PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #61
1919 Cincinnati Reds (96-44) vs 1973 Cincinnati Reds (99-63)
Maybe the only championship club in history who are overlooked by the club that they beat. The 1919 Reds were right in the middle of the Black Sox scandal and overlooked in the process is the Reds actually had a very good club that won 96 games and had a memorable season for what they did on the field under Pat Moran. The hallmark of this club was playing old school small ball and fielding a dominant group of pitchers. The Reds had a 2.23 team ERA with Dutch Ruether leading the way going 19-6 with a 1.82 ERA. Slim Salee won 21 and Jimmy Ring lead the team with 24 wins while the team WHIP was a skinny 1.10. No matter who Moran put out there they got the job done, Hod Eller had the most starts and the most strikeouts with 137 while Dolf Luque was used in all types of roles winning 10 games in 106 innings. The Cincy offense was going to grind you knowing that any runs scored was like 3 with this staff behind them. Ed Roush hit .321 with 12 triples and 71 runs driven in while Heinie Groh hit .310 with a 149 OPS+ and neither of them struck out more then 30 times. The club had 20 home runs total and slugged only .342 as a unit. Greasy Neale and Jack Daubert were two more names that could play key roles while catcher Ivey Wingo heads a good defensive team that compliments their excellent pitching. No real super stars, but much to prove for this club that feels they never did get their due and have been dubbed as "fake champions." The draw against Sparky Anderson and his team isnt a good one, but the old Reds pitching should really have alot to say on what the outcome will be.
The Big Red Machine was in full force in 1973 and was starting a run of 4 or 5 seasons that few teams in the past have matched. Ninety nine wins even if they did come a game short of winning the pennant against the Mets. Joe Morgan was really coming into his own sporting a .406 OBP while scoring 116 runs with sixty seven steals. Pete Rose hit .338 with 230 hits playing everyday and doing it at multiple positions. Tony Perez drove in 101 runs while hitting .314 and Dave Conception was quickly becoming an all around star at the short stop position. Added on top of all that talent, was the best catcher in the game in Johnny Bench. No one played the game like Bench driving in 104 runs and dominating the base paths on defense. Dan Driessen added a fine bat off the bench while Cesar Geronimo and Bobby Tolan played theirn roles exactly the way Sparky wanted them to. The rotation held its own quite well with Jack Billingham at the head winning 19 games with a 3.04 ERA in 40 starts. Ross Grimsley and Don Gullett both came at you from the left side and walked less then 70 men in over 200 innings of work. In the pen was Pedro Borobn who Sparky loved to use in combination with Clay Carroll as both men had 14 saves. Tom Hall was the lefty specialist for the team before most teams knew what a specialist was. It really should be a fasinating series with the small ball champion 1919 Reds taking on one of the most feared lineups in modern history in the Reds of the 70's.
Game 1 At Crosley Field
Partly cloudy 56
1973 Reds....................1
1919 Reds....................8
WP: H. Eller (1-0) LP: J. Billingham (0-1)
HR: J. Morgan (1)
POG: Hod Eller
1919 Reds lead series 1-0
Hod Eller seemed tired of hearing about the Big Red Machine and made a statement in game one of this series throwing a complete game and allowing one earned run on six strikeouts and only three hits in the win. Outfielder Greasy Neale drove in four runs while Ivey Wingo scored three runs and added three hits. The home side had five doubles and a triple in a tough outing for Jack Billingham.
Game 2 At Crosley Field
Partly cloudy 66
1973 Reds.....................9
1919 Reds.....................1
WP: D. Gullett (1-0) LP: S. Sallee (0-1)
HR: None
POG: Don Gullett
Series tied at 1
A tight game was broken wide open in the seventh inning when the Red machine scored six runs and cruised to their first win of the series. Richie Scheinblum was the unlikely star for the winnings side clearing the bases with a 3 run triple. Pete Rose had 3 hits and Don Gullett pitched a complete game with minimal stress.
