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?
Cincinnati was able to pull away from Pittsburgh with some late runs as the Reds won 9-3 over the Pirates in the opener of the three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium.
The Reds led 3-2 after seven innings before they exploded for six runs over the final two frames.
A three-run homer in the eighth by Dave Concepcion made it 6-2.
The Pirates responded with a RBI double by Al Oliver in the bottom of the eighth to close the gap to 6-3.
In the ninth, the Reds added three more runs as Johnny Bench drove in a pair with a homer and George Foster capped the rally with a RBI single.
Quick Start
Back-to-back RBI singles by Foster and Tony Perez in the first inning off Pittsburgh starter Luke Walker put the Reds on top 2-0.
Bench’s run-scoring single in the sixth gave the Reds a 3-0 advantage.
Gene Clines closed the gap for the Pirates in the seventh as he blasted a two-run homer off Reds starter Jack Billingham to make it 3-2.
Billingham (12-5), who left the game with one out in the seventh, earned the victory as he gave up two runs on six hits with four strikeouts.
Walker took the loss for the Pirates as he allowed the first three runs before hitting the showers with two outs in the sixth.
The Reds scored five times off Bruce Kison and added the final tally against Bob Johnson.
After Pedro Borbon gave up Oliver’s RBI hit, Clay Carroll and Clay Kirby shut down the Pirates the rest of the way.
Rookie Pat Darcy (8-5) heads to the mound for the Reds in the middle contest of the series. Bob Moose is scheduled to start for the Pirates.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1969 Mets (7-5)
2016 Cubs (5-4)
1971 Pirates (4-6)
1975 Expos (4-8)
1967 Cardinals (3-6)
2008 Phillies (2-10)
West Division
1954 Giants (7-4)
1975 Reds (77-49)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (5-9)
1975 Padres (3-11)