1975 World Series Game 6 vs Reds

Lore & Background

The 1975 season dawned with bright hopes after a legitimate pennant run the previous year. The team had Carlton Fisk and Rick Wise for full seasons, and rookies Fred Lynn and Jim Rice gave every indication they would be phenoms. However, the memory of the 1974 collapse still hung heavy. Preseason talk centered on Tony Conigliaro's comeback attempt and Luis Tiant's salary dispute, which was resolved when owner Tom Yawkey agreed to a raise to $90,000.

Optimism was dampened when Fisk, returning from a serious knee injury, broke his right arm and was sidelined for at least two months. Despite this, Lynn and Rice provided a power punch, and the pitching staff—boosted by Wise's return—looked strong, with Luis Tiant, Bill Lee, Reggie Cleveland, Roger Moret, and a bullpen featuring Dick Drago, Dick Pole, and Diego Seguí. The Red Sox played only 160 games, as two games against the Yankees were rained out and not rescheduled after Boston clinched the AL East title.

Reader's Guide

The Red Sox swept the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS, winning Game 1 (7–1) behind Tiant, Game 2 (6–2) with Moret earning the win and Drago a save, and Game 3 (5–3) with Wise getting the win. They then lost the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in seven games. The final out of Game 7 was a ground ball to second baseman Joe Morgan, who threw to first baseman Tony Perez to retire Carl Yastrzemski.