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?
The slump continues.
Cincinnati’s longest losing streak of the season reached four games after the San Diego Padres rallied for an improbable 4-3 victory over the Reds.
With the Cincinnati bullpen being over worked during the Houston series, Reds manager Sparky Anderson needed a solid out from Pat Darcy.
Darcy went six innings and left with a 3-1 advantage. Anderson’s next move was to bring on Rawly Eastwick (0-1), which for the first time this season turned out to be the wrong decision.
Hector Torres reached first on an error by Eastwick to start the seventh.
After retiring pinch-hitter Bobby Tolan and lead-off batter Tito Fuentes, things went horribly wrong for Eastwick and the Reds.
Johnny Grubb singled and Torres went to second, Dave Winfield walked to load the bases to set the stage for veteran Willie McCovey, who drove in San Diego’s first run with a double in the opening frame.
McCovey doubled to tie the contest at 3-3 with Winfield heading to third base.
Gene Locklear hit a grounder to Pete Rose, but the third baseman couldn’t handle it and Winfield raced home with what turned out to be the winning tally. Eastwick would finish the game on the mound.
Brent Strom tossed the first six innings for the Padres as he allowed three runs on 12 hits.
Dave Concepcion tied the game with a RBI single in the fourth before George Foster gave the Reds the lead with a double that produced a run in the fifth.
In the sixth, Dan Driessen‘s pinch-hit single gave the Reds a 3-1 lead.
Danny Frisella pitched a perfect seventh with two strikeouts for San Diego to pick up the victory.
Dave Tomlin retired all six hitters he faced and fanned a pair over the final two innings to earn a save.
Game two of the series will feature the staff aces as Don Gullett (9-4) will be on the mound for the Reds, while Randy Jones gets the call for the Padres.
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 (51-30)
1954 Giants (2-2)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
1975 Padres (3-8)