910 club certainly fits that description.
Begin with the 102-48 record, good enough to win the pennant by 14 and one-half games. The A’s were a virtually unbeatable 57-19 at home.
As befitting such a team, they could both hit and pitch. The team .266 batting average led the league by five points. Second baseman Eddie Collins hit .324; outfielders Rube Oldring and Danny Murphy both also topped .300.
A’s pitchers compiled a 1.79 staff ERA, leading the league in that category as well as fewest hits allowed and most strikeouts. Jack Coombs went 31-9 with a 1.30 ERA in 353 innings, throwing 13 shutouts and striking out 224 opponents. Chief Bender was 23-5 with a 1.58 ERA.
In the franchise bracket challenge, the 1910 A’s proved their dominance. They swept the 2019 Oakland Athletics wild card team, repeated that sweep against the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics, then beat the favored 1929 Philadelphia Athletics in six games.
The 1993 Blue Jays famously clinched the franchise’s second straight World Series on Joe Carter’s walk-off home run vs. the Phillies in game 6. That capped a 33-homer, 121 RBI season for Carter. DH Paul Molitor added a .332 average with 111 RBIs while first baseman John Olerud drove in 107. He also hit .363, winning the batting title.
Up the middle, Alomar batted .326 and shortstop Tony Fernandez hit. .306.
Pat Hentgen and Juan Guzman took turns being staff ace. Hentgen was 19-9 with a 3.87 ERA, while Guzman produced a 14-3 record in 33 starts. Dave Stewart, at age 36, was still up to a 12-8 record in 26 starts.
In the bracket challenge, they beat the 2016 Blue Jays in five games, eliminated the 1985 team in a seven-game semi-final, then polished off the 1992 World Champions in a seven-game championship series.
Game 1: The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics won the American League pennant in a breeze with a 102-48 regular-season record, 14 and one-half games ahead of the New York Yankees. The 1993 Blue Jays beat New York by seven games to win the AL East, but only managed 95 victories against 67 defeats. Philadelphia’s .680 percentage is nearly 100 points stronger than Toronto’s .586.
Game 2: The 1910 Athletics thrashed the National League champion Chicago Cubs in a five-game World Series, giving them a .800 post-season percentage. The 1993 Jays beat the Chicago White Sox ina six-game ALCS before taking out the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies, also in six. But their.667 post-season percentage again doesn’t stack up. The 1910 Athletics take a 2-0 series lead.
Game 3: The 1993 Blue Jays had a solid 110 team OPS+. But the Athletics did even better. With Collins (150), Murphy (142), and Oldring (141) leading the way, they reached 113.
Game 4: In search of a sweep, the 1910 A’s go to their strength, a dominant pitching staff led by Coombs, Bender and Eddie Plank. It produces a superb 133 staff ERA+. The 1993 Blue Jays can do no better than 103.
Result: 1910 Athletics in four games; they advance to meet the 1927 New York Yankees