This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons
.com for more sports history. Your attention,
please. Presenting the Cincinnati Reds, the catcher,
Johnny Fenton, the first baseman, Tony Perez,
the second baseman, Joe Morgan, the shortstop,
Dave Concepcion, the third baseman, Pete Rose,
the left fielder, George Buster, the center fielder,
Cesar Geronimo, the right fielder, Ken Griffin,
and the pitcher, Gary Nolan. for Pedro Borbon,
and here's Mike Marshall's first pitch plateward.
Swung on, a looper, left center field, a base
hit. Here comes Cheney, the throw to the plate,
and this one belongs to the Reds. The 1975 baseball
season truly did belong to the Cincinnati Reds.
Cincinnati's Big Red Machine rolled to 108 regular
season victories, the third highest total in
National League history. Sparky Anderson's crew
followed with a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates
in the championship series, and then came the
exciting World Series, a seven -game showdown
with the Boston Red Sox. Many observers called
it the most exciting World Series on record,
as the Reds won game seven with a thrilling come
-from -behind victory that gave Cincinnati its
first World's Championship in 35 years. It was
a great season from start to end, from a three
-game sweep of the arch -rival Los Angeles Dodgers
in the year's first series to the victory over
Boston in the final game of the year. It was
a season full of record -breaking events and
electrifying moments. The Cincinnati march to
the world championship was a team effort all
the way, and this is a story. This one belongs
to the Reds. Through the first month of the season,
the Reds were hardly better than a 500 club,
winning 12 of 23 games in the month of April.
It was time to make a move. and what a move it
was. Not only did the Reds move up in the standings,
but Sparky Anderson made a move on the field
that shocked everyone. Pete Rose became the Reds'
third baseman. He hadn't played the infield since
1965, but from the very beginning, it was apparent
that Pete felt right at home at the hot corner.
And the 1 -1 pitch. That has bounced to third.
Pete Rose backs up, makes the play, throw to
first, he got it! All right! There isn't a more
exciting or dangerous player in the major leagues
than Joe Morgan. He's a power hitter, demonstrated
by his 17 home runs and 94 RBIs. He hits for
an average, too, as his .327 mark attested. He
has the best batting eye in the game, represented
by his league -leading 132 walks. And he has
flying feet, as he ranks second in the league
in stolen bases with 67. Joe is a National League's
Player of the Month in April and June. He's a
game -breaker, and this score against the Giants
at Riverfront points that out solidly. Williams
with a 3 -2 on the way. Swung on, line drive,
right center field. It'll be in for a hit. Fielded
on one big hop. Here comes Morgan to second.
Head first, sliding safe. Joe Morgan never broke
stride as Gary Maddox drifted deep in the right
center to field that big hopping line shot. And
Joe with a head first slide in safely with a
two -base hit. That one bounces up there. Can't
find it. Hill. Here comes Morgan at third. It
gets by the catcher. The third baseman and Morgan
will score. And this one belongs to the Reds.
Well, the ball got away from Mark Hill. He couldn't
find it. Morgan broke for third. Hill picked
it up and threw it away at third base. It getting
down the line away from Anaveros. And Morgan
scores to give the Reds a 5 -4 victory. Johnny
Bench remained one of baseball's most prolific
home run hitters and run producers in 1975, finishing
second in the major leagues with 110 runs batted
in. Home runs like this one off Alan Foster helped
Johnny move into that spot. Strike one delivery.
Bench fly ball, deep left field, looking up,
it is gone! A grand slam home run for Johnny
Bench, the first of the year for a Cincinnati
Reds, and the Reds have bolted out. Yet things
were not right for the Big Red Machine. On May
21st, the record stood at just 21 -21, and the
Reds were five and one -half games behind the
Dodgers in the National League Western Division
race. On that night, however, Mets manager Yogi
Berra gave his ace Tom Seaver the baseball, and
the Reds' offense went wild. Tony Perez and rookie
Doug Flynn hammered home runs as the Reds scored
a whopping 11 -4 victory. Seaver, a backward
glance at bench. Long pause. Looking again the
pitch. Here's a drive. Left field. Milner back.
He's looking. It's gone. Ready again with the
next pitch. Swung on. Hammered a deep left field.
It is going to be a home run for Doug Flynn.
Doug Flynn on a 3 -1 pitch. Hammers one out of
here to left field. His first Major League home
run and it's 11 -4 Cincinnati. That win was a
big one. It started one of the most fantastic
streaks in Major League history. The victory
was the first of 41 in the next 50 games for
the Big Red Machine. By the All -Star game, the
Reds had vaulted 12 and one -half games in front
of the Dodgers and were racing away toward their
fourth division championship in the last six
years. Everyone contributed, as evidenced by
this big hit off the bat of Merv Rettenman. The
0 -1 to Merv swung on a base at center field.
