This Sweet 16 matchup has the #12 seed California Angels vs #5 Cincinnati Reds. The Angels finished the season 87-75 and finished 2nd in the AL West. The Big Red Machine finished 92-69 and finished 2nd to the Dodgers in the NL West.
The Angels send righty Don Aase (11-8 4.03 Grade 5) to the mound while Cincinnati sends Tom Seaver (16-14 2.88 Grade 15).
Offenses come out early as the Angels get an RBI single by Lyman Bostock to make it 1-0. Reds would come back with 2 of their own in the bottom half, George Foster and Dan Driessen with RBI. The Reds would add another in the 2nd to make it 3-1.
Pitchers would settle down after that and the score would remain 3-1 until the top of the 8th as the Angels would scratch across another run. Sac fly by Carney Lansford is the RBI and the Reds would turn to Doug Bair to get out of the jam. His success in the 8th didn’t carry over to the 9th as with the score 3-2 Reds, the Angels explode on Bair for 4 in the 9th. Huge RBI hits by Merv Rettenmund and Rick Miller. The Reds couldn’t answer in the bottom half and the Angels take Game 1 6-3.
Final Score: Angels 6, Reds 3
WP: Dave LaRoche (1-0)
LP: Doug Bair (0-1)
Save: Paul Hartzell (1)
HR’s: None