One swing set the tone as the San Diego Padres went on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 to take out the top seed in the 1975 Strat-O-Matic Tournament presented by Press Room Pass.
Mike Ivie hit a three-run homer off Cincinnati starter Don Gullett in the first inning as the Padres grabbed an early advantage.
A RBI double by Enzo Hernandez made it 4-0 in the top of the third.
The Reds started the road back with a run-scoring double by Tony Perez in the bottom of the fourth before adding two more in the fifth. The Reds scored on a double play and George Foster had a RBI single.
From that point, San Diego lefty Brent Strom allowed two hits to hold on for the victory.
Ivie also had a single to led the Padres with two hits. Foster topped the Reds with three hits.
Dodgers Advance with Messersmith
Andy Messersmith tossed a complete game for Los Angeles as the Dodgers beat Houston 3-2.
Messersmith fanned five as he surrendered a run in the first and another in the ninth.
In the first, Cliff Johnson had a RBI single. Rob Andrews knocked in Houston’s other run with a single.
After Houston scored in the first, the Dodgers answered with a pair of runs. Jim Wynn hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game before Ron Cey put the Dodgers on top with a RBI double.
Bill Buckner added a solo homer for the Dodgers in the seventh off Houston starter Joe Niekro.
National League West Results and Schedule
(4) Padres 4, (1) Reds 3
(2) Dodgers 3, (6) Astros 2
(4) Padres at (2) Dodgers, championship
IN REAL LIFE:
Mike Ivie hit eight home runs during the 1975 season with San Diego, including one off Don Gullett in Cincinnati as the Padres lost 10-4. He was also named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team to earn the trophy added to his baseball card in 1976.
A first round draft pick of the Padres in 1970, Ivie played 11 seasons in the big leagues beginning in 1971. He returned to the Padres in 1974 and was the primary first baseman the next three seasons.
Ivie was traded to San Francisco prior to the 1978 season. In 1981, he played for the Giants and in Houston. Early in 1982, the Astros released him and he signed with Detroit where ended his career the following year.
The best season for Ivie was 1979 when he hit 27 of his 81 career homers driving in 89 runs with a .286 batting average.
After hitting his 1975 homer off Gullett, he hit another off the lefty in the next year. However, Ivie’s favorites were National Baseball Hall of Fame pitchers. He hit four off Phil Niekro and three against Don Sutton.