Here's Concepcion. Here comes Foster. Redman
with a two -run single, and the count goes to
5 -0. The Reds were great in the clutch in 1975,
winning 28 games in their final time at bat.
One of them was May 24th, when Joe Morgan's 11th
-inning single defeated the Phillies. The draw
is a sign from Bob Boone. He kicks and fires.
Morgan lines right. He's hit right field, and
this one belongs to the Reds. Cincinnati depended
heavily on its bullpen in 1975. Veterans Clay
Carroll and Pedro Bourbon combined with youngsters
Raleigh Eastwick and Will McEnany to give the
Reds the best relief core in the National League.
Eastwick, who didn't join the Reds until mid
-May, earned 22 saves in a sensational rookie
season and tied Al Hrabowski of St. Louis for
the league lead. This was one of them. Harmon
at third, Luzinski at second, Holly Brown at
first. A ball and two strikes on Mike Schmidt
with the Phillies trailing 4 -2. Eastwick a glance
to third again and on to the plate. Strike three,
swing and he got it. What a job. It was grand
slam time again for Johnny Bench on May 26 against
Montreal. He hit his sixth career bases loaded
home run off Don DeMola, tying Beta Pinson for
the club record. Now the 1 -0. Swung on, a fly
ball to deep left field. It is going to be a
grand slam home run. Johnny Bench has just clubbed
his 10th home run of the year, his second grand
slam of the year, and the Reds have gone out
in front 5 -4. Gary Nolan was a comeback kid
for the Reds in 1975. He led the staff in innings
pitch and tied for the most victories with 15.
One of those wins was a two -hit shutout over
Montreal on May 28, his first shutout since June
of 1972. and a victory that kept the Reds' winning
streak alive. Mike Jorgensen, the batter. He
hits a line shot. Morgan backhands in the hole,
throws to Dreesen, and this one belongs to the
Reds. Gary Nolan with an out -of -sight pitching
performance tonight. As he goes the distance
for the fourth time, his first shutout, and the
Reds have their seventh consecutive victory.
The Reds went into first place for good in 1975
on June 7th with a win over Chicago. They moved
four percentage points ahead of the Dodgers that
day and were never headed as they won the division
by 20 games, becoming the first team since 1906
to win by that large a margin. Cincinnati enjoyed
tremendous success against the Cubs, winning
11 of the 12 games between the two teams. Included
was a four -game sweep at Riverfront June 6th,
7th, and 8th. First, a big base hit by Dave Concepcion.
One man out. The pitch. Swung on. A base hit
left field. Right by the third baseman rolling
in beyond the cup bullpen. Bench is in. Dreesen
is in. And the Reds lead it 5 -1 on Boya. Clutch
double by Concepcion. Then back -to -back home
runs by Johnny Bench and Dan Dreesen. Ferris'
1 -1 is swung on. Hammered to deep left center
field. He hit it a bunch. Back is Monday. It's
gone. Swung on, a fly ball, hit deep and high
to right center. It might be back to backers.
It is. And the pitching was excellent. Billingham
throwing and Thornton ground ball to shortstop.
Concepcion has it, his running throw, and this
one belongs to the Reds. The Reds pitching continues
to be out of sight. The final score today as
Billingham goes a distance, giving them a run
on five hits. The Reds eight, the Cubs one. Bench
continued to play long ball. And the 1 -1. Bench
swings and hits it deep to left field. Stay fair.
Baseball gone. But Johnny Bench rips one down
the left field line. And I mean an absolute shot.
The Reds lead it 2 -1. Time after time, the Reds'
strong bench paid dividends. Blocked 3 -2 pitch.
Grounded right side and through for a base hit.
Ball just passed him out and out of the reach
of Manny trio on into center field Redmond's
first hit in the game Checking the pitch Redmond
goes pitches swung on popped up looped in the
shallow left a hit for plumber Redmond at third
plumber at second Not out one won the count on
Crowley Here is a pitch swung on hit in the left
field it is a base at One run will score. Here's
Plummer coming on to third sliding safely. And
Crowley with a pinch single to left makes it
5 -3 our side. The ace of the pitching staff
was left -hander Don Gulland. And during the
amazing streak of successes in late May and early
June, he piled up the victories, earning his
eighth on June 11th. Ground ball right side.
Flynn has it. His throw to Perez. And this one
belongs to the Reds. And the final score tonight
as Gulland wins his eighth of the season, the
Reds three. The Cardinals won. Win number nine
for Gullet was also an eye -popper on June 16th.
But, as things turned out, it was to be his last
victory for a long while. The pitch. Smash off
the pitcher's mound. Now recovered by Chaney,
throwing to first to get the out. As one run
scores, that ball hit Don Gullet, and he's down
and writhing just off to the right of the mound.
