1975 Cincinnati Reds season
{{Short description|Major League Baseball season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox baseball team season
| name = Cincinnati Reds
| season = 1975
| misc = World Series Champions
National League Champions
National League West Champions
| league = National League
| division = West
| ballpark = Riverfront Stadium
| city = Cincinnati
| record = 108–54 (.667)
| divisional_place = 1st
| owners = Louis Nippert
| general_managers = Bob Howsam
| managers = Sparky Anderson
| television = WLWT
(Ken Coleman, Woody Woodward)
| radio = WLW
(Marty Brennaman, Joe Nuxhall)
|}}
The 1975 Cincinnati Reds season was the 106th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball, and their 6th and 5th full season at Riverfront Stadium. The Reds dominated the league all season, and won the National League West with a record of 108–54, the best record in MLB and finished 20 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds went on to win the NLCS by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in three straight games, and the World Series in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. The Reds were managed by Sparky Anderson and played their home games at Riverfront Stadium. It was the first World Series championship for Cincinnati since 1940. The 1975 Reds are one of the few teams to consistently challenge the 1927 New York Yankees for the title of the best team in major league history. The Reds went 64–17 at home in 1975, which remains the best home record ever by a National League team. It is currently the second-best home record in MLB history, behind the 1961 Yankees, who went 65-16.
Offseason
- October 25, 1974: Andy Kosco was released by the Reds.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/k/koscoan01.shtml Andy Kosco] at Baseball Reference
- October 25, 1974: Phil Gagliano was released by the Reds.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/g/gagliph01.shtml Phil Gagliano] at Baseball Reference
- January 2, 1975: Joe Henderson was purchased by the Reds from the Chicago White Sox.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hendejo01.shtml Joe Henderson] at Baseball Reference
Regular season
The 1975 Reds clinched a playoff appearance on September 7, the earliest clinch date of any MLB team in a 162-game season.[https://web.archive.org/web/20020918111329/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/09/15/clinching_early/ Earliest division-clinching dates in a 162-game season]
Joe Morgan was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1975.
= Season standings =
{{1975 NL West standings}}
= Record vs. opponents =
{{1975 NL Record vs. opponents|team=CIN}}
= Notable transactions =
- April 8, 1975: Roger Freed was purchased from the Reds by the Sultanes de Monterrey.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/f/freedro01.shtml Roger Freed] at Baseball Reference
- May 6, 1975: Doug Corbett was signed as a free agent by the Reds.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/corbedo01.shtml Doug Corbett] at Baseball Reference
= Roster =
| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| colspan="10" style="background-color: #c6011f; color: white; text-align: center;" | 1975 Cincinnati Reds |
|---|
| colspan="10" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;" | Roster |
| valign="top" | Pitchers
{{MLBplayer|43|Jack Billingham}} {{MLBplayer|34|Pedro Borbón}} {{MLBplayer|36|Clay Carroll}} {{MLBplayer|51|Tom Carroll}} {{MLBplayer|44|Pat Darcy}} {{MLBplayer|49|Rawly Eastwick}} {{MLBplayer|35|Don Gullett}} {{MLBplayer|21|Tom Hall}} {{MLBplayer|31|Clay Kirby}} {{MLBplayer|37|Will McEnaney}} {{MLBplayer|38|Gary Nolan}} {{MLBplayer|32|Fred Norman}} | width="25px" | | valign="top" | Catchers {{MLBplayer| 5|Johnny Bench}} {{MLBplayer| 9|Bill Plummer}} {{MLBplayer|55|Don Werner}} Infielders {{MLBplayer|12|Darrel Chaney}} {{MLBplayer|13|Dave Concepción}} {{MLBplayer|17|Terry Crowley}} {{MLBplayer|22|Dan Driessen}} {{MLBplayer|23|Doug Flynn}} {{MLBplayer| 8|Joe Morgan}} {{MLBplayer|24|Tony Pérez}} {{MLBplayer|14|Pete Rose}} {{MLBplayer|16|John Vukovich}} | width="25px" | | valign="top" | Outfielders {{MLBplayer|33|Ed Armbrister}} {{MLBplayer|15|George Foster}} {{MLBplayer|20|César Gerónimo}} {{MLBplayer|30|Ken Griffey}} {{MLBplayer|26|Merv Rettenmund}} | width="25px" | | valign="top" | Manager {{MLBplayer|10|Sparky Anderson}} Coaches {{MLBplayer| 2|Alex Grammas}} {{MLBplayer|18|Ted Kluszewski}} {{MLBplayer| 3|George Scherger}} {{MLBplayer| 4|Larry Shepard}} |
Player stats
| style="background-color:#FFCC00; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;" |
| = Indicates team leader |
= Batting =
== Starters by position ==
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||||||
| style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="5%" | Pos
! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="16%" | Player ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | G ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | AB ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | H ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | Avg. ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | HR ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | RBI | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"
| C | {{sortname|Johnny|Bench}} | 142 | 530 | 150 | .283 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|28 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|110 |
