Quote:
Originally Posted by RchW
Just a side item; Sparky Anderson was called Captain hook for his propensity for taking pitchers out quickly even back in the 1970's when complete games were far more common.
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Sparky's 70's Reds teams were always stocked with solid relievers: Clay Carroll, Wayne Granger, Don Gullett (before he became an injury-plagued starter), Tom Hall, Pedro Borbon, Will McEnaney, Rawly Eastwick, Doug Bair...
They were last in the NL in CG's in '71, '72, '75, '78, and typically near the bottom in other years.
In complete contrast to his frequent use of his 'pen, Sparky was the opposite with his lineup. In The Big Red Machine's 1975-76 double-championship run:
1975 LCS: Zero lineup changes, including batting order; no substitutes or pinch-hitters except for the pitchers
1975 WS: Used three lineups (involving where Griffey, Bench, Morgan & Perez would bat, but always the same starting 8); one pinch-hit occurrence for a position player (Rettenmund batted for Griffey against a lefty - Moret - in the bottom of the ninth of game 3: the inning of the Armbrister/Barnett controversy).
In the entire 1975 postseason (10 games), no position player other than the starting eight appeared in the field.
1976 LCS: Used two lineups, with the only difference being who batted 7 & 8 between Concepcion & Geronimo, depending up on the handedness of the starting pitcher. One position player substitution, where Doug Flynn relieved Joe Morgan at 2B as part of double-switch with the pitcher in game 1.
1976 WS: Exact same lineup, all four games. No substitions for position players, no bench players used (thanks to the DH).