MORGAN, REDS POUND BUCS
2 HRs, 3B, 8 RBIs for Cincy 2B
PITTSBURGH, June 7 (AP) - Joe Morgan went 4-for-4, including a pair of home runs
and a triple, scored four times, drove in eight runs and reached base safely in
all six of his plate appearances as the Cincinnati Reds hammered Bruce Kison and
the Pittsburgh Pirates, 15-5, at Three Rivers Stadium. Morgan now leads
the National League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage,
runs scored, runs batted in, extra base hits and is second in home runs and
stolen bases. The eight runs batted in in a single game ties a major
league season high set by--you guessed it--Joe Morgan. The Reds second
baseman drove in eight runs on April 11 in a 19-2 bludgeoning of the Houston
Astros at Riverfront Stadium.
The Reds took the lead--one they would never surrender--in the top of the very
first inning when Morgan tripled home Ken Griffey from first base and scored
himself on Tony Perez's ground out. The Pirates got one of the runs back
in the bottom of the inning when Dave Parker's two-out single scored Richie
Hebner.
But the Reds put some distance between themselves and the Pirates in the third
when Morgan hit his first home run of the contest off Kison, with Pete Rose and
Griffey aboard. The three-run shot gave Cincinnati a 5-1 advantage.
Al Oliver's RBI single in the bottom of the third off Reds starter Jack
Billingham drew Pittsburgh to within three runs but Cincinnati blew the game
open once and for all in the fourth. Singles by Bill Plummer and
Billingham started the inning and chased Kison. Pirates manager Danny
Murtaugh was forced to dip into an already tired bullpen and summoned Ramon
Hernandez, who retired Rose on a fly ball. But Griffey walked to load the
bases and Morgan drew a free pass as well, forcing in Plummer. Perez then
unloaded the sacks with a three-run double to left-center field, putting the
Reds on top, 9-2. After an error, Cesar Geronimo's ground ball scored the
fifth and final run of the inning to give Cincinnati an eight-run cushion.
Willie Stargell's two-run homer in the eighth gave Pittsburgh a couple of
consolation tallies, but it seemed to merely make the Reds angry.
Cincinnati erupted for five more runs in the top of the ninth, capped by
Morgan's second three-run homer of the game. Billingham (5-4) tired late,
and surrendered one more run, but preserved the Reds bullpen by completing his
second game of the season.
6/7/1976, Cin76-Pit76, Three Rivers Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1976 Reds 2 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 5 15 17 1 8 2 1976 Pirates 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 9 1 6 0 Reds AB R H BI AVG Pirates AB R H BI AVG Rose 3b 5 2 3 0 .332 Stennett 2b 5 1 2 0 .199 Youngblood 3b 0 0 0 0 .158 Hebner 3b 5 1 1 0 .269 Griffey rf 5 4 3 2 .316 Oliver cf 4 1 3 1 .319 Morgan,J 2b 4 4 4 8 .388 Stargell 1b 4 1 1 2 .201 Flynn 2b 0 0 0 0 .217 Parker,D rf 4 0 1 1 .331 Perez,T 1b 6 1 2 4 .207 Robinson,Bi lf 3 1 0 0 .339 Foster,G lf 6 0 1 0 .296 Sanguillen c 2 0 1 0 .353 Geronimo cf 4 0 0 1 .321 Dyer pr 1 0 0 0 .351 Concepcion ss 5 0 1 0 .276 Taveras,F ss 3 0 0 1 .285 Plummer c 5 2 2 0 .250 Kison p 1 0 0 0 .167 Billingham p 4 2 1 0 .267 Hernandez,R p 0 0 0 0 .000 44 15 17 15 Kirkpatrick ph 1 0 0 0 .267 Giusti p 0 0 0 0 .000 Robertson ph 1 0 0 0 .156 Moose p 0 0 0 0 .500 Ott ph 0 0 0 0 .250 34 5 9 5 Reds INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Billingham W 5-4 9.0 9 5 5 3 2 128 78 4.98 9.0 9 5 5 3 2 128 78 Pirates INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Kison L 2-4 3.0 10 7 7 0 2 43 29 4.36 Hernandez,R 2.0 1 3 2 2 1 25 13 5.51 Giusti 2.0 3 0 0 1 1 29 18 2.96 Moose 2.0 3 5 5 3 2 52 29 5.48 9.0 17 15 14 6 6 149 89 Cin: Flynn inserted at 2b in the 9th Youngblood inserted at 3b in the 9th Pit: Kirkpatrick batted for Hernandez,R in the 5th Dyer ran for Sanguillen in the 7th Robertson batted for Giusti in the 7th Dyer moved to c in the 8th Ott batted for Moose in the 9th E-Concepcion, Hebner. 2B-Griffey(4), Perez,T(10), Foster,G(5), Stennett(13), Oliver(6). 3B-Rose(2), Morgan,J(3). HR-Morgan,J 2(16), Stargell(4). RBI-Griffey 2(17), Morgan,J 8(63), Perez,T 4(37), Geronimo(18), Oliver(28), Stargell 2(21), Parker,D(15), Taveras,F(13). SB-Griffey(10). CS-Concepcion. K-Perez,T 2, Foster,G 2, Plummer 2, Robinson,Bi, Robertson. BB-Rose, Griffey, Morgan,J 2, Geronimo, Billingham, Robinson,Bi, Sanguillen, Ott. SF-Taveras,F. WP-Billingham. GWRBI: Morgan,J Temperature: 83, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 9 MPH. Attendance: 19,022 Game Time: 2:37