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THE "GOLD DUST TWINS" AND
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
...
1975
WORLD SERIES, GAME #5
Tony Perez blasts 2 HRs to sink the Sox
October 16,
1975 ...
For four games Tony Perez did little more than watch
and play first. He didn't get a hit in his first fourteen times at
bat. The reigning RBI leader on the Reds came up big today, by
crashing a pair of homers, good for four RBIs. His slugging powered
the Reds to a 6 to 2 win over the Sox, leaving them needing only one
win to take the World Series.
Today didn't start any better for Perez when Reggie Cleveland struck
him out in the second inning. Then with one out in the fourth, he
lined a hanging slider over the fence, in left-centerfield to tie up
the game, 1-1. The Sox had scored in the first inning on Denny
Doyle's triple and Carl Yastrzemski's sacrifice fly.
Pete Rose's double with Gullett on board put the Reds in the lead, 2
to 1 in the fifth inning. By the sixth inning, Perez was fully
charged and came up to bat with Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench on base.
Morgan had reached on a walk and Cleveland was so preoccupied with
him stealing second, he threw over to first 16 times. He probably
wore himself out, because Bench lined a single to the right side of
the infield that caught Doyle breaking for second. Morgan kept on
going into third base, challenging Dwight Evans' arm, but Evans
overthrew Rico Petrocelli, and Bench moved up to second.
After a conference on the mound Darrel Johnson decided not to walk
Perez, with first base open, but to pitch to him. Perez answered by
slamming another home run over the left-centerfield wall and putting
the Reds up by four runs, 5 to 1.
Don Gullett was equally impressive, allowing just two hits through
eight innings, and turning the ball over to Rawley Eastwick to
squelch a ninth inning rally by the Red Sox. After Doyle's triple in
the first inning, the Sox didn't get another hit until Evans singled
in the eighth inning.
Then in the ninth, with Gullett tiring, the Sox opened up on him.
With two outs., Yaz singled to right-center, Fisk singled to left and
Fred Lynn lined a double down the right field line, to score Yaz and
put Fisk on third. Sparky Anderson had Rawley Eastwick in the bullpen
and decided that Gullett was trying too hard and his pitches had
flattened out. Eastwick threw three pitches to Petrocelli, struck him
out, and the game belonged to the Reds. |
