The Wild Card: Diamondbacks Team Tournament Quarterfinals

The incredibly scientific study wherein I take the rosters and statistics of the Diamondbacks teams of the past and plug those into a Baseball Simulation from 1989 and play them against each other and see who wins and declare that team the the best team in Diamondbacks history continues (whee that's a run-on sentence)

Here we do the Quarterfinals, where 8 teams become 4. In these four games, I went with each team's #2 starter, and I played each game in a different in-game stadium just to break up the monotony. And, as the header implies, there was a big upset, read on to find out!

(In case you missed it, here are the results from the first round)

2001 Diamondbacks: 2, 2008 Diamondbacks: 0

In the above situation, Luis Gonzalez did his thing and hit a two-run double and that was the only scoring of the game. You may think "Hey, that should easily clear the bases" but it didn't because AI. Curt Schilling threw a one hit shutout as the 2008 team's run came to an end because of lack of offense. Seems familiar.

Dan Haren did his darndest, and shut down the 2001 team save for the 6th. He was also the only hit for the 2008 team so #pitcherswhorakeorothergardeningthings

2011 Diamondbacks 4, 2002 Diamondbacks 2

OH SHIIIIII. TIME FOR THE "MAJOR UPSET AIRHORN!"

As you may recall, the 2002 team was the overwhelming pick in our poll last week to win the whole thing.

And you were wrong, ha ha.

Anyway, the details of the game: Justin Upton homered in the first inning to get the scoring started. Daniel Hudson and Curt Schilling held serve up until the 5th when Daniel Hudson also pitched and raked and whatnot and drove in Ryan Roberts to make it 2-0. Luis Gonzalez singled home a run in the 6th to cut the lead in half, but Willie Bloomquist, of all the damn people, drove in two on a double in the 7th to make it 4-1. 2002 got a run back in the 7th when the McCracken (Quinton, that is) was released on an rbi single, but it wasn't enough.

2007 Diamondbacks: 5, 2013 Diamondbacks: 4

Remember the Heath Bell experience of 2013? This simulation does and oh lordy was it ever bad. 2013 got on the board first on a two-run RBI single by Aaron Hill off of Doug Davis, who walked all the things over the course of the game. 2007 tied it back up with a Chris Snyder double and a Carlos Quentin single in the 4th off of Wade Miley. In the 5th, Chris Young homered in the solo fashion to put 2007 up 3-2. Both starters held serve until the 8th, when Jose Valverde was subbed in for 2007 in a non 9th-inning save situation. In somewhat late-period, if not 2007, Valverde fashion, he got squiffy. Miguel Montero hit a two-run double to make it 4-3. This held for two frames until the bottom of the ninth when (insert ominous music here) Heath Bell came in for the save. He only got one out, as the aforementioned Snyder/Quentin combo did their doubling ways with runners on base to secure the walk-off win for 2007.

1999 Diamondbacks: 2, 2005 Diamondbacks: 0

Fairly uneventful game. Jay Bell hit a solo homer in the 1st off of Javier Vasquez, moping about having to play in a place with "K" radio stations. Travis Lee hit an RBI single in the 4th to complete the scoring. Omar Daal and Matt Mantei combined for the shutout.

Here is the bracket going into the semis

SEMI-FINALS MATCHUPS:

2001 D-BACKS vs. 2011 D-BACKS

Brian Anderson vs. Josh Collmenter

2007 D-BACKS vs. 1999 D-BACKS

Micah Owings vs. Andy Benes

Results this time next Friday!