Twitter's Best All-time MLB Lineup

We couldn’t have gotten a better start if we’d asked for it. Right off the bat Pedro started throwing heat striking out the side in the first inning, one looking. Meanwhile, Rickey is making Marc look good singling him out as his “must have” by leading off with a walk, and finishing the game 2-3 with 2 BBs and, of course, 2 SB to go with 2 runs scored.

Oh, I should mention Rickey Henderson scored the first run of the game, breaking up Pedro and Grove’s pitchers-duel in the bottom of the 5th. With no one advancing past 2nd for either team to that point, and each pitcher having allowed just 1 baserunner per inning on average. That all changed when Rickey singled and stole 2nd, followed by a BB to Ruth and the first big hit of the game when Gehrig homered just over the RF fence.

Grove then fell apart and allowed back to back singles before leaving the game. In the 7th inning Marc’s team picked up their first insurance run with Chipper scoring on a Hornsby double and followed with another in the 8th when Chipper drove in Rickey. Jon’s team made its best attempt at a comeback in the 9th when Hornsby led off with a homerun and Gibson (as Foxx) followed up with a single but weren’t able to do anything else from there and Marc’s “top this” challenge stands undefeated through game one.

I’ll spoil this one right off the bat by pointing out we got our first extra inning game of the challenge. Grant’s team starts Ruth at pitcher as his response to the no DH rule. That decision sort of works out as Ruth goes 1-1 at the plate, but the 7 walks issued help knock him off the mound and out of the lineup before he could even complete 4 innings. Despite giving up 4 ER in just 3.2 IP, Ruth left the game with the lead thanks to Mays and Bench both homering in a 5-run 3rd inning to keep Grant’s team on top through 4.

Sabathia’s team made the big comeback after falling to a score of 4-8 entering the 8th. They then put up a 4-spot, when Rickey led off the inning with a HR, then Alomar and Bonds both walked. The Big Hurt, Molina, and Vizquel each singled to drive everyone in. Grant’s team answered in the 9th with another run when Wagner walked, stole 2nd and scored, but Rickey wasn’t done for team CC, as he once again led off the inning with a HR to tie the game back up at 9 runs apiece.

Sabathia’s team stranded six runners over the next three innings, but Grants’s team came through in the bottom of the 12th when Hammering Hank singled to get things started and Adrian Beltre scored Aaron with a double to left field. With this win, Evan earns the right to be the next one to take Marc head-on in this challenge.

This game seemed like it was going to be a high-scoring affair as it started hot with each team hitting 2 doubles and 2 home runs in the first. Leading off the first for Fergie Jenkins, Joe Morgan homered, followed by a McCovey double, and a Roberto Clemente 2-run shot and another double by Aaron. The bottom half of the inning featured a leadoff double from Minoso, back-to-back HRs from Roberto Alomar and Vladimir Guerrero, and an Orlando Cepeda double. Ending the first inning with Nathalie’s team on top 4-3.

Unfortunately for Fergie, that was all the scoring his team would do. Fergie’s team scattered 3 more hits (all singles) and 3 walks over the last eight innings, but other than on a Vlad Guererro error in the 5th, no other base runner would even reach 2nd. Nathalie’s team, on the other hand, put up insurance runs in each of the 4th and 5th innings, with a Pudge Rodriguez HR in the 4th and a simple fielder’s choice in the 5th to pick up a 6-3 win over Fergie’s squad and a chance to put her “All-Latino” team right up against Marc Carig’s if they both win their next matchups.

Justin Verlander’s one weakness last season was the long ball. He didn’t give up many hits, but when he did, they went far. That’s how the first inning started. Alex Brockman’s Verlander walked Morgan to leadoff the inning, and then immediately gave up back-to-back bombs to Mays and Gehrig.

Unfortunately for Bill Plunkett’s team, those would be the only runs they’d score all game, and they only managed to scatter two more hits over the remaining 8 innings. Brockman’s squad got a 2-run HR from Hank Greenberg in the 2nd, a game tying HR from Ruth in the 4th, and HRs from Trout & Ruth in the 8th to seal the victory. Clemens and Verlander each gave up 3 runs on 2 HR and struck out 4.

