On October 15, 1975 — Luis Tiant’s experience and Fred Lynn’s exuberance foiled another ninth-inning Cincinnati comeback to bring the Boston Red Sox even in the 1975 World Series. Tiant, the 34-year old Red Sox right-hander, fired 163 pitches and frustrated the Reds with his maze of motions for the second time in five days Wednesday night holding the Reds scoreless for the last five innings.
But the 5-4 Red Sox victory which evened the series at two games was not without a ninth-inning display of Tiant’s determination and a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch by the 23-year old Lynn. The Red Sox staked Tiant to a three-run lead with a five-run fourth inning but the Reds came right back for two in their half of the inning, narrowing the score to 5-4-partly on Red Sox fielding lapses.
With the vision of Sunday’s ninth-inning Reds’ comeback in game two, there was no reason to believe Tiant’s 5-4 lead-safe. When Cesar Geronimo led off the ninth with a base hit, it seemed another comeback was close. A sacrifice bunt by Ed Armbrister and a walk to Pete Rose brought Red Sox Manager Darrell Johnson to the mound.
“I told him ‘I started this thing, I wanna finish it,’ ” Tiant said later, puffing on his familiar Havana cigar. Ken Griffey followed Rose and after going to a 3-2 count, ripped a fastball deep to center. Lynn turned, ran, and caught it over his shoulder in front of the wall, Tiant bore down one last time and got Joe Morgan to pop up to Carl Yastrzemski at first ending the game. “That pitch I hit for the last out was the best one Tiant threw me all night,” said Morgan, “and that’s what was bad about it.” “It was guts, pure guts,” said Yastrzemski of Tiant. “I’ll tell you, I’d let him pitch to the whole world the way he battles.” “You have to be lucky to win one like this,” the balding, mustachioed Cuban-born Tiant said. But it was a Red Sox comeback that gave Tiant something to save. In the fourth, Fisk and Lynn led off with singles off Freddie Norman and one out ‘ later, moved up on a wild pitch. Dwight Evans scored them with a triple to the right-field wall. Reds’ manager Sparkey Anderson, called in Pedro Borbon, the only Reds relief pitcher not to pitch in Tuesday’s game. Rick Burleson doubled home Evans. Tiant singled Burleson to third and he scored when Tony Perez couldn’t handle Juan . Beniquez’ check-swing dribbler. Yastrzemski’s single to right brought home Tiant with the fifth run.
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World Series Game 4 Played on Wednesday, October 15, 1975 (N) at Riverfront Stadium
BOS A 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 – 5 11 1
CIN N 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 – 4 9 1
RED SOX 1ST: Beniquez flied out to center; Doyle grounded out
(second to first); Yastrzemski singled to right; Fisk struck
out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox 0, Reds 0.
REDS 1ST: Rose singled to center; Griffey doubled to center
[Rose scored, Griffey out at third (center to shortstop to
third)]; Morgan walked; Perez grounded out (shortstop to first)
[Morgan to second]; Bench doubled to right [Morgan scored];
Foster grounded out (third to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red
Sox 0, Reds 2.
RED SOX 2ND: Lynn struck out; Petrocelli singled to left; Evans
forced Petrocelli (shortstop to second); Burleson grounded out
(third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox 0, Reds 2.
REDS 2ND: Concepcion grounded out (third to first); Geronimo
grounded out (second to first); Norman flied out to left; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Red Sox 0, Reds 2.
RED SOX 3RD: Tiant walked; Beniquez singled to right [Tiant to
second]; Doyle flied out to center; Yastrzemski grounded into a
double play (second to shortstop to first) [Beniquez out at
second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox 0, Reds 2.
REDS 3RD: Rose flied out to center; Griffey grounded out
(pitcher to first); Morgan flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB. Red Sox 0, Reds 2.
RED SOX 4TH: Fisk singled to center; Lynn singled to right [Fisk
to second]; Petrocelli popped to shortstop; Norman threw a wild
pitch [Fisk to third, Lynn to second]; Evans tripled to right
[Fisk scored, Lynn scored]; Burleson doubled to left [Evans
scored]; BORBON REPLACED NORMAN (PITCHING); Tiant singled to
center [Burleson to third]; Beniquez reached on an error by
Perez [Burleson scored (RBI), Tiant to second, Beniquez to
first]; Doyle popped to third in foul territory; Yastrzemski
singled to center [Tiant scored (unearned), Beniquez to third];
Fisk flied out to center; 5 R (4 ER), 6 H, 1 E, 2 LOB. Red Sox
5, Reds 2.
REDS 4TH: Perez struck out; Bench flied out to left; Foster
singled to second [Foster to second (error by Doyle)];
Concepcion doubled to left [Foster scored]; Geronimo tripled to
right [Concepcion scored]; CROWLEY BATTED FOR BORBON; Crowley
struck out; 2 R, 3 H, 1 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
RED SOX 5TH: CARROLL REPLACED CROWLEY (PITCHING); Lynn grounded
out (second to first); Petrocelli was called out on strikes;
Evans singled to pitcher; Burleson forced Evans (shortstop to
second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
REDS 5TH: Rose walked; Griffey flied to right; Morgan walked
[Rose to second]; Perez grounded out (second to first) [Rose to
third, Morgan to second]; Bench flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 2 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
RED SOX 6TH: Tiant was called out on strikes; Beniquez grounded
out (third to first); Doyle singled to center; Yastrzemski
grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox
5, Reds 4.
REDS 6TH: MILLER REPLACED BENIQUEZ (PLAYING LF); Foster flied
out to center; Concepcion flied to right; Geronimo singled to
center; CHANEY BATTED FOR CARROLL; Chaney struck out; 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
RED SOX 7TH: EASTWICK REPLACED CHANEY (PITCHING); Fisk popped to
first; Lynn grounded out (second to first); Petrocelli grounded
out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
REDS 7TH: Rose lined to second; Griffey grounded out (second to
first); Morgan flied to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Red Sox
5, Reds 4.
RED SOX 8TH: Evans flied to center; Burleson grounded out (third
to first); Tiant grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
REDS 8TH: Perez flied to left; Bench struck out; Foster singled
to center; Concepcion flied to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red
Sox 5, Reds 4.
RED SOX 9TH: Miller grounded out (second to first); Doyle
grounded out (second to first); Yastrzemski walked; Fisk popped
to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
REDS 9TH: Geronimo singled to right; ARMBRISTER BATTED FOR
EASTWICK; Armbrister out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second)
[Geronimo to second]; Rose walked; Griffey lined to center;
Morgan popped to first; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Red Sox 5, Reds 4.
Final Totals R H E LOB
Red Sox 5 11 1 8
Reds 4 9 1 8
Other Resources & Links
Retrosheet.org Boxscore:CIN197510150
BackToBaseball.com Game Playback
Baseball-Reference Box Score 1975 World Series Game 4
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