1972 Cincinnati Reds season

1972  Cincinnati Reds
National League Champions National League West Champions
League	National League
Division	West
Ballpark	Riverfront Stadium
City	Cincinnati
Record	95–59 (61.7%)
Divisional place	1st place
Owners	Francis L. Dale
General managers	Bob Howsam
Managers	Sparky Anderson
Television	WLWT (Tom Hedrick, Waite Hoyt)
Radio	WLW (Al Michaels, Joe Nuxhall)
←  1971 Seasons 1973  →

The 1972 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds winning the National League West title with a record of 95 wins and 59 losses, 10+1⁄2 games over the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. They defeated the previous year's World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS, but lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games in the World Series. The Reds were managed by Sparky Anderson.

The theme for the Reds was "Redemption" after a disastrous 1971 season that saw the Reds fall from a World Series participant in 1970 to a sub .500 team a year later. In fact, the March 13, 1972, Sports Illustrated edition featured the Reds on the front cover headlining "Redemption for the Reds." The Reds won 102 games in 1970, but only 79 a year later. A major catalyst for the Reds, Bobby Tolan, ruptured his Achilles' tendon in the winter of 1971 while playing basketball and he missed the entire '71 MLB season. Nearly every Reds regular, including Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Pérez, Bernie Carbo and David Concepcion, had significant decreases in their production from 1970. The lone exception was popular first baseman Lee May, who set career highs in home runs (39) and slugging percentage (.532).

Reds fans, en masse, were shocked and dismayed when, on November 29, 1971, Cincinnati Reds General Manager Bob Howsam traded May, Gold Glove winning second baseman Tommy Helms and key utility man Jimmy Stewart to division rival Houston Astros for second baseman Joe Morgan, third baseman Denis Menke, pitcher Jack Billingham, little-used reserve outfielder Cesar Geronimo and minor leaguer Ed Armbrister. The trade turned out to be one of the best trades in Reds history. Morgan would escape the cavernous Houston Astrodome to a more hitter-friendly Riverfront Stadium home park. Surrounded by more talent in Cincinnati, Morgan would become one of the more productive power-speed players in the entire decade on his way to eventual induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Morgan and Geronimo would also go on to each win multiple Gold Glove awards, as Geronimo manned right field until 1974 when he would take over in center field. Billingham would go on to win 12 games in 1972 and 50 total in his first three years with the Reds. Billingham's best moments came in the 1972 World Series when he threw 13+2⁄3 innings allowing no earned runs in collecting a win, a save, and a no decision in Game 7.

With Rose, Morgan and a healthy Tolan at the top of the lineup, a rejuvenated Bench was the recipient as the Reds' cleanup hitter. Rebounding from the 1971 disaster when he only drove in 61 runs, Bench slammed 40 home runs and had a major league-best 125 RBI. Bench also walked a career-high 100 times on his way to NL MVP honors, his second in three years.

Cincinnati got off to a slow start, winning only eight of their first 21 games before winning nine straight. The Reds were still only 20–18 when they went into Houston to play the retooled Astros for a four-game series, May 29 – June 1, at the Astrodome, a notorious pitchers park. But the Reds scored 39 runs in the series and won all four games. The Reds went into the July 23 All-Star break with a 6+1⁄2 game lead over the Astros and an 8-game lead over the Dodgers. Neither team seriously threatened the Reds in the second half.

Reds ace Gary Nolan won 13 of his 15 decisions by July 13, only 79 games into the season. But Nolan suffered a series of neck and shoulder ailments that forced him out of the All Star game and limited him to a total of 25 starts. He spent much of the second-half on the disabled list resting and then rehabbing. He won two games after the All-Star break. Nolan still finished second in the National League in ERA (1.99) to Philadelphia's Steve Carlton (1.97). Morgan (122 runs scored, 16 home runs, 73 RBI, 58 stolen bases, .292 average) finished fourth in MVP voting, while Rose (107 runs, 198 hits, 11 triples, .307 avg.) and reliever Clay Carroll (37 saves, 2.25 ERA) were 12th and 13th, respectively, in the MVP voting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

The Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, three games to two, in an exciting 1972 National League Championship Series, the first time in its four-year history the NLCS had gone five games. The World Series against the Oakland A's was equally as epic, with the Reds falling in Game 7, 3–2, the sixth game of the series decided by a single run.