The injury was a broken left thumb, and it set
him to the sidelines for two months. but the
Big Red machine kept on rolling. Last at -bat
victories became the trademark for this ball
club, such as these on June 27th and June 28th.
Here's a long drive to deep right field, and
this one belongs to the Reds. A three -run home
run by Danny Dreesen into the green seats in
right field, and the Reds have ended it with
lightning -like swiftness here in the bottom
of the 11th inning. The final score, 5 -2 Cincinnati.
Morgan at second base with two away, 2 -2 on
the way. Curve, swing on, it's all over, I think.
Going back, and Yahtzee is this with one in the
green seat. The Reds won it by a score of 6 -4.
Ken Griffey blossomed into a star in 1975, batting
.305. One of the fastest players in baseball,
Griffey had 38 infield hits during the season
and used his swift feet to rank among the triples
leaders in the National League. This one helped
the Reds draw close. Foster third. Armbrister
second. Rose at first. Three balls and two strikes
on Griffey. One man out. The left -hander stretches
and delivers. Here's a fly ball. Hammer to left
field. Rosewell. Not being able to get it. And
it goes all the way to the wall. Three runs are
going to score. Griffey comes to third. It is
six to five. And this shot won it. We're tied
6 -6 in the 12th inning. Necro sets and delivers.
Ben swings, hits, and that's off. Johnny Benz
is 16th home run of the year, and the Reds win
it by a score of 9 -6. Let me say this. This
one belongs to the Reds. A day later, the Reds
were victorious again in extra innings as Joe
Morgan wore the laurel of hero. Rose out at second
base representing the winning run. The pitch
to Morgan. Swung out of base at the right center
field. Here comes Pete Rose. And this one belongs
to the Reds. Joe Morgan has ended it here in
the 15th inning with a base hit to right center
field. And in the longest game of the year for
the Cincinnati Reds, they win 8 -7 and 15 over
the Houston Astros. Long home runs were especially
of George Foster and Tony Perez. George smacked
23 after taking over the regular left field spot
on May 3rd when Pete Rose was moved to third
base. He connected for a long one against the
Astros in late June. Now Foster waiting. Swings
and there it goes! A long drive to left field!
It is a home run! George Foster pounding line
into the yellow seats in left field, two rows
deep. A three -run blast on Durker's first pitch,
and the Reds are up a run 4 -3. And then Tony
Perez pounded a prodigious shot against the Philadelphia
Phillies. Here comes a 3 -2 pitch to the plate.
It is swung on and hit deep to left field. A
tremendous shot to left. It will be in the red
seat. A two -run homer for Tony Perez. And that
ball went into the red seats in left field. A
tremendous shot by Tony Perez. It finds its way
into the red seats in left field. And you can
count on one hand the number of times that has
been done in this stadium since it opened back
in 1970. Well, I think you would have to sit
here and safely say that he got all of that one.
Just as impressive as the long home runs were
the defensive gems turned in by the 1975 Reds.
Cincinnati set a major league record playing
15 consecutive games without making an error.
And the Reds made the fewest errors in the major
leagues. Defensive plays like these were repeated
time after time. Line drive, right field, Rattenbein
will make a diving catch! Fine defensive play
by Merv Redman as he went sprawling on the aspirator.
Made the catch and hung on to save two runs and
end the inning. Bruce swings, hits a fly ball
into right center field. Geronimo coming hard,
and this one belongs to the ref. Pitch to Maddox,
swung on a line drive. Morgan has it! Super play
by Joe Morgan on a line shot. He dove off to
his left and came up with a ball, and the Reds
are home free. Now the 3 -2 pitch with John Stone
breaking. Swung on ground ball to Pete's left.
He dives. Comes up with it. Now the throw. He
got it. Fine play. Swung on a bouncing ball.
Rose cuts it off. Throws to second. Morgan to
first. We got a double play. Boy, I'll tell you,
fine play right there. Pitch to him. Swung on.
A fly ball hit back in a deep left field. Foster
back on the track. Leaps up, and he makes a catch.
Here's a run. The Reds streaked on into July
and held a commanding lead over the Dodgers,
and more than 150 ,000 were on hand for a three
-day weekend series with Los Angeles at Riverfront,
hoping for Cincinnati victories. It was one of
the most rousing series of the year. Rose, who
led the league in doubles for the second straight
year and went back over the 300 mark in 1975,
added to the excitement in this series. Our show
ready with the one -two, and here she comes.
Screwball, swung on, there she goes. That's number
five for Pete Rose. Get out of here. All right,
so Pete Rose gets on a high screwball, and for
Pete, his fifth home run of the year, and the
Reds lead it now by a score of five to three.
How about that? And the fans went home happy
thanks to Raleigh Eastwick. Raleigh Eastwick
will come on and face Ken McMullen. Strike is
called on the outside corner. Here's a pitch.
