Editor’s note: The Reds Decade Tournament games are being played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. Injuries will only be used during the game when they occur. For this tournament, the rules include a three-man pitching rotation that starts over with each best-of-three game series. If a real life starter is not in the rotation, he can be used in relief. Cincinnati squads that did not made the post-season are featured in this event as one team from each decade from the 1910s to the 1980s were selected.
Although it happened early in the contest, Hughie Critz drilled a two-run homer that boosted the 1924 Cincinnati Reds to a 6-3 win over the 1977 Cincinnati Reds.
The 1924 victory evened the best of three championship series of the Reds Decade Tournament at a game apiece. Dolf Luque (0-0) gets the start for the 1924 squad in the finale of the series, while the 1977 team counters with Jack Billingham (1-0).
A RBI single by Rube Bressler in the top of the first gave the 1924 squad an early advantage, but a two-run homer by 1977’s Joe Morgan in the bottom of the frame flipped the momentum.
Trailing 2-1, Babe Pinelli led off the second against 1977 starter Fred Norman with a single. Pinelli scored tie the affair when Bubbles Hargrave reached on an error by Dave Concepcion.
After Norman fanned 1924 starting pitcher Carl Mays, Critz smacked his homer that put his team in front 4-2.
The score remained the same until the top of the sixth when the 1924 team added another run.
Ike Caveney ended up a second base when George Foster misplayed a fly ball to left field. Caveney scored on a single by Mays at it was 5-2.
Manny Sarmiento took over on the mound for Norman in the seventh as the 1924 squad scored its last run. Curt Walked led off with a triple and then came home on a sacrifice fly by Bressler.
Morgan led of the bottom of the seventh with a double, which was followed by a RBI single from Foster for the final tally of the contest.
Mays (2-0) gave up five hits and fanned five to earn the victory for 1924.
Norman surrendered five runs with just one earned tally on nine hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts. Sarmiento worked two innings giving up a run on two hits, while Pedro Borbon tossed a perfect ninth.
Championship Series
(Best two out of three)
1924 Reds vs. 1977 Reds (1-3, 6-3, Series Tied 1-1)
Second Round Results
(Best two out of three)
1911 Reds vs. 1977 Reds (2-6, 2-1, 0-6, 1977 Wins Series 2-1)
1924 Reds vs. 1948 Reds (4-5, 6-5 (11), 4-0, 1924 Wins Series 2-1)
First Round Results
(Best two out of three)
1911 Reds vs. 1955 Reds (5-4, 6-4, 1911 Wins 2-0)
1934 Reds vs. 1977 Reds (3-7, 6-5, 1977 Wins 2-0)
1948 Reds vs. 1986 Reds (5-1, 8-3, 1948 Wins 2-0)
1924 Reds vs. 1964 Reds (3-2 (10), 3-0, 1924 Wins 2-0)