Off season

• November 29, 1971: Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart were traded by the Reds to the Houston Astros for Joe Morgan, Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, César Gerónimo, and Denis Menke. ^[1]
• Dec 3, 1971: Wayne Granger was traded by the Reds to the Minnesota Twins for Tom Hall. ^[2]
• December 14, 1971: Jim Qualls was traded by the Reds to the Chicago White Sox for Pat Jacquez. ^[3]

Regular season

Season standings

v t e NL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Cincinnati Reds	95	59	0.617	—	42–34	53–25
Houston Astros	84	69	0.549	10½	41–36	43–33
Los Angeles Dodgers	85	70	0.548	10½	41–34	44–36
Atlanta Braves	70	84	0.455	25	36–41	34–43
San Francisco Giants	69	86	0.445	26½	34–43	35–43
San Diego Padres	58	95	0.379	36½	26–54	32–41

Record vs. opponents

1972 National League record v t e Sources:
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MON	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
Atlanta	—	5–7–1	9–9	7–7	7–8	4–8	7–5	6–6	6–6	6–11	7–11	6–6
Chicago	7–5–1	—	8–4	3–9	8–4	10–5	10–8	10–7	3–12	9–3	7–5	10–8
Cincinnati	9–9	4–8	—	11–6	9–5	8–4	8–4	10–2	8–4	8–10	10–5	10–2
Houston	7–7	9–3	6–11	—	7–11	8–4	6–6	9–3	3–9	12–2	13–5	4–8
Los Angeles	8–7	4–8	5–9	11–7	—	6–6	7–5	7–5	7–5	13–5	9–9	8–4
Montreal	8–4	5–10	4–8	4–8	6–6	—	6–12	10–6	6–12	6–6	6–6	9–8
New York	5–7	8–10	4–8	6–6	5–7	12–6	—	13–5	8–6	7–5	8–4	7–9
Philadelphia	6-6	7–10	2–10	3–9	5–7	6–10	5–13	—	5–13	6–6	6–6	8–7
Pittsburgh	6–6	12–3	4–8	9–3	5–7	12–6	6–8	13–5	—	10–2	9–3	10–8
San Diego	11–6	3–9	10–8	2–12	5–13	6–6	5–7	6–6	2–10	—	4–10	4–8
San Francisco	11–7	5–7	5–10	5–13	9–9	6–6	4–8	6–6	3–9	10–4	—	5–7
St. Louis	6–6	8–10	2–10	8–4	4–8	8–9	9–7	7–8	8–10	8–4	7–5	—

Notable transactions

• June 6, 1972: Ron Hassey was drafted by the Reds in the 23rd round of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign. ^[4]

Roster

1972 Cincinnati Reds roster
Roster
Pitchers 43 Jack Billingham 34 Pedro Borbón 36 Clay Carroll 39 Joe Gibbon 48 Ross Grimsley 35 Don Gullett 21 Tom Hall 31 Jim McGlothlin 30 Jim Merritt 38 Gary Nolan 45 Wayne Simpson 44 Ed Sprague 49 Dave Tomlin		Catchers  5 Johnny Bench  7 Pat Corrales  9 Bill Plummer  7 Sonny Ruberto Infielders 12 Darrel Chaney 13 Dave Concepción 20,25 Joe Hague 17 Julián Javier 16 Denis Menke  8 Joe Morgan 24 Tony Pérez		Outfielders 25 Bernie Carbo 15 George Foster 20 César Gerónimo 11 Hal McRae 14 Pete Rose 28 Bobby Tolan 22 Ted Uhlaender		Manager 10 Sparky Anderson Coaches  2 Alex Grammas 18 Ted Kluszewski  3 George Scherger  4 Larry Shepard

