Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - A Classic Fall Classic: 1976

Episode Date: December 31, 2020

The New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds are the two participants in the 1976 World Series. While this was a four-game sweep at the hands of one team that was a well-oiled machine, there was some history in Game One. This was the first ever World Series to use the designated hitter rule. And the first DH to score a World Series hit has a very deep connection with the Seattle Mariners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Here's your host, D.C. Lundberg. Thank you, J.M. I am indeed D.C. Lunberg, and this is indeed Locked-on Mariner's, part of the Locked-on podcast network brought to you by Built Bar. Please remember to download, rate, and subscribe to this program using whichever podcasting app that you personally care to use. Ask your smart device to play Locked-on Mariner's podcast or any program here on the Locked On Podcast Network.

Follow us on Twitter at L.O. underscore Mariners and follow me on Twitter at D.C. underscore Lundberg, L-U-N-D-B-E-R-G, if you're scoring at home. Back to baseball history today, gang. Today we're going to recall the 1976 World Series. This was the second straightfall classic to feature the Cincinnati Reds who were defending their championship.

Their Big Red Machine dominated the National League. League in 1976, and for much of the first half of the decade, from 1970 through 76, they had won 95 or more games every year, except 1971, where they actually finished below 500. In 76, they won 102 ball games on the strength of a great offense, which led the National League in every single important offensive category. They hit 280 as a team, slugged 357, scored 8,000. 157 runs hit 141 home runs, which seems unspectacular, but that did lead the National League. Their 271 doubles also led the league, and they stole 210 bases.

Their lineup featured three future Hall of Famers, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, and Joe Morgan. They also had Pete Rose, who would be in the Hall of Fame if it weren't for his banishment from baseball in 1989. All eight of their starting position players were far above, average at their respective positions. Their pitching staff was less spectacular, but did accumulate the fifth best earned run average in the NL at 351. Gary Nolan led the team with 15 wins, while Pat Zachary turned in a 274 ERA to lead the starting rotation. If the team had a weak point, it was their bullpen, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the Mariners relief pitching was was in the 1990s.

Raleigh Eastwick was the team's closer, saving 26 games and posting a 209 earned run average. Pedro Bourbon also contributed in short relief, as did 20-year-old rookie Mani Sarmiento, who came up at the end of July and appeared in 22 games. Facing the Big Red Machine and the 76 Fall Classic were the New York Yankees, who had spent much of the mid-to-late 60s and early 70s

mired in mediocrity. They won 97 ball games this year, propelled by the best pitching staff in the American League. Ed Figueroa won 19 ball games, Catfish Hunter and Doc Ellis both won 17, and Sparky Lyle saved 23. Their 319 earned run average was tops in the junior circuit. Offensively, they were solid.

Their 269 batting average was second in the American League, and they were also second in on-base percentage, slugging, home runs, and runs scored. leadoff hitter Mickey Rivers led the team with a 312 average, though his 13 walks were remarkably low for a leadoff man. The team home run leader was smooth fielding third baseman Greg Nettles, who jacked 32 long balls. In fact, he was the only player on the team to hit more than 20. Catcher Thurman Munson, a fan favorite and the Yankees Field General, was the team's RBI leader, driving in 105 runs. Tommy Lassorta once called him, probably the best.

best clutch hitter in baseball. The Yankees had gone through a very tough American League Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals, which went down to the wire. Chris Chambliss ended the series with a home run leading off the bottom of the ninth inning of the fifth and decisive game. Meanwhile, the Reds swept aside the Philadelphia Phillies three games to Zilch in the NLCS. They'd also win in the bottom of the ninth of the final game of that series with Ken Griffey driving in the winning run. The stage was set for the 1976 Fall Classic, which began in Riverfront Park in Cincinnati on October 16th.

This was the first World Series game to use the designated hitter. Originally, the rule was that the DH would either be in place for an entire series or not be used at all, and the DH would be in effect in alternate series. So the DH was in play for this World Series, but not the next one would reappear in 1978 and so forth. This alternating year system ended after in 1985, and the 1986 series was the first to use the rule as we know it today. D.H. in American League parks? No D.H. in National League parks.

