Latest / Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History / 1976 - Baseball Clip - Cincinnati Reds Greatest Hits - Highlights

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1976 - Baseball Clip - Cincinnati Reds Greatest Hits - Highlights · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

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  This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons
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  .com for more sports history. So the Cincinnati
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  Reds are not away from sweeping the 1976 World
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  Series. Two outs. Here's a 2 -0 pitch to Roy
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  White. Swung on. High fly ball to left center
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  field. That should do it. Foster has it. And
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  the 1976 World Championship belongs to the Reds.
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  by a 7 -2 score in the final game as the Reds
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  become the first National League team since the
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  1921 -1922 Giants to win back -to -back World
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  Series. By the time George Foster had caught
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  the final fly ball of the 1976 World Series,
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  one word represented the world champion Reds.
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  Pride. They carried pride along with their luggage
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  to spring training. That pride drove them to
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  become the first National League team in 54 years
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  to win back -to -back World Series. The Reds'
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  brand of pride resulted in their fifth Western
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  Division title in seven years. But that was only
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  step one of their three -step goal. Team captain
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  Pete Rose noted the tremendous collection of
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  talent on hand as the season opened. If everybody
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  just does what they're capable of doing, and
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  nothing spectacular, just let Bench knock in
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  his 100 runs and hit 25 home runs, and Perez
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  the same, and let Morgan steal his 65 bases,
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  and let me get my 200 hits, and let Davey hit
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  280, and Cesar and those fellas, and we'll win
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  a lot of ballgames. But there again, the name
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  of the game is pitching, and we've got some good
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  pitchers and some good relief pitching, probably
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  the best relief pitching in the league. And our
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  defense is spectacular, too. I think that's what
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  wins a lot of games for us is our defense. I
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  see no reason why we should have any mental lapses
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  in defense in 1976. But none of Sparky Anderson's
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  Reds would settle for anything less than his
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  best. Hidden under the famous C on each uniform
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  was a constant companion of each man, pride.
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  The proud Reds previewed an explosive offensive
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  season on April 8th. In front of 52 ,949 opening
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  day fans, Tony Perez led the Reds to a 15 -hit,
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  11 -to -5 conquest of Houston. It's a 4 -to -1
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  ballgame. The Reds over the Astros. Cincinnati
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  trying to get some more with second and third
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  occupied and one out. The strike -two pitch.
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  Perez lines right. They sit down the left field
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  line. And the score is terrific. Here comes Joe
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  Morgan. Tony heading towards second base. A two
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  -run double, and it's 6 -to -1 our side. The
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  Reds' regular season barrage ended six months
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  later with 102 victories, club records for RBIs,
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  runs and hits, their best team batting average
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  since 1930, and an average of 5 .3 runs per game.
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  They sent baseball researchers digging back to
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  1914 to find a Reds team that stole more bases
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  than their 210. Number 14, the third baseman,
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  Pete Rose. Rose. At age 35, Pete Rose pounded
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  out 34 hits in his finest April ever. By mid
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  -September, Rose had notched his 200th hit for
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  the eighth season. Only Ty Cobb had more. Here's
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  a chopper along the first baseline, running over
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  to pick it up as Barr throwing, and did he get
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  him? No, he didn't. The ball is dropped by the
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  first baseman, Thomason, and they score that
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  a base hit. As Jim Barr fell down at the first
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  base foul line, feeling the ball, and the crowd...
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  comes to its feet in a standing ovation for Pete
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  Rose as he has just come up with his 200th hit
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  of the season. Rose became the first player in
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  league history to lead in runs and doubles for
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  three straight years. Pete Rose with a runner
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  at second, one out. Rose has walked and hit hard
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  back to the mound. He swings, hits a fly ball
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  to right center field. Going back, Jimmy Wynn
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  can't get it. Here comes Flynn, he'll score.
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  Rose is going to second with his 42nd double
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  of the year, and it's 3 -0. Only 238 more hits,
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  and Rose will have 3 ,000. He's 28th on the all
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  -time hit list. Ken Griffey's September spurt
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  for the batting title fell just short. Bill Madlock
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  won on the final day. Among Griffey's key hits
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  was a ninth -inning game winner against Madlock's
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  Cubs. Beat it first, the pitch. It's swung on,
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  a bouncing ball, single to center field. Here
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  comes Concepcion, and this one belongs to the
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  Reds. Ken Griffey hit the first pitch that Buddy
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  Schultz threw in the center field for a single.
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  And the Reds have pulled it out here in the bottom
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  of the ninth inning by a final score of 3 -2.
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  Griffey was a model of consistency with two 14
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  -game hitting streaks. Included in his .336 average
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  were some clutch hits in big games. Griffey with
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  a fly ball. He hits it to deep right center field.
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  It is just off the wall. Here's Geronimo's guard.
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  Here comes Griffey to third. He is going to be
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  safe sliding in a tie ball game. Number eight,
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  the second baseman, Joe Morgan. Morgan. Morgan
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  has had two doubles and four times up, and now
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  Marshall straddles a pitching rubber. The Reds
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  with a two -run ninth inning. Have Griffey at
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  third with a winning run and two outs. The pitch
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  to Morgan. Swung on. Face hit. And this one belongs
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  to the Reds. Joe Morgan with a single to center
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  field. And the Reds have scored three times in
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  the ninth inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers
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  6 -5. And we've got a dead heat for first place
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  in the Western Division. Joe Morgan lived up
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  to his statement that 1976 would be even better
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  than his 1975 most valuable player season. He
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  was spectacular, despite missing 21 games with
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  injuries. Morgan shattered his own club records
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  for second baseman with 27 homers and 111 RBIs.