| align="center"
| 1B | {{sortname|Tony|Pérez}} | 137 | 511 | 144 | .282 | 20 | 109 |
| align="center"
| 2B | {{sortname|Joe|Morgan}} | 146 | 498 | 163 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|.327 | 17 | 94 |
| align="center"
| 3B | {{sortname|Pete|Rose}} | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|162 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|662 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|210 | .317 | 7 | 74 |
| align="center"
| SS | {{sortname|Dave|Concepción}} | 140 | 507 | 139 | .274 | 5 | 49 |
| align="center"
| LF | {{sortname|George|Foster|George Foster (baseball)}} | 134 | 463 | 139 | .300 | 23 | 78 |
| align="center"
| CF | {{sortname|César|Gerónimo}} | 148 | 501 | 129 | .257 | 6 | 53 |
| align="center"
| RF | {{sortname|Ken|Griffey|Ken Griffey, Sr.}} | 132 | 463 | 141 | .305 | 4 | 46 |
== Other batters ==
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||||
| style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="16%" | Player
! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | G ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | AB ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | H ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | Avg. ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | HR ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | RBI | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Dan|Driessen}} | 88 | 210 | 59 | .281 | 7 | 38 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Merv|Rettenmund}} | 93 | 188 | 45 | .239 | 2 | 19 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Darrel|Chaney}} | 71 | 160 | 35 | .219 | 2 | 26 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Bill|Plummer}} | 65 | 159 | 29 | .182 | 1 | 19 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Doug|Flynn}} | 89 | 127 | 34 | .268 | 1 | 20 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Terry|Crowley}} | 66 | 71 | 19 | .268 | 1 | 11 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Ed|Armbrister}} | 59 | 65 | 12 | .185 | 0 | 2 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|John|Vukovich}} | 31 | 38 | 8 | .211 | 0 | 2 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Don|Werner}} | 7 | 8 | 1 | .125 | 0 | 0 |
= Pitching =
== Starting pitchers ==
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||||
| style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="16%" | Player
! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | G ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | IP ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | W ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | L ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | ERA ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | SO | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Gary|Nolan|Gary Nolan (baseball)}} | 32 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|210.2 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|15 | 9 | bgcolor=#FFCC00|3.16 | 74 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Jack|Billingham}} | 33 | 208.0 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|15 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|10 | 4.11 | 79 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Fred|Norman|Fred Norman (baseball)}} | 34 | 188.0 | 12 | 4 | 3.73 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|119 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Don|Gullett}} | 22 | 159.2 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|15 | 4 | 2.42 | 98 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Pat|Darcy}} | 27 | 130.2 | 11 | 5 | 3.58 | 46 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Clay|Kirby}} | 26 | 110.2 | 10 | 6 | 4.72 | 48 |
== Other pitchers ==
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||||
| style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="16%" | Player
! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | G ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | IP ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | W ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | L ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | ERA ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | SO | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Tom|Carroll|Tom Carroll (pitcher)}} | 12 | 47.0 | 4 | 1 | 4.98 | 14 |
== Relief pitchers ==
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||||
| style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="16%" | Player
! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | G ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | W ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | L ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | SV ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | ERA ! style="background:black;color:#d40026;" width="9%" | SO | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Rawly|Eastwick}} | 58 | 5 | 3 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|22 | 2.60 | 61 |
| align=center
| {{sortname|Will|McEnaney}} | bgcolor="#FFCC00"|70 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 2.47 | 48 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Pedro|Borbón}} | 67 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 2.95 | 29 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Clay|Carroll}} | 56 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2.62 | 44 |
