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.
George Foster smacked a pair of solo homers and drove in another run as the 1977 Cincinnati Reds beat the 1934 Cincinnati Reds 7-3 in the opening round of the Reds Decade Tournament.
Tom Seaver (1-0) went the distance for the 1977 squad allowing nine hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks.
Paul Derringer (0-1) was tagged with the loss as he worked eight innings giving up six runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts. Ray Kolp surrendered a run on two hits in the ninth.
Foster scored the first tally of the contest for 1977 after leading off the second inning with a double. Dave Concepcion tripled to give his squad the lead.
A RBI single by Johnny Bench in the second and a sacrifice fly by Cesar Geronimo gave the 1977 team a 3-0 advantage.
Harlin Pool cut the 1934 team’s deficit to a run as he knocked in two in the third frame with a single.
In the sixth, Foster drilled his first long ball and it was 4-2. Tony Piet closed the gap to a run as he had a RBI double in the seventh.
The second homer by Foster came in the eighth before the 1977 Reds added another run on doubles by Dan Driessen and Geronimo.
With a sacrifice fly in the ninth, Foster picked up his third RBI of the game.
The second affair of the best of three-game series features Fred Norman on the mound for 1977, Benny Frey while gets the ball for 1934.
First Round Schedule and Results
(Best two out of three)
1911 Reds vs. 1955 Reds (5-4, 1911 Leads 1-0)
1934 Reds vs. 1977 Reds (3-7, 1977 Leads 1-0)
1948 Reds vs. 1986 Reds
1924 Reds vs. 1964 Reds