Cincinnati Reds - The Disco Years (1970-1979)
 
   
 

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    Yr   P W L     Yr   P W L   Yr   P W L           1970  
    1970   1 102 60     1973   1 99 63   1977   2 88 74           Decade  
    1971   5 79 83     1974   2 98 64   1978   2 92 69           Click  
    1972   1 95 59     1975   1 108 54   1979   1 90 71           on Logo  
                  1976   1 102 60                          
                                                       
                                                             
   
  Titles: Top Reds Players of the Seventies  
  1970 - NL Champs (Lost to Orioles)  
  1972 - NL Champs (Lost to A's) Pitchers:  
  1973 - Western Division Champs (Lost to Mets) Jack Billingham (2.02) -   50  
  1975 - World Champs (Beat Boston) Don Gullett (14.08) -   47  
  1976 - World Champs (Beat the Yankees) Fred Norman (13.21)-   47  
  1979  - Western Division Champs (Lost to Pirates) Gary Nolan (15.24) -   45  
    Tom Seaver (13.56) -   29  
  Ballpark: Pedro Borbon (6.01) -   26  
   Crosley Field (1970) Clay Carroll (8.75) -   26  
  Riverfront Stadium (1970-1979) Ross Grimsley (4.07) -   23  
    Jim McGlothlin (1.64) -   15  
  Team Name: Wayne Simpson (0.99) -   10  
  Reds Rawly Eastwick (5.82) -   10  
       
  Owners:  Catchers:  
  Syndicate led by Francis Dale incl. Louis Nippert & William J Williams Johnny Bench (58) -   129  
        
  General Managers: First Basemen:  
  Bob Howsam (1970-1978) Tony Perez (29.57) -   61  
  Dick Wagner (1978-1979) Dan Driessen (10.38) -   34  
    Lee May (7.21) -   13  
  Managers:    
  Sparky Anderson (1970-1978) Second Basemen:  
  John McNamara (1979) Joe Morgan (57.95) -   102  
       
  Hall of Famers: ShortStop:  
  Tom Seaver Dave Concepcion  (30.06) -   87  
  Johnny Bench Denis Menke (4.08) -   5  
  Tony Perez    
  Joe Morgan Third Base:  
  Pete Rose  (Pending) Pete Rose (47.52) -   75  
       
  Rookie of the Year:  Outfield:  
  Pat Zachry (1976) George Foster (31.77) -   66  
    Cesar Geronimo (12.97) -   50  
  MVP Ken Griffey (18.45) -   39  
  Johnny Bench (1970) Bobby Tolan (8.3) -   33  
  Johnny Bench (1972) Bernie Carbo (5.79) -   19  
  Pete Rose  (1973)     
  Joe Morgan (1975) Notable Events:  
  Joe Morgan (1976)    
  George Foster (1977)  1971 - The Reds drop twenty three games in the standings and go under  
     .500. The hitters all swoon a bit, but it was the pitching that collapsed.  
  No Hitters:  Jim Merritt, Jim McGlothlin, Gary Nolan and Wayne Simpson all go south  
  Tom Seaver (1978)  - Merritt and Simpson in a big way. Nolan didn't pitch that badly, but    
    had nothing to show for his efforts. Simpson was the real loss here.  
  Cy Young:  He was dominant with electric stuff as a rookie, but hurt his arm and was  
  None never a factor again. Merritt had a drinking problem.  
        
