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?
Houston’s Carlos Correa will not be a welcome visitor the next time the Astros make the journey to Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.
Correa was the key figure for the Astros as they completed a three-game sweep of the Reds with an 8-5 victory.
The Houston shortstop hit a solo homer and drove in two more runs with a double in the finale.
In the three contests, Correa had nine hits with three homers and eight RBI. Overall, the Astros had 24 runs and 34 hits during the series.
Reds starter Jack Billingham (9-2) lasted six innings because of an exhausted bullpen and allowed all eight runs.
The game was tied after three frames thanks to Correa’s outburst and Cincinnati’s George Foster.
Foster hit a solo shot in the second and then added a two-run single in the third.
George Springer put the Astros on top for good in the fourth as he knocked in two runs with a single.
Marwin Gonzalez added to Houston’s advantage with a two-run bomb in the fifth. Springer’s RBI double in the sixth ended the scoring for the Astros.
Dave Concepcion had a two-run triple in the eighth off Astros starter Brad Peacock for the final runs for the Reds.
Peacock did allow a dozen hits by the Reds in his eight innings, but he was able to control the damage.
Ken Giles worked the ninth to earn the save. He gave up a hit to Pete Rose and walked Ken Griffey, but retired Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench and Foster to close the door on the Reds.
The Reds travel to San Diego hoping to stop their three-game losing streak as Pat Darcy (7-3) gets the start. Brent Strom is slated to go to the mound for the Padres in the opener of the four-game set.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1969 Mets (4-1)
1971 Pirates (3-2)
2016 Cubs (3-4)
1975 Expos (2-4)
1967 Cardinals (1-4)
2008 Phillies (1-6)
West Division
1975 Reds (51-29)
1954 Giants (2-2)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
1975 Padres (2-8)