A pair of runs in the first inning provided a boost for Cincinnati as the 1975 Reds went on to defeat the 1911 Philadelphia A’s 3-1.
The Reds advance to the championship game of the Press Room Pass Strat Madness Tournament.
The Reds will entertain the winner of the (12) 1919 Chicago White Sox and the (3) 1940 Cincinnati Reds.
Pete Rose led off the game with a double and Ken Griffey followed with a triple that scored Rose. Before A’s starter Eddie Plank could settle down, Joe Morgan‘s run-scoring single put the Reds on top 2-0.
The Reds would add an unearned run in the third against Plank, who tossed a complete game with a dozen strikeouts.
Cincinnati starter Don Gullett went the distance as he allowed five hits. Stuffy McInnis had two hits for the A’s, including a RBI single in the fourth.
IN REAL LIFE:
In 1975, Don Gullett was 15-4 with an ERA of 2.42 as he and teammates Gary Nolan (15-9) and Jack Billingham (15-10) led the Reds in victories. He also won the first game of the National League Championship Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates before winning game five against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
Gullett was 109-50 in his nine-year career. He was 91-44 with the Reds from 1970 to 1976. In his final two years with the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978, Gullett was 18-6.
The lefty led the NL in winning percentage (.727) with a 16-6 record in 1971. With the Yankees in 1977, he led the American League with a .778 percentage as he was 14-4. Gullett appeared in the post-season in 1970, 1972, 1975-1976 and 1977-1978 with world championships during his last four years.