[Tiger Fan]

1980 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
The Cincinnati Reds were back in the postseason for the first time since 1975. It was still basically the same team as the one at the end of the early 1970's dynasty. The Reds would be missing a key component of their regular season run. Mike LaCoss, the young pitcher who amazed everyone going 17-1 would be out for the series with an arm injury suffered late in the regular season. He would be available for the World Series if the Reds could get there.
Facing the veteran laden Reds was a team of playoff novices from north of the border. The Montreal Expos, like their 1969 expansion counterparts from Milwaukee, were making their first playoff appearance. In fact, not a single Expos regular had ever appeared in a postseason game.

GAME 1 - Scott Sanderson and Mario Soto engage in a pitchers duel in the opener at Riverfront. Both pitchers have no-hitters going when Rusty Staub hits a 1-out single in the top of the fourth. Two batters later Expos catcher Barry Foote blasts a home run to put Montreal ahead 2-0. Sanderson loses his no-hitter in the bottom of the fourth and then gives up a solo homer to Dan Driessen in the 5th making the game 2-1. Both pitchers are cruising along as we finish seven innings but Sanderson gets into trouble in the bottom of the 8th. Pete Rose and Dave Concepcion hit one singles to chase Sanderson. Hal Dues comes on for the Expos and gets out of the jam by getting a doubleplay ball from Ray Knight. That was as close as the Reds would come to tying the game as Expos closer Bob James pitches a 1-2-3 ninth for the save. Soto takes the loss despite allowing just 3 hits in 8 innings.

GAME 2 - A lot more offense this time as both Don Gullett and Steve Rogers struggle. The two clubs combine for 13 runs and 23 hits as Cincinnati builds a 7-4 lead and hangs on to win 7-6. Dave Concepcion homers and Dan Driessen has 3 hits and 3 rbi's to lead the Reds. Rusty Staub had 3 hits in a losing cause for Montreal. Billy McCool pitches the ninth for Cincinnati to earn his 18th career postseason save. I have not officially researched it but I am quite confident he is the alltime playoff save leader.

GAME 3 - The first playoff game ever played in Canada sends the hometown fans away happy as the Expos score four times in the first inning enroute to a 9-3 victory. Gary Carter has 3 rbi's for Montreal with Andre Dawson and Barry Foote driving in 2 each. Ernie McAnally gets the win while Ross Grimsley takes the loss.

GAME 4 - Johnny Bench and Jimmy Wynn homer as the Reds take a 7-1 lead into the ninth only to see the Expos rally as Rawly Eastwick surrenders a three run homer to Andre Dawson to make it 7-4. On comes Billy McCool to get the final 3 outs or so we think. Instead it is a scary sight as the first batter to face McCool, Ellis Valentine, rips a fastball back up the middle and it catches McCool square in the pitching hand. His finger is broken so McCool's season is over. The Reds do hang on to win the game as Manny Sarimento gets the save and the Reds even the series.

GAME 5 - The Expos take a 3-1 lead into the 8th inning thanks to some outstanding pitching from Steve Rogers. In the 8th a tiring Rogers surrenders a solo homer to Bernie Carbo so the Expos give the ball to Bob James in the ninth to protect the one run lead. Seldom used Remy Hermoso gets a pinch hit single as does Joel Youngblood and the Reds are threatening. James gets Pete Rose to pop out for the second out of the inning bringing up Ray Knight. Knight drills a double scoring both runners to give the Reds the lead 4-3. Rookie reliever Jay Howell pitches a scoreless ninth for his second major league save and the Reds have a 3-2 series lead.

GAME 6 - Ernie McAnally and Ross Grimsley keep the game scoreless through 6 innings until Andre Dawson breaks the tie with a solo homer to lead off the 7th for Montreal. Don Demola relieves McAnally and has no troubles retiring the Reds in the bottom of the 7th but things fall apart in the 8th inning. 2 hits and 2 walks have the Reds in the lead 2-1 with runners on second and third and still no one out. Denny Riddleberger takes over for Demola but a pair of sacrifice flies from pinch hitters Youngblood and Hermosa have the Reds up 4-1. Jay Howell earns his second save in as many games and the game ends 4-1 to give the Reds the series in 6.

Dan Driessen, who hit .474 and drove in 6 runs was named the series MVP.

