10/5 TRS-PNC Park: Bucs Win in '71, '79; Lose Four Playoffs (Dang Reds!); Tracy Fired

• 1970 - Johnny Bench and Tony Perez homered of Bob Moose in the first inning and the Reds beat the Pirates 3-2 to sweep the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium. Cincinnati scored the lead run in the eighth after the Pirates had tied the game after two were out when a walk, single and Bobby Tolan knock plated the game winner. The Pirates collected 10 hits, but stranded a dozen runners. Willie Stargell went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI while Roberto Clemente, Al Oliver and Richie Hebner had two hits each. The Reds lost the World Series to Baltimore in five games. 

Richie Hebner 1971 Arco

• 1971 - Richie Hebner's homer off Juan Marichal in the eighth inning gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 victory over the Giants at TRS and a 2-1 lead in the NLCS. Bob Johnson went eight innings of five hit ball with seven K and Dave Giusti picked up the save. The Bucs’ first tally came in the second, on another solo blast, this one by Bob Robertson. For Hebner, it was an act of redemption; his throwing error on a bunt led to SF’s only score, an unearned sixth inning run. Robertson’s homer was his fourth if the series, setting a record. 
• 1974 - Don Sutton held Pittsburgh to four hits at TRS in the first game of the NLCS to claim a 3-0 win. It was a 1-0 duel between him and Jerry Reuss until the Dodgers added a pair of ninth inning tallies off of Dave Giusti. Willie Stargell had two of the Pirates four hits. Before today’s game, LA had been 0-6 at TRS during the regular season. 
• 1975 - Fred Norman limited the Bucs to five hits at Riverfront Stadium as the Cincinnati Reds easily took a two games to none lead in the NLCS by a 6-1 tally. Rennie Stennett and Richie Zisk had two knocks each; the only other Bucco hit was Willie Stargell’s RBI double. Jim Rooker took the loss, chased after just four innings. 

Willie Stargell 1979 Topps

• 1979 - The Pirates swept the NLCS, beating the Reds 7-1 at TRS behind Bert Blyleven, who went the distance for the series clincher. Willie Stargell, who homered, doubled and had three RBI, was named Series MVP. Bill Madlock also went long for the Bucs. 
• 1990 - The Reds tied the NLCS at a game with a 2-1 win at Riverfront Stadium as Tom Browning bested Doug Drabek. Paul O’Neill drove in both runs for Cincinnati, which only had five hits total; Chico Lind’s homer was it for Pittsburgh. 
• 2007 - The Pirates fired manager Jim Tracy after two years and a 135-189 (.417) record. He was replaced by John Russell. As part of the purge by new GM Neal Huntington, director of player development Brian Graham, scouting director Ed Creech, director of baseball operations Jon Mercurio and Tracy's entire coaching staff also lost their jobs.