The WHAT IF World Series (1975) - Red Sox vs Reds (A Few Tweaks)

Starting a "WHAT IF" World Series with my custom-made 1975 Boston Red Sox & a healthy Jim Rice for the series -- plus the DH rule is in effect (which back in 1975, despite the fact that the American League had DH's -- both teams had pitchers bat in the Fall Classic).

GAME 1 (at Fenway Park)

Don Gullet (CIN) and Luis Tiant (BOS) on the mound & the game started the same way as the actual Game 1, with 6 scoreless innings. Heading into the 7th, Tiant only allowed one hit, while Gullet only allowed two hits.

Bench Mark: Bench points the way for his teammates.

This time, the scoring was reversed with Cincinnati having a big 7th Inning with 4 runs (in real-life, Boston scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 7th). Johnny Bench kicked things off with a solo home run to right, followed by a Tony Perez double... George Foster would smack in Perez, as Cincinnati takes a 2-0 lead. Dan Driessen would hit a single to right-center, then steal second, Dave Conception would reach first on a Rick Burleson error, bases loaded. Boston would go to the pen & call on Jim Burton to face only the next batter Griffey.

Boston would finally record two outs, on back-to-back plays with Ken Griffey flying out to left, and (with Roger Moret now on the mound) Cesar Geronimo striking out. The Reds were not done though, as Pete Rose would score in two runners on a single... Joe Morgan would follow by drawing bases on balls... all coming back to the man who led of the inning, in Mr. Bench -- with bases loaded & a chance to really break this game open -- against Boston's third reliever of the inning in Jim Willoughby... Bench would strike out.

The damage was done, and the Reds are up, 4-0 & have knocked Luis Tiant out of the game. Tiant who was pitching a beauty, ended up with a messy box score line of 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 runs, 2 K's & 2 walks.

Lynn, was simply the man in 1975.

Willoughby would keep the Reds off the board, pitching a scoreless 8th Inning. The bottom of the 8th, Carl Yastrzemski would draw a walk, while Don Gullet would follow that, by plunking Carlton Fisk with a pitch, runners on 1st & 2nd... Fred Lynn, who would go on to win both the American League Rookie-of-the-Year Award & American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1975 -- hits a two-run double, to cut the lead in half; Sparky Anderson seen enough, calls on Rawly Eastwick from the Reds' bullpen... striking out Jim Rice & getting Dwight Evans to fly to left for the final outs of the 8th Inning.

Boston down 4-2, they call on Dick Drago to take the mound, to face Griffey, Geronimo & Rose. Griffey would do nothing but fly to right... Cesar Geronimo would single to right, but the lead runner would have to remain at first, as Pete Rose hit into a fielder's choice (getting Geronimo out at second)... Joe Morgan draws his second walk of the game, setting the tables with runners on 1st & 2nd for Johnny Bench... Bench would not be able to add some insurance runs for Cincy though.

Sparky Anderson selects Will McEnaney to close the game out for the Reds. Boston goes to the bench and calls on Juan Beniquez to pinch-hit for Rico Petrocelli, he is likely to take over at third if Boston can tie this up & move on to extras; Beniquez hits a lead-off single off of McEnaney. The Red Sox' wheels are still turning, and Boston skipper Darrell Johnson calls on Bernie Carbo to step up to bat in place of Rick Burleson, who is 0-for-3... Carbo would ground out, but advances Beniquez to second. One out, with a runner on second, it's back to the top of the Boston batting order with Cecil Cooper at the plate, 1-for-his previous 4 at-bats... he likes his pitch, 66-1... Gone! The game is all knotted up at 2-2; Denny Doyle and Carl Yastrzemski would be retired to finish the inning.

This game goes to extras...

Cooper, before his Brewer days.

Dick Drago after a successful, scoreless 9th Inning, would pitch the top of the 10th, and would only allow a two-out single to George Foster... Cincinnati keeps Will McEnaney in the ballgame, and he would pitch a scoreless bottom-of-the-10th -- only allowing a two-out double to Jim Rice, but successfully getting Dwight Evans to ground out to short for the third out.

I want to take this brief moment to let my readers know that I have been playing APBA lately with Optional Fielding, all thanks to James Welch. I have had the privilege of meeting Welch at the Chicago Fantasy World Series, we may have talked briefly at the my first Chicago tourney experience, this time I really got to know him more, since he was in my division at the recent Chicago tournament. We played only once against each other, since we were both eliminated & we felt playing the last two would be senseless we can socialize with other people... In that game, he further explained how Optional Fielding works, now I have been playing with that all the time & it does make a nice difference -- he called it "fine-tuning", which is the best way of putting it. 

Before we move on, here is an example of Optional Fielding... Recently in my APBA 2K9 Project (Best of the players from 2009-2011 for each of the 30 franchises), a team playing against the Cincinnati Reds.... The batter rolled a play result of #15, I believe the Cincinnati Reds were a fielding 2, but with play results of 15's, you go to that position player which is LF... Jonny Gomes, who is only a (1), is a fielding 3 in this case, and the result was 1st & 2nd on a error -- If I was playing in regular, straight-up basic mode, against a team fielding two it would have been a single, against a team fielding 1, that would have Fly-out... Now if there was a fielder in left, with 3 fielding points, in Optional Fielding it would have been a fly-out. I have seen this Optional Fielding work well, with third baseman, makes a whole difference if you have a 3B with 5 or 6 points, making them a fielding one, getting that double-play, where a fielding 2 third baseman would get the force instead. 

Okay, after this brief intermission, let's get back to the ballgame, shall we? Dick Drago still in the game for Boston would allow back-to-back lead-off walks to Ken Griffey & Cesar Geronimo, but Pete Rose would hit into a double-play... Joe Morgan, with a runner on third, would strike out.

I have specific rules that I use when I play, a reliever can go 3 innings or more, but once he hits 3 innings, he will have to sit the next game out, each additional inning, would be one more game. Dick Drago will not be able to pitch in Game 2, which could be really good for Cincy with Boston not having much of a bullpen anyways.

Bottom of the 11th, with Will McEnaney still on the mound for the Reds... Juan Beniquez would get his second hit off the bench... Doug Griffin (in for Burleson) puts down a sacrifice bunt, out at first, but successfully moves Beniquez over to second base, leading up to Cecil Cooper. Cooper tied the game earlier in the bottom of the 9th off of McEnaney, with a two-run homer. McEnaney delivers, it's a hit to the right-center gap, Beniquez will come around & score the winning run -- The board result was a double, but likely Beniquez (Fast) would score winning run before Cooper makes it to second -- so walk-off single by Cooper! Red Sox win!

Player of the Game: Cecil Cooper.

The Red Sox came back from a 4-0 deficit, scoring their first run in the 8th inning. Cecil Cooper ends the game, 3-for-6, with a HR & 3 RBI.. Will McEnaney records the loss, with 2.1 innings in relief... while Dick Drago goes 3 scoreless innings in relief, to notch the victory.

Game 2 will see the Reds' Jack Billingham face Boston's Bill "The Spaceman" Lee.

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