Game 3 At Riverfront Stadium
Clear 71
1919 Reds....................0
1973 Reds....................7
WP: R. Grimsley (1-0) LP: J. Ring (0-1)
HR: J. Bench (1)
POG: Ross Grimsley
1973 Reds lead series 2-1
A four hit shutout by Ross Grimsley was a sight to behold at Riverfront Stadium as the 1973 Reds won their second game on excellent pitching. Grimsley walked one on 101 pitches and was given the support he needed when the Reds scored four runs in the first two inning. Pete Rose had a RBI triple in the first and Johnny Bench hit a two run home run in the second as Jimmy Ring allowed 11 hits in his six innings of work. A crucial game to even things up await the 1919 champion Reds.
Game 4 At Riverfront Stadium
Clear 64
1919 Reds....................11
1973 Reds.....................4
WP: H. Eller (2-0) LP: R. Nelson (0-1)
HR: D. Driessen (1), J. Daubert (1), E. Roush (1)
POG: Hod Eller
Series tied at 2
The 1919 Reds bounce back nicely as this series really has yet to see a close game. Hod Eller earns his second win while the 19 Reds offense batted 16 hits in the win going away. Greasy Neale and Jack Daubert each drive in three runs and Ed Roush added a steal and a 2 run home run. Nothing to separate these two clubs and Sparky Anderson's men will want to get a leg up before they head back to Crosley Field.
Game 5 At Riverfront Stadium
Rain 53
1919 Reds........................3
1973 Reds........................4
WP: J. Billingham (1-1) LP: S. Sallee (0-2)
HR: J. Daubert (2)
POG: Slim Sallee
1973 Reds lead series 3-2
The 1919 Reds had a one run lead going into the bottom of the ninth, but a crucial error by Rube Bressler left two men on for Johnny Bench. Bench delivered the biggest hit of the series hitting a walk off double off the centerfield wall and flipping the pivotal game 5. The 19 Reds made three errors on the day costing them dearly and wasting a good outing by Slim Sallee who allowed only one earned run in 8.1 innings. Ed Roush went 4-5 in the loss as the great ones like Bench, save their best to when it matters.
Game 6 At Crosley Field
Clear 62
1973 Reds.................0
1919 Reds.................3
WP: R. Fisher (1-0) LP: D. Gullett (1-1)
HR: None
POG: Ray Fisher
Series tied at 3
Ray Fisher refused to allow his team to lose and pitched a shutout to force a game seven bottling up the 73 Reds 3-0. Fisher allowed only 5 hits and walked only one allowing his defense to do the work as the 1919 Reds pitching staff continues to pitch well in this series. Morrie Rath helped the home team score 2 runs in the first with an RBI single adding a third run in the second inning. The series now comes down to one game, a great showcase for the Reds franchise.
Game 7 At Crosley Field
Partly cloudy 51
1973 Reds....................3
1919 Reds....................2 (21 innings)
WP: J. Billingham (2-1) S. Sallee (0-3)
HR: None
POG: Ross Grimsley
After 20 innings and seven games, still nothing could separate these two teams. Literally running on fumes both clubs were exhausted and had to go back through their starters to close it out. The 1973 Reds held an early 2-0 lead before the home side came back with two more to force extra innings. In the 10th the 1973 Reds took the lead on a Tony Perez single to score Pete Rose, but Jack Daubert singled off Pedro Borbon to tie it up in the bottom of the inning. The 73 Reds had the best chances but the run did not come until the 21st, Dave Conception hit a double off Slim Sallee scoring Joe Morgan all the way from first. The home Reds could not push a run home to tie this time, and the champions are out. Pete Rose had 10 atbats in the game and 10 pitchers were used.
1973 Cincinnati Reds Win Series 4 games to 3
Series MVP:
Pete Rose
(12 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 R, .343 AVG, .857 OPS)