Swing and a miss. Strike two. He struck him out
swinging and this one belongs to the Reds. A
preview of the National League Championship Series
saw the Reds sweep four games from the Pittsburgh
Pirates during a mid -August series at Riverfront.
Foster got the Reds off and running in the first
game. He hit two home runs off Pittsburgh ace
Jerry Royce. Here's a high fly ball hit back
in a deep left field. Going back is Zisk and
it is... to left field and hit off the facing
of the green seats. And we fold down in front
of the Pirates 3 -0. Here's a man who's put the
runs on the board, George Foster. A three -run
home run to left field back in the fourth inning.
Here's a pitch. Swung high and there it goes
again. A home run to left field. That went into
the green seats and a second home run of the
night for George Foster. The Reds continued their
onslaught against the Pirates the next night
with a big first inning. Back with a 1 -0. Rose,
a line drive hit the center field. Rooker picks
up a strikeout against Ken Griffey. He'll be
working to Joe Morgan. Fly ball right center.
Get down. It's a base hit. It bounds by the right
fielder, Parker. Here's Rose routing third. He's
coming to the plate. No throw and a game is tied
at 1 -2. Bench swings. It's a fly ball to right
field. It's hit a time. Back is Parker. Here's
Tony. Break -even pitch. Swung on and a line
shot hit to left field. That ball is going to
go all the way to the wall. Here's Zisk up throwing.
Tony digging for second. He is in standing with
a double. Two balls, one strike. His pitcher
faces pitcher. Faces loaded, two out. Rooker
ready with a pitch. That is swung on. Hit on
the right field. A base hit. Tony Perez is in.
Foster to the plate. Going to third is Glenn
and Fred Norman with a two -run single. Sends
the Reds up 5 -1. The pitch to him. Swung on.
A smash to left center field. That's another
base hit. In the score is Flynn. Coming to third.
Getting the green light now. The stop sign is
Norman. Rose has had his second hit of the inning.
Another run is home at 6 -1. Perez helped make
it three straight the next day with a game -winning
home run. And then in the series finale, it was
Pete Rose who stole the show. 2 ,499 career hits.
The pitch by Keeshan. Swung on. There it is.
A base hit to center. A feed road with number
2 ,500. He gets an RBI on it and a standing ovation
from this capacity house here at Riverfront.
Don Gullet, who would have undoubtedly crashed
the 20 -victory circle for the first time without
his injury, still wound up with 15 victories
and a glittering earned run average of 2 .42.
He made a strong comeback from his broken thumb
as this shutout against the Cardinals on August
28th demonstrates. Here's a 1 -1 pitch to Rudolph.
Swung on and a fly ball to right. Riffey moving
deep and this one belongs to the Reds. Fine five
-hit shutout by left -hander Don Gullet as the
Reds defeat the Cardinals in the first of four,
four to nothing. There's no finer center fielder
in the game than Cesar Geronimo. He's a gold
-glover on defense and with a bat he contributed
some big base hits. Geronimo swings, hits a fly
ball to right field. That's hit deep. Davis is
back and it's out of here. A home run. Cesar
Geronimo jumping on Len McLaughlin's first pitch.
He took him deep to right field. And just like
that, the Reds lead it 4 -1. RBI's are synonymous
with Tony Perez. For the ninth consecutive year,
he exceeded the 90 mark and runs batted in. And
for the third straight season, he passes century
mark with 109. He also reached a big RBI milestone
in his career on September 2nd against San Diego's
Jerry Johnson. Perez waiting on the 2 -0 pitch
to the plate. He hits a base hit to left field.
Geronimo scores, and Tony Perez is the all -time
RBI leader in Cincinnati Reds history. His 1
,010th as they come to their feet with a standing
ovation here at Riverfront Stadium. A record
-setting club all season long, it was only appropriate
the Reds establish another mark when they clenched
the Western Division title on September 7th.
By winning that day, the Reds clenched earlier
than any club in National League history. And
the 8 -4 victory, coupled with a Los Angeles
Dodger loss in Atlanta, touched off a clubhouse
celebration. The Reds kept on rolling through
September. They set a National League record
for most home wins with 64 and finally chalked
up win number 108 on the final day of the season.
The season ended like it began. A come -from
-behind victory and an infield hit that knocked
in the winning run. O'Dell Canton battling to
send the game into extra innings. Comes with
the 0 -1. It's swung on a ground ball. Hits.
Diving blank. He'll not have a play and this
one belongs to the Reds. A hard ground ball hit
off to the right of Larval Blank. He dove for
it, got his glove on the ball. The ball skidded
loose. Blanks scampering after it to try and
make a play, but could not. And the Reds have
pulled it out here in the ninth inning, 7 -6.
No doubt about it, this one belonged to the Reds.
