Editor’s note: How good were the 1975 Cincinnati Reds? The best way to end the speculation is to challenge the team with a 162-game season against some great teams. This is a series that will include each game played with the Strat-o-Matic cards and dice, while hoping to reach the 108-54 record that the Reds had that season. Game stories will be published periodically on Press Room Pass through out the year. What’s your predicted victory total?
Cincinnati needed another comeback to get the broom out of the closet and sweep Houston.
For the second straight contest, the Reds rallied from an early deficit to post a 9-6 victory over the Astros to take the three-game set at Minute Maid Park.
Josh Reddick knocked in a run with a triple and later scored on a single by Marwin Gonzalez to give the Astros a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Gonzalez then smacked a homer in the third as Houston built a 3-0 advantage against Reds starter Pat Darcy.
The tide turned in the fifth as the Reds grabbed the lead on their way to a sixth win in the last seven games.
Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. walked Bill Plummer to begin the rally. Darcy ended up beating out a bunt as he was trying to sacrifice.
Pete Rose followed with a single to score the first run before Ken Griffey tied the game with a double that brought home Darcy and Charlie Hustle.
Griffey later scored on a ground out by Tony Perez to give the Reds a 4-3 lead. Another RBI single by Rose in the sixth put the Reds on top 5-3.
McCullers was done in the seventh after RBI doubles by Perez and Doug Flynn made it 7-3.
Darcy (7-2) ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh, but the Reds were able to hang on to give him the victory.
With one out and two runners on base, Clay Carroll gave up a run-scoring single to Cameron Maybin and a sacrifice fly to Brian McCann.
Merv Rettenmund and Cesar Geronimo got involved in the ninth for the Reds as all nine starters had at least one hit. Rettenmund had a RBI double and Geronimo a run-scoring single.
In addition to Carroll, Pedro Borbon and Will McEnaney held off the Astros, who scored a run in the ninth on a single by Reddick.
Rawley Eastwick retired Jose Altuve to pick up his 15th save.
The Reds head to Milwaukee to continue their six-game road trip looking for a fourth win in a row as Don Gullett (9-3) takes the mound.
Warren Spahn, who has lost twice to Cincinnati this season, gets another chance against the Reds.
National League Standings
(Records involve games only with Reds)
East Division
1969 Mets (4-1)
1971 Pirates (3-2)
2016 Cubs (3-4)
1975 Expos (2-4)
1967 Cardinals (1-4)
2008 Phillies (1-6)
West Division
1975 Reds (46-24)
1954 Giants (2-2)
1957 Braves (3-5)
1981 Dodgers (2-5)
2017 Astros (2-8)
1975 Padres (1-5)