Game log

1972 Game Log: 95–59 (Home: 42–34; Away: 53–25)
April: 5–8 (Home: 1–3; Away: 4–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 1 April 15 Dodgers 1–3 Sutton (1–0) Billingham (0–1) Brewer (1) 37,895 0–1 L1 2 April 16 Dodgers 10–1 Nolan (1–0) Downing (0–1) Carroll (1) 16,410 1–1 W1 3 April 18 Astros 4–8 Forsch (1–0) Gullett (0–1) Gladding (1) 8,347 1–2 L1 4 April 19 Astros 5–7 Reuss (1–0) Billingham (0–2) Culver (1) 6,217 1–3 L2 5 April 21 @ Braves 4–3 Nolan (2–0) Reed (1–1) Hall (1) 6,762 2–3 W1 6 April 22 @ Braves 7–11 Jarvis (1–1) Gullett (0–2) Nash (1) 10,141 2–4 L1 7 April 23 @ Braves 3–4 (11) Schueler (1–0) McGlothlin (0–1) 13,377 2–5 L2 8 April 25 @ Pirates 2–5 (13) Miller (1–1) McGlothlin (0–2) 6,509 2–6 L3 9 April 26 @ Pirates 7–6 Nolan (3–0) Blass (1–1) Borbón (1) 6,380 3–6 W1 10 April 27 @ Pirates 5–4 Carroll (1–0) Giusti (0–1) 12,504 4–6 W2 11 April 28 @ Cubs 8–10 Jenkins (1–2) Billingham (0–3) 12,185 4–7 L1 12 April 29 @ Cubs 3–2 Hall (1–0) Pappas (1–2) 19,560 5–7 W1 13 April 30 @ Cubs 4–6 Hooton (2–2) Carroll (1–1) McGinn (2) 21,924 5–8 L1
May: 18–10 (Home: 7–7; Away: 11–3) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 14 May 2 @ Cardinals 7–6 Merritt (1–0) Shaw (0–1) Hall (2) 11,091 6–8 W2 15 May 3 @ Cardinals 1–2 Cleveland (2–0) Billingham (0–4) 6,935 6–9 L1 16 May 4 @ Cardinals 9–5 Carroll (2–1) Santorini (2–2) 9,299 7–9 W1 17 May 5 Pirates 5–4 (10) Carroll (3–1) Giusti (0–3) 24,722 8–9 W2 18 May 6 Pirates 1–8 Blass (2–1) Borbón (0–1) 12,284 8–10 L1 19 May 7 Pirates 6–9 Briles (2–0) Billingham (0–5) Moose (1) 19,281 8–11 L2 20 May 9 Cubs 1–7 Jenkins (3–2) McGlothlin (0–3) 7,906 8–12 L3 21 May 10 Cubs 2–4 Pappas (3–2) Nolan (3–1) McGinn (3) 7,051 8–13 L4 22 May 12 Cardinals 5–4 Grimsley (1–0) Cleveland (3–1) Carroll (2) 23,376 9–13 W1 23 May 13 Cardinals 11–2 Simpson (1–0) Clemons (0–1) Borbón (2) 10,471 10–13 W2 24 May 14 Cardinals 4–3 Gullett (1–2) Drabowsky (0–1) Carroll (3) – 11–13 W3 25 May 14 Cardinals 2–0 Hall (2–0) Santorini (2–4) 33,486 12–13 W4 26 May 16 @ Giants 4–3 Nolan (4–1) Bryant (1–3) Carroll (4) – 13–13 W5 27 May 16 @ Giants 2–0 Billingham (1–5) Stone (0–3) 7,571 14–13 W6 28 May 17 @ Giants 2–1 Grimsley (2–0) Marichal (1–7) Carroll (5) 2,670 15–13 W7 29 May 18 @ Giants 8–5 Borbón (1–1) McDowell (5–1) Carroll (6) 2,847 16–13 W8 30 May 19 @ Padres 1–0 McGlothlin (1–3) Kirby (3–3) 35,423 17–13 W9 31 May 20 @ Padres 3–5 Arlin (3–3) Billingham (1–6) Corkins (2) 8,102 17–14 L1 32 May 21 @ Padres 7–2 Nolan (5–1) Greif (3–5) – 18–14 W1 33 May 21 @ Padres 0–7 Norman (4–2) Hall (2–1) 17,543 18–15 L1 34 May 23 Braves 1–2 Niekro (6–4) McGlothlin (1–4) 13,784 18–16 L2 35 May 24 Braves 2–4 Kelley (3–4) Simpson (1–1) Upshaw (3) 10,156 18–17 L3 36 May 26 Padres 4–0 Nolan (6–1) Norman (4–3) 15,270 19–17 W1 37 May 27 Padres 9–4 McGlothlin (2–4) Kirby (3–5) Carroll (7) 15,055 20–17 W2 38 May 28 Padres 2–5 Arlin (4–4) Grimsley (2–1) 19,647 20–18 L1 39 May 29 @ Astros 8–3 Simpson (2–1) Griffin (1–1) Carroll (8) 14,885 21–18 W1 40 May 30 @ Astros 9–5 Billingham (2–6) Wilson (3–4) Carroll (9) 14,539 22–18 W2 41 May 31 @ Astros 12–4 Nolan (7–1) Roberts (3–3) 15,702 23–18 W3
