What Is Replay Baseball (and Why Strat-O-Matic?)
Replay baseball is the hobby of replaying real (or imagined) seasons, series, and tournaments using statistical simulation games. Instead of watching highlights, you become the manager, the dice (or computer) become the players, and the actual performance cards of that season’s athletes decide every at-bat.
Among the many systems out there, Strat-O-Matic Baseball (SOM) remains the gold standard for most serious replay gamers. Created in 1961, Strat-O-Matic uses individual player cards calibrated to real-life statistics. A simple set of dice rolls (or the computer version’s random number generator) produces results that feel startlingly authentic — complete with the same streaks, collapses, and clutch moments that defined the actual season. Whether you play the classic tabletop version with physical cards and dice or the modern computer game, the appeal is the same: you get to manage the 2025 White Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, or any other club exactly as they performed that year.
The 2025 Single-Elimination Project
This project takes the complete 30-team 2025 Strat-O-Matic card set and runs a pure single-game elimination tournament. No best-of-three, no best-of-seven — one game decides everything.
Format at a glance:
- 15 American League teams and 15 National League teams
- AL and NL brackets stay completely separate until the championship
- One play-in game in each league reduces the field to 14
- Then it’s Round of 14 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → League Championship
- Finally, the AL Champion faces the NL Champion in a one-game winner-take-all final
- Total games: 29
Every fixed first-round matchup is anchored to a real 2025 MLB game, so you can pull authentic lineups and pitching matchups for maximum realism. Later rounds use the advancing teams’ actual season cards.
The goal is simple: crown a true 2025 Strat-O-Matic Single-Elimination Champion while giving fellow Strat players a clean, ready-to-run bracket they can print, track, and enjoy.
What You’ll Find in the Downloads
I’ve prepared two companion files for anyone who wants to run (or follow along with) the tournament:
- Printable Bracket & Score Sheet (PDF)
A clean 9-page worksheet with every game listed, real 2025 reference dates, and blank spaces for score, winner, highlights, and notes. - Player Stats Workbook (Excel)
One tab per game. Enter batting and pitching stats in the yellow cells; averages, OBP, SLG, OPS, ERA, WHIP, K/9, and BB/9 calculate automatically. Columns are ordered for easy entry: AB, R, H, RBI, 2B, 3B, HR, BB, SO, E, then the rest.
Feel free to use the files for your own replay, share results, or modify the bracket however you like. The only request is that if you post your own tournament results, drop a link back so other Strat players can find the original project.
Why Single-Game Elimination?
Most Strat tournaments use series formats that reward depth and pitching staffs. A true single-elimination bracket flips that on its head. One bad start, one defensive collapse, or one timely home run ends the season. It creates high drama, short timelines, and a very different kind of tension than a 162-game replay or a best-of-seven series.
This is a fairly quick project you can knock out in a few weeks! I’ve ordered the 1986 complete set and plan on replaying that entire season.
If you run the tournament, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Drop your final results or favorite moments in the comments (or tag me on the Strat Facebook groups).
Play ball!