Back to 1976. The two history-making designated haters in game one were Dan Dries and for Cincinnati, and for New York, it was none other than Lou Pinella. Don Gullet was the starting pitcher for the Reds, and he set the Yankees down in short order in the first. Doyle Alexander drew the starting assignment for New York. Eleven years later, the Atlanta Braves would trade Alexander to the Detroit Tigers, who were in need of a veteran starting pitcher for their pennant race that year. In return, the Tigers set a minor league pitcher to the Braves. That pitcher turned out to be a future Hall of Famer, John Smolts.

After retiring the first two hitters in the bottom of the first, Alexander would give up a solo home run to Red's second baseman Joe Morgan for the first run of the ball game. Tony Perez singled, and that brought up Dreson, the first designated hitter in World Series history to step to the plate. However, Perez was caught stealing second base to end the inning, erasing Drescent's plate appearance. Leading off the top of the second was the Yankees designated hitter, Lou Penella. He'd smoke a double to the opposite field, recording the first. first base hit by ADH in World Series history. After advancing to third on a Chris Chambler's groundout, he'd score on a Greg Nettles sack fly tying the ball game at one all.

With one out in the bottom of the third, Dave Concepcion tripled to the left center field gap. In the succeeding at bat, Pete Rose would plate him on a sacrifice fly to give Cincinnati a two-one advantage. They'd extend that lead to three to one in the sixth. With a second, Doyle Alexander still on the mound, Rose let off with a walk. Ken Griffey then hit into a force out to erase him and Joe Morgan struck out. However, Griffey stole second base on the pitch that struck Morgan out. Without having seen that play, I'm guessing it may have been a failed hit and run. In any case, with Griffey on second, Tony Perez knocked him in with an RBI single, giving the Reds a two-run lead at three to one. Bottom seven. George Foster,

leads off with a single. Johnny Bench then triples to score him, and Doyle Alexander was pulled. Sparky Lyle came in to try to stop the bleeding against Sazar Geronimo. His second pitch was wild, allowing Bench to score, putting his team farther behind now at 5 to 1. Geronimo doubled, so the wild pitch proved academic. Lyle then retired the next three batters to prevent any more damage, but the Yanks were down 5 to 1 after seven innings. And that is how it would end. Reds take game one. Don Gullet pitches seven and the third effective innings, and Pedro Bourbon finished things up in the final one and two thirds. The Reds would jump out to an early lead in game two against former Oakland Athletic Star Catfish Hunter.

Dan Dresen led off the bottom of the second by taking the first pitch he saw to deep center field, but within the yard, and he'd wind up at second base with a double. The next batter was George Foster, who would plate him with an RBI single. Foster would try to steal second base, but he would be caught by catcher Thurman Munson. Johnny Bench doubled, and Cesar Geronimo walked, bringing up Dave Concepcion. He smacked a single to right center field to score bench, sending Geronimo to third. Concepcion would also attempt to steal of second, but he would be successful. Pete Rose then walked to load the bases for Ken Griffey.

He hit a fly ball to medium short center field, which was caught for an out, but Geron Bronimo tagged up and scored, giving Griffey an RBI and sacrifice fly. Three-nothing Reds now with two on and two out for future Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. Morgan would hit a foul pop-up to the catcher to end the inning, but the Reds do score three early runs against one of the better pitchers in the league. The Reds would also load the bases on two singles and a walk in the third, but they'd failed to score. The next frame was led off by Yankee catcher Thurman Munson,

who would reach base on a groundball single on the third base line. Lou Pinella flew out, and Chris Chambliss hit a single of his own to bring up Greg Nettles. He would also single, scoring Munson and moving Nettles all the way to third.

That would be all reds starter Fred Norman would allow that inning, though, and he and Catfish Hunter would both settle down and put up zeros the next few innings. Willie Randolph opened up the top of the seventh with a single. Fred Stanley was the next man up,

and he'd lace a double, down the left field line to score Randolph and bring the Yankees back to within one run. Following a Mickey Rivers flyout, Roy White would hit a single, sending Stanley to third, and forcing Fred Norman from the ballgame. Jack Billingham came in from the Reds bullpen to relieve him. Thurman Munson grounded the first pitch he saw from Billingham to the second baseman Morgan, who tossed a shortstop conception for the force play, but Stanley came into score to tie the ball game. Lou Pinella then grounded out on the first pitch he saw.