The battle cry now, though, was bring on the
Pirates. The 1975 National League Western Division
champions Cincinnati Reds are on the air. The
75 League Championship Series with Marty Brenneman
and Joe Nuxall. Reds baseball is brought to you
by Stroh's Beer for 200 years. From one beer
lover to another. And by the Marathon Oil Company.
People who believe in people. By the Pepsi -Cola
Bottling Company of Cincinnati, bottlers of Pepsi
-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Schweppes products. By
Frisch's, at breakfast time, lunch time, or any
time you're hungry, there's always a Frisch's
nearby. By the First National Bank of Cincinnati,
the bank that adds top security to high interest
on your savings. And by Riverside Ford in Newport,
a block and a bridge from downtown Cincinnati.
Now, for all the play -by -play action of the
Cincinnati Reds Championship Series, we go to
Marty Brenneman and Joe Nuxall. So now it was
on to the playoffs against the heavy -hitting
Pittsburgh Pirates. For the Cincinnati Reds,
this was their fourth trip to postseason play
in the last six seasons. But this time, it just
seemed it was to be their year. As usual, Reds
fans supported their team enthusiastically to
the tune of 2 .3 million. And by the time the
playoffs rolled around, the Reds front office
was so inundated with playoff applications that
they had to return 30 ,000 checks for ticket
requests. Game one of the playoffs opened at
Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium with Don Gullet
and Jerry Royce hooking up in a battle of left
-handers. The Pirates scored first, picking up
two runs in the second. But the Reds came back
with one of their own in the bottom half of the
inning. And then in the third, the Reds won in
front to stay. Red struck for another big inning
in the fifth, scoring four times to give themselves
an 8 -1 lead. One of the big hits of the inning,
and a big surprise, was a two -run homer by pitcher
Don Gullick. The Reds have gotten two more runs
across in the fifth inning to make it a 6 -2
ballgame. The Reds coasted from that point on
to an eventual 8 -3 victory. Game 2 was also
a matchup of left -handers as Fred Norman of
the Reds opposed Jim Rooker. The Reds struck
early with Tony Perez's first inning home run.
Perez with a fly ball, deep left field, back
is Zisk, and it's gone! A home run! Tony Perez
hammers a 1 -1 pitch out of here to give the
Reds a 2 -0 lead. Then in the fourth, the Reds
scored two more times as they continued to make
the playoffs a nightmare for pirate catcher Manny
Sanguien. 1 -0 pitch. Swung on. A looper back
behind second. Stennett going out. Coming in.
It falls for a base hit. And now putting on the
brakes is Foster as he started to go to second.
Thought better of it. As Frank Tavares quickly
recovered and went to the second base bag to
cover. He deals a 2 -0 pitch and that swung on
and looped into right center field. Oliver and
Parker coming together. It'll end the end for
a hit. Here's Foster going to second and holding
there as the Reds have dumped a couple. Into
the outfield off of Jim Rooker here in the fourth
inning and have two men on and nobody out. Here's
a pitch to Griffey. He bounces one left side.
It's going to be in for a hit. Here comes Foster.
Here comes Zisk's throw to the plate. It is not
in time, and it's 3 -1. Rooker against Fred Norman
with runners at second and third one out. He
pitches. Norman hits one in the left field. Richie
Zisk digging for it. He'll make the catch, but
here comes Concepcion. The race is on, and it's
4 -1. Griffey with one foot on the carpet, one
foot in the sliding pit. There he goes. Ball
butted through. San Guillen high throw, no. That's
eight stolen bases for the Reds in the series.
Hebner looking for a bunt, so too is Stargell.
He squares. He bunts through it. Throw to second.
Here comes Griffey to third, and he's in. the
second base, but as soon as Sam Guillen fired
that way, Kenny came on to third, and that's
another steal. Eason has the sign, the stretch.
There goes Morgan. The pitch is high and inside.
No chance for Sam Guillen at all. Joe Morgan
with his fourth stolen base in a championship
playoff series. That is number nine for the ball
club and number six here in the ballgame. The
Reds struck again for single runs in the 6th
and 7th on their way to an eventual 6 -1 win.
Meanwhile, Raleigh Eastwick took over in the
7th and just sawed off the Pirates' bats, retiring
9 of the last 10 batters. Two men out. Richie
Zist taking his lead at second base. The 1 -0
pitch swung on and popped up outside of first.
Tony may have a play. He's over. He's under.