Bryce was the only person to name Cliff Lee as his starting pitcher, and Lee delivered. Lee is the first starting pitcher in the tournament to not allow a walk or HR. Randy Johnson gave up a big 2-run HR to Jimmie Foxx in the 2nd to start the scoring, and then followed up a Ventura double with a sac bunt, which made scoring easy for Ventura when Rickey singled to close the gap 2-1.

Griffey would get the run back with a solo shot in the 5th and then Harper’s guys would pile a couple more runs in each the 8th and 9th to take a 7-1 lead entering the final half inning. Tyler’s squad did their best to come back, with Lee now out and Eckersley trying to close it out in a non-save situation.

Kepner’s boys put up six singles and two fielder’s choices to bring up Griffey (as the winning run) to the plate with two outs and two on. Gagne relieved Eck and the showdown finished with a shallow fly to LF to preserve the win for Harper’s lineup.

Our first player v. player matchup saw Yelich’s team scoring on a fielder’s choice in the 1st and Homer’s team scoring on a bloop single in the 2nd. Biggio added two more runs for Yelich’s squad in the 2nd with a HR off the foul pole. Yelcih’s team then piled on in the 5th by adding 5 runs via a 3-run HR from Aaron and a 2-run blast by Bench two batters later.

Neither team scored after the 5th, and the Ryan Express powered through Homer’s lineup to become the 2nd starter to not give up a longball. With this win, we get to see the exciting Harper vs Yelich matchup in round two!

There’s no point in trying to build suspense for this game. We have both our first shutout and our first blowout all in one. Lin Brehmer’s team hit three HR in the top of the 1st to take a five-run lead as soon as this game started, and they never slowed down from that torrid pace. They finished with seven HRs, including two from Hammerin Hank.

Despite all those HR, Koufax was the story here. Koufax set down David’s team and allowed only four hits, all singles, walked just one (Bonds in the 7th), and struck out 5. If you are a fan of Lin’s lineup then this game was exciting, if you wanted to see more Ichiro in this tourney, then this game was soul-crushing.

Both pitchers were cruising for the first couple of innings, then in the 3rd Shpigel’s Bonds led off with a HR before the team stranded the bases loaded. The score remained 1-0 until the 5th when Ben’s team added a few insurance runs in the 5th punctuated by a Johnny Bench double.

Max picked up a run in the 8th when Gehrig walked with the bases-loaded following a single, a BB, and a HBP. That unfortunate series of events was the only run Ben’s team would allow as Walter Johnson struck out 7 and allowed just three baserunners, all on singles.

We have our second shutout, though this one wasn’t quite the blowout the last one was. Bob Gibson started for Jack Flaherty’s team and he was dealing, as he completely shut down Ian Browne’s lineup. Gibson finished with 7 Ks and allowed just 3 hits.

On offense, Flaherty was buoyed by HRs from Roberto Alomar and Ken Griffey Jr. Schilling tried to keep up with Gibson, but the long ball killed his chance of beating Gibson in this performance.

Chris brought the least-expensive team (from a WhatIfSports player salary perspective) in this whole bracket and was just one of five teams with a team salary of less than $150 million. Chris was also the only participant to choose Dave Stewart as their pitcher for their must-win lineup and Stewart was tasked with matching up against Randy Johnson.

Unfortunately for Randy, his ex-teammates had it in for him with both Gary Sheffield and The Kid going back-to-back in the first. After a Sheffield walk, Griffey followed up with another HR in the 4th. Those HRs were the only runs off the Big Unit, but it was enough.

Chris’s team tacked on some insurance runs in the 8th with Alomar and Brett driving in the runs. The shutout was broken in the 9th with two down when The Wizard singled in Schmidt, but the rally ended there. Chris moves on to face Flaherty’s Bob Gibson in round 2.

Roger Clemens shuts Larry’s lineup down in the first, Randy Johnson does the same to Jared’s. In the 2nd Bonds leads off with a HR, before The Rocket gets the next three. Johnson gives up a single to Mays, shuts down Gehrig, and then Bench goes yard, before Johnson shuts them back down.

