The 1975 Reds and 1905 Giants were victorious in the Tony Perez Bracket in the Press Room Pass Strat Madness Tournament.
Tony Perez Bracket Results, Schedule and Round-Up
(1) 1975 Reds 3, (4) 1954 Indians 2
(2) 1905 Giants 9, (3) 1954 Giants 7
(2) 1905 Giants at (1) 1975 Reds, championship
Cincinnati posted a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Cleveland. Trailing 2-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Reds were in need of a big hit. Tony Perez led off with a walk. Bob Lemon retired the next two batters, but pinch-hitter Terry Crowley was ready as he blasted a two-run homer to tie the game.
One frame later, George Foster knocked in what proved to be the winning run with a ground out. Pedro Borbon worked in the final two innings to get the win in relief of Reds starter Gary Nolan.
Cleveland’s Al Rosen had a game-high three hits. Dave Philley homered for the Indians.
An big eighth inning proved to be the difference in a battle in New York as the 1905 Giants got by the 1954 Giants. The 1905 Giants sent 13 batters to the plate as they erased a 5-1 deficit.
Bill Dahlan, Art Devlin, and Billy Gilbert each had run-scoring singles. George Browne walked with the bases loaded to tie it at 5-5. Mike Donlin broke the deadlock with a two-run double and one out later, Sam Mertes knocked in the final two runs with a double.
1954 starter Sal Maglie began the inning on the mound. Losing pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm and Marv Grissom tried to stop the rally, but the 1905 Giants proved to be too much to handle. Mertes led the way with three hits. For the 1954 team, Al Dark and Don Mueller both had four hits. Joe McGinnity went eight innings to earn the victory.
IN REAL LIFE:
Terry Crowley spent 15 years in the big leagues, mostly with Baltimore. Crowley joined Cincinnati in 1974 as a back-up outfielder and first baseman.
In 1975, he played in 66 games with a homer and 11 RBI. However, pinch-hitting was one of his most important contributions over the years with 109 in his career and 13 with the Reds in 1975.
Perhaps his best season came in 1980 with the Orioles when he had 12 homers and 50 RBI. He was a part of two teams that won a World Series in 1970 (Orioles) and 1975 (Reds).