Cincinnati Reds: The all-time tournament
1975 vs. 1961 Reds
The 1975 and 1976 teams are also essentially identical, the biggest distinctions involving some personnel changes on the mound. Five regulars – Morgan, Rose, Foster Cesar Geronimo, and Ken Griffey – topped .300. Morgan drove in 111 runs and Foster drove in 121.
The 1961 team surprised many, beating out the Dodgers by four games. This was the season when Frank Robinson emerged as a front-rank star, batting .323 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs. Center fielder Vada Pinson batted .343.
Joey Jay and Jim O’Toole led the pitching staff, combining for 40 victories in 499 innings of work.
Game 1: The 1975 Reds; 108-54 record is good for a .667 winning percentage, far superior to the 1961 team’s 93-61 .604.
Game 2: The 1975 team swept its NLCS and then won a seven-game World Series from Boston. That’s a .700 post-season record, far better than the 1961 club’s .200 percentage in losing four of five to the Yankees.
Game 3: Another rout for the Big Red Machine, whose 108 OPS+ easily bests the 1961 team’s 97.
Game 4: The 1961 club narrowly avoids a sweep, its 107 staff ERA+ tying the 1975 staff’s performance.
Game 5: The 1975 team completes a pseudo-sweep with a 50.2 to 40.1 victory in team WAR. The Big Red Machine’s 40.4 offensive WAR alone is by itself enough to win.
Result: 1975 Reds in five games, one ending in a tie