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 series has advanced to the post-season as the Reds finished 100-63 in games played with the Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. The 1969 New York Mets “won” the NL East with a 7-5 record against the Reds. The ALCS teams are the actual participants in the post-season.
Luis Tiant had the Fenway Park crowd in a frenzy.
The veteran hurler tossed a complete game as the Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland A’s 5-1 in the opener of the American League Championship Series.
Tiant (1-0), who won two of his three starts against the A’s in the regular season, held the defending world champions to just five hits as he fanned four.
AL Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year candidate Fred Lynn, got the Red Sox started in the bottom of the first with a RBI double against Oakland pitcher Ken Holtzman (0-1).
Phil Garner accounted for all of Oakland’s offense with a run-scoring double in the third.
From that point, the Red Sox gradually pulled away on their way to the win the first contest of the best five series.
Carlton Fisk‘s single that scored Jim Rice in the third put Boston up for good.
Three straight innings with sacrifice flies added Boston’s advantage.
Carl Yastrzemski, Dwight Evans and Rice each hit fly balls from the fourth through the sixth.
Cecil Cooper topped the Red Sox with three hits and three runs scored.
Holtzman worked five innings and gave up four runs on 10 hits, while Paul Lindblad mopped up in the final three frames allowing a run on three hits.
Game two will be the final affair in Boston as Red Sox righty Rick Wise (19-12) hopes to follow the example set by Tiant. Former Cy Young Award winner Vida Blue (22-11) starts for the A’s as they try t even the series.
NL Championship Series
A pair of 20-game winners will start the opener of the National League Championship Series at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
Don Gullett (20-8) takes the mound for the Cincinnati Reds, while Tom Seaver (25-7) goes for the Mets.
1975 Reds Replay Post-Season Schedule
American League Championship Series
Game 1 – Boston 5, Oakland 1, (Red Sox lead series 1-0)
Game 2 – Oakland (Vida Blue 22-11) at Boston (Rick Wise 19-12)
Game 3 – Boston (Bill Lee 17-9) at Oakland (Dick Bosman 11-4)
Game 4 – Boston at Oakland, if necessary
Game 5 – Boston at Oakland, if necessary
National League Championship Series
Game 1 – New York (Tom Seaver 25-7) at Cincinnati (Don Gullett 20-8)
Game 2 – New York (Jerry Koosman 17-9) at Cincinnati (Gary Nolan 18-10)
Game 3 – Cincinnati (Fred Norman 16-11) at New York (Gary Gentry 13-12)
Game 4 – Cincinnati at New York, if necessary
Game 5 – Cincinnati at New York, if necessary
World Series
Game 1 – NL at AL
Game 2 – NL at AL
Game 3 – AL at NL
Game 4 – AL at NL
Game 5 – AL at NL, if necessary
Game 6 – NL at AL, if necessary
Game 7 – NL at AL, if necessary