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