June: 18–9 (Home: 7–6; Away: 11–3) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 42 June 1 @ Astros 10–3 Sprague (1–0) Reuss (3–4) Borbón (3) 14,466 24–18 W4 43 June 2 @ Phillies 6–3 (17) Gullett (2–2) Twitchell (2–1) Borbón (4) 16,251 25–18 W5 44 June 3 @ Phillies 6–5 (10) Hall (3–1) Reynolds (0–2) 16,623 26–18 W6 45 June 4 @ Phillies 2–0 Billingham (3–6) Champion (3–3) Carroll (10) 15,861 27–18 W7 46 June 6 @ Mets 2–3 McAndrew (5–1) Gullett (2–3) McGraw (9) 29,353 27–19 L1 47 June 7 @ Mets 6–3 McGlothlin (3–4) Gentry (3–4) Hall (3) 35,995 28–19 W1 48 June 8 @ Mets 5–3 Borbón (2–1) Seaver (8–3) Carroll (11) 35,593 29–19 W2 49 June 9 @ Expos 6–3 Simpson (3–1) Morton (2–7) Borbón (5) 11,193 30–19 W3 50 June 11 @ Expos 11–1 Nolan (8–1) Renko (1–4) 28,589 31–19 W4 51 June 13 Phillies 8–4 Hall (4–1) Champion (4–4) Carroll (12) – 32–19 W5 52 June 13 Phillies 4–2 Grimsley (3–1) Reynolds (0–3) Borbón (6) 31,509 33–19 W6 53 June 14 Phillies 2–1 Billingham (4–6) Lersch (1–3) Carroll (13) 16,127 34–19 W7 54 June 16 Mets 1–2 Frisella (2–1) Nolan (8–2) McGraw (11) 30,709 34–20 L1 55 June 17 Mets 8–2 Simpson (4–1) Gentry (3–5) Hall (4) 51,617 35–20 W1 56 June 18 Mets 1–2 Seaver (9–3) Grimsley (3–2) 33,134 35–21 L1 57 June 19 Expos 0–2 Stoneman (6–5) Billingham (4–7) 11,145 35–22 L2 58 June 20 Expos 2–7 Morton (3–7) McGlothlin (3–5) Marshall (5) 12,287 35–23 L3 59 June 21 Expos 6–4 Nolan (9–2) Renko (1–6) Carroll (14) 11,892 36–23 W1 60 June 22 Astros 5–9 Culver (2–0) Simpson (4–2) Ray (6) 22,164 36–24 L1 61 June 23 Astros 7–1 Grimsley (4–2) Reuss (5–6) 20,401 37–24 W1 62 June 24 Astros 1–4 Dierker (7–4) Billingham (4–8) 31,907 37–25 L1 63 June 25 Astros 5–4 (10) Carroll (4–1) Gladding (1–3) 30,019 38–25 W1 64 June 26 @ Dodgers 5–0 Nolan (10–2) Osteen (7–5) 33,130 39–25 W2 65 June 27 @ Dodgers 5–4 Gullett (3–3) Downing (4–4) Carroll (15) 27,395 40–25 W3 66 June 28 @ Giants 4–2 Grimsley (5–2) Carrithers (2–5) Hall (5) 5,828 41–25 W4 67 June 29 @ Giants 2–3 Barr (1–2) Billingham (4–9) 6,337 41–26 L1 68 June 30 @ Padres 3–4 (13) Norman (5–6) Borbón (2–2) 6,119 41–27 L2
July: 16–10 (Home: 7–8; Away: 9–2) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 69 July 1 @ Padres 3–2 Sprague (2–0) Arlin (7–8) Billingham (1) 24,972 42–27 W1 70 July 2 @ Padres 12–2 Nolan (11–2) Corkins (0–4) Carroll (16) 12,754 43–27 W2 71 July 3 Cardinals 2–4 Wise (9–7) Gullett (3–4) 30,830 43–28 L1 72 July 4 Cardinals 6–1 Grimsley (6–2) Spinks (5–5) 15,729 44–28 W1 73 July 7 Cubs 1–2 Hooton (7–7) Simpson (4–3) Aker (3) 40,042 44–29 L1 74 July 8 Cubs 3–2 Nolan (12–2) Reuschel (3–1) Carroll (17) 47,310 45–29 W1 75 July 9 Cubs 0–5 Jenkins (11–7) Gullett (3–5) – 45–30 L1 76 July 9 Cubs 5–10 Pappas (6–5) Grimsley (6–3) 52,116 45–31 L2 77 July 11 Pirates 5–0 Billingham (5–9) Moose (5–5) 24,047 46–31 W1 78 July 12 Pirates 6–3 Simpson (5–3) Walker (3–5) Carroll (18) 28,058 47–31 W2 79 July 13 Pirates 2–0 Nolan (13–2) Blass (10–3) Carroll (19) 32,060 48–31 W3 80 July 14 @ Cardinals 