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 survived a battle of young pitchers as the Reds posted a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Riverfront Stadium.
Rookie Pat Darcy (9-5) of the Reds and Larry Jaster of the Cardinals both tossed seven innings.
Darcy allowed just four hits and a run in the first inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Jaster gave up six hits, but the two homers he surrendered made the difference.
Roger Maris gave the Cardinals an early lead in the with a RBI single in the top of the first.
In the third, Pete Rose and Dave Concepcion drilled back-to-back solo shots that provided all of the offense the Reds would need.
Clay Carroll worked a perfect eighth for Cincinnati and then retired the first hitter in the ninth.
With left-handed hitters Tim McCarver and Maris due up, Reds manager Sparky Anderson went to Will McEnaney to close out the contest.
McEnaney, who suffered a loss in Cincinnati’s last game, got McCarver to pop out and Maris to fly out to record his eighth save of the season.
The second affair of the four-game set will have each team’s aces on the mound.
Don Gullett (16-6) is slated to go for the Reds, while Bob Gibson starts for the Cardinals.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1969 Mets (7-5)
2016 Cubs (6-6)
1971 Pirates (5-7)
1975 Expos (4-8)
1967 Cardinals (3-6)
2008 Phillies (2-10)
West Division
1954 Giants (7-4)
1975 Reds (81-51)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (5-9)
1975 Padres (3-11)