1975 Reds Replay 27: 1975 Padres

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?

Fred Norman‘s performance on the mound and at the plate led Cincinnati to a 3-1 victory over San Diego at Riverfront Stadium.

After dropping their first series of the season to the Milwaukee Braves, the Reds evened their mark during the current homestand at 2-2.

Norman (3-2) tossed 7⅓ innings, while allowing four hits and a run in the seventh frame on a RBI double by Johnny Grubb. The former Padre fanned five, but his six walks forced him to work out of jams in the second and sixth.

Pedro Borbon got the final two outs of the eighth, while Rawly Eastwick earned his seventh save with a scoreless ninth.

After Johnny Bench drove in a run in the first with a double, Norman made it 2-0 in the second with a RBI single.

San Diego starter Dave Freisleben held the Reds in check until the eighth when he gave way to Dave Tomlin with two outs. Tomlin gave up a run-scoring single to Pete Rose as the Reds added their final tally.

Freisleben scattered 11 hits and surrendered three of them to Bench.

Joe Morgan had a pair of stolen bases and Dave Concepcion swiped one.

The Reds have Jack Billingham listed as the starter in the middle contest of the three-games series as Dan Spillner is slated for the Padres.

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 (18-9)
1954 Giants (2-2)
1957 Braves (2-3)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
2017 Astros (2-5)
1975 Padres (1-3)