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  He was the first National League second sacker
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  to surpass the century RBI figure since Jackie
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  Robinson, and only the fifth in National League
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  history. Morgan continued to command respect
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  as a fearless clutch hitter. Joe Morgan with
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  two balls and two strikes. He's to the plate
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  with a pitch. Swung on. Hit hard to right field.
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  That ball is going to be gone. Joe Morgan with
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  a line drive home run to right field off a 2
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  -2 pitch from Don Sutton. And the Reds go out
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  in front 3 -0 here in the first inning. Little
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  Joe passed the 500 mark in career steals and
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  moved into fifth place on the all -time National
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  League list. Number five, the catcher, Johnny
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  Bench. For Johnny Bench, pride in the regular
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  season came from handling three rookie pitchers
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  who totaled 30 wins. He blasted seven homers
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  by June. The Reds are leader, two to nothing.
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  Bottom of the fifth. Two down, Joe Morgan at
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  first base. Johnny Bench at the plate. Here's
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  a 2 -1 delivery with Morgan going. There it goes.
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  Long belt. Left field. Fittner at the wall. Full
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  drive. Johnny Bench, his second four -ply belt
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  of the game. The Reds zoom out in front 4 -0.
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  A bench milestone, his 250th circuit blow, was
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  achieved on July 30th against San Diego. Here's
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  a drive. Deep left field. seats in left field.
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  Number 10 of the year for Bench and number 250
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  in his big league career as they come to their
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  feet with a standing ovation for Johnny Bench
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  as he sends the Reds out in front one to nothing.
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  Bench became the Reds' third best run producer
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  of all time. And he put the team's pride above
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  his own by asking to be dropped to sixth in the
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  batting order so George Foster could bat for
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  him. Number 15, the left fielder, George Foster.
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  Muscular George Foster paced the major leagues
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  with 121 RBIs. His black hickory stick waved
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  his 29th homer out of Atlanta Stadium in early
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  September. The pitch on the way had swung on
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  it well, and that one is number 29 for George
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  Foster. He had a wide drive out of here to left
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  field. Number 29 for George and 114 RBIs, and
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  the Reds lead it 6 -4. George dealt a blow to
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  the Pirates in early July. Foster to play. Here's
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  the first pitch to George. Just can't hand the
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  ball and we win it. How about that one and this
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  one belongs to Red. Unbelievable. Absolutely
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  unbelievable. Foster's average was .343 in early
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  July, and he revived talk of the Triple Crown.
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  He was the league's most valuable in a poll of
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  players. Tony Perez boomed out 15 RBIs in his
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  last 15 games to reach 91, his 10th year with
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  90 or more. He ruined the game for the Cardinals'
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  Al Roboski in June. The time runs on and nobody
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  out. Griffey second, Davey first. The strike
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  one pitch. Swung on and hit into deep center
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  field. Perez made the most of his 139 games.
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  Number 13, the shortstop, Dave Concepcion. Concepcion.
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  Dave Concepcion led the Reds in game -winning
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  RBIs with 15. One was a 10th -inning single in
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  mid -July against Montreal. Stretch the pitch.
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  Swung on and bounced into left field. We won.
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  Dave Plummer scores from third base, and the
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  Reds won it by a score of 4 -3. And a big victory,
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  boy. A tough one, but we got it. Ten innings
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  are fifth victory in extra innings. Concepcion
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  stroked five hits in one game. He drove in 69
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  runs and swiped 21 bases. Number 20, the center
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  fielder, Cesar Geronimo. Geronimo. Cesar Geronimo
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  vaulted into the ranks of 300 hitters in 1976.
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  And as always, he roamed the outfield with his
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  antelope strides and flypaper glove. He hit a
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  long ball in May. Swung on. Fly ball. Well hit.
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  Back in the right field. It is. It's going to
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  be gone. Well, that's two home runs in the inning.
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  That's the first of the year for the Geronimo
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  as he makes a grand tour. Those were the Reds'
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  eight regulars. But they were in the same starting
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  lineup just 49 times. The vastly underrated Cincinnati
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  pitching staff divided the spoils of 102 triumphs.
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  Seven hurlers won 10 games or more. The young
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  man who won 11 and saved 26 was the fireman of
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  the year, Raleigh Eastwick. Veteran Gary Nolan
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  led the staff with 15 wins. Pitch. Ground ball
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  to shortstop, big hop for David. He'll go to
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  first, and this one belongs to the Reds. Gary
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  Nolan, his seventh complete game and becoming
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  the winningest pitcher. On the Cincinnati staff,
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  his 15th victory of the season, 5 -2 over Atlanta.
