The National League championship of the 1975 Strat-O-Matic Tournament presented by Press Room Pass was a wild ride as Montreal was able to survive with a 10-7 victory over Los Angeles.
Overall by both teams, there were 17 runs, 19 hits and five errors with seven pitchers used in the final three innings.
With a 10-5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, Expos reliever Dale Murray got in trouble.
After retiring the first two batters he faced, the Dodgers came up with three straight hits. Davey Lopes singled and Bill Russell doubled, while Steve Garvey knocked both of them in with a double to end Murray’s day.
Don Carrithers was next on the mound. He walked Jim Wynn and Ron Cey to load the bases before he was able to get Willie Crawford to ground out to end the contest.
Montreal got started in the second inning when Pete Mackanin had a two-run triple. Expos starting pitcher Steve Rogers helped himself with a run-scoring single to make it 3-0.
Los Angeles answered in the bottom of the frame as Cey hit a two-run homer.
Larry Biittner, who led the Expos with three RBI singles, had his first hit in the third to make it 4-2.
A four-run Montreal rally in the seventh ended Dodgers starter Burt Hooton‘s effort. Biittner and Gary Carter had run-scoring singles, while the Expos added runs on an error and a passed ball.
In the bottom of the seventh, Steve Yeager had a RBI ground out and the Dodgers added a run on a Montreal error. Another error helped the Dodgers in the eighth as the final inning began with the Expos on top 8-5.
Biittner and Larry Parrish both knocked runs for the Expos in the ninth to set the stage for the Dodgers final chance.
Rogers picked up the win for the Expos, while Hooton was tagged with the loss. Despite only retiring one of three batters, Carrithers got a save.
League Championships
(6) Expos 10, (2) Dodgers 7, NL championship
(4) Twins at (1) Red Sox, AL championship
1975 Tournament Championship
(6) Expos at (1) Red Sox or (4) Twins
IN REAL LIFE:
Larry Biittner played 14 years in the big leagues and in 1975, he was in his second season with Montreal. He appeared in 121 games and had a career-high .315 batting average. Hit total of 109 was his second best effort in a season.
Biittner was with the Washington Senators in 1970 and 1971 before moving with the franchise to Texas for the next two years. He was traded to Montreal prior to the 1974 season and was sent to the Chicago Cubs during May of 1976.
From 1976 to 1980, Biittner was primarily the first baseman for the Cubs. His best year was in 1977 as he posted career-high numbers of 147 hits, 12 homers and 62 RBI.
In 1981, he was signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Reds and was released after the following season. He finished his career with Texas in 1983.
Late in his career, Biittner became a quality pinch-hitter as he totaled 95 hits.