4/5/73: Near perfection for Gullett, Reds blank Giants in opener, 8-0

Don Gullett retired the first 19 Giants, ended up settling for a 3-hitter as the Reds blanked the Giants in the traditional opener by a score of 8-0 in front of a festive Riverfront Stadium crowd.

The Reds struck 1st on Bobby Tolan's solo homer in the bottom of the 3rd off Giant starter Juan Marichal. Tolan ended up going 4-5 including a 2-run single in the bottom of the 7th to extend the Reds lead to 3-0. The Reds broke it wide open off Marichal and relievers Ron Bryant and Jim Barr in a 9-batter 8th inning, scoring 5 times including back-to-back 2-run hits by Pete Rose and Joe Morgan, Rose's hit being a double. 

But the story was Don Gullett, who retired the 1st 19 Giants before Tito Fuentes broke it up with a sharp single to center in the 7th. With the score 3-0, the Giants had their best chance in the 8th when Al Gallagher and Gary Matthews got back-to-back singles with 1 out. Then Dave Rader bounced into a 6-4-3 DP, ending the rally and the game one half-inning later with the Reds 5-run rally. Gullett scattered 3 hits, striking out 4, walking 1 in the complete game gem.

CIN 8-12-0 SFG 0-3-1 WP-Gullett (1-0) LP-Marichal (0-1) HR-Tolan (1) CIN 1-0 SFG 0-1

  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4/6/73: Ryan uneven as Royals spoil Presidential opener, 4-1

President Nixon "helped" a recently returned POW throw out the ceremonial 1st pitch of Opening Night at the Big "A," but The Ryan Express came out a bit uneven as the Royals put a little tarnish on the Halos, 4-1. Ryan pitched 8 innings, striking out 8, but missed the zone quite a few times for the uneven 8 K/7 BB line, with the brunt of the damage in the 4th, as the Royals scored 3 times with Freddie Patek chasing home 2 on a bases-loaded single and Cookie Rojas bringing in one more to give the Royals a manageable 4-0 cushion after 3-1/2. Beautiful Downtown Burbank native Steve Busby made sure the Angels wouldn't be "Laughing-in" as he throttled the Halos for 8 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts before giving way to Bruce Dal Canton in the 9th, who allowed the lone Halo run on a 2-out single by Vada Pinson before getting would-be tying run Frank Robinson to bounce to Paul Schaal at 3rd to end the game.  KCR 4-9-1 CAL 1-11-0 WP-Busby (1-0) LP-Ryan (0-...
Read more

4/6/73: Red Sox hang on to beat Yankees in the inaugural DH game, 4-2

The Crimson Hose jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but hung on to beat their hated rivals from the Bronx by a final of 4-2 in the game which inaugurated the DH at Fenway Park . After the Yanks went scoreless in their half of the 1st, Tommy Harper led off the Sawx half with a walk, then stole second. Luis Aparicio brought him home with an RBI single, then was forced on a Carl Yastrzemski grounder to short.  Reggie Smith singled to left, moving Yaz to 3rd, then DH Orlando Cepeda walked to load the bases. Rico Petrocelli then lined to short, followed by a 2-out bases loaded single by Carlton Fisk bringing home Yaz and Smith. The Sawx continued to make things worse for Yankee starter Mel Stottlemyre in the 2nd when Tommy Harper drew another walk, stole 2nd and scored on a 2-out single by Yaz. Reggie Smith singled to left, but could only watch as Yankee LF Roy White uncorked a perfect throw to 3rd to cut down Captain Carl, ending the inning. Luis Tiant was cruising along in the top...
Read more

4/6/73: Aaron hits 674, but Astros shut down the rest of the Braves, 3-1

On his first at-bat of 1973, Henry Aaron started the final pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run  record by hitting a Dave Roberts pitch just barely over the left field wall for # 674. That, however, was the last anyone seen of the Braves at Atlanta Stadium on opening night.  Roberts would limit the Braves to just 4 hits, none however after the 4th inning as Cesar Cedeno and Doug Rader countered Aaron's blow with solo shots of their own in a 3-1 win over the otherwise punchless Braves. Before Aaron's homer in the bottom of the 1st, Cesar Cedeno destroyed a Gary Gentry pitch. smashing it over the left field fence. Rader's solo shot came in the top of the 8th, all but finishing off Gentry, who aside from those two solo blasts, pitched a respectable game in his Braves debut.  But Roberts was just plain solid, allowing just 4 hits, striking out 6 and after back-to-back singles by Dusty Baker and Darrell Evans in the 4th, held the Braves hitless with a walk over the last 5-...
Read more