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  Nolan walked just 27 men in 239 innings. Rookie
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  Pat Zachary was a blessing from the Reds' farm
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  system. Among his 14 victories were 10 over Western
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  Division rivals. He was the Dodger killer, beating
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  them five times. The 2 -0 pitch swung on and
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  popped in the air. Shallow left center, Concepcion
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  calling, and this one belongs to the Reds. Here
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  in the ninth inning, the Dodgers go out in order
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  as Pat Zachary has pitched himself a true masterpiece
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  tonight. He gets his first Major League shutout
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  as he defeats the Los Angeles Dodgers by a final
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  score of 9 -0. Zachary clinched the division
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  title for the Reds at home September 21st against
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  San Diego. Plummer hanging a sign as the runners
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  lead at first and second. The rookie right -hander
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  comes set. He checks the runner at second. He
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  delivers. Holman's strike three call, and this
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  one belongs to the Reds. The crowd on their feet
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  and standing in appreciation of Pat Zachary's
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  pitching job tonight as he gets a glad hand from
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  Sparky Anderson. They flash it on the message
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  board in center field. Best in the West again
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  in 76. As the Reds have won their fifth Western
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  Division championship in seven years with a 9
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  -1 victory over the San Diego Padres. Zachary's
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  rookie teammate, Santo Alcala, chipped in with
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  11 wins. He stymied the Mets with the first shutout
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  by a Reds rookie since 1972. He's back to the
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  plate. It is a smash that Morgan has on one hop,
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  flipped to Tony, and this one belongs to the
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  refs. What a fine, fine pitching exhibition by
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  Santo Alcalá here at Riverfront Stadium this
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  afternoon as he gets congratulatory pats on the
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  back and handshakes from his teammates. He has
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  blanked the New York Mets on four hits. Fred
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  Norman ran his glittering record at Riverfront
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  Stadium to 33 -10. He turned out the lights on
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  the Dodgers for one of his 12 wins. The left
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  -hander studies the Johnny Bench sign. He rocks
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  to the wind -up, sends it in, and strike three
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  swinging. And this one belongs to the ref. Freddie
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  Norman has done it again as he pitches a rest
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  to a 3 -2 first -game victory over the Los Angeles
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  Dodgers. setting them down in order in the ninth
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  inning, and the Reds now enjoy their biggest
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  lead of this 1976 season at ten full games. Norman's
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  earned run average was 2 .38 in late July. Jack
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  Billingham also won 12 and finished strong. Don
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  Gullet rebounded from a muscle disorder to become
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  the seventh Reds pitcher to win in double figures.
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  He beat the Dodgers in September. You might look
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  for some... Good Gullet smoke on this pitch coming
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  right now. The one and two to Paisley. Swing
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  and a miss. He struck him out. And this one belongs
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  to the Reds. Don Gullet. Chalking up his ninth
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  victory of the year in a root -going performance.
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  Pitching one -hit baseball over the final six
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  innings of play as the Reds drop the magic number
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  to four with a 4 -2 victory over the Dodgers.
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  In the bullpen, Pedro Bourbon was defendable
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  in a variety of situations. Rookie Manny Sarmiento
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  was 5 -1 at age 20. Will McEnany and Joe Henderson
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  contributed to the effort. Catcher Bill Plummer,
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  who saw considerable action early in the season,
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  had a memorable 7 -RBI game and some big hits.
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  The 3 -2 pitch. Swung on. Long drive. Left center
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  field. That is going to be the third home run
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  of the year. Unbelievable. This has become...
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  on a blast to deep left center by Bill Plover.
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  Ed Armbruster enjoyed a two -home run day against
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  San Diego. 1 -0 delivery, swung on, that's hit
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  well to left field, and they look up, no doubt
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  about that, and that is way out of here, and
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  Ed Armbruster hits his second home run of the
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  ball game, and at that angle, he took the first
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  pitch the first time up to hit the next one out,
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  and the same thing happens here in the third.
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  Timberster is second home run of the ball game,
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  and the Reds lead it 2 -0. Bob Bailey swatted
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  two in a July game. Bailey with a high fly ball.
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  Left field. Well hit. Powered back. It's gone.
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  Bob Bailey with a second long ball of the night.
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  And the Reds have jumped out in front 7 -6 as
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  Bob Bailey puts on a home run exhibition here
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  at Riverfront Stadium. Mike Lum led the club
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  with 10 pinch hits. One beat his former Atlanta
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  teammates. The 1 -1 from Devine. Lum swings,
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  ground ball, that's it! But I'm not saying he
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  hasn't in the right field, and with Therese scoring,
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  this one belongs to the rest. Dan Dreesen squeezed
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  44 RBIs out of his 54 hits. One was a pinch homer
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  in September. Danny with a 1 -1 swing, hits a
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  fly ball to deep right center field. Well, Danny
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  Dreesen has done it again on his second pinch
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  hit home run of the season. And that one, an
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  absolute no -doubter as it rolled out of here
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  at the 385 marker in right center, and the Reds
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  go out in front at 8 -5. Joel Youngblood had
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  a four -hit day against the Phillies. Slick fielder
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  Doug Flynn took his turn at the plate, too, in
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  a sweep of San Diego. The pitch to him. Swung
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  on in line to center field, a base hit. Here
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  comes Johnny Betts. Here comes Tony Perez. The
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  throw to the plate, not in time. And a two -run
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  single for Doug Flynn to get the Reds up by three
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  big ones. That five -game sweep of San Diego
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  was one highlight of a season marked by good,
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  steady baseball. The Reds won no more than seven
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  straight, dropping no more than four straight.
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  They were at their best in important games. such
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  as a four -game set in Los Angeles, when the
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  second -place Dodgers could have sliced their
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  lead to five games. But the Reds claimed all
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  four, one on a hit by Dave Concepcion. Runners
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  leading at every base. Swung on the ground, ball,
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  base hit into left field. Here comes Foster.
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  Here comes Johnny Betts. A two -run single by
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  Concepcion, and the Reds lead it by three at
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  6 -3. At the close of August, there was a festive
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  World Series mood for the playoff preview with
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  the Phillies. The Eastern Division leaders won
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  the opener despite Dreesen's pinch homer. Swung
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  on, long drive, deep right field, we got a tie
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  ball game. Well, I'll tell you, he's not been
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  a good pinch hitter this season, but he just
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  made up a whole bunch of ground. He shot that
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  baby into the green seats and right, and we're
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  tied at four. The next night, Joe Morgan turned
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  himself loose, and the Reds broke the Phillies'
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  dominance. Morgan and Bench, a double steal attempt.
