Page 304 - 1975 BoSox

’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL 297 prime entertainment, was placing a distant second even a few innings — you were missing some-
this month. If you missed the 1975 World Series — thing special.
Game Three:
October 14, 1975, at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
Reds 6, Red Sox 5
Game ree of the 1975 World Series featured six home runs and plenty of late-inning heroics, but the outcome turned on a bunt by an out elder with a .185 average. With ve future Hall of Famers on the eld ( Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Carl Yastrzemski) plus the all-time hit king (Pete Rose), Game ree is most remembered because of Ed Armbrister, a player with fewer plate appearanc- es — and a lower average — than three Reds pitchers during the 1975 season. But that’s getting ahead of a good story, and an exceptional game.
With the World Series moving to Cincinnati after the rst two games in Boston were split, the Red Sox took the early lead when Carlton Fisk homered to open the second inning against Gary Nolan. Boston starter Rick Wise kept the Reds hitless until the fourth. He issued a two-out walk to Tony Perez, who surprised everybody by stealing second base — Perez had stolen just one base all year. Johnny Bench then launched a home run to left to put the Reds in front.
Wise allowed home runs to the rst two batters of the fth inning — Dave Concepcion and Cesar Geronimo — and after the pitcher struck out, Pete Rose knocked Wise out of the game with a triple. Jim Burton came in and walked Ken Gri ey before Joe MorganscoredRoseonasacri ce y.Witha5-1lead, it looked as though the Reds were nally on track and would sail through the game.
Rookie Pat Darcy replaced Nolan when the starter was yanked by Sparky Anderson despite allowing just one run on three hits and a walk in four innings. Nolan turned out to be Cincinnati’s most e ective pitcher of the evening. Given a four-run cushion, Darcy
walked two batters and then wild-pitched them up a base before Fred Lynn’s sacri ce y cut the lead to three runs. Clay Carroll allowed a pinch-hit, opposite- eld home run in the seventh inning to Boston’s Bernie Carbo and the score was 5-3.
Will McEnaney got the last out in the seventh and retired the Red Sox in order in the eighth. He fanned Fred Lynn to open the ninth, but Rico Petrocelli singled to center to bring up the tying run. Anderson came out of the dugout yet again, summoning Rawly Eastwick to face Dwight Evans. Known more for his tremendous out eld arm than for his bat, Evans, just 23, showed he not only had power, but a air for the dramatic. He launched a game-tying home run to left eld that stunned the Cincinnati crowd.
e Red Sox, down for most of the game, not only had momentum but precedent on their side. Boston had never before scored at least ve runs and lost a World Series game, but there’s a rst time for every- thing.11 After Boston’s furious comeback to tie the game, Jim Willoughby set down the Reds in order in the bottom of the ninth. Denny Doyle led o the 10th with a single for the Red Sox, but nothing came of it when Carlton Fisk bounced into an inning-ending double play. Cesar Geronimo led o the bottom of the 10th with a single o Willoughby, putting the winning run on rst with nobody out. And then up stepped Ed Armbrister.
As he came o the bench to bat for Eastwick, the 27-year-old out elder from the Bahamas had just two successful sacri ces to his credit in a three-year major- league career. Armbrister squared to bunt and his attempt bounced o home plate. Fisk sprang out of