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 needed a big rally in the sixth inning to defeat St. Louis 8-5 in the finale of a four-games series at Riverfront Stadium.
With the victory, Cincinnati claimed the season series against the Cardinals with an 8-4 record. It is the last game for the Reds against teams from the East Division as they finished with a 44-28 mark.
The Reds trailed 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth against St. Louis starter Steve Carlton, who walked Merv Rettenmund to begin the frame.
Dave Concepcion followed with a double and Doug Flynn banged another double that put the Reds in front 4-3.
Cincinnati wasn’t finished as Johnny Bench drove in a pair with a single and it was 6-3. George Foster knocked in the final tally of the five-run inning with a single against Joe Hoerner, who had replaced Carlton.
St. Louis was able to score twice in the top of the seventh as Reds starter Fred Norman‘s day came to an end. After an unearned run, Curt Flood‘s RBI single made it 7-5.
Reds back-up catcher Bill Plummer, who entered the contest after an injury to Bench, scored on a passed ball in the eighth for Cincinnati’s last run.
Norman (14-9) earned the victory, while Clay Carroll picked up his first save of the season with two perfect innings to finish the affair.
Foster’s RBI single in the first put the Reds up 1-0, but the Cardinals had an answer two innings later.
In the third, Flood gave the Cardinals a 2-1 advantage with a single. Roger Maris added a sacrifice fly and it was 3-1.
Tony Perez closed the gap to 3-2 in the fifth with a run-scoring single that set the stage for Cincinnati’s big inning.
Next up for the Reds is a two-game series against San Diego in Cincinnati.
Jack Billingham (12-5) gets the start for the Reds, while Dan Spillner will go to the mound for the Padres.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1969 Mets (7-5)
2016 Cubs (6-6)
1971 Pirates (5-7)
1967 Cardinals (4-8)
1975 Expos (4-8)
2008 Phillies (2-10)
West Division
1954 Giants (7-4)
1975 Reds (83-52)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (5-9)
1975 Padres (3-11)