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 two-run homer in the seventh by George Foster proved to be the difference as Cincinnati defeated the New York Giants 8-7.
The Reds trailed 6-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
With one out, Ken Griffey walked and scored his fourth run of the game on a double by Joe Morgan.
After Johnny Bench grounded out, Foster smacked an offering from Giants reliever Marv Grissom into the seats to give the Reds an 8-6 lead.
Rawly Eastwick picked up his fifth save despite giving up a run-scoring single in the ninth to Willie Mays, who led the Giants with four hits.
Reds Score First
Cincinnati jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the first off Giants starter Don Liddle with a RBI triple by Griffey and then he scored on a ground out by Morgan.
The Giants tied it in the top of the second when Wes Westrum drove in a run and later scored on a wild pitch by Reds starter Clay Kirby.
Hank Thompson put the Giants on top 3-2 with a RBI triple in the third, but the Reds answered in the bottom of the frame. Griffey had his second triple of the contest before Bench knocked him in with a triple.
Al Dark‘s two-run single in the fourth made it 5-3 Giants.
Dave Concepcion homered in the bottom of the fourth to close the gap to one run.
Both teams added run in the fifth. Davey Williams had a RBI single for the Giants and Morgan drove in his second tally with a single that ended Liddle’s day,
Grissom worked a scoreless sixth before the Reds got to him in the seventh.
Clay Carroll (1-0), who pitched the seventh and eighth, earned his first victory of the season.
Don Gullett (3-0) looks for his fourth straight win for the Reds as they wrap up the two-game series with the Giants, who will have Jim Hearn on the mound.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1967 Cardinals (0-0)
1969 Mets (0-0)
1971 Pirates (0-0)
1975 Expos (0-0)
2008 Phillies (0-0)
2016 Cubs (0-0)
West Division
1975 Reds (11-4)
1957 Braves (0-0)
1975 Padres (1-2)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
2017 Astros (1-3)
1954 Giants (0-1)