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 that won world championships. 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 Reds defeated the 1969 New York Mets in the NLCS during this project, while the 1975 Boston Red Sox beat the 75 Oakland A’s to take the ALCS .
Pete Rose set the tone and the Cincinnati Reds never looked back.
Rose hit a lead off homer in the bottom of the first and the Reds were on their way to an 8-1 victory at Riverfront Stadium over the Boston Red Sox to claim the 1975 World Series title in five games.
By the third inning, it was clear that there would not be any suspense in what turned out to be the final contest of the best of seven series and no one would need a ticket for a sixth game in Boston.
Boston starter Rick Wise, who had won the second game of the series for the Red Sox, was struggling and needed a double play to end a Cincinnati scoring threat in the second frame.
Rose reached base on a error by Rick Burleson to begin the third. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan gave the Reds a 3-0 advantage.
Johnny Bench‘s run-scoring single ended the day for Wise with no one out in the inning as the Reds went on top 4-0. Jim Willoughby came on and retired three straight to end the rally, but the damage to Boston’s chances to extend the series back to Fenway Park was nearly complete.
The Reds added another run in the fourth when Morgan drove in Cesar Geronimo with a single to make it 5-0.
In the sixth, Jim Rice knocked in Boston’s lone run against Reds starter Don Gullett, who won his second contest of the postseason.
Carl Yastrzemski had doubled with one out and Rice brought him home with a single off the wall over the outstretched glove of George Foster.
Gullett survived the inning even though he allowed a single to Fred Lynn. The Reds lefty went eight innings and gave up six hits with six strikeouts.
The Reds were not finished offensively as they added three more runs in the eighth against Dick Pole, who was the fifth of six pitchers for the Red Sox.
All three runs came on a bases-clearing double by Bench that had the Reds celebrating in the dugout as they realized that they were three outs away from the championship.
After Pedro Borbon gave up a single to Carlton Fisk, the Reds rubber-armed righty retired three straight to clinch the victory.
1975 Reds Replay Post-Season Schedule
World Series
Game 1 – Cincinnati 6, Boston 3
Game 2 – Boston 3, Cincinnati 1
Game 3 – Cincinnati 9, Boston 2
Game 4 – Cincinnati 3, Boston 2, 10 innings
Game 5 – Cincinnati 8, Boston 1