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 manager Sparky Anderson had an ace up his sleave.
Reds starter Don Gullett won a duel with his New York Mets counterpart for the first time this season as Cincinnati beat Tom Seaver 2-0 after a pair of losses to “The Franchise.”
Gullett (13-4), who was didn’t win in his two starts against Seaver, went the distance as he limited to the Mets to four hits with five strikeouts to silence the Shea Stadium crowd.
Seaver left the mound with one out in the top of the eighth, after giving up two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts. In his two previous starts against the Reds that were complete games, Seaver had allowed a run on seven hits as he fanned a dozen.
Neither team could score in the opener of the three-game series until the top of the seventh when George Foster tagged Seaver for a solo homer tpo put the Reds in front.
After fanning Cesar Geronimo, Seaver’s day would a end batters later. Gullett smacked a double and then Pete Rose knocked him in with another double.
Ken Griffey‘s infield single sent Rose to third and Seaver to the showers.
Mets manager Gil Hodges called Ron Taylor from the bullpen and he walked Joe Morgan to load the bases, but he was able to strikeout Johnny Bench and Foster to end the threat.
Gullett, who had not gone over eight frames against the Mets this season, was able to finish what he started to get the win.
Gary Nolan (11-5) gets the start for the Reds in the middle contest of the series, while Jerry Koosman goes to the mound for the Mets.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1971 Pirates (3-2)
1969 Mets (5-5)
2016 Cubs (3-4)
1975 Expos (2-7)
1967 Cardinals (1-4)
2008 Phillies (2-10)
West Division
1975 Reds (65-32)
1954 Giants (2-2)
2017 Astros (5-8)
1957 Braves (4-7)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
1975 Padres (3-11)