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?
A late rally proved to be the difference as the New York Giants defeated the Cincinnati 4-3 in the finale of a three-game series at Riverfront Stadium.
Scoring three times in the top of the eighth put the Giants into a position to claim the series with a second straight win.
With Cincinnati leading 3-1, Reds starter Pat Darcy retired the first two Giants he faced before walking Al Dark.
Reds manager Sparky Anderson made the slow walk to the mound to change pitchers as he called lefty Will McEnaney from the bullpen to face Don Mueller.
After Mueller singled to move Dark to second, Anderson was back at the mound to bring on Pedro Borbon.
Willie Mays greeted Bordon with a double that scored Dark to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Borbon (6-5) walked Hank Thompson and then gave up a two-run single to Dusty Rhodes that gave the Giants the lead for good.
Cincinnati jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the first inning against Giants starter Don Liddle.
Joe Morgan singled and swiped second before Tony Perez drilled a homer that put the Reds on top.
A sacrifice fly by Mays in the fourth got the Giants on the scoreboard.
George Foster‘s RBI single in the sixth gave the Reds a 3-1 lead to set the stage for the Giants rally in the eighth.
Liddle would get the victory, but he needed help from a pair of teammates. Windy McCall worked the bottom of the eighth, while in the ninth, Hoyt Wilhelm shut the Reds down for the second game in a row to earn a save.
Next up for the Reds is an eight-game road trip to face the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Giants.
Don Gullett (18-6) will start for the Reds in the opener of a two-game series in San Diego. Randy Jones is scheduled to start 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 (9-5)
1975 Reds (87-55)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (5-11)
1975 Padres (4-12)