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  Boone's throw down to second. No! Here comes
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  Morgan to the plate! He is going to be safe!
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  Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench hook up on a double
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  steal, and Morgan never broke stride. Cash taking
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  the throw as Bench came in the side door, and
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  Dave was not paying any attention at all to Morgan
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  until it was too late. Until then, the Reds had
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  lost 7 of 9 to the confident Phillies. The next
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  game, Concepcion struck a game -winning blow
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  in an 8 -7 triumph. It is 7 -6 Philadelphia,
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  bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. No
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  one out. Reed calm, cool, and collected. Comes
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  set. He works. Davies swings, fly ball, left
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  center field, and this one belongs to the Reds.
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  A gaffer into left center field by Davies. Concepcion
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  off of a two -strike pitch from Ron Reed, and
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  we win it. Ken Griffey ignited a crowd of 51
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  ,000 the next game when he gave the Reds their
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  third straight conquest in the 15th inning. He
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  swings his ball out of the mound. That is clubbed
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  by Cash to throw to first. Not in time, and this
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  one belongs to the Reds. Ken Griffey with a bouncing
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  ball up the middle. The Dave Cash played behind
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  second, but his throw to first was not near.
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  On scoring, the Reds in 15 have defeated the
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  Philadelphia Phillies 6 -5. Individual pride
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  made things happen for the Reds in the dramatic
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  season finale. Don Gullet worked five brilliant
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  innings in a playoff tune -up. Unfortunately,
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  Jack Billingham hurt his arm in a similar tune
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  -up. Ken Griffey was overtaken by Bill Madlock
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  for the batting title when Madlock got four hits.
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  But on a positive note, Joe Morgan pinch -ran
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  for one shot at his 60th stolen base. I feel
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  shading Davey around toward left with a big gap
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  in right center. There goes Morgan. Pitch is
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  taken, and the ball knocked the glove right off
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  the hand of Dale Murphy. He wanted to come up
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  firing, and I'll tell you, the velocity of that
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  pitch simply separated the glove from Dale Murphy's
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  hand. So Morgan gets his 60th steal in easy fashion.
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  Tony Perez, in his final at -bat of the season,
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  needed a hit to reach 90 RBIs for the 10th straight
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  season. And so it ended, just as it began, with
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  offensive fireworks. The Reds won 11 -5 on opening
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  day, and a record 2 ,629 ,000 fans later, they
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  closed with an 11 -1 conquest October 3rd. Johnny
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  Bench forgot the club's best record in baseball
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  quickly, and looked ahead to another world championship.
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  In 1921, 22 Giants were the last to do it in
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  the National League. It'd be a great feather
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  in our hats, and I think that's what we're all
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  looking for. And if the good Lord's willing,
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  the creek and all rise, we'll be there. In the
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  next five days, the tension grew for the championship
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  series opener in Philadelphia. Now we're going
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  to see this 76 league championship series unfold.
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  Carlton into the windup. The pitch to Pete Rose.
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  Swung on. And a line drive based into the left
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  center field. Maddox sweeps into the gap. Rose
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  takes a turn. And he's going to be in with a
• 23:46
  head first slide for a double. And this game
• 23:48
  is underway in a big, big way. Marty, Pete said
• 23:51
  the first pitch that Mr. Carlton throws, he said,
• 23:54
  I don't care if it's six feet over my head, I'm
• 23:57
  swinging at it. Pete Rose hopped on Steve Carlton's
• 24:02
  first pitch to kick the Reds into high gear.
• 24:05
  They moved on to a playoff sweep over Philadelphia
• 24:08
  and then a World Series sweep over the Yankees.
• 24:11
  It was the first such seven -game postseason
• 24:13
  sweep in history. A record playoff crowd of 62
• 24:17
  ,640 in Veterans Stadium screamed for the powerful
• 24:21
  Phillies to halt the Big Red machine. The Cincinnati
• 24:24
  starter was Don Gullet. Gullet worked out of
• 24:27
  one early jam by retiring Tim McCarver with the
• 24:30
  bases loaded. The Reds trailed 1 -0 when Rose
• 24:34
  faced Carlton for the second time. Carlton delivers.
• 24:37
  It's swung on and hit the right field. Ollie
• 24:39
  Brown charging in. He misjudged the ball. Rose
• 24:42
  on his way to second, chasing it down Maddie.
• 24:44
  Peter on second. He's coming into third standing,
• 24:48
  and Ollie Brown, I don't know what happened to
• 24:50
  that baseball, but he ran right by it. I would
• 24:54
  have to imagine that Ollie... Ken Griffey walked
• 25:07
  and stole second. After Joe Morgan was retired,
• 25:10
  Tony Perez stepped in. Tony Perez, with a sacrifice
• 25:26
  fly, ties it up here in the third. After five
• 25:29
  tense innings, it was one to one. George Foster,
• 25:33
  who had not homered since September 5th, confronted
• 25:35
  Carlton in the sixth. Had four of his 29 homers
• 25:38
  against the Phillies this season. Here's a drive.
• 25:41
  Here's one. If it stays there, that could be
• 25:43
  problems. And a home run to left field for George
• 25:46
  Foster. And the Reds here in the sixth inning
• 25:49
  have bolted out in front of Philadelphia at two
• 25:51
  to one. Gullet added his bat to the big red machine.
• 25:56
  Carlton waiting for Gullet to stand back in.
