2002 Halos top '83 O's in Dream Bracket 2

May 22nd, 2020

The 2002 Angels advanced to the Round of 32 in the MLB Dream Bracket 2 after taking down the 1983 Orioles in seven games on Friday. The Halos' '79 squad was eliminated by the '61 Yankees in four games on Thursday.

The simulated competition, featuring many of the greatest teams in baseball history, is being produced by Out of the Park Baseball 21, MLB‘s most realistic strategy game (PC and Mac). The tournament is a 64-team best-of-seven simulation featuring two all-time teams from each of the 30 current Major League franchises (post-World War II), as well as three Negro Leagues teams and the 1994 Montreal Expos.

The 2002 Angels advance to face the '11 Rangers, who took down the '18 Red Sox in five games. Here’s a look at a summary of each game between the '02 Angels and 1983 Orioles:

Game 1: Orioles 8, Angels 2
It’s fitting the Angels lost the first game, as the 2002 club lost the first game of each postseason series it played, only to come back and win each series. The Orioles were led by Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr., who had four hits and homered twice, and Eddie Murray, who smacked a solo blast. Left-hander Jarrod Washburn struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings but allowed four runs and was pegged with the loss. Mike Boddicker picked up the win by allowing one run over 7 1/3 frames. The lone run he allowed came on a solo homer from Adam Kennedy in the third inning.

Game 2: Angels 7, Orioles 6 (12 innings)
Down three runs in the ninth, the Angels made a dramatic comeback, tying it up on a two-run double from Scott Spiezio and an RBI infield single from David Eckstein. The game ended when Tim Salmon drew a bases-loaded walk from right-hander Don Welchel in the 12th inning. Troy Glaus helped the Angels claw back from an early three-run deficit with a two-run homer in the third. Francisco Rodríguez threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Game 3: Orioles 6, Angels 4
The Orioles made a late comeback, scoring three runs in the eighth off left-hander Scott Schoeneweis. Ripken continued to torment the Angels, as he went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and four RBIs to pace the offense, and Ken Singleton homered. The Halos were held in check by Scott McGregor, who went eight innings and allowed four runs (two earned) for the victory. Kevin Appier surrendered three runs over six innings but wasn't involved in the decision. Glaus hit his second homer of the series, a solo shot off McGregor in the sixth.

Game 4: Angels 4, Orioles 3
In another late rally for the Angels, they trailed by a run in the eighth but Eckstein and Darin Erstad provided back-to-back RBI singles off lefty Tippy Martinez to take the lead. Both starting pitchers fared well: John Lackey allowed three runs over six frames, and Mike Flanagan allowed two runs over six. Ripken hit his fourth homer of the series and had two RBIs. Spiezio also stayed hot, with three hits and two doubles.

Game 5: Angels 3, Orioles 1
The game was tied heading into the ninth inning when Brad Fullmer gave the Angels the lead with a two-run double off lefty Dan Morogiello. Aaron Sele picked up a rare save with a scoreless ninth to preserve the win for the Halos. Washburn went five innings, allowing one run on a homer from Rick Dempsey in the fifth. Erstad homered in the fourth off Boddicker, who limited the damage to just that solo shot over 6 1/3 innings. Ripken finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Game 6: Orioles 5, Angels 1
Right-hander Storm Davis kept the series alive by allowing one run over 7 1/3 innings while Ramon Ortiz scuffled, allowing four runs over six frames. Baltimore scored three in the first and never looked back. The only run from the Halos came in the fifth on an RBI single from Kennedy.

Game 7: Angels 4, Orioles 2
Baltimore scored twice in the first inning against Appier on a two-run shot from Murray, but the Angels shut down the Orioles offensively the rest of the way. The Halos tied it in the second on a two-run double from Fullmer off McGregor, then took the lead for good in the fourth on a solo shot from Glaus, his third homer of the series.

They added an insurance run in the fifth, keyed by a leadoff double from Eckstein, who scored on a sacrifice fly from Salmon. Appier struck out six over five strong frames to pick up the win, while Ben Weber, Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez, Al Levine and Troy Percival combined to throw four scoreless innings to preserve the victory and advance to the next round.