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?
After scoring 18 runs in the first two games of the season, the Cincinnati Reds were shut down by Burt Hooton of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hooton scattered six hits in the complete game as he blanked the Reds 2-0 without a walk, while striking out four.
Cincinnati’s Fred Norman was almost as good as he limited the Dodgers to three hits over eight innings. However, he walked three to go with six strikeouts. Pat Darcy worked a scoreless ninth for the Reds.
Ken Landreaux led off the contest with a double. Two outs later, Dusty Baker drove him in with a single.
The Dodgers scored another run in the sixth without a hit.
Davey Lopes walked and stole second and eventually scored on back-to-back gound outs by Steve Garvey and Pedro Guerrero.
Landreaux had a double in the eighth for the only other hit for the Dodgers.
Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, Joe Morgan, Dan Driessen, Ken Griffey and Johnny Bench each had hits for the Reds.
The Reds head to the West Coast for their initial road trip of the season.
The first stop is in San Diego for a three-games series before visiting the Dodgers for four contests.
Jack Billingham will get the start in the opener for Cincinnati against Padres righty Dave Freisleben.
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 (2-1)
1954 Giants (0-0)
1957 Braves (0-0)
1975 Padres (0-0)
2017 Astros (0-0)
1981 Dodgers (1-2)