Both teams sit in order in the 3rd, and Larry’s A-Rod leads off the 4th with a game-tying HR. After Griffey K’s, Bonds doubles and scores on a Cano single to take the lead. Johnson shuts Jared’s squad down again in the 4th. Arod hits a 2-run HR for his second of the game and Larry takes a 5-2 lead. Johnson gets into a little trouble in the 5th and gets pulled as Bonds comes up representing the tying run and the bullpen comes through.

Until the 8th, that is, when Mays walks, Gehrig HRs, Schmidt doubles, Hornsby walks, our PH walks, Clemente walks, and Arod drives in two with a single as Jared’s team bats around in the 8th and takes a 7-5 lead. In the top of the 9th, Gagne comes in and allows only a base on balls to Rickey as Jared gets the come from behind win.

Through 5 both Maddux and Johnson have allowed just 1-run each. Maddux allowed a HR to the Babe in the 2nd and Johnson committed the ultimate faux pas as Maddux himself tripled in Josh Gibson (as Foxx) following a BB by the star catcher.

In the 6th, however, things got ugly. The Kid and the Big Hurt took back-to-back walks, and then Josh Donaldson’s Griffey Jr dropped a fly ball from Chipper, allowing Griffey to score and Chipper to reach 2nd. After Gibson singled both Thomas and Chipper in, the damage was done and unfortunately for the Bringer of Rain, his lineup came up short thanks to 3 unearned runs. Neither team scored again and Griffey was the difference-maker on both sides.

We have our second instance of Bob Gibson, and our third as Gibson faces Gibson in this match. This match starts exactly as you’d imagine it would with both teams being shut down for 3 innings. In the 4th, Ernie’s team cracks first as the lineup of Bonds, Ruth, Mays proves too much and they go BB, 2B, HR to take a 3-0 lead.

In the 6th that same group is at it again as Bonds HRs and Ruth walks to make it 4-0. And that’s it, both teams had 6 hits, but Kevin’s hits were of the bigger variety and made all the difference from a matchup that featured the most similar lineups yet.

Two hard throwing lefties face off in Koufax and Johnson, and it starts hot. The first two batters of the game each HR off Johnson to give Mark a quick lead, but Blake’s boys weren’t deterred as Hammerin Hank followed a Trout walk with a tying HR off Koufax in the bottom of the frame.

We have some NL style baseball in the 2nd as Koufax drops a sac bunt to move Arod to 2nd, only to have Johnson issue the IBB to Bonds. It didn’t matter though as Trout doubled in both of them and then scored himself on a Pujols single. Blake chipped away at the 3-run lead in the 3rd when Jeter and Griffey score on a Gehrig single, and then tied it in the 5th when Aaron doubled in Trout.

Mark takes the lead back in the 6th with a HR from Bench and Pudge Rodriguez even the score with a HR of his own in the bottom half. Blake takes his first lead in the 7th after a HR by Griffey. The lead doesn’t last long as Schmidt ties it right back up in the next half inning and we end up going to extras where Hank Aaron becomes the hero for Blake’s team as he hits a walk-off HR for his second of the game.

Voros brought one of the more intimidating lineups as one of only two to top the $200 million mark in WhatIfSports player salaries. Unfortunately for Bill, he drew Voros in round one, and Voros’ lineup didn’t hold back. A 3-run HR from ARod in the 2nd, a HR from Trout in the 3rd, 4 runs on walks and singles in the 7th, and another run in the 8th.

Bill’s squad tried to keep up with HRs of their own in the 3rd and 4th, and a sac fly in the 6th, but Voros’ squad was relentless as they both pounded and clawed their way to a solid victory.

The winner of this match draws the pleasure of facing Voros’ squad in round two. My squad, which is the only one to feature on-base machines from the deadball era John McGraw and King Kelly, goes up against Ben’s lineup of modern on-base machines in Morgan and Bonds. Both of us feature HOF pitchers from the steroid era.

My Maddux shut his guys down in the 1st and his Clemens gave up two hits in between two walks to fall 1-0 after one. The 3rd inning starts the slugging as my Arky Vaughan hits a 2-run HR and his Ruth follows up with a 2-run shot of his own in the top of the next inning. Gehrig leads off the bottom of 4th with a HR and Arky tacks on an insurance run in the 5th.

Things fell apart for Ben’s squad in the 8th as my team scored three more on a string of singles to end the scoring for the game. My prize, going up against Voros. Lucky me.