  Notable Events: 1972 - In a huge trade, Ciincinnati obtains righthander Jack Billingham, 29,   
     centerfielder Cesar Geronimo, 24,  future Hall of Fame second baseman  
  1970 -The Big Red Machine was born in 1970. Cincinnati was a dynasty during the  Joe Morgan, 28 and third baseman Denis Menke from the Astros in  
  Seventies winning six division titles and two world championships. Their everyday   exchange for Lee May and Tommy Helms. A hugely lopsided deal even  
   lineup, as good as any in baseball history, bludgeoned the opposition. If they had   tho' May and Helms were both quality. Billingham would stabilize the  
   better luck with their pitchers, the Reds would have been even more dominant  rotation and Morgan would blossom into a force of nature on offense.  
   than they were. Morgan had it all - good hitter, great OBP, tremendous speed and   
  The 1970 Reds gained thirteen games in the standings to jump from third to first   excellent power.  
  place in the Division, winning 102 games. The 1970 squad's roster was loaded:    
  (You'll notice of the eighteen high quality players, none is thirty years old or older) 1972 - The machine gets restarted and will run at an extremely high level for  
  □  Johnny Bench, 22, catcher 45-148-.293 plus he revolutionized  the next five seasons with Cincinnati averaging a hundred wins a year in   
    his position defensively the span. The Reds are NL champs but lose to another juggernaut of the  
  □  Lee May, 27, 1B 34-94-.253  era,  the A's, in the World Series  
  □  Tony Perez, 28, 3B 40-129.317    
  □  Bernie Carbo, 22, OF 21-63-.310 1973 - First Baseman Dan Driessen, 21 is a rookie, he was signed as an   
  □  Bob Tolan, 24, CF 16-80-.316   57 SB  undrafted free agent  
  □  Pete Rose, 29, OF 15-52-.316  
  □  Tommy Helms, 29, 2B, slick fielder  1973 - Outfielder Ken Griffey, 23, is a rookie. He was a 39th round pick in  
  □   Dave Concepcion, 22, SS, slick fielder  the '69 draft  
  □   Hal McRae, 24, as a versatile utility reserve    
  □   Gary Nolan, 22, righthander 18-7  1973 - Lefthander Fred Norman, 30, is obtained from the Padres.  
  □   Jim Merritt, 26, lefthander 20-12  He would go on to win eighty five games for Cincinnati.   
  □   Jim McGlothlin, 26, righthander 14-10  
  □   Wayne Simpson, 21, righthander 14-3   1973 - With a surplus of good hitting outfielders and a shortage of starting   
  □   Don Gullett, 19, lefthander 5-2 pitching, the Reds deal utility man Hal McRae, 27, to the Royals for RHP  
  □   Wayne Granger, 26, righthander 35 saves  Roger Nelson, 29. Nelson ends up mediocre for the Reds while  
  □   Clay Carroll, 29, righthander 9-4 16 saves  McRae has a nice career with KC.   
  □   Milt Wilcox, 20, righthander, 3-1    
  □   Pedro Borbon, 23, righthander 1975 - George Foster has a breakout season, hitting 23 home runs. In the  
     ensuing seven years, he will win two home run titles (inlcuding 52 in 1977)   
  1970 - Riverfront Stadium opens in June. It was one of the charmless, publicly and three rbi titles and top twenty homers all seven seasons  
   funded ballparks built in this era. However, it served the Reds well as attendence    
   skyrocketed,  topping one million every year of its existence and two million eight   1975 - The Reds win their first World Series since 1919. Both were   
  years in a row from '73 thru '80 during the Reds dynasty.  memorable. The 1919 Series due to the Black Sox scandal.   
    The 1975 Series due to the excitement with the Red Sox.  
  1970 - The All Star game is played at Riverfront and, with the game tied in the  
   twelfth Pete Rose barrels over Indians catcher Ray Fosse with the winning run, 1977 - Free agent ace lefty Don Gullett leaves for the Yankees  
   in the process breaking Fosse's shoulder (altho' he continued to play)     
   and ruining his career. 1977 - The Reds acquire Hall of Famer Tom Seaver from the Mets  
       
  1971 - 21 year old lefty Ross Grimsley is a rookie. He was a 1st round pick in '69 1977 - Mario Soto, 20, righty is a rookie. He was signed in 1973 as an IFA.  
       
   1971 - Outfielder George Foster, 22, is obtained from the Giants in an incredibly  1977 - The Big Red Machine steps down a gear. Cincinnati loses fourteen  
    lopsided trade for reserve shortstop Frank Duffy.  In the Giants defense,   games in the standings and drops to second place.  
  they had quality outfielders coming out of their ears.  They're still a very good team, but no longer a great team.  
   However, Foster proved to be the best of the lot.  Once again, it is the pitching that collapses.  
       
    1979 - Cincinnati wins the Division after two seasons of finishing second.   
    Their record is about the same all three years.