Infinite Cincinnati

1972 World Series: Game 4
CINCINNATI REDS @ OAKLAND ATHLETICS
OCTOBER 19, 1972
TIMELINE 10
GAME LOG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cincinnati Reds 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 7 2
Oakland Athletics 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 4 10 0
Two 9th-Inning Errors Undo Gullett as Campaneris Singles Home Winner
Joe Morgan tripled on a full count in the first at-bat of the game, a line drive that split the gap in right-center and rolled to the wall, and Bobby Tolan's sacrifice fly brought him home. For six innings that one run stood like a guardrail against the October dark, Cincinnati ahead and Don Gullett working with the quiet efficiency of a man who needs nothing.

Bench widened it in the seventh — a solo home run, 390 feet to left, on a 1-1 pitch that left no doubt from the moment it departed. The lead was 3-1, and Gullett had scattered four hits. Then Don Mincher worked a full count in the bottom of the inning and drove a ball 393 feet to dead center, the kind of swing a left-handed hitter makes when the wind blowing in from left means nothing to him. Mangual singled, Green singled, and Holtzman — the pitcher, swinging from the right side — lifted a fly ball deep enough to left-center to score Mangual from third. Just like that: 3-3, and the Coliseum crowd was on its feet for the first time all night.

Cincinnati might have won it in the eighth. Gullett helped himself with a single, Morgan doubled to deep left-center on a 2-2 pitch, and runners stood at second and third with one out. But Tolan grounded weakly to second and Perez grounded to short, and the threat died the way threats sometimes do — not with drama, but with the soft sound of routine outs.

The ninth belonged to errors and nerve. Concepcion fumbled Tenace's grounder on a full-count pitch. Gullett booted Green's slow roller back to the mound. With runners at the corners and one out, Campaneris fought to 1-2, then punched a grounder through the left side, and Tenace scored standing up. Once more the lineup cards had been exchanged, once more the game found a different way to end — and this time it was the pitcher's own glove that betrayed him.
CINCINNATI 1972 BATTING LINESCORE OAKLAND 1972 BATTING LINESCORE
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
J. Morgan 2B 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 .500 0 0
B. Tolan CF 2 0 0 1 1 1 2 .000 0 1
T. Perez 1B 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 .250 0 0
J. Bench C 4 1 2 1 0 1 1 .500 1 1
D. Menke 3B 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 .000 0 1
P. Rose Sr LF 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .250 0 0
H. McRae RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 0 0
D. Concepcion SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
D. Gullett P 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .333 0 0
Totals 31 3 7 3 1 6 9
BATTING
Doubles: J. Morgan (1, 8th Inning off K. Holtzman, 1 on, 1 out)
Triples: J. Morgan (1, 1st Inning off K. Holtzman, 0 on, 0 outs)
Home Runs: J. Bench (1, 7th Inning off K. Holtzman, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: J. Bench 5 , D. Gullett , P. Rose Sr , T. Perez , J. Morgan 5
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: T. Perez
Sac Fly: B. Tolan , D. Menke
Team LOB: 3

BASERUNNING
CS: T. Perez (1)

FIELDING
Errors: D. Gullett , D. Concepcion
Double Plays: 1 (Gullett-Morgan-Perez)
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
B. Campaneris SS 5 1 1 1 0 1 2 .200 0 1
M. Alou RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0 0
J. Rudi LF 3 0 2 1 1 0 0 .667 0 1
S. Bando 3B 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 0 0
D. Mincher 1B 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 .500 1 1
A. Mangual CF 4 1 3 0 0 0 2 .750 0 0
G. Tenace C 4 1 0 0 0 0 3 .000 0 0
D. Green 2B 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .333 0 0
K. Holtzman P 3 0 1 1 0 0 3 .333 0 1
Totals 34 4 10 4 1 2 16
BATTING
Doubles: J. Rudi (1, 6th Inning off D. Gullett, 1 on, 2 outs) A. Mangual (1, 2nd Inning off D. Gullett, 0 on, 2 outs)
Home Runs: D. Mincher (1, 7th Inning off D. Gullett, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: K. Holtzman , J. Rudi 3 , D. Mincher 5 , A. Mangual 4 , D. Green , B. Campaneris
2-out RBI: J. Rudi
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: G. Tenace , A. Mangual , S. Bando
GIDP: G. Tenace
Sac Bunt: D. Green
Sac Fly: K. Holtzman
Team LOB: 5

FIELDING
Double Plays: 1 (Tenace-Green)
CINCINNATI 1972 PITCHING LINESCORE OAKLAND 1972 PITCHING LINESCORE
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
D. Gullett L (0-1) 8.1 10 4 3 1 2 1 108 70 3.24
PITCHING
Game Score: D. Gullett 50
Batters Faced: D. Gullett 37
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: D. Gullett 12-11
Pitches - Strikes: D. Gullett 108-70
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
K. Holtzman W (1-0) 9.0 7 3 3 1 6 1 118 77 3.00
PITCHING
Game Score: K. Holtzman 66
Batters Faced: K. Holtzman 34
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: K. Holtzman 11-9
Pitches - Strikes: K. Holtzman 118-77
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Ken Holtzman
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Clear skies (64 degrees), wind blowing in from left at 9 mph
Start Time: 6:07 PM Pacific
Time: 2:52
Attendance: 49,419