And this one belongs to the Reds. With the Reds
ahead two games to none, the scene shifted to
Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. On the verge
of elimination, the Pirates gave it a bagging
fight as rookie left -hander John Candelaria
proved near -invincible over the first seven
and two -thirds innings as he struck out a record
14 batters and yielded but one hit. However,
that one hit was a second -inning home run by
Dave Concepcion. Fly ball hit back into left
field. And the Reds have gone out in front 1
-0. Pittsburgh took a 2 -1 lead in the sixth
on an Al Oliver home run, and things looked good
for the Pirates. But in the eighth inning, Candelaria's
charm life came to an end as he walked Merv Rettman
and had to face always tough Pete Rose. Rettman
leading at first base. Candelaria pitches to
Rose. One on the fly ball. Left field. However,
the Pirates refused to quit and came back to
tie it in the ninth. But their newfound light
was too short -lived as Ken Griffey opened the
tenth with one of his specialties, an infield
hit, and eventually scored what proved to be
the winning run on rookie Ed Armbrister's sacrifice
fly. 0 -2 the count on Griffey. He punts one
out in front of the plate. Here's Sankey, and
up with it. Throws to first, not in time, and
Kenny has a punt single. The 0 -1 delivery. Swung
on and hit in the air to center field. That's
going to be deep enough to get Griffey in. Here's
Oliver with a catch. Here's Kenny tagging. Here
comes Oliver's throw. It'll be cut off by Randolph,
and we go out in front 4 -3. A sacrifice fly
to center field by Ann Armbrister, and you cannot
ask for any more than that. And the Reds were
not through. Throughout, Pete Rose and Joe Morgan
collaborated to add an important insurance run.
The 1 -1 pitch. Swung on and looped to right
field. That will be a base hit. Pete has his
second straight hit. A wrong field single to
right. The 2 -0 pitch. Swung out and hit hard
to right center field. That ball is going to
be thrown all the way to the wall. Now Pete's
got to get to the plate. Up for the ball is Oliver.
He throws to Randolph. It's good on the plate.
It'll not be in time. It's 5 -3 and Pete is in
for the run as Morgan goes to third. Then in
the bottom of the tenth, Pedro Borbon emerged
from the bullpen to wrap up Cincinnati's eighth
National League pennant. Randolph right -handed
batting rookie infielder. Keeney looking for
the side. He kicks and deals. The pitch is hit
to Morgan. He's up. He throws to Tony. And the
1975 pennant belongs to the Rams. Joe Morgan,
my man. Joe, congratulations. It's a great feeling.
Right, it's unbelievable, Joe. You know, I really
feel good myself because I feel like I've helped
a guy this time. Georgie, boy. Sparky, the white
fox. Certainly this ball club, well, what can
you say about it other than it's super. It's
a super baseball team. Boston must be super,
Joe, but I'm not going to be naive. To me, this
is the best baseball team I have had the privilege
of seeing in my career. I just hope that we can
win the World Series so that then they can compare
these guys and judge these guys the way they
should be judged. In the background, the renowned
Johnny Betts. And, John, congratulations. Thank
you very much, Marty. So far, an unbelievable
season for this baseball team. awfully difficult
to pinpoint one key to the success of this team
in 75? Well, I think it's the fact that everybody
had one goal when they left spring training.
And everybody was going to sacrifice to no end
as much as they could in order to win. So we
had a goal in spring training to go all the way,
and it just turned out that two steps were there.
Now it's three. With the National League pennants
safely tucked away in their hip pocket for the
third time in the last six seasons, the Reds
journeyed to Boston for the start of the World
Series against the Red Sox. It had been a long
35 years. since the Reds last wore the crown
of world champions. And they were determined
that this would be the year. But after the first
game of the World Series, Reds fans had to be
wondering, as Louis Theon whirled his magic and
shut out the Reds 6 -0. Game two looked like
more of the same. Left -hander Bill Lee held
the Reds at bay for eight innings. But after
a slight rain delay late in the game, the Reds
regrouped themselves for one of their frantic
ninth -inning finishes. Johnny Bench started
things by ignoring Fenway Park's famed left field
wall by taking Bill Lee to the opposite field.
Johnny Bench. They have the shift on for him.
They give him the right field corner with a wind
blowing in. I wouldn't be surprised if he can.
Let's see him try right center or go to the right
field corner, Marty. Let's see what happens.
Fends out, Lee pitches him. And there he goes
to right field. He hits the ball into the corner.
He's going to get extra bases. Bench goes in
a second, and the Reds have the tying run at
second. Nobody out. Then after two were out,
Dave Concepcion and Ken Griffey combined to give
Cincinnati the lead. In comes Drago. There's
a bounding ball. It's going to be maybe a tie
game. It is. Bench scores, and Concepcion beats
out an infield hit to tie it up for Cincinnati.
Danny Doyle flagged it down and back a second,
and the Reds have tied it. The 1 -2 pitch. Griffey
has a drive into left center. That's in the gap.
Concepcion scoring. Griffey's going to second.
And the Reds take the lead 3 -2 for the two -run
ninth inning. And then Raleigh Eastwick emerged
from the bullpen to preserve Cincinnati's first
win of the 1975 World Series. Here's the pitch.
