'73 Reds split with '76 Phils

The Phils took the opener 4-1 behind Steve Carlton's complete game 3-hitter. Dick Allen's 2-run double in the 2nd put the Phillies up 2-0, then he scored on Dave Cash's single to make it 3-0. The Reds scored an unearned run in the 6th when Bowa's error was followed by consecutive singles by Rose and Morgan to cut it to 3-1. Jay Johnstone's solo HR in the 8th added the final run to cap the scoring at 4-1.

In game 2, Larry Christenson pitched around trouble for 6 innings and departed with a 2-0 lead. The Reds had men on base every inning included a bases-loaded situation in the 5th. The Phillies' runs came by way of a pair of Dave Cash triples - one to lead off the game, followed by Larry Bowa's single, and the other in the 3rd which resulted in a run when Garry Maddox delivered a 2-out single. Top of the 8th Greg Luzinski started the inning with a double off Pedro Borbon. One out later he scored an important insurance run on Bobby Tolan's PH single. (Interesting as Bobby Tolan played against Bobby Tolan; neither team had Bobby Tolan in his prime.) With Ron Reed working his 2nd inning of relief in the 9th, Ken Griffey delivered a 1-out, PH single. Pete Rose singled, sending Griffey to 3rd to bring Joe Morgan to the plate with 1 out. Morgan lofted a fly ball to right, but Ollie Brown grabbed it and Griffey held 3rd. Dan Driessen followed and launched a 3-run HR to tie the game at 3. Things stayed that way until the 11th. With one out, Larry Bowa singled. Mike Schmidt followed and took a Tom Hall mistake deep into the night for a 2-run HR and a 5-3 Phillies' lead. Gene Garber closed out the bottom of the 11th as the Phils took their 2nd win, 5-3.

Game 3 moved to the Vet, and the Reds took an early lead. Johnny Bench tripled off Tommy Underwood to lead off the 2nd, then scored on Larry Bowa's error. A bunt moved the runner to 3rd, then Bobby Tolan's failed squeeze play resulted in 2 outs with Tolan on 1st. Don Gullett and Pete Rose singled, scoring Tolan for a 2-0 lead. Top of the 6th, Dave Concepcion led off with a single. He scored on PH Andy Kosco's single to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. Kosco's PH appearance resulted in an early exit for Don Gullett, who held the Phils to 1 hit over 5 innings. His replacement, Pedro Borbon, was not so fortunate. A 1-out walk to PH Fred Andrews and a 2-out single by Larry Bowa cut the lead to 3-1. Mike Schmidt followed with a drive that barely missed leaving the park, and his double made it 3-2. Top of the 7th, Ron Reed on in place of Underwood. Joe Morgan greets him with a HR to extend the Reds' lead to 4-2. Cincinnati adds another in the 8th on Pete Rose's RBI double and Tom Hall closes out the 9th for a 5-2 Reds win.


The series finale was a duplicate of game 3's score, a 5-2 Reds win. Johnny Bench's 2-run double in the first gave Cincinnati a 2-0 lead. But the Phils got to Fred Norman, who must have been happy to exit the 1st with only 2 runs against him. Cash and Bowa singled. Luzinski walked to load the bases with 1 out. Bench picked Luzinski off 1st, and then Garry Maddox doubled in Cash and Bowa to tie the game at 2. Norman settled down from there and worked 7 more scoreless, if not at times tenuous innings. Top of the 4th, The Reds took the lead for good on Cesar Geronimo's double and Pete Rose's 2-out single. Johnny Bench's solo HR in the 5th, followed by Denis Menke's single and Bobby Tolan's RBI double extended that lead to 5-2. Cincinnati loaded the bases in the 7th, but failed to score. Bottom of the 9th, Clay Carroll pitching, two outs, and he walks both Bowa and Schmidt. The Bull steps to the plate, but his fly to left stays in the park to end it 5-2. The teams split the four games, and it was a lot of fun.