• 25:58
  Has a sign from McCarver. Comes set. There goes
• 26:02
  Geronimo again. Here's a line drive. Right by
• 26:04
  the shortstop, Larry Boa. In to score, Concepcion.
• 26:07
  Throw to third. In safely, Geronimo. It's 3 -1
• 26:11
  our side. In the eighth, Tug McGraw relieved
• 26:16
  Carlton with two on. He got Geronimo and faced
• 26:19
  Gullet. Pence leading at third. Concepcion at
• 26:22
  second. The stretch and the pitch. That is grounded
• 26:26
  to first base. That's going to be a fair ball.
• 26:28
  It goes by Allen to foul ground. Two runs are
• 26:31
  going to score. Gullet heads towards second base.
• 26:34
  A head for a slide. He's got a double. And the
• 26:36
  Reds lead it 5 -1. Gullet suffered a slight muscle
• 26:40
  strain in his leg running the bases. Raleigh
• 26:43
  Eastwick relieved the left -hander who had stopped
• 26:45
  the fields with two hits in eight frames. Eastwick.
• 26:49
  Sights assigned from bench. He stretches. He
• 26:51
  delivers. Hutton swings. Line drive. Right center.
• 26:54
  Griffey is there. And this one belongs to the
• 26:56
  Reds. Tommy Hutton hit it well, but Griffey was
• 27:00
  there to make the play on it. And the Reds have
• 27:03
  jumped out in front in the opening game of this
• 27:05
  1976 league championship series with a 6 -3 victory
• 27:09
  over the Philadelphia Phillies. four bases in
• 27:16
  the game, two on pitch outs, as they openly challenged
• 27:19
  McCarver's arm. Eight of their ten hits went
• 27:22
  for extra bases on the rock -hard playing field.
• 27:27
  The game two starters were Jim Lomborg and Pat
• 27:31
  Zachary. Their ages, 33 and 24. Lomborg was a
• 27:35
  Cy Young Award winner and World Series star in
• 27:38
  1967. Zachary was 15 years old that year. Ron
• 27:43
  Borg spun five hitless innings, and his mates
• 27:45
  grabbed a 2 -0 lead. But in the sixth, the Reds
• 27:49
  were set to explode. He checks Concepcion. Rose
• 27:52
  swings, ground ball, base hit into right field.
• 27:55
  Johnstone charges. They wave Concepcion home.
• 27:57
  The throw is going to be way offline. Boone had
• 28:00
  to go three -quarters of the way out toward the
• 28:02
  mound to corral it. He draws with his fourth
• 28:05
  playoff base hit, and this one a big one. The
• 28:08
  first hit of the game for Cincinnati, and on
• 28:10
  top of that, it produces a run to make it a 2
• 28:12
  -1 score. Longboard kicks and fires Kenny a ground
• 28:15
  ball. Base hit into center field. Here's Rose
• 28:18
  taking a turn. He's coming to third, and the
• 28:20
  throw will not be in time. It goes off Schmidt's
• 28:23
  glove. Ripley moves to second base on the throw
• 28:26
  to third. Base is loaded. Run in, one out. Garber
• 28:29
  will work from the stretch. He kicks and he throws.
• 28:33
  Swung out and lined off the glove of Dick Allen
• 28:36
  in the right field. Here comes... Here comes
• 28:37
  Rose. Here comes Griffey. On to third is Morgan.
• 28:41
  And the Reds lead it 3 -2. Well, Marty, it looked
• 28:45
  like there might well have been a play on by
• 28:48
  Boone and Allen because Dick was moving toward
• 28:51
  the bag and Tony reached out and hit the ball
• 28:54
  that way. And I just believe that there was a
• 28:56
  play on, a pickoff play, between Boone and Dick
• 28:59
  Allen because of the way Allen was going toward
• 29:02
  the bag. Following the screamer hit by Perez,
• 29:06
  George Foster's ground out gave the Reds a fourth
• 29:09
  run in the inning. Pedro Borbon relieved Zachary
• 29:12
  after five. His lead soon grew to four runs at
• 29:15
  6 -2. Borbon working. Here's a swing and that
• 29:19
  should do it. He jammed him and Rose's play will
• 29:21
  be at third. Waiting. And this one belongs to
• 29:24
  the Reds as Pete Rose gathers in Mike Schmidt's
• 29:27
  pop -up. And this series will now shift to Cincinnati
• 29:30
  with the Reds holding a 2 -0 lead. The Reds clearly
• 29:36
  had their fourth National League pennant in seven
• 29:38
  years within their sights as they returned to
• 29:41
  Cincinnati. The Game 3 pitchers were Gary Nolan
• 29:46
  and Jim Cott. Cott, like Longboard, was totally
• 29:50
  in command through the early innings. A single
• 29:52
  by Perez was the only hit by Cincinnati in the
• 29:55
  first six frames. But the Reds were once again
• 29:58
  about to explode, though they trailed 3 -0 in
• 30:01
  the last of the seventh. Cott delivers. Grip
• 30:04
  swings. Bouncer up the middle. Backhand to McKay.
• 30:06
  He's hit his throw. Not in time. Kenny Griffey
• 30:10
  with that great speed. Beats the throw by a half
• 30:13
  step. And we got something going. Green has the
• 30:18
  sign from Boone. The stretch and the pitch. Tony
• 30:22
  swings. Base hit center field. That'll score
• 30:24
  Griffey. And on his way to third is Morgan. And
• 30:27
  Maddox goes to second base. Well, the Reds are
• 30:31
  on the scoreboard. It's a 3 -1 game. Runners
• 30:34
  at first and third. Nobody out. And George Foster
• 30:38
  the batter. Here's the pitch. Swung on and hit
• 30:42
  into right field deep. Going back Johnstone.
• 30:44
  And he has room. Middle of the warning track.
• 30:47
  Makes the catch. Perez tags. But he'll hold up
• 30:50
  as Morgan jogs in from third base. And it's a
• 30:54
  3 -2 ball game. Count full now. So the runners
• 30:58
  will be on the move. Perez and bench. Tony at
• 31:01
  second, Donnie at first. The pitch, the runner's
• 31:05
  goads, it's swung on, and looped down into left
• 31:08
  field. Coleman coming hard, he can't get close.
• 31:11
  It bounces by him, and here comes Vince, and
• 31:14
  the Reds lead it. Geronimo on his way to third.
• 31:16
  Mike Smith having problems picking the ball up,
• 31:19
  and he's there, and the Reds lead it 4 -3. But
• 31:25
  the determined Bills regained the lead off Raleigh
• 31:28
  Eastwick. They had won the season series from
• 31:30
  the Reds, and now they led 6 -4. The Reds and
• 31:33
  George Foster had three outs left. Again, the
• 31:36
  one -and -two pitch. Swung on, fly ball, back
• 31:40
  into deep left center, and you can chalk that
• 31:44
  one up. It's gone for a home run. Not a bad way
• 31:49
  to begin an inning in which you need a couple
• 31:51
  of runs to get even. He's behind at one -and
• 31:54
  -two. That was the count and the pitch that Foster
• 31:57
  took Reed downtown on. Bench is back in, and
• 32:02
  Reed serves it up. Swung on, fly ball, deep left
• 32:06
  center field. Maddox on the warning track, looking
• 32:09
  up. It's good! Johnny Bench with a home run to
• 32:12
  left center, and the Reds have tied it up on
• 32:14
  back -to -back knife hitting home runs. They're
• 32:17
  on their feet at riverfront, and it is tied at
• 32:20
  six runs apiece. Phil's manager Danny Ozark replaced
• 32:27
  Reed with Gene Garber. He winds and he pitches.
• 32:31
  Concepcion a bouncing ball, base hit to left
• 32:33
  field. Navy jumping on Garber's first pitch and
• 32:37
  singles to left and there is the run that if
• 32:41
  it scores will give the Reds a National League
• 32:43
  pennant. Young Tom Underwood promptly walked
• 32:48
  Geronimo. Ed Armbrister was set up to sacrifice.
• 32:52
  Here's Underwood with a check in the pitch. Armbrister
• 32:55
  third baseline. Good bunt. Schmidt has it. Throws
• 32:58
  to first. He got the out. But a super bunt by
• 33:01
  Armbrister moves both runners up into scoring
• 33:04
  position. Throws was walked intentionally. And
• 33:10
  Ken Griffey was the hitter with one out and the
• 33:13
  bases jammed. One ball and no strikes on Griffey.
• 33:17
  Underwood with a slow come down to the belt.
• 33:19
  He throws. Griffey swings. Slow chopper right
• 33:21
  side. Here comes Concepcion. along the first
• 33:33
  baseline. Bobby Tolan could not come up with
• 33:36
  it cleanly. Concepcion scores and it is pandemonium
• 33:40
  down on the field. As the Reds have scored three
• 33:44
  in the ninth inning and have swept the Philadelphia
• 33:48
  Phillies to move into the 1976 World Series.
• 33:52
  Fans standing all over the ballpark as the Philadelphia
• 33:56
  Phillies went to the bottom of the ninth leading
• 33:58
  by two runs and boy, what a comeback by the Big
• 34:01
  Red Machine. The Reds had taken their sixth playoff
• 34:05
  game in a row, covering two seasons, and they
• 34:08
  had now accomplished phase two of their goal.
• 34:15
  What followed was another three days of waiting
• 34:17
  for the World Series opener in Cincinnati. The
• 34:21
  New York Yankees got a ninth -inning home run
• 34:23
  from Chris Chambliss to beat the Kansas City
• 34:25
  Royals in game five of their championship series.
• 34:28
  They headed for Cincinnati. The Yankees arrived
• 34:31
  the day before the series opener. Manager Billy
• 34:34
  Martin shocked the press corps by announcing
• 34:36
  that right -hander Doyle Alexander would start
• 34:39
  game one. And he intoned that he was not impressed
• 34:42
  by the Big Red Machine. Tradition spoke for the
• 34:45
  Yankees. They owned eight wins in nine World
• 34:48
  Series games with the Reds. Don Gullet, the Reds'
• 34:52
  starter, was appearing in his eighth series game
• 34:54
  at age 25. Joe Morgan, hitless in the playoffs.
• 34:58
  State gullet to a first inning lead. Alexander's
• 35:01
  3 -1 pitch to Morgan. Swung on, long drive, hit
• 35:04
  deep to right field. Maddox going back, it's
• 35:06
  out of here for a home run. Joe Morgan gives
• 35:09
  the Reds a 1 -0 lead. With the score knotted
• 35:12
  at 1 -1 in the third, Concepcion made his speed
• 35:15
  pay off. One out here in the bottom of the third
• 35:18
  inning, a 1 -1 ball game. The Reds against the
• 35:20
  New York Yankees as Doyle Alexander works to
• 35:22
  red shortstop Davey Concepcion. The 2 -1 pitch
• 35:26
  on the way. Swung on, blind drive, hit to left
• 35:28
  center field. Mickey Rivers, Roy White, they'll
• 35:31
  not be able to get to the ball. It's going to
• 35:32
  go all the way to the fence. Here's Concepcion.
• 35:46
  Concepcion, batting ninth, had set the table
• 35:48
  for Rose. Alexander comes set. The 2 -0 pitch
• 35:53
  to Rose. Swung on. Fly ball. Hit the center field.
• 35:56
  That'll be deep enough to get the run in as Mickey
• 35:58
  Rivers drifts back, makes the catch. Concepcion
• 36:01
  tags and comes in to score. It's 2 -1 our side.
• 36:06
  The Reds sported a 3 -1 lead by the seventh.
• 36:09
  The Reds lead at 3 -1, bottom of the seventh
• 36:11
  inning. Pitch to George Foster. Swung on. Line
• 36:14
  drive left. Here's a 1 -0 delivery to Johnny
• 36:24
  Betts. Ball is hit deep to right field. Back
• 36:26
  is Elliott Maddox. It's going to be off the wall.
• 36:28
  Now the ball bouncing past Maddox toward the
• 36:31
  infield as Foster rounds third. He's going to
• 36:33
  score. And Betts pulls into third base with a
• 36:36
  triple. It is now 4 -1 Cincinnati. Gullit dislocated
• 36:42
  a tendon in his right ankle while pitching in
• 36:44
  the eighth. Pedro Bourbon finished the game.
• 36:46
  Two out on the Yankee ninth inning here. Oscar
• 36:49
  Gamble at the plate as Pedro Bourbon kicks and
• 36:52
  deals. A high pop on the left side. Foul ground.
• 37:11
  After the victory, the extent of Gullet's injury
• 37:14
  was disclosed. He would have his ankle in a cast
• 37:17
  for six to eight weeks. The first designated
• 37:20
  hitter for the Reds, Dan Greeson, was 0 for 4
• 37:22
  in game one. And Tony Perez had reversed his
• 37:26
  series start of 1975 when he was 0 for his first
• 37:29
  15 by collecting three hits. The next night,
• 37:35
  the first ever Sunday night series game found
• 37:38
  Catfish Hunter on the mound opposing Fred Norman.
• 37:41
  Hunter was 4 -0 in World Series play, owning
• 37:44
  two wins over Cincinnati in 1972. But the Reds
• 37:48
  rocked him in the second. Here's a 1 -1 pitch
• 37:51
  to Dreesen. Ball hit deep into center field.
• 37:53
  Back is Mickey Rivers. Still going back. It's
• 37:55
  off the wall. Rounding first base and digging
• 37:58
  for second is Dreesen. He'll hole there with
• 38:00
  a stand -up double. Hunter ready with a pitch.
• 38:03
  3 -1 on the way to Foster. Swung out, line drive,
• 38:06
  center field, base hit. Round third is Dreesen.
• 38:09
  He'll be waved in and the Reds lead. 76 series
• 38:14
  a single in the center field Here's a pitch to
• 38:18
  bench swung on line drive left center field that
• 38:20
  ball is going to go to the fence Here's Johnny
• 38:23
  Bench rounding first and goes into second base
• 38:25
  with a double Hunter checking the runners the
• 38:28
  1 -0 pitch swinging line drive right center.
• 38:31
  It's Here's a pitch to Ken Griffey. Ball is swung
• 38:43
  on, hit into shallow center field. Mickey Rivers
• 38:45
  coming hard. He's got it. Now they tag Geronimo
• 38:48
  at third base. He's going to try to score. The
• 38:50
  throw from center, not in time. The Reds take
• 38:53
  a 3 -0 lead. But Catfish regrouped and slammed
• 38:56
  the door after giving up those three runs. The
• 38:59
  Yanks tied the score and Jack Billingham replaced
• 39:01
  Norman. The game appeared headed for extra innings
• 39:04
  with two outs in the Reds' ninth. Hunter trying
• 39:07
  to retire the side of the order here in the ninth
• 39:09
  inning and send the second game of the World
• 39:10
  Series to extra innings as he kicks and deals
• 39:13
  a pitch to Ken Griffey, swung on, slow bouncing
• 39:15
  ball, hit to short. Brett Stanley charges, off
• 39:18
  -balance throw, got by Stambliss, and goes to
• 39:20
  the Reds dugout. Cincinnati getting a big break
• 39:23
  as Ken Griffey goes to second with a winning
• 39:25
  run, and the batter is Joe Morgan. Hunter put
• 39:28
  Morgan on first base and pitched to Perez. Score
• 39:32
  tied 3 -3. Runners take their leads. Catfish
• 39:35
  Hunter in a two -out jam in the bottom of the
• 39:37
  ninth inning as he throws to Tony Perez. Pitch
• 39:39
  is swung on. Line drive. Hit to left field. Coming
• 39:42
  around third is Ken Griffey. Bellingham had retired
• 40:08
  eight straight batters. He had allowed just one
• 40:11
  earned run in 25 and a third World Series innings.
• 40:17
  Monday was a travel day and a chance for the
• 40:19
  Reds to get their first look at Yankee Stadium.
• 40:22
  Game three the next night matched Doc Ellis and
• 40:25
  Pat Zachary. As the Reds have done throughout
• 40:28
  the season, they fashioned a big inning. Ellis
• 40:31
  kicks and throws, and that pitch is hit off the
• 40:33
  pitcher's glove, but fielded by Willie Randolph.
• 40:35
  Quick throw is high, and Greeson is going to
• 40:37
  be safe. It took Chambliss off the bag and really
• 40:41
  had to climb the ladder to keep that ball from
• 40:43
  ending up in the seats behind the Yankee dugout.
• 40:45
  And now again dealing to George Foster. Here's
• 40:48
  a fly ball hit well to right center field. Gamble
• 40:50
  on his horse will not be able to run it down.
• 40:53
  That's going to get Greeson around third and
• 40:55
  onto the plate as Foster goes in standing up
• 40:57
  at second base. Here's a line drive, off the
• 41:00
  glove of the first baseman, Shambliss, through
• 41:01
  the first, and not in time. Doc Ellis coming
• 41:05
  off that mound like a shot. He got to first base,
• 41:08
  but as Shambliss leaped and hit off the end of
• 41:10
  that big first baseman's mitt, Randolph on the
• 41:13
  outfield grass came up with it. The throw did
• 41:15
  not get Johnny Bench, and George Foster moves
• 41:17
  on to third. Here's a smash on one hop, nice
• 41:20
  play by Stanley, on to Randolph, through the
• 41:22
  first, not in time, and the run is home. Now
• 41:26
  the multitude of umpires behind the first base
• 41:29
  back contending that Randolph's quick throw to
• 41:31
  Shambles beat Geronimo, but not so, says Bill
• 41:33
  Deegan. Ellis stretches, the runner goes, they
• 41:36
  call for a pitch out. Here's a throw to second,
• 41:38
  and Stanley lets the ball get away from him.
• 41:41
  They had him out by a country mile at second
• 41:43
  base, and Stanley allowed the ball to hit off
• 41:46
  the heel of his glove and picked up by Willie
• 41:48
  Randolph. Here's a fly ball hit to left center
• 41:51
  field, charging as a left fielder wide as Geronimo
• 41:54
  gets a green light coming around third and on
• 41:56
  into the plate. And now the ball getting away
• 41:59
  from Stanley on the throw end, but picking it
• 42:01
  up is Nettles to hold Concepcion at first. It
• 42:03
  is three to nothing, Cincinnati. And I know that
• 42:07
  Billy Martin must be inside. A little bit irate
• 42:11
  because he talked in the two games in Cincinnati
• 42:13
  about the flares that the Reds had in that pair
• 42:15
  of games at Riverfront Stadium, and Cincinnati
• 42:17
  is flaring Doc Ellis and the Yankees to death
• 42:20
  here in the second. The next inning, Dreesen
• 42:23
  struck again. He swings and hits one a ton. Deep
• 42:27
  right center field, and it's out of here for
• 42:29
  a home run. Danny Dreesen taking the ground to
• 42:33
  her as he jumped on a fastball from Doc Ellis.
• 42:36
  and deposits that shot into the seats in right
• 42:39
  center, the second home run of this World Series,
• 42:41
  and the Reds shoot their lead out to a 4 -0 count.
• 42:45
  The Reds' lead was sliced to 4 -2, but they manufactured
• 42:48
  two more runs in the eighth. Will McEnany, like
• 42:51
  Billingham the game before, was summoned for
• 42:53
  the first time in 1976 postseason play. He had
• 42:57
  retired Chambliss in the seventh. Chambliss faced
• 42:59
  him again in the ninth. McEnany looking in. Runners
• 43:04
  take their lead at first and second. The pitch
• 43:06
  to Shambles, swung on, fly ball left field. George
• 43:08
  Foster toward the line, and this one belongs
• 43:10
  to the Reds. Here in the ninth inning, New York
• 43:13
  with no runs on a couple of hits as Cincinnati's
• 43:16
  Reds move to win one game of winning their second
• 43:20
  consecutive world championship. Tonight, they
• 43:22
  defeat the New York Yankees in the third game
• 43:24
  of the series by a final score of 6 -2. The Reds
• 43:29
  had not trailed in any of the first three games.
• 43:32
  and they had become the first Reds club to win
• 43:34
  their first three World Series games. Game four
• 43:40
  followed after a day of rain in New York. Yankee
• 43:43
  starter Ed Figueroa faced pesky Joe Morgan in
• 43:46
  the fourth. Three and one. The last thing in
• 43:49
  the world Figueroa wants to do is walk this man
• 43:51
  because he makes things happen for the Cincinnati
• 43:54
  Reds. That's ball four, and Morgan is on. And
• 43:58
  Joe promptly stole second. With two outs, George
• 44:02
  Foster put the Reds in front. And Johnny Bench,
• 44:15
  who had redesigned his batting stroke after the
• 44:17
  regular season, was batting seventh, as in the
• 44:20
  first three series games. Two walks brought Bench
• 44:45
  to the plate again in the ninth. Tonight is the
• 45:14
  homers for the second time, and the Reds now
• 45:17
  lead by four runs at 6 -2. The Reds got another
• 45:20
  run, and Will McEnany had a 7 -2 bulge as he
• 45:24
  faced Roy White in the ninth. So the Cincinnati
• 45:27
  Reds are now away from sweeping the 1976 World
• 45:30
  Series. Two outs. Here's a 2 -0 pitch to Roy
• 45:33
  White. Swung on. High fly ball to left center.
• 45:58
  The sweep seemed almost too easy. Manager Sparky
• 46:01
  Anderson had not made one replacement for his
• 46:04
  nine regulars, including the designated hitter.
• 46:07
  Bench was voted the most valuable player. And
• 46:10
  as they walked out of historic Yankee Stadium,
• 46:13
  the home of some of baseball's greatest teams,
• 46:16
  the Reds felt they belonged. Their pride led
• 46:20
  them to the next challenge, a third straight
• 46:22
  year at the top.