| align="center"
| {{sortname|Tom|Hall|Tom Hall (baseball)}} | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 |
Postseason
= National League Championship Series =
{{Main|1975 National League Championship Series}}
== Game One ==
October 4, Riverfront Stadium
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=28%|Team !width=6%|1 !width=6%|2 !width=6%|3 !width=6%|4 !width=6%|5 !width=6%|6 !width=6%|7 !width=6%|8 !width=6%|9 !width=6%|R !width=6%|H !width=6%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 2 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 1
|3 | 8 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Cincinnati |0 | 1 | 3
|0 | 4 | 0
|0 | 0 | X
|8 | 11 | 0 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|W: Don Gullett (1–0) L: Jerry Reuss (0–1) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|HRs: CIN – Don Gullett (1) |
== Game Two ==
October 5, Riverfront Stadium
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=28%|Team !width=6%|1 !width=6%|2 !width=6%|3 !width=6%|4 !width=6%|5 !width=6%|6 !width=6%|7 !width=6%|8 !width=6%|9 !width=6%|R !width=6%|H !width=6%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 0
|1 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|1 | 5 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Cincinnati |2 | 0 | 0
|2 | 0 | 1
|1 | 0 | X
|6 | 12 | 1 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: Fred Norman (1–0) L: Jim Rooker (0–1) SV: Rawly Eastwick (1) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|HRs: CIN – Tony Pérez (1) |
== Game Three ==
October 7, Three Rivers Stadium
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | |||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=22%|Team !width=6%|1 !width=6%|2 !width=6%|3 !width=6%|4 !width=6%|5 !width=6%|6 !width=6%|7 !width=6%|8 !width=6%|9 !width=6%|10 !width=6%|R !width=6%|H !width=6%|E | |||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Cincinnati |0 | 1 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 2 | 0 | 2
|5 | 6 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 2
|0 | 0 | 1 | 0
|3 | 7 | 2 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|W: Rawly Eastwick (1–0) L: Ramón Hernández (0–1) SV: Pedro Borbón (1) | |||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|HRs: CIN – Dave Concepción (1), Pete Rose (1); PIT – Al Oliver (1) |
= World Series =
{{Main|1975 World Series}}
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=625 style="margin-left:3em;"
|+NL Cincinnati Reds (4) vs. AL Boston Red Sox (3) | |||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!width=|Game !width=|Score !width=|Date !width=|Location !width=|Attendance !width=|Time of Game | |||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|1 | Reds – 0, Red Sox – 6 | Sat. Oct 11 (D) | Fenway Park | 35,205 | 2:27 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|2 | Reds – 3, Red Sox – 2 | Sun. Oct 12 (D) | Fenway Park | 35,205 | 2:38 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|3 | Red Sox – 5, Reds – 6 (10 inns) | Tue. Oct 14 (N) | Riverfront Stadium | 55,392 | 3:03 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|4 | Red Sox – 5, Reds – 4 | Wed. Oct 15 (N) | Riverfront Stadium | 55,667 | 2:52 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|5 | Red Sox – 2, Reds – 6 | Thu. Oct 16 (N) | Riverfront Stadium | 56,393 | 2:23 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|6 | Reds – 6, Red Sox – 7 (12 inns) | Tue. Oct 21 (N) | Fenway Park | 35,205 | 4:01 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|7 | Reds – 4, Red Sox – 3 | Wed. Oct 22 (N) | Fenway Park | 35,205 | 2:52 |
| style="text-align:center;" |
Awards and honors
- Sparky Anderson, Associated Press NL Manager of the Year
- Johnny Bench, Lou Gehrig Award{{Cite web |title=MLB Lou Gehrig Award Winners |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gehrig.shtml |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}
- Gary Nolan, Hutch Award{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_hut.shtml|title=Hutch Award | Baseball Almanac}}
- Pete Rose, World Series Most Valuable Player
- Joe Morgan, NL MVP
= All-Stars =
- Johnny Bench, catcher, starter
- Dave Concepción, shortstop, starter
- Joe Morgan, second baseman, starter
- Pete Rose, right fielder, starter
- Tony Pérez, reserve
Farm system
{{See also|Minor League Baseball}}
{{MLB Farm System|level16=AAA|team16=Indianapolis Indians|league16=American Association|manager16=Vern Rapp
|level17=AA| team17=Trois-Rivières Aigles|league17=Eastern League|manager17=Jim Snyder and Ron Plaza
|level18=A |team18=Tampa Tarpons|league18=Florida State League|manager18=Russ Nixon
|level19=A-Short Season|team19=Eugene Emeralds|league19=Northwest League|manager19=Greg Riddoch
|level20=Rookie|team20=Billings Mustangs|league20=Pioneer League|manager20=Jim Hoff
}}
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: EugeneJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
Notes
{{Reflist|2}}
References
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1975.shtml 1975 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference]
{{World Series champions}}
{{National League champions}}
{{National League West champions}}
{{1975 MLB season by team}}
{{1975 Cincinnati Reds}}
{{Cincinnati Reds}}
Category:Cincinnati Reds seasons
Category:National League West champion seasons
Category:National League champion seasons