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BRACKET B QUARTERFINALS

No. 6 1948 Indians (158) vs. No. 3 1975 REDS (168)

At Cincinnati Riverfront Stadium

GAME ONE: Reds 4, Indians 3 — The Battle of Ohio began with the 1975 Reds grinding out a come-from-behind victory. The 1948 Indians took a 3-1 lead on 3B Ken Keltner’s 2-run homer off RHP Gary Nolan in the top of the sixth. The Reds rallied to tie the score in the seventh on 3B Pete Rose’s second double of the game, driving in 1 run, followed by 2B Joe Morgan’s RBI single over third base. ... The Indians brought in ace reliever Satchel Paige to snuff the seventh-inning rally, and he did, needing just 2 pitches to induce a Johnny Bench groundout. ... Cleveland, however, did not use Paige as a stopper in 1948. They had weak-armed junkballer Russ Christopher for that, but he was the wrong guy to bring in against the 1975 Reds. With 2 outs and the bases loaded (with a pair of intentional walks), Christopher issued an unintentional 4-pitch walk to CF Cesar Geronimo to force in the go-ahead run. Reds closer Rawly Eastwick pitched around a 2-out walk in the top of the ninth to stick the save. ... In Game Two, Bob Feller (19-15, 3.56 ERA) will pitch against Cincy’s LHP Don Gullett (15-4, 2.42).

GAME TWO: Reds 3, Indians 1 — Don Gullett and two relievers held the mighty 1948 Indians to just 2 hits as they seized a 2 games to 0 lead. Gullett had some early wildness. He walked 3 Indians batters in the first two innings, then gave up a 2-out, RBI single to C Jim Hegan in the second. However, Gullett soon settled down and left after seven with the following line: 7 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 4 W, 5 K. ... Cincy tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth when C Johnny Bench launched a no-doubt-about-it homer over the wall in left-centerfield off RHP Bob Feller. The 75 Reds took the lead with a 2-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Cesar Geronimo singled past shortstop and then Pete Rose lined a 100-mph double into the right-field corner. Geronimo scored and Rose took third on the throw home. Rose then scored on a passed ball as Joe Morgan was batting. ... Right-handed reliever Pedro Borbon pitched a perfect eighth inning, then Rawly Eastwick pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to nail it down. ... The series now shifts to Cleveland, where the Indians will start left-handed knuckleballer Gene Bearden (20-7, 2.43 ERA) against the Reds’ LHP Fred Norman (12-4, 3.73 ERA).

At Cleveland, Cleveland Stadium

GAME THREE: Indians 13, Reds 4 — Cleveland’s Joe Gordon threw a bash on the Indians’ return home. Gordon went 4-for-5 with 2 homers, a bases-loaded double, and an RBI groundout to total 6 RBI and 4 runs scored. The Tribe massacred the Reds. ... Cleveland took a 3-2 lead on Gordon’s first homer of the game in the bottom of the fourth. They took command with a pair of 4-run innings in the fifth and sixth innings. ... LHP Gene Bearden wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t have to be. The Indians’ hitters saw to it that the bullpen wouldn’t be troubled on this day. ... Cleveland CF Larry Doby also had a big day, going 2-for-4 with a homer and 4 RBI. Doby broke a scoreless tie in the second inning with an opposite-field, 2-run homer just inside the left field foul pole. Allie Clark was also 2-for-4 for Cleveland, with a double, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored. Dale Mitchell was 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored.

GAME FOUR: Indians 3, Reds 1 — With the help of strong pitching and a few key hits, the 1948 Indians have evened the series at 2 games apiece. ... Indians RHP Bob Lemon struck out 9 over six innings of work while allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 4 walks. What he lacked in pinpoint control, Lemon made up for with determination, helping the Reds strand 9 baserunners in his six innings. ... Cleveland 1B Eddie Robinson broke a 1-1 tie with his solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Dale Mitchell, who went 2-for-4, had an RBI single in the seventh inning to make it 3-1. ... Ace reliever Satchel Paige pitched the final three innings, allowing no hits, no walks, while striking out 3 to pick up the save.

GAME FIVE: Reds 6, Indians 4 — For five tense, scoreless innings, legendary RHP Bob Feller baffled the 1975 Reds. But with Game Five hanging in the balance, the Big Red Machine finally roared to life. Johnny Bench broke the deadlock with a clutch two-run double in the sixth, immediately followed by Tony Perez's RBI double to make it 3-0. ... The assault continued in the seventh. Ken Griffey Sr. crushed a monstrous 440-foot home run, while Bench and Perez struck again with back-to-back RBI hits, building a commanding 6-0 lead. It was plenty of support for Reds starter Don Gullett, who masterfully outdueled Feller, allowing just 1 run and striking out 6 over 7 dominant innings. ... However, Cleveland refused to go quietly. Larry Doby homered in the seventh, and a frantic three-run rally off reliever Jack Billingham in the eighth raised the pressure. Entering a tight game, closer Rawley Eastwick slammed the door, tossing a perfect ninth inning to secure the save. ... Having survived the late scare, the Reds now head home to Cincinnati up 3-2, needing just one more victory to punch their ticket to the Bracket B semifinals.

At Cincinnati Riverfront Stadium

GAME SIX: Reds 6, Indians 2 — Dave Concepcion cracked a 3-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, a 417-foot, no-doubt-about-it screamer over the left field wall. It turned a 1-0 Cleveland lead into a decisive Reds advantage. ... The Indians briefly closed within 3-2 in the top of the fifth on CF Larry Doby’s third homer of the series, but that blow couldn’t change the momentum. The Reds added 3 more runs in the bottom of the seventh and clinched their berth in the Bracket B semifinals. ... Reds pitchers Fred Norman and reliever Pat Darcy combined to limit the 1948 Indians to just 3 hits. Two of those hits were homers. A solo shot by SS Lou Boudreau gave Cleveland a 1-0 edge in the top of the first. ... Despite the triumph, the 1975 Reds left 14 runners on base in this game. ... The 1975 REDS WIN the series, 4 games to 2, despite being outscored by the 1948 Indians, 26-24.

MVP-1: Reds C Johnny Bench: 7-for-22, HR, 4 doubles, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored

MVP-2: Reds SS Dave Concepcion: 7-for-21, HR, 1 double, 5 RBI, 2 runs scored

MV-Pitcher: Reds LHP Don Gullett: 2-0, 14 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 5 W, 11 K

1948 INDIANS TEAM STATS: Batting: (.224, 43-of-192); Extra-Base Hits: 14 (1 triple, 5 doubles, 8 HR); Stolen Bases-Caught: 2-1; Double Plays-Errors: 8-2; Walks-Strikeouts: 20-29 (-9).

1975 REDS TEAM STATS: Batting: (.262, 50-for-191); Extra-Base Hits: 17 (13 doubles, 4 HR); Stolen Bases-Caught: 3-4; Double Plays-Errors: 8-5; Walks-Strikeouts: 27-40 (-13).