He pops it up. This should be the ballgame. Waiting
for it is Concepcion. And he has it. And the
Reds. Win 3 -2 and tie the series that one game
apiece. And the Reds now go home in their own
ballpark Tuesday night. A brilliant relief effort
by Raleigh Eastwick. Much of the pre -series
speculation centered around Boston's Fenway Park
and its van box dimensions. However, the heavy
hitting did not start until game three of the
series when the scene shifted to much more spacious
Riverfront Stadium. And all six home runs were
hit in the game by six different players. Boston's
catcher Carlton Fisk started things by hitting
a solo shot in the second. But in the fourth,
his counterpart, Johnny Bench, did him one better
by belting a two -run shot that gave the Reds
a 2 -1 lead. In the fifth inning, Dave Concepcion
and Cesar Geronimo hit back -to -back home runs
for the first time since the 1967 World Series.
He hits one a time, back to the left center field,
looking up his distress. Wise needs a strike.
Geronimo a pitch away from a walk. He swings.
He hits one back in his deep right field. Going
back is Evans, and it's out of here. Well, Curt
and Tony, Cincinnati are putting on a long ball
exhibition here as they have had three hits off
Rick Wise and all of them home runs. However,
the Red Sox would not quit, as pinch hitter Bernie
Carbo homered in the seventh, and Dwight Evans
tied the game with a two -run poke in the ninth.
But despite all the long ball heroics, this game
would be decided on a ball that traveled no more
than two feet and provided much discussion as
to how to interpret the baseball rulebook. So
with Geronimo having led off the 10th inning
with a base hit to right center field, Ed Armbruster
will be the pinch hitter for Raleigh Eastwick.
Right -hander Jim Willoughby into a stretch motion
as he checks the runner at first base. Here is
a pitch to the plate. Armbruster squares around
the bunt, drops it out in front. plate umpire
Larry Barnett, and he may be arguing interference
against Armbrister. There may have been some
contact between Carlton Fisk and Armbrister at
the plate. They draw it in. Boston Red Sox defense.
And left -hander Roger Moret will work out of
the stretch. Has a sign from Carlton Fisk. He
comes set. He delivers. Morgan with a line drive.
But the Red Sox weren't quitters, and they showed
the stuff they were made of when they came back
the next night to even the series by beating
the Reds 5 -4. The last baseball game to be played
at Riverfront Stadium in 1975 took place on Thursday,
October 16th, as Don Gullet dazzled the Red Sox,
and the Reds took a 3 -2 lead in the series with
a 6 -2 win. The Red Sox jumped to an early 1
-0 lead, but in the fourth, Tony Perez, who was
0 -15 in the series up to that point, broke out
of his slump. a big one with a game -tying fourth
-inning home run. And in the fifth, Gullet and
Pete Rose combined to put Cincinnati ahead to
stay. There's a base hit up the middle. Gullet
is on. The fourth hit off Cleveland, a two -out
single. And the pitch to see Rose fly ball down
the left field line. Curving, it is going to
be a... Then in the sixth, the Reds broke the
game wide open on Perez's second home run of
the night. Bench is at second, Morgan at third,
and nobody out. Tony leveling the bat, waiting
for Cleveland's pitch. Here it comes. Fly ball,
long drive, left field. Tony Perez breaking out
of his series slump with a bang. The Reds added
another run in the eighth as Don Gellett pitched
masterfully. including a stretch where he retired
16 consecutive batters. However, Gullet tired
in the ninth as the Red Sox mustered a rally.
But out of the bullpen came Raleigh Eastwick
to put out the fire. The 0 -2 delivery. Here
it comes. Strike three. The ball game's over.
Raleigh Eastwick throws three pitches to Petrocelli,
nailing it down for Don Gullet as the Cincinnati
Reds romp over the Red Sox in game five. So now
it was back to Boston in game number six. one
of the most dramatic contests in baseball history.
The Red Sox jumped to a quick 3 -0 lead in the
first inning when Fred Lynn caught hold of a
Gary Nolan pitch and sent it soaring into the
right field bleachers. But the Reds came back
with three of their own in the fourth inning
to knock the score. In the seventh, Ken Griffey,
Joe Morgan, and George Foster combined to put
the Reds in front 5 -3. Deion's delivery. Big
bounding ball hit in the right field by Griffey.
That's the third time he's been on. Deion throws,
and there's a drive. into left field. That'll
be out in the corner. Dostoevsky racing over
and holds Griffey at second base. Again, Teon
to the stretch. There goes Morgan. That's a fly
ball to deep center. Lynn going back, back. That
ball is off the wall. It'll score two runs. Foster's
in the second and Foster has doubled off the
top of the center field wall and nearly had a
home run. And the Reds With superior right -handed
power tonight, are using Fenway Park better than
the hometown Red Sox. The Reds now lead 5 -3.
