The Cutting Edge » Blog Archive » Red Sox Edge Reds In Twelve Inning Thriller to Force Game Seven

« Reds Take 3-2 Lead, Series Heading Back to Fenway Park | Reds Win 1975 World Series »

Red Sox Edge Reds In Twelve Inning Thriller to Force Game Seven

October 21st, 2005 | Brian

1975 World Series Game Six

October 21, 1975 Red Sox 7, Reds 6 (12 innings) Best of Seven Series Tied 3-3

After three days of rainouts, the Reds and Red Sox finally squared off in what has become one of the most exciting World Series games of all time. Luis Tiant, the winner in both of the Red Sox two wins in the series, started off against Gary Nolan.

Playing for their World Series lives, the Red Sox jumped out in front in the first inning. With two outs, Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk put up back to back singles, and then the rookie centerfielder, Fred Lynn, hit a huge three run homerun to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. By the end of the second inning, Nolan was pulled in place of Fred Norman.

Through the first four innings of play, Luis Tiant held the Reds to only two singles, but the Reds finally figured out the right hander in the fifth inning. With one out, Eddie Armbrister pinch hit for the third pitcher of the game, Jack Billingham. He drew a walk and then moved to third on a Pete Rose single. Ken Griffey then tripled to drive them both home and subsequently scored on a two out Johnny Bench single to tie the game at 3-3.

With Tiant still in the game, the Reds took their first lead of the game in the seventh. Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan led off the inning with back to back singles. Johnny Bench flew out to left and then Tony Perez flew out to right to make it two outs. Then George Foster came up huge with a bases clearing double to give the Reds a 5-3 lead.

The Reds added what appeared to be an insurance run in the top of the eighth on a Cesar Geronimo solo homerun. When the Red Sox came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning, they were down by three runs and Sparky still had his two best relievers in reserve.

In the bottom of the eighth and with Pedro Borbon on the mound, Fred Lynn led off the inning with a single, then Rico Petrocelli drew a walk. Sparky replaced Borbon with Rawly Eastwick, who proceeded to strike out Dwight Evans and then get Rick Burleson to line out to leftfield. With two outs and two men on, Darrell Johnson put former Red and left hander Bernie Carbo in to pinch hit against the right handed Rawly Eastwick.

For thos of you unfamiliar with Sparky Anderson, he did everything by the book. In this situation, he would have immediately went with the left handed Will McEnaney to face Carbo, but Sparky thought that Carbo was the bait for such a move and in the event he put in McEnaney, Johnson would then hit his right hander, Juan Beniquez, to trump Sparky. In the end, Sparky left Eastwick in there rather then getting burned by another move by Johnson.

Looking back, it was a bad move. Bernie Carbo hit a huge three run homerun to tie the game. Eastwick then got Cecil Cooper to strike out, but by then the damage was done.

The Reds went down one-two-three in the top of the ninth, and then the Red Sox looked like they wanted to end this one without going into extra frames. Denny Doyle walked and then Yastrzemski singled to put runners at first and third with nobody out. Sparky pulled Eastwick and put in McEnaney, who then intentionally walked Carlton Fisk. With the bases loaded and nobody out, the Reds needed a huge break to win a game that appeared all but locked up after they hit in the eighth inning.

The Reds got their break. Fred Lynn hit a fly ball to George Foster, who then gunned down Denny Doyle at the plate. The Reds got two outs in a matter of seconds and then McEnaney got Rico Pettrocelli to ground out to end the inning.

Both teams went down quietly in the tenth, and in the eleventh, the Reds finally appeared to be ready to breakthrough. With Dick Drago on the mound, Pete Rose led of the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Griffey failed to move him over with a bunt and Rose was out on a fielders choice. Then Joe Morgan hit a deep fly ball to center that should have been a homerun, but Fred Lynn made a leaping grab at the wall. He threw it in to first base to double up Griffey, and the inning was over.

The Red Sox went down quietly in the bottom of the eleventh, and the Reds did the same in the top of the twelth. In the bottom of the twelth, with Pat Darcy on the mound, Carlton Fisk hit a lead off, walk off solo homerun down the left field line to end the game. The vision of Carlton Fisk trying to physically sway the ball while it’s in the air is priceless.

A four game and the two teams would square off in an all deciding game seven tomorrow.