Infinite Cincinnati

1972 World Series: Game 4
CINCINNATI REDS @ OAKLAND ATHLETICS
OCTOBER 19, 1972
TIMELINE 24
GAME LOG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E
Cincinnati Reds 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 8 2
Oakland Athletics 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 5 1
Tolan Singles Home Concepcion in 12th as Reds Survive Four-Hour Game 4 Marathon
Tony Perez's two-run double in the fifth — a 2-2 grounder ripped past third base — looked like it might be the whole story. Gullett had his sinker running, Oakland's lineup kept beating the ball into the ground, and 2-0 felt like plenty. Then Joe Rudi put a fastball over the left-field fence in the sixth, 341 feet of compact authority, and the game became something else entirely.

Oakland took the lead in the eighth on a Bando sacrifice fly after a Morgan error loaded the bases. Cincinnati answered in the ninth — Menke lashing a full-count double to right-center off Fingers, then scoring on Concepcion's grounder through the middle. Tied at three, headed to extras, with the Coliseum crowd shifting in their seats like people who'd missed the last train and had no choice but to stay.

Tom Hall held Oakland hitless for three innings. In the twelfth, Concepcion doubled off Blue Moon Odom on the second pitch he saw. Odom walked Morgan intentionally. Bobby Tolan, 1-for-5 on the night, lined the first pitch to right and Concepcion scored standing up. Four hours in, past midnight now, and this particular arrangement of the evening had finally found its ending.

Ed Sprague needed ten pitches to close it out: groundout, flyout, flyout. The simplest sentence at the end of the longest night.
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 2 0 0 .500 0 0
B. Tolan CF 6 0 1 1 0 1 4 .167 0 1
T. Perez 1B 6 0 2 2 0 2 3 .333 0 2
J. Bench C 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000 0 0
D. Menke 3B 5 1 1 0 0 0 3 .200 0 0
P. Rose Sr LF 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000 0 0
H. McRae RF 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
a- C. Geronimo PH, RF 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000 0 0
D. Concepcion SS 5 1 1 1 0 1 1 .200 0 1
D. Gullett P 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .333 0 0
P. Borbon P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
b- J. Hague PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0 0
T. Hall P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
c- J. Javier PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 0 0
E. Sprague Sr P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
Totals 45 4 8 4 3 8 21
a - C. Geronimo pinch hit for H. McRae in the 9th
b - J. Hague pinch hit for P. Borbon in the 9th
c - J. Javier pinch hit for T. Hall in the 12th

BATTING
Doubles: T. Perez (1, 5th Inning off K. Holtzman, 2 on, 2 outs) D. Menke (1, 9th Inning off R. Fingers, 0 on, 0 outs) D. Concepcion (1, 12th Inning off B. Odom, 0 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: D. Gullett , B. Tolan , T. Perez 3 , J. Morgan 2 , D. Menke 2 , D. Concepcion 2
2-out RBI: B. Tolan , T. Perez
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: , J. Bench 2 , P. Rose Sr , T. Perez
Team LOB: 7

FIELDING
Errors: J. Morgan , H. McRae
Double Plays: 1 (Concepcion-Morgan-Perez)
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
B. Campaneris SS 4 1 1 0 1 0 1 .250 0 0
M. Alou RF 5 0 1 0 0 1 1 .200 0 0
J. Rudi LF 5 1 1 1 0 1 3 .200 1 1
S. Bando 3B 3 0 0 1 1 0 2 .000 0 1
D. Mincher 1B 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000 0 0
A. Mangual CF 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 .200 0 0
G. Tenace C 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 0 0
R. Fingers P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
V. Blue P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
b- M. Epstein PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 0 0
B. Odom P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
D. Green 2B 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 .000 0 1
K. Holtzman P 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500 0 0
a- D. Duncan C 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0
Totals 39 3 5 3 3 5 13
a - D. Duncan substituted for K. Holtzman in the 8th
b - M. Epstein pinch hit for V. Blue in the 9th

BATTING
Doubles: B. Campaneris (1, 1st Inning off D. Gullett, 0 on, 0 outs)
Home Runs: J. Rudi (1, 6th Inning off D. Gullett, 0 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: M. Alou , K. Holtzman , J. Rudi 4 , A. Mangual , B. Campaneris 2
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: , D. Mincher 2
GIDP: D. Green
Sac Fly: D. Green , S. Bando
Team LOB: 5

FIELDING
Errors: B. Campaneris
CINCINNATI 1972 PITCHING LINESCORE OAKLAND 1972 PITCHING LINESCORE
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
D. Gullett 7.0 4 2 2 1 2 1 70 42 2.57
P. Borbon 1.0 1 1 0 1 0 0 22 13 0.00
T. Hall W (1-0) 3.0 0 0 0 1 3 0 40 24 0.00
E. Sprague Sr SV (1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 6 0.00
PITCHING
Game Score: D. Gullett 62
Batters Faced: D. Gullett 26, P. Borbon 6, T. Hall 9, E. Sprague Sr 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: D. Gullett 9-10, P. Borbon 1-2, T. Hall 2-3, E. Sprague Sr 1-2
Pitches - Strikes: D. Gullett 70-42, P. Borbon 22-13, T. Hall 40-24, E. Sprague Sr 10-6
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
K. Holtzman 7.0 5 2 2 1 3 0 101 61 2.57
R. Fingers 1.1 1 1 1 1 0 0 28 15 6.75
V. Blue BS (1) 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 0.00
B. Odom L (0-1) 3.0 2 1 1 1 5 0 42 26 3.00
PITCHING
Game Score: K. Holtzman 61
Batters Faced: K. Holtzman 28, R. Fingers 6, V. Blue 2, B. Odom 12
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: K. Holtzman 11-7, R. Fingers 2-2, V. Blue 2-0, B. Odom 2-2
Pitches - Strikes: K. Holtzman 101-61, R. Fingers 28-15, V. Blue 5-4, B. Odom 42-26
Inherited Runners - Scored: V. Blue 2-1
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Don Gullett
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Clear skies (66 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 6:07 PM Pacific
Time: 3:59
Attendance: 49,419