Two pitches from Billingham, both groundouts, but the tying run did score. Catfish Hunter was still pitching for New York at this point, and neither team would score going into the ninth inning with the score still tied all at three. Jack Billingham would retire the Yankees in short order in the top of the inning, and Hunter went back to work in the bottom of the frame to try to force extra innings. He'd get the first two men, both on flyouts to left feet. field. He then quickly got ahead in the count against Ken Griffey. Griffey would hit a chopper to shortstop Fred Stanley. Stanley got to the ball, double-clutched,

then threw the ball wide up the line, getting by first baseman Chris Chambleau. Griffy reached second on Stanley's error. With Griffey's speed, it would have been a close play, had the throw been on the mark, but it should have ended the ninth inning, sending the game to extra innings. Instead, Joe Morgan came up with Griffey on second base and two outs. Catfish Hunter intentionally walked the MVP's second baseman to get to another future Hall of Famer, Tony Perez. The first pitch was out over the plate, which Perez smacked to left field for a single. Griffey motored around the bases, easily beating the throw home, scoring an unearned run to win the ball game two to one. Catfish Hunter did toss a complete game, and aside from a

of rocky innings. He did very well. That ninth inning, I would not consider a rocky inning. His defense let him down big time, putting the winning run aboard, then one bad pitch to Tony Perez cost him. Cincinnati was up two games to zero going to Yankee Stadium for game three, which we will recap shortly. First, this from betonline.org. Are you ready for some football. College football heads into bowl season, and there are some big matchups this weekend. The NFL regular season is finishing up with the playoff picture becoming clearer. There is one place that has you covered and one place we trust, and that's betonline.ag. Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use promo code locked on for your 50% welcome

bonus. Don't sit on the sidelines anymore. Get in on the action. Don't forget to use promo code locked on to receive a 50% welcome bonus with your first deposit. Bet Online, your online sports book experts. Visit our good friends and exclusive partner at BetOnline underscore AG on social media to take advantage of the best bonuses in the business. Sign up for a free account and use promo code locked on for your sign up bonus. Hashtag bet online. If you got a question or comment, please do send it to Lockdown Mariners at Gmail.com.

I'll reply to it on the air in an upcoming mailbag episode. Questions and comments on any subject are welcome and encouraged. Locked on Mariners at gmail.com is that addressed once again? Remember that this is a family show, so please keep those questions and comments family appropriate. Locked on Mariners will return after this word from Built Bar. Ladies and gentlemen, what springs to mind when I say delicious protein bar covered in 100% real chocolate that's low in calories, sugar, and carbohydrates. If you said peanut butter, you weren't paying very much attention.

For I was talking about Bilt Bar, the great protein bars that taste as close to a candy bar as a protein bar can get. Yes, they're low in sugar calories and carbohydrates. Yes, they are high in protein, and yes, they taste terrific. They come in 18 great flavors. My personal favorites are the peanut butter brownie, mint brownie, German chocolate cake is great. The chocolate coconut is also very good.

All the flavors are great, including the limited edition flavors that they have from time to time. All of them can be found at BuiltBar.com, and you can even compile a box of bars of the flavors you'd most like to try. In addition, don't forget about Built Boost drink powder, which, when mixed with plain iced tea, renders a great flavored ice tea. And also, BiltGo energy shots. Again, builtbar.com. And if you use promo code locked on, you get 20% off of your next. order. Builtbar.com promo code locked on for 20% off of your order. Built bar, eat fresh. Welcome to the second half of Locked on Mariners. Here once again is your host, D.C. Lundberg.

Thank you ever so much, Joey Martin. We will continue talking about the 1976 World Series in just a second. But first, ladies and gentlemen, you know, the holidays are about giving. So I'm giving you a hot tip that could earn you some extra cash. The new Lockdown Betts podcast, hosted by Lee Sterling of Paramountsports.com. Lee is red-hot to start the season, even though it doesn't start until April, but he's red-hot to start the season nonetheless, and he shares a lock of the day on every episode.