6–3 Grimsley (7–3) Wise (9–9) Carroll (20) 22,849 49–31 W4 81 July 15 @ Cardinals 12–2 McGlothlin (4–5) Santorini (4–7) Hall (6) 35,094 50–31 W5 82 July 16 @ Cardinals 4–1 Billingham (6–9) Durham (0–1) 32,760 51–31 W6 83 July 17 @ Cubs 7–2 Simpson (6–3) Reuschel (3–3) Carroll (21) 20,420 52–31 W7 84 July 18 @ Cubs 1–2 (10) Jenkins (12–8) Carroll (4–2) 16,716 52–32 L1 85 July 19 @ Cubs 6–1 Grimsley (8–3) Pappas (6–6) 31,475 53–32 W1 86 July 21 @ Pirates 11–5 Borbón (3–2) Kison (4–3) Gullett (1) 32,255 54–32 W2 87 July 22 @ Pirates 6–3 Sprague (3–0) Moose (5–6) Carroll (22) 40,837 55–32 W3 88 July 23 @ Pirates 2–3 Blass (11–4) Grimsley (8–4) R. Hernández (6) 29,487 55–33 L1 ASG July 25 All-Star Game AL 3–4 NL McGraw (1–0) McNally (0–1) 53,107 89 July 27 Padres 8–2 Billingham (7–9) Arlin (8–12) 21,852 56–33 W1 90 July 28 Padres 1–3 Kirby (7–11) Simpson (6–4) 21,728 56–34 L1 91 July 29 Padres 3–4 (17) Acosta (2–5) Sprague (3–1) Schaeffer (1) 33,094 56–35 L2 92 July 30 Giants 4–0 Grimsley (9–4) Marichal (4–11) – 57–35 W1 93 July 30 Giants 1–6 (10) Barr (4–3) Carroll (4–3) 48,351 57–36 L1 94 July 31 Giants 2–7 Carrithers (3–6) Billingham (7–10) 18,458 57–37 L2
August: 21–9 (Home: 10–4; Away: 11–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 95 August 1 @ Astros 3–1 Simpson (7–4) Culver (3–2) 31,405 58–37 W1 96 August 2 @ Astros 1–10 Wilson (7–7) Nolan (13–3) 31,838 58–38 L1 97 August 4 Braves 6–5 (11) Carroll (5–3) Jarvis (9–5) – 59–38 W1 98 August 4 Braves 3–2 Grimsley (10–4) McLain (2–2) Gullett (2) 42,385 60–38 W2 99 August 5 Braves 4–2 Borbón (4–2) Schueler (4–6) Carroll (23) 36,792 61–38 W3 100 August 6 Braves 3–4 (10) Niekro (10–10) Gullett (3–6) 29,149 61–39 L1 101 August 7 Braves 9–1 McGlothlin (5–5) Reed (9–11) 20,150 62–39 W1 102 August 8 Dodgers 2–1 (19) Borbón (5–2) Mikkelsen (3–5) 24,453 63–39 W2 103 August 9 Dodgers 6–3 Hall (5–1) Singer (4–11) Carroll (24) 26,146 64–39 W3 104 August 10 Dodgers 2–6 Osteen (13–8) Gullett (3–7) Brewer (13) 28,279 64–40 L1 105 August 11 @ Braves 5–7 Upshaw (2–5) Carroll (5–4) Hardin (2) 13,268 64–41 L2 106 August 12 @ Braves 2–7 Reed (10–11) Grimsley (10–5) 26,857 64–42 L3 107 August 13 @ Braves 9–4 Borbón (6–2) McLain (3–3) 20,219 65–42 W1 108 August 14 @ Braves 12–2 Billingham (8–10) Stone (4–9) 15,318 66–42 W2 109 August 15 @ Phillies 3–0 Gullett (4–7) Twitchell (2–4) 17,106 67–42 W3 110 August 16 @ Phillies 8–2 McGlothlin (6–5) Reynolds (0–10) Borbón (7) 10,385 68–42 W4 111 August 17 @ Phillies 4–9 Carlton (20–6) Grimsley (10–6) 42,635 68–43 L1 112 August 18 @ Mets 8–2 Hall (6–1) Koosman (8–9) Borbón (8) 47,957 69–43 W1 113 August 19 @ Mets 5–0 Billingham (9–10) Strom (0–1) 43,257 70–43 W2 114 August 20 @ Mets 8–1 Gullett (5–7) McAndrew (9–4) Carroll (25) 42,555 71–43 W3 115 August 21 @ Expos 4–1 McGlothlin (7–5) Torrez (13–9) 21,080 72–43 W4 116 August 22 @ Expos 5–3 Grimsley (11–6) Morton (5–11) Borbón (9) 19,712 73–43 W5 117 August 23 @ Expos 0–11 Moore (5–6) Simpson (7–5) 13,804 73–44 L1 118 August 24 @ Expos 6–0 Billingham (10–10) McAnally (2–14) 14,241 74–44 W1 119 