Game 7

October 22, 1975

Fenway Park

Attendance: 35,205

Game Time Temp: 70-degrees

Starting Pitcher (Boston): Bill Lee

Starting Pitcher (Cincinnati): Don Gullett

The announcers keep talking about how “great” Carlton Fisk’s homerun was in Game 6, and how it will go down as one of the best moments in World Series history.  Blah-blah-blah.  Am I the only one that remembers the 1990 World Series when Glenn Braggs swung and missed at a ball and the bat broke in half when it hit his back?  Glenn Braggs is strong.  Much stronger that Carlton Fisk.

Don Gullett is a little shaky in the 1st and 2nd innings, but manages to get out of any trouble.  Carl Yastrzemski has an RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd, Gullett loads the bases and proceeds to walk in two more runs.

Somewhere, a young Gary Majewski is screaming at the TV, “See!  It’s not just me!”

The Red Sox have an early 3-0 lead.

Announcers at Fenway Park can look at any of the two television sets (one for each camera NBC has at the game) in the booth to get a closer look at the action on the field:

We move to the top of the 6th – with a runner on, Bill Lee throws his ridiculous 40 MPH “space ball” pitch (think: Majewski fastball), but Tony Perez isn’t going to be fooled by that junk and he hits the ball so far over the Green Monster the cameraman can’t even find it.

3-2 Boston.

Pete Rose singles home Ken Griffey in the 7th to tie the game.

Top of the 9th – Griffey leads off the inning with a walk, and eventually ends up on third base thanks to some charitable work by his kind teammates.  Joe Morgan is at the plate.  He’s had a rough World Series, going 6-26 so far.  Foreshadowing?

Griffey at third, Rose at first, two out.  Morgan and his twitchy elbow knocks a base hit into shallow centerfield.  Griffey scores, the Reds take a 4-3 lead!  The last time I heard Fenway Park this quiet was when Fred Lynn was seeing purple elephants while laying at the bottom of the Green Monster in Game 6.

The lethal trio of Juan Beniquez, Denny Doyle and Carl Yastrzemski are the Red Sox (Sox’s?) last hope in the bottom of the 9th.  Will McEnaney on the mound to close things out.  McEnaney is a licensed pilot and a model train enthusiast.

Beniquez flies out to Griffey in right.  One out.

Doyle grounds to Concepcion, who throws to Perez.  Two out.

It all comes down to Yastrzemski.  The Boston faithful greet him with a round of applause.  Yastrezemski repays the favor by hitting a high fly ball… should be all over… Cesar GERONIMO! is under it in centerfield…

…and this one belongs to the Reds!

Pete Rose is the MVP of the 1975 World Series.  This guy has a real career ahead him.  I think he’s got a chance at getting 3,000 hits.  Hell, I’ll go out on a limb and say he has a chance of getting 4,000 hits.

You heard it here first.

Clay Carroll:

“This is for all the Cincinnat-uh people, they’ve been behind us all year, and we finally gave it to them. We’re #1!  I want some champagne!

For winning the World Series each player on the Cincinnati Reds received a check for $19,060.  Is it too early to start the, “baseball players are overpaid” discussion?

An ecstatic Pete Rose had this to say after the game:

“We did it!  We won the World Series!  The only thing that will top this feeling is when I get my 3,000th hit. Or when I’m elected to the Hall of Fame.  Man, that’s going to be a sweet day!  There is an old saying that money can’t buy happiness. If it could, I would buy myself four hits every game.“

Reds win the World Series 4-3