1975 Red Replay 99: 1969 Mets

Editor’s note: How good were the 1975 Cincinnati Reds? The best way to end the speculation is to challenge the team with a 162-game season against some great teams. This is a series that will include each game played with the Strat-o-Matic cards and dice, while hoping to reach the 108-54 record that the Reds had that season. Game stories will be published periodically on Press Room Pass through out the year. What’s your predicted victory total?

Unlike the first two contests of the Cincinnati-New York series, the finale of the three-game set came down to one inning early in the contest as the Mets were able to hold off the Reds 7-6.

As a result of the win, the Mets took two of three from Cincinnati finished the season series with a 7-5 edge over the Reds.

With a RBI double, Johnny Bench gave the Reds the lead in the first inning against Mets starter Gary Gentry.

However, in the second frame the reversed their mood with six runs against Reds starter Fred Norman (10-7), who would eventually get tagged with the loss.

Back-to-back RBI singles by Ron Swoboda and Jerry Grote put New York in front 2-1 and then it was time for the Mets to add some runs.

Gentry had a sacrifice fly before Bud Harrelson surprised the Mets faithful at Shea Stadium with a three-run homer and it was 6-1.

The Reds were able to chip away with another run-scoring double by Bench in the third.

Tony Perez had a pinch-hit two-run single in the sixth to make it 6-4.

Unfortunately for the Reds, Grote tagged solo homer off Cincinnati reliever Pedro Borbon in the bottom of the sixth.

The Reds got closer in the top of the seventh as Joe Morgan and George Foster had RBI singles, but that would turn out to be the end of their offense as the Mets were able to hang on for the win.

Cincinnati returns home for a four-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jack Billingham (10-3) and Clay Kirby (0-3) will start in the doubleheader at Riverfront Stadium on the opening day of the series, while the Dodgers will go with Bob Welch and Dave Goltz.

National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)

East Division
1971 Pirates (3-2)
1969 Mets (7-5)
2016 Cubs (3-4)
1975 Expos (2-7)
1967 Cardinals (1-4)
2008 Phillies (2-10)

West Division
1975 Reds (65-33)
1954 Giants (2-2)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
1975 Padres (3-11)