August 25 Phillies 6–1 Gullett (6–7) Reynolds (0–10) 32,017 75–44 W2 120 August 26 Phillies 3–4 Carlton (21–7) McGlothlin (7–6) Scarce (2) 34,028 75–45 L1 121 August 27 Phillies 7–2 Grimsley (12–6) Twitchell (3–6) Borbón (10) 37,167 76–45 W1 122 August 28 Mets 5–2 Nolan (14–3) Strom (0–2) Hall (7) 18,508 77–45 W2 123 August 29 Mets 0–3 McAndrew (10–5) Billingham (10–11) McGraw (19) 22,114 77–46 L1 124 August 30 Mets 4–2 Gullett (7–7) Matlack (11–8) Hall (8) 22,008 78–46 W1
September: 14–13 (Home: 7–6; Away: 7–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 125 September 1 Expos 1–0 (10) Carroll (6–4) Stoneman (10–10) 13,500 79–46 W2 126 September 2 Expos 2–7 Torrez (14–9) Nolan (14–4) Marshall (15) 20,569 79–47 L1 127 September 3 Expos 4–3 Hall (7–1) Moore (6–7) 15,464 80–47 W1 128 September 4 @ Dodgers 5–6 Brewer (8–6) Sprague (3–2) – 80–48 L1 129 September 4 @ Dodgers 8–4 Gullett (8–7) Osteen (15–10) Borbón (11) 40,366 81–48 W1 130 September 5 @ Dodgers 4–9 Sutton (15–9) Grimsley (12–7) 18,155 81–49 L1 131 September 6 @ Dodgers 6–3 Simpson (8–5) Downing (8–7) Carroll (26) 16,965 82–49 W1 132 September 7 @ Padres 0–2 Caldwell (7–8) Nolan (14–5) – 82–50 L1 133 September 7 @ Padres 1–5 Norman (8–9) Billingham (10–12) 5,396 82–51 L2 134 September 9 @ Giants 1–2 Willoughby (5–2) Gullett (8–8) 6,199 82–52 L3 135 September 10 @ Giants 8–7 Hall (8–1) Moffitt (1–4) Carroll (27) – 83–52 W1 136 September 10 @ Giants 2–8 Marichal (6–15) McGlothlin (7–7) Johnson (8) 13,584 83–53 L1 137 September 12 @ Braves 7–5 Borbón (7–2) McLain (3–5) Carroll (28) 4,050 84–53 W1 138 September 13 @ Braves 8–6 (10) Hall (9–1) Hoerner (1–5) 3,141 85–53 W2 139 September 15 Padres 0–1 Norman (9–9) Gullett (8–9) 14,021 85–54 L1 140 September 16 Padres 6–3 Grimsley (13–7) Corkins (6–9) Carroll (29) 20,571 86–54 W1 141 September 17 Padres 7–10 Schaeffer (1–0) Sprague (3–3) Simpson (1) 18,300 86–55 L1 142 September 18 Giants 2–0 McGlothlin (8–7) Barr (7–9) Carroll (30) 8,608 87–55 W1 143 September 19 Giants 5–4 Borbón (8–2) Marichal (6–16) Carroll (31) 10,353 88–55 W2 144 September 20 Giants 8–6 Hall (10–1) Sosa (0–1) Carroll (32) 11,174 89–55 W3 145 September 22 @ Astros 4–3 Grimsley (14–7) Dierker (15–8) Carroll (33) 15,490 90–55 W4 146 September 23 @ Astros 1–7 Wilson (14–9) McGlothlin (8–8) 16,657 90–56 L1 147 September 24 @ Astros 10–2 Billingham (11–12) Forsch (5–7) Carroll (34) 12,709 91–56 W1 148 September 26 Braves 9–10 Hardin (5–2) Gullett (8–10) Upshaw (13) 7,234 91–57 L1 149 September 27 Braves 5–8 Niekro (16–11) Grimsley (14–8) 7,033 91–58 L2 150 September 29 Dodgers 4–1 Billingham (12–12) Downing (9–9) Carroll (35) 14,454 92–58 W1 151 September 30 Dodgers 2–4 (10) Osteen (19–11) Borbón (8–3) 20,080 92–59 L1
October: 3–10 (Home: 3–0; Away: 0–0) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 152 October 1 Dodgers 1–0 Gullett (9–10) Rau (2–2) Carroll (36) 40,046 93–59 W1 153 October 3 Astros 6–1 Nolan (15–5) Forsch (6–8) Grimsley (1) 10,069 94–59 W2 154 October 4 Astros 4–2 McGlothlin (9–8) Cosgrove (0–1) Carroll (37) 10,079 95–59 W3

