1976 Cincinnati Reds season

The 1976 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The Reds won their second consecutive National League West title with a record of 102-60, 10 games ahead of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers. They went on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1976 National League Championship Series in three straight games, and then win their second consecutive World Series title in four straight games over the New York Yankees. They were the third and most recent National League team to achieve this distinction,^{[clarification needed]} and the first since the 1921-22 New York Giants. The Reds played their home games at Riverfront Stadium.

Offseason

• October 24, 1975: Joaquín Andújar was traded by the Reds to the Houston Astros for players to be named later. The Astros completed the deal by sending Luis Sánchez and Carlos Alfonso (minors) to the Reds on December 12.^[1]
• December 12, 1975: Clay Carroll were traded by the Reds to the Chicago White Sox for Rich Hinton and Jeff Sovern (minors).^[2]

Regular season

Season summary

The "Big Red Machine" was at the height of its power in the 1976 season, with four future Hall-of-Famers (Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, and manager Sparky Anderson), the future MLB all-time hits leader Pete Rose, and a notable supporting line up including Dave Concepción at shortstop, and Ken Griffey, César Gerónimo, and George Foster in the outfield.

The Reds retained their NL pennant by winning the NLCS in three games over the Phillies, and their second consecutive World Series title by defeating the Yankees in four games, becoming only the second team to sweep a World Series from the Yankees (following the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers). By sweeping both the Phillies and Yankees, the Reds became the first and only team to have a perfect postseason since the League Championship Series was started in 1969.^{[citation needed]}

Joe Morgan was the NL's Most Valuable Player for the second straight season and Johnny Bench was the World Series MVP.

To celebrate the National League's 100th anniversary, the Reds and several other teams adopted pillbox-style caps.^{[citation needed]}

Season standings

Notable transactions

• April 5, 1976: Merv Rettenmund was traded by the Reds to the San Diego Padres for Rudy Meoli.^[3]

Roster

Game log

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen Bases

^[4]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen Bases

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Postseason

NLCS

Game 1

October 9, Veterans Stadium

Reds starter Don Gullett held the Phils to two hits in eight strong innings and helped his own cause with an RBI single in the sixth and a two-run double in the eighth. George Foster added a solo homer.

Game 2

October 10, Veterans Stadium

Game 3

October 12, Riverfront Stadium

1976 World Series

Summary

NL Cincinnati Reds (4) vs. AL New York Yankees (0)

Awards and honors

• Johnny Bench, Babe Ruth Award
• Johnny Bench, World Series Most Valuable Player Award
• Pete Rose, Roberto Clemente Award

1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• Johnny Bench, Catcher, Starter
• Joe Morgan, Second Base, Starter
• Pete Rose, Third Base, Starter
• Dave Concepción, Shortstop, Starter
• George Foster, Outfield, Starter
• Tony Pérez, First Base, Reserve
• Ken Griffey, Sr., Outfielder, Reserve

^[5]

Farm system

Notes

References

• 1976 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference
• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.