1980 WORLD SERIES
CINCINNATI REDS VS CHICAGO WHITE SOX

For the fourth time in the HOB the Cincinnati Reds will meet the Chicago White Sox to determine the World Champion. The clubs met 3 times in the sixties, when the Reds decade of dominance was just beginning, and on all 3 occassion Cincinnati came out on top. In 1965 and 1967 it took 7 games to decide a winner while in 1968 the Reds won in six games.
The White Sox have just two World Series victories in 8 trips to the Classic, beating the Dodgers in 1963 and the Mets two years ago. This will be Cincinnati's 16th trip to the World Series. The Reds have won 8 times including 5 of their last seven since 1965.

The season the White Sox and Reds were the only teams to win at least 100 games. Both teams will be missing a key contributer for the series. The Reds will be without the greatest closer in the history of the game as Billy McCool is gone for the year with a broken finger. However, Mike LaCoss will be available to start game 3 or 4 after missing the NLCS with an injury. The White Sox will again be without third baseman Don Money, an allstar a year ago. Money broke his foot in the final week of the season so the job goes to rookie Fran Mullins, a veteran of just 3 regular season games. However, Mullins had an outstanding ALCS and was named the series MVP.

GAME 1 - Mario Soto blows out his arm in the third inning and things go from bad to worse for the Reds, who get shelled 10-1 in the opener at Comiskey. Dusty Baker homers and drives in 3 runs to pace the White Sox. Jose Ortiz, Bucky Dent and Mike Colbern each have 2 rbi's. Rookie Harold Baines gets a hit in his 8th straight postseason game.

GAME 2 - In what is believed to be the longest playoff game in the History of Baseball Replay, the Reds even the series with a 5-2 victory in an 18 inning marathon. 14 pitchers are used in the game that lasts 5 and a half hours. Remy Hermosa with a 2 run single and Dave Concepcion drive in the Reds runs in the 18th.

GAMe 3 - Bart Johnson pitches a complete game 4 hitter as the White Sox thump Cincinnati 9-3. Jorge Orta homers and drives in 3 runs for the White Sox. Jose Ortiz has 3 hits and scores 4 runs.

GAME 4 - Mike LaCoss makes his return just in time for Cincinnati. The dream season continues as LaCoss tosses 6 innings of shutout ball to help the Reds win 3-0. LaCoss has won his last 16 straight decisions. Jay Howell gets the save. Dave Concepcion has 2 rbis to lead the Reds offense. Francisco Barrios took the loss.

GAME 5 - Bruce Howard pitches 8 plus innings of shutout ball and Dan Spillner gets the final two outs as the White Sox win big 8-0. Mike Colbern hits a pair of doubles and drives in 3 runs to lead the assault on Don Gullett and the Reds.

GAME 6 - On win away from beating the Reds the White Sox do the same thing they did in 1965, come out flat and get blown out. Cincinnati wins 7-2 to force a game 7 for the third time in the 4 series between these organizations. It is a balanced attack from Cincinnati as Ron Oester, Dave Concepcion, Johnny Bench, Jimmy Wynn and Dan Driessen each have 2 hits. Ross Grimsley gets the win while Bart Johnson is the loser.

GAME 7 - The Reds give the ball to Mike LaCoss in hopes that his Cinderella season has one more game left before the clock strikes midnight. Unfortunaltey for the Reds, his pitches look as big as pumpkins to the Chicago batters - 3 runs in the first inning include a 2 run single from Harold Baines and the White Sox are off and running. By the time LaCoss is pulled in the 6th it is 6-1 Chicago and the White Sox have pounded out 13 hits. Francisco Barrios takes things into the 9th inning before giving way to Cy Acosta who gets the final two outs in a 7-1 White Sox victory.

With two wins in 3 starts and a 1.13 era Francisco Barrios adds a World Series MVP trophy to the Welch Award he won this season. What of rookie Fran Mullins, the ALCS MVP, you ask? Well Mullins started the series 0-for-14 with 5 strikeouts but finsihed 8-for-16 with 2 doubles and 2 rbi's for a respectable .267 World Series average. So I am sure we will be hearing a lot more of Mullins in the future, right. Unfortunately not. The 1980 ALCS was his one and only moment in the spotlight as Mullins did little for the rest of his career.