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Johnny Bench	147	538	145	.270	40	125
1B	Tony Perez	136	515	146	.283	21	90
2B	Joe Morgan	149	552	161	.292	16	73
SS	Dave Concepción	119	378	79	.209	2	29
3B	Denis Menke	140	447	104	.233	9	50
LF	Pete Rose	154	645	198	.307	6	57
CF	Bobby Tolan	149	604	171	.283	8	82
RF	César Gerónimo	120	255	70	.275	4	29

Other batters

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

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Darrel Chaney	83	196	48	.250	2	19
George Foster	59	145	29	.200	2	12
Joe Hague	69	138	34	.246	4	20
Ted Uhlaender	73	113	18	.159	0	6
Bill Plummer	38	102	19	.186	2	9
Hal McRae	61	97	27	.278	5	26
Julián Javier	44	91	19	.209	2	12
Bernie Carbo	19	21	3	.143	0	0
Sonny Ruberto	2	3	0	.000	0	0
Pat Corrales	2	1	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Player	G	GS	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Jack Billingham	36	31	217.2	12	12	3.18	137
Ross Grimsley	30	28	197.2	14	8	3.05	79
Gary Nolan	25	25	176.0	15	5	1.99	90
Jim McGlothlin	31	21	145.0	9	8	3.91	69
Wayne Simpson	24	22	130.1	8	5	4.14	70

Other pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Don Gullett	31	134.2	9	10	3.94	96
Jim Merritt	4	8.0	1	0	4.50	4

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	W	L	ERA	SO	SV
Clay Carroll	65	6	4	2.25	51	37
Pedro Borbón	62	8	3	3.17	48	11
Tom Hall	47	10	1	2.61	134	8
Ed Sprague	33	3	3	4.13	25	0
Dave Tomlin	3	0	0	9.00	2	0
Joe Gibbon	2	0	0	54.00	1	0

Postseason

1972 National League Championship Series

Main article: 1972 National League Championship Series

The Reds rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in five games to win the National League title. In Game 5, Johnny Bench's ninth-inning home run tied the game before George Foster scored the game-winner on a wild pitch by Pirates' reliever Bob Moose.