Subscribe to Locked-on Betts today, wherever you get your podcast. Back to the 1976 World Series. When we left off, Cincinnati had a two games to none lead over the New York Yankees. Moving to Yankee Stadium for Game 3, Doc Ellis would tow the rubber for the Bronx bombers, while Pat Zachary would draw the starting assignment for the Big Red Machine.

Neither a pitcher allowed a run in their respective halves of the first inning. But Ellis struggled through a rough top of the second. Dan Dresen singled up the middle to lead off, then stole second base. He'd immediately score on a George Foster ground rule double. Johnny Bench singled, sending Foster to third. Then Foster would score on a Cesar Geronimo ground out. Bench was forced out at second, Geronimo's now on first. But he would not remain there long as he stole second base,

the Red's second stolen base of the inning. Dave Concepcion singled to drive him in and bring the score to three-nothing. Pete Rose would ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning, but the Reds had an early lead. And Pat Zachary did his job in the bottom half of the frame, allowing a one-out walk, but nothing more. Doc Ellis turned in a one-two-three inning in the top. of the third, while Zachary kept the yanks off the scoreboard in the bottom half.

Leading off the top of the fourth was Dan Dreson. He drove a 1-0 pitch over the right center field wall for a solo home run, extending the Reds lead to 4-0. Following a George Foster ground out, Johnny Bench Singled and Ellis was done. He was replaced by Grant Jackson, who promptly picked Bench off first base, then retired Cesar Geronimo on a flyout. New York got one back in the bottom of the first. fourth off Zachary. Chris Chambliss led off with the single. A strikeout and a walk later, he'd be

driven home on a single from the generously quaffed Oscar Gamble. That would be the end of the scoring until the bottom of the seventh inning. After Willie Randolph struck out to open the frame with Pat Zachary still on the mound, Jim Mason smacked a home run to shorten the Reds lead to 4 to 2. This was Mason's first at bat of the game. Starting shortstop Fred Stanley had been pinch hit for by Elrod Hendricks, and Mason went into play short. Hendricks was not an infielder. This wound up being Jim Mason's only ever postseason at bat. What a way to capitalize on it.

Anyways, a walk, a force out, and a single later, Pat Zachary was removed in favor of Will McAnney, who induced Chris Chalmers to ground out to end the inning. Grant Jackson went back to work on the top of the eighth, but struggled. Pete Rose let off with a single. Ken Griffey would then sing. sending Rose to third. Joe Morgan laced a double down the right field line to score rows and send Griffey to third. Jackson was given the hook, and in from the bullpen came Dick Tidro. The first batter he'd face was Tony Perez, who grounded out to shortstop Jim Mason, who was playing

shallow. Griffey was coming home from third on a contact play. Mason threw home catching Griffey in a rundown. Griffey would be tagged out on what was scored a fielder's choice. The play went 6-252. Morgan wound up at third while Perez took second. Dan Dresen was then intentionally walked to load the bases for the dangerous George Foster, the National League's RBI King. He lined to single the left field scoring Morgan. Bases remained loaded for Johnny Bench, but he grounded into an inning-ending double play.

However, the Reds got two more runs to go up six to two. Will McInany would keep the Bronx Bombers off the scoreboard the rest of the way despite allowing two singles in the ninth inning, and game three went to Cincinnati, final score 6 to 2. With a four-game sweep on their minds, Cincinnati sent Gary Nolan to the Hill to start game four. Ed Figueroa opposed him. Pete Rose would lead off against him with a ground rule double,

but he'd be erased on a double play off the bat of Ken Griffey. Joe Morgan ground it up, so Figueroa does record a one, two, three first inning. Gary Nolan retired the first two hitters at his head. half of the first, but then allowed a single to Thurman Munson. Chris Chambliss would follow and drive in Munson with a double. The Yankees were out to a quick one-to-nothing lead, which would hold until the fourth, even though both pitchers had shaky third innings. Joe Morgan walked to lead off the top of the fourth, then stole second base one batter later. With two outs, George Foster drove in Morgan on a single to tie the ball game. Next batter was Johnny Bench, who sent a one-one pitch sailing out to left field,

for a two-run home run and a three-to-one Reds lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Greg Nettles led off with a single. Oscar Gambled followed, and he reached on an error by five-time Gold Glove Award winner Dave Concepcion. Next batter was Willie Randolph. After taking a ball and a strike, manager Billy Martin put on the sacrifice play. However, Randolph, ordinarily an excellent bunter, missed. Nettles had started for third, but retreated. when Randolph missed the bunt.

