CINCINNATI – Don Gullet tossed a four-hitter and shutout the ’72 Oakland A’s as the ’75 Cincinnati Reds moved within a win Wednesday of capturing @JackSacco6 @sacco_john “Team of The 1970s” Strat-O-Matic World Series with a 2-0 victory in Game 5.
Gullett (1-1) faced the minimum through the first 6-2/3 innings and the Reds scored single runs in the first and second innings on an RBI single by Joe Morgan and run-scoring double by Pete Rose, who moved back to the lead-off spot.
“I never expected that kind of performance from Gullett,” said @JackSacco6, manager of the Reds. “I would never imagined he could shut that lineup down and out like that.”
Oakland starter, Catfish Hunter (1-0), hit Rose to open the bottom of the first inning. Ken Griffey moved Rose to second base on a ground out. Morgan followed with his single to drive in Rose.
First baseman Dan Driessen, filling in for injured Tony Perez, smacked a lead-off single in the second. He moved to third on the first of shortstop Dave Concepcion’s two singles. After a botched suicide squeeze attempt by Gullett that had Driessen called out at home, Rose delivered his double.
That was all the Reds would need.
Oakland, which scored just three runs in the three games following it taking a 2-0 series lead, has scored just three runs in its last 30 innings.
The only A’s player to advance beyond first base was Reggie Jackson, who hit a two-out double in the seventh inning.
Matty Alou continued his hot hitting for Oakland with two singles. He is now nine-for-20 (.450) in the series. The A’s sent no more than four batters to the plate in any inning. Alou has reached base 11 times in 22 series plate appearances for a .500 OBP and has a .700 slugging percentage for a 1.200 OPS. . Alou has accounted for 21.9 percent of his teams 41 hits in the series.
“Matty needs some help,” said @sacco_john, Oakland’s manager. “With the exception of Reggie (Jackson – who is five-for-19) and Mike Epstein, we’ve been horrendous at the plate. No execution. No power. No anything. Our starting pitching has been plenty good enough. The defense and offense stink. If we don't start helping Matty, it's toot Alou for the A's."
Rose is now six-for-17 (.353) in the series after starting zero-for-nine. He has reached base safely in nine of his last 11 at bats and is nine-for-20 plate appearances (.450 OBP) in the series.
The series moves back to Oakland for Game 6, and Game 7, if necessary.
In Game 6, Cincinnati will start Jack Billingham (0-0) against John “Blue Moon” Odom (0-1) of Oakland.
Pitching has dominated the series. Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine has scored 12 runs and the Swingin’ A’s have managed just 11 runs.
Hunter has worked 17 innings, allowing nine hits, striking out 11, walking one and hitting one batter while yielding three earned runs for a 1.59 ERA and a 0.5882 WHIP.
Perez will return for Game 6 and both bullpens are rested and ready.
The Best of the Teams of the 1970s World Series
Game 5
at Riverfront Stadium
Cincinnati, Ohio
Oakland 000 000 000-0 4 0
Cincinnati 110 000 00x-2 6 0
WP-Don Gullett (1-1)
LP-Catfish Hunter (1-1)
My blog will appear on a regular basis and will focus on sports, opinions, notes, features, and some trivia for good measure.
John Sacco
@sacco_john
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