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 broke open a scoreless affair in the fifth inning as the Reds went on to defeat Philadelphia 8-4 in the third contest of a four-game set.
Joe Morgan had a RBI single off Phillies starter Cole Hamels for the first run and then Johnny Bench drove in a pair with a double to make it 3-0.
The Reds added three more in the sixth against J.C. Romero with an unearned tally along with a run-scoring double by Dave Concepcion and a RBI single by Reds starting pitcher Don Gullett.
Tony Perez had a single in the seventh to knock in a run off Romero before he was replaced by Chad Durbin.
Durbin and Ryan Madson kept the Reds from scoring in the until the ninth. Clay Condrey surrendered a solo homer to George Foster in the ninth.
Gullett (4-2) was cruising through eight innings allowing just two hits with seven strikeouts.
However, the proverbial wheels fell completely off for Gullett in the ninth. After one out, he gave up singles to Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth to load the bases. Gullett’s final pitch of the contest to Pat Burrell was deposited in the upper deck of the Citizens Bank Park left field stands for a grand slam.
Although not a save situation, Rawly Eastwick retired Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz to end the game.
Foster topped the Reds with four hits, while Perez and Concepcion had three apiece.
The Reds will start Gary Nolan (4-2) in the series finale, while the Phillies have Jamie Moyer slated to take the mound.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1969 Mets (2-1)
2008 Phillies (1-2)
1967 Cardinals (0-0)
1971 Pirates (0-0)
1975 Expos (0-0)
2016 Cubs (0-0)
West Division
1975 Reds (23-12)
1954 Giants (2-2)
1957 Braves (2-3)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
2017 Astros (2-5)
1975 Padres (1-5)