Catcher Thurman Munson threw on to second base to get Nettles. Nettles broke back for third base and then was thrown out. The play went 2, 6, 5, and was scored a pickoff. Randolph wound up striking out looking after blowing the sacrifice, then Fred Stanley lined out to end what could have been a good inning for the Yankees. Usually when a promising inning goes for not, your pitcher kind of suffers through a rough inning of his own, but that was not the case here, as Ed's.

Figueroa sent the big red machine down in short order in the top of the fifth. Bottom of the fifth, Mickey Rivers leads off with a single. Following a Roy White flyout, Rivers steals second base. Thurman Munson drives him in on a single, cutting the Reds lead down to a single run. Three to two was a score at this point. Gary Nolan retired the next two men to limit the damage to that lone run. Both pitchers would trade zeros in the sixth, and Figueroa would allow a lead off single in the seventh, but nothing more.

Gary Nolan got the first two men he'd face and his half of the seventh to fly out, but then he'd allow a single to Thurman Munson. The game was still close, and Sparky Anderson did not want to take any chances. So he removed Nolan from the ball game and brought in Will McInney to shut

things down, and he would do just that, getting Chris Chambliss to ground out to end the seventh with the Reds still up three to two. Figueroa breased through another one, two, three inning in the top of the eighth, and while McInney issued a one-out walk in the bottom half of the inning, he did keep New York off the scoreboard once again. Figuero went back to work in the top of the ninth.

He walked Tony Perez to lead off. A wild pitch sent him the second, but it proved ancillary, as Dan Dresen also walked. Billy Martin had seen enough and went out to the mound with the hook. In from the pen came Dick Tidro. The first man he faced was George Foster who flew out. Perez did take third on this play. Next batter was Johnny Bench, who would put the icing on the cake for the Reds. His three-run home run brought the score to five to two,

and the four-game sweep seemed in the bag at this point. Two consecutive ground rule doubles would follow, the first by Cesar Geronimo, and the next by Dave Concepcion, which scored Geronimo, and Cincinnati now had a six-to-two lead. Billy Martin went out to the mound to limit the damage and brought in Sparky Lyle from the bullpen. He got the next two men to ground out,

but some major damage had been done, and New York now had to score four runs in the bottom of the ninth, just to force extra innings. Five runs would force a game five and ruined Cincinnati's dreams of a sweep. Will McInachanini went back to work. The Yankees sent up pinch-hitter Otto Veles to try to get something started,

but he would strike out swinging. Mickey Revers then lined out, and the Reds were one out away from a World Series sweep. The Yanke's final hope, Roy White. He flew out to the left field or ending the ball game and ending the series. The Reds had won six to two and all four games of this 1976 World Series. The MVP of the series was Johnny Bench, maybe the greatest catcher in baseball history. The Yankees, however, would appear in the next two World Series, winning both of them,

and would also return to the Fall Classic in 1981, losing to the Dodgers. The Reds, on the other hand, were hit hard by the recent advent of free agency and lost many of their key players. Pete Rose would wind up in Philadelphia, where he'd help them win the 1980 World Series. Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey, Don Gullet, Raleigh Eastwick, and several others also left the team in the succeeding seasons, and the team would lose 100 ball games in 1982, the Big Red Machine having been successful. severely decimated. That'll do it for this one. Please remember to download rate and subscribe to this show on whichever podcasting app you can think of.

Follow us on Twitter at L.O. underscore Mariners and follow me on Twitter at D.C. underscore Lumber. Thank you for listening. Ladies and gentlemen, have a great day. This is Joey Martin speaking for Locked-on Mariner's, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network.