WhatIf Baseball Tournament

Why not?

This guy gets it

Well there you go, slot Griffey into that spot and we've got a stew.

I laughed.

That 2003 Marlins team was sneaky loaded. Pierre and Castillo at the top of the order, young Miggy, prime Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell, Juan Encarnacion was still pretty good, Pudge Rodriguez...plus Beckett, Dontrelle, Pavano, and Brad Penny's not a bad postseason rotation

2003 Miami Marlins vs 1975 Cincinnati Reds


Game 1:

Derrek Lee hit a two-run homer in the first and Juan Encarnacion added a solo shot in the sixth to stake Josh Beckett to the lead. The Marlins ace pitched six innings of three-hit ball before Michael Tejera, Armando Almanza, and Braden Looper closed the show.


Game 2:

The Reds carried a 4-1 lead into the seventh behind a two-run homer from Joe Morgan and a run-scoring double from Tony Perez.

However, the wheels fell off in the seventh when the Marlins scored six times including a three-run jack by Mike Powell followed by a solo homer from Ivan Rodriguez.

Morgan drove in two more in the bottom of the eighth to give the Reds a chance. But after putting two men on with one out, Braden Looper closed the door by striking out Cesar Geronimo and inducing an infield pop out from Terry Crowley.

It's probably important to metion that Jeff Conine had a sac fly to Balls.


Game 3:

Cincinnati scored one in the first, but the Marlins answered back with two in the third and a solo homer from Pudge Rodriguez in the fourth to go up 3-1.

The Reds answered back with three in the fifth, including a two-run single from Tony Perz, then added one in the sixth to go up 5-3. A two-run homer from Miggy knotted it in the bottom of the sixth.

Following a single, a walk, and a fielder's choice in the bottom of the tenth, Derrek Lee hit a seeing-eye single through the hole on the left side for the walk-off win.


Game 4:

Facing elimination, the Reds scored four in the fourth behind a two-run double from Perez and a two-run triple from Geronimo.

They pushed their lead to 5-0 in the top of the eighth before the Marlins pushed across a run in the bottom of the frame.

Jack Billingham pitched six innings and allowed six hits to earn the win while Rawly Eastwick picked up the save in the ninth.


Game 5:

The Reds returned home and staved off elimination getting two home runs and a two-run double from Johnny Bench who drove in all five runs for Cincinnati.

Juan Encarnacion countered with a two-run blast for the Marlins, but that's all they could muster against Don Gullett who pitched through the sixth. Eastwick closed the door in the ninth.


Game 6:

Tied up 2-2, the Reds broke out with two runs in the fifth then three more in the sixth including a two-run double from pitcher Fred Norman to take a commanding 7-2 lead.

Ken Griffey Sr tripled in a run and scored in the eighth, then the Reds exploded for six more in the ninth to win going away.

Fred Norman pitched seven innings, allowed two runs, and three hits to pick up the victory.


Game 7:

Completing an historic comeback from down 0-3, the top-seeded Reds advance to the second round as they rebounded from a 2-0 deficit by scoring four runs in the fourth aided by a two-run homer from Bench.

Two innings later, George Foster hit a moon shot solo homer before Cincinnati posted three more runs in the seventh behind RBIs from Concepcion, Rose, and Morgan.

Gary Nolan went seven innings and scattered eleven hits for the dub.