Editor’s note: The 1980 Tournament games are being played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. The designated hitter will be used for any games involving American League teams. Injuries will only be used during the game when they occur. For this tournament, the rules include a three-man pitching rotation using the best lineups available.
Cincinnati’s Mario Soto fanned a dozen Chicago Cubs as the Reds posted a 3-2 victory in the opening round of the 1980 National League Tournament.
The Reds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third off Cubs starter Rick Reuschel when Ken Griffey single and stole second before George Foster knocked the speedster in with a single.
Bill Buckner tied the contest with a RBI triple in the fourth before he scored on a sacrifice fly by Dave Kingman.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Ron Oester erased Chicago’s lead with a solo homer.
In the fifth, Reuschel’s day came to an end when Ray Knight‘s run-scoring double put the Reds on top.
Dick Tidrow, who replaced the Chicago starter, got the Cubs out of the inning without any more damage.
Tidrow held the Reds scoreless the rest of the way, while the Cubs attempted to rally.
After Soto walked Lenny Randle, Tim Blackwell singled before the Reds pitcher responded by striking out three straight for the second time in the affair. Soto also did it in the fifth.
Soto (1-0) surrendered four hits and walked four in earning the victory.
1980 AL Tournament
First Round Pairings and Results
(1) New York Yankees (103-59), bye
(8) Oakland Athletics 8, (9) Minnesota Twins 2
(13) California Angels 11, (4) Milwaukee Brewers 4
(5) Boston Red Sox 9, (12) Toronto Blue Jays 3
(2) Baltimore Orioles (100-62), bye
(7) Cleveland Indians 10, (10) Texas Rangers 8
(14) Seattle Mariners 6, (3) Kansas City Royals 1
(11) Chicago White Sox 5, (6) Detroit Tigers 1
Second Round Pairings
(8) Oakland Athletics at (1) New York Yankees
(13) California Angels at (5) Boston Red Sox
(7) Cleveland Indians at (2) Baltimore Orioles
(14) Seattle Mariners at (11) Chicago White Sox
1980 NL Tournament
First Round Pairings and Results
(1) Houston Astros (93-70), bye
(9) St. Louis Cardinals 9, (8) San Francisco Giants 1
(4) Montreal Expos (90-72), bye
(5) Cincinnati Reds 3, (12) Chicago Cubs 1
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers (92-71), bye
(10) San Diego Padres (73-89) at (7) Atlanta Braves (81-80)
(3) Philadelphia Phillies (91-71), bye
(11) New York Mets (67-95) at (6) Pittsburgh Pirates (83-79)