And in the eighth, Cesar Geronimo appeared to
put the game out of reach with his solo shot.
Geronimo hits a high drive down the right field
line. That one's deep, and it is a home run for
Cesar Geronimo. Right down the line it went and
dropped into the right field grandstand. And
the Reds now lead 6 -3. But the Red Sox would
not quit. In the eighth inning, Bernie Carbo
came back to haunt his old ball club with a game
-tying and record -tying pinch -hit home run.
Carbo hits a high drive, deep center, way back,
home run! Bernie Carbo has hit his second pinch
-hit home run of this series. That was a blast
up in the center field bleachers. It came with
two outs and a count two and two. The Red Sox
have tied it 6 -6. In the bottom of the ninth,
it looked like the Red Sox would win it. Bases
loaded, none out, but George Foster made a super
defensive play. The Reds have the infield in,
the outfield very shallow, and the pitch. There's
a high fly ball down the left field line. It's
going to be close. It is caught by Foster. Here's
a tag, here's a throw. He's out! A double play!
A double play. Foster throws him out. Foster
took that ball, jammed right up against the left
field stand. Very shallow. And they sent the
runner from third. Denny Doyle is thrown out
on a perfect strike. This was just not to be
the Reds' night. On the 11th, they appeared on
their way to victory when Joe Morgan sent a deep
drive to right field. But Dwight Evans made a
circus catch. The pitch. There's a long shot
to deep right. Back goes Evans. Back, back. And...
Made a grab and saved a home run on that one.
Just the first of a double play as Evans robbed
Joe Morgan of a home run, jumping high in the
air and tagging that ball out of the right field
grandstand. 35 ,000 fans at Fenway Park had hardly
quieted down from Evans' defensive heroics when
Carlton Fisk stepped up to lead off the 12 and
gave Boston fans something to talk about all
winter long. The 1 -0 delivery to Fisk. He swings,
long drive, left field. If it stays there, it's
gone. Home run. The Red Sox win. And the series
is tied three games apiece. After that sudden
death victory by Boston, a lot of teams would
be down emotionally, but not the Reds. In game
seven, they found themselves down once again
by a 3 -0 count. But once again, they came fighting
back. In the sixth, Bill Lee tried to use his
Ephus curve on Tony Perez. It did not work. Then
in the seventh with two on and two out, Pete
Rose tied up the game. and the Reds have tied
it and have runners on second and third. Griffey
scored easily. Lynn's throw was wide at the plate.
Armbruster raced to third, and Rose went down
to second on the throw to the plate. During the
course of the season, it seemed as though the
Reds owned a patent on scoring runs in the ninth
inning. This was how they would win their third
world championship. With runners on first and
second, Joe Morgan looped a single to center
field for what would be their most important
run of the long 1975 season. Cincinnati. Two
down. Ken Griffey at third. Pete Rose at first.
Joe Morgan at back. One ball, two strikes. There's
a looper. They drop. It's in for a hit. Here
comes a throw to third. Rose hits a dirty save.
And there goes Morgan down to second. And the
Reds have the lead 4 -3. Then out of the bullpen
came Will McEnany. And with quickness and dispatch,
he retired the side. And Cincinnati had its first
world championship since 1940. The Reds are one
out away from winning the world championship.
And Carl Yastrowski gets a standing ovation.
Win or lose, he's been a great player for Boston
since 1960. And he's the captain of the team.
And a high fly ball. It should be all over. is
under, and Cincinnati has won the World Championship,
beating the Boston Red Sox 4 -3. Thanks, Chip
Doe, and congratulations, Chip Doe, to the manager
of the Reds, Sparky Anderson. What a wonderful
moment for you. This one's for Milt, boys, and
for Lefty, who's not here, and for all my friends
and everybody I love. Sparky Anderson, congratulations
to you on the Reds. Joe Morgan, Joe Morgan, congratulations.
Thank you very much, man. It's the one I've been
looking for for seven years, and I finally made
it. Joe, for the 115th time this season, this
one belongs to the Reds, and it was a big one.
Right on. This is the biggest one I've ever played
in, Marty. come from behind and look like we're
dead, but we never died. Pete Rose, the man standing
to my left, was named the most valuable player
of the 1975 World Series, and Pete, our congratulations
to him. It was a triple -A team performance tonight.
Most teams would have quit when they got us out
when we had first and third no outs, Tony. We
struck Toronto out and Redmond hit to a double
play, but most teams would have quit when we
stood down by three runs and Perez gave us a
live with our two -run shot. You can tell I'm
hoarse from yelling the whole game. Here's Johnny
Bench. It is, Martin. I'm so excited. I really,
and here's Bob Housen, who made it all possible.
I'll tell you, it was just a complete effort.
I've never wanted to win anything so bad, and
the way we won it, I think, makes it even more
exciting.