Game 1

October 7: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	0
Pittsburgh	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	X	5	6	0
W: Steve Blass (1–0)   L: Don Gullett (0–1)   S: Ramón Hernández (1)
HR: CIN – Joe Morgan (1)  PIT – Al Oliver (1)
Pitchers: CIN – Gullett, Borbón (7)  PIT – Blass, Hernández (9)
Attendance: 50,476

Game 2

October 8: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	8	1
Pittsburgh	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	3	7	1
W: Tom Hall (1–0)   L: Bob Moose (0–1)   S: None
HR: CIN – Joe Morgan (2)  PIT – none
Pitchers: CIN – Billingham, Hall (5)  PIT – Moose, Johnson (1), Kison (6), Hernández (7), Giusti (9)
Attendance: 50,584

Game 3

October 9: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	3	7	0
Cincinnati	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	1
W: Bruce Kison (1–0)   L: Clay Carroll (0–1)   S: Dave Giusti (1)
HR: PIT – Manny Sanguillén (1)  CIN – none
Pitchers: PIT – Briles, Kison (7), Giusti (8)  CIN – Nolan, Borbón (7), Carroll (7), McGlothlin (9)
Attendance: 52,420

Game 4

October 10: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	3
Cincinnati	1	0	0	2	0	2	2	0	0	7	11	1
W: Ross Grimsley (1–0)   L: Dock Ellis (0–1)   S: none
HR: PIT – Roberto Clemente (1)  CIN – none
Pitchers: PIT – Ellis, Johnson (6), Walker (7), Miller (8)  CIN – Grimsley
Attendance: 39,447

Game 5

October 11: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	8	0
Cincinnati	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	4	7	1
W: Clay Carroll (1–1)   L: Dave Giusti (0–1)   S: none
HR: PIT – none  CIN – César Gerónimo (1), Johnny Bench (1)
Pitchers: PIT – Blass, Hernández (8), Giusti (9), Moose (9)  CIN – Gullett, Borbón (4), Hall (6), Carroll (9)
Attendance: 41,887

1972 World Series

Main article: 1972 World Series

The Reds were a prohibitive favorite to win the World Series over the Oakland Athletics, who lost top slugger Reggie Jackson to a hamstring injury in the playoffs. But Gene Tenace, who hit just five home runs in the regular season, crushed four against the Reds in a series that saw six of the seven games decided by one run. Oakland dealt the Reds three losses on their home AstroTurf of Riverfront Stadium. Tenace had two hits and two RBI in Game 7 as Oakland scored two in the sixth inning and held on for a 3–2 victory for the A's first World Series title since 1930.

AL Oakland Athletics (4) vs. NL Cincinnati Reds (3)

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance	Time of Game
1	A's – 3, Reds – 2	October 14	Riverfront Stadium	52,918	2:18
2	A's – 2, Reds – 1	October 15	Riverfront Stadium	53,224	2:26
3	Reds – 1, A's – 0	October 18	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	49,410	2:24
4	Reds – 2, A's – 3	October 19	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	49,410	2:06
5	Reds – 5, A's – 4	October 20	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	49,410	2:26
6	A's – 1, Reds – 8	October 21	Riverfront Stadium	52,737	2:21
7	A's – 3, Reds – 2	October 22	Riverfront Stadium	56,040	2:50

Awards and honors

• Sparky Anderson, Associated Press NL Manager of the Year
• Johnny Bench, National League MVP
• Bobby Tolan, Hutch Award ^[5]

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Indianapolis Indians	American Association	Vern Rapp
AA	Trois-Rivières Aigles	Eastern League	Jim Snyder
A	Tampa Tarpons	Florida State League	Russ Nixon
Rookie	Melbourne Reds	Florida East Coast League	Dave Pavlesic
Rookie	GCL Reds	Gulf Coast League	Ron Plaza

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Melbourne Reds ^[6]

Notes

1. Joe Morgan page at Baseball Reference
2. Wayne Granger page at Baseball Reference
3. Jim Qualls page at Baseball Reference
4. Ron Hassey page at Baseball Reference
5. "Hutch Award | Baseball Almanac".
6. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007

References

• 1972 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference