Saturday, 22 October 2016

This Day In Postseason History: October 22, 1975: The Day After Fisk's Home Run

October 22nd, 1975
World Series, Game 7
Cincinnati Reds at Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park, Boston


            In what some have argued is the best, most exciting World Series of all time, the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox had settled nothing after six games. And while many baseball fans and experts have never stopped talking about the miraculous Carlton Fisk home run that gave Boston a dramatic, extra inning victory to tie the series in Game 6, few realize that Game 7 was just as exciting.
            The Reds, who had been a strong team for most of the decade but had yet to win the World Series, were led by Pete Rose, George Foster, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Ken Griffey at the plate, and Don Gullett, Gary Noland and Rawly Eastwick on the mound.
It had been 35 years since Cincinnati had last won the Fall Classic (1940), but the Red Sox drought was even longer at 57 years (1918). Boston was led offensively by Fisk, Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans and Bernie Carbo, but had to do without the services of All-Star left-fielder Jim Rice who had injured his wrist on the last weekend of the regular season when hit by a pitch. Boston’s top two pitchers were Luis Tiant and Bill “Spaceman” Lee.
The Red Sox took the first game by a 6-0 score, and led Game 2 by a score of 2-1 in the ninth inning before Cincinnati game from behind to tie the Series with a 3-2 victory. As the Series shifted to Riverfront Stadium for the middle three games, the Reds took advantage of an error (the Red Sox argued there should have been batter interference) to win Game 3 in ten innings, 6-5.
Boston took the fourth game, 5-4, and then Cincinnati captured Game 5, 6-2, to take a three games to two lead to Fenway Park. After Game 6 was postponed three days due to rainy weather, Fisk’s home run gave Boston a 7-6 win in 12 innings to set up Game 7.
Bill Lee would get the start on the mound for Boston while Cincinnati would counter with Don Gullett. And the Red Sox looked like they had the momentum with them, carried over from Game 6, when they got to Gullett for three runs in the bottom of the third. An RBI single by Carl Yastrzemski and two bases loaded walks accounted for the scoring.
Things were looking good for the Sox as Lee shut out the Big Red Machine over the first five innings and took the 3-0 lead into the sixth. But the Reds refused to concede as Pete Rose led off the inning with a single. One out later, Bench hit into a force play but managed to stay out of the inning-ending double play. The next batter, Tony Perez, smashed a two-run home run to left field and the Boston lead was trimmed to 3-2.
An inning later, Rose hit an RBI single that scored Ken Griffey and Game 7 was all timed up at three. It would stay that way until the top of the ninth, when with runners on first and third and two out, Joe Morgan would collect the RBI single that would drive home Griffey with what would be the Series-deciding run.
The Red Sox went in order in their half of the ninth and the Reds were World Champions. It was the first of two in a row for Cincinnati. As for Boston, they would have to wait another 11 years before reaching the post season again.


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