Cincinnati Reds: Joe Morgan’s 3 greatest postseason moments

Reds great Joe Morgan was at his best during the month of October.

For a player who was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a 10-time All-Star with a couple of MVPs on his resumé, playoff success did not come easy for Cincinnati Reds legend Joe Morgan. As a matter of fact, Morgan struggled in the postseason for the majority of his career.

Playing in 50 postseason games for the Reds, Astros and Phillies during his career, Morgan slashed only .182/.323/.348. That’s not the Little Joe that Reds Country remembers. Believe it or not, he played in two NLCS series with the Reds where he failed to get a hit in 18 combined at-bats. However, in true Joe Morgan fashion, he managed a .333 on-base percentage in those series.

Nevertheless, even if Morgan wasn’t hitting to his normal standards, he still found ways to alter the game. In 37 playoff games for the Cincinnati Reds, Morgan swiped 14 bases in 16 attempts and drew 27 bases on balls. As a result, he provided plenty of opportunities for Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and George Foster to drive in runs.

When you play on one of the greatest teams ever assembled, even a player as sensational as Joe Morgan can be overlooked at times. Just ask the New York Yankees. During the 1976 Fall Classic sweep of the Bronx Bombers, Morgan put on a clinic, but the series MVP trophy went to Bench who was equally spectacular.

Despite the occasional struggles in October, Morgan delivered huge playoff highlights and it can be argued maybe the biggest hit in Cincinnati Reds history. Here are three instances in which Joe Morgan’s greatness extended into the postseason.

Joe Morgan’s impact in his first postseason action with the Reds.

Entering Game 2 of the 1972 NLCS, the Reds were in a must-win situation. The National League East Champion Pittsburgh Pirates hammered the Reds taking the opener 5-1 at Three Rivers Stadium. Before the series shifted to Cincinnati, it was imperative the Reds capture one game in the Steel City in the best of five series.

The Redlegs wasted no time in Game 2, jumping all over Pirates starter Bob Moose. Pete Rose led off the game with a single to right and Joe Morgan followed suit as well sending Rose to third base while of course taking second base on the throw to third base. It was a classic Joe Morgan play.

A trio of doubles followed in quick succession from Bobby Tolan, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez before Moose was lifted without recording an out and the Reds leading 4-0. The Big Red Machine was rolling, but there was still work to be done.

After the Pirates cut the Cincinnati lead in half, the Reds came to the plate in the eighth inning leading just 4-2. However, Morgan was not about to let this victory escape the Cincinnati Reds. Following a Rose groundout, Morgan took Pittsburgh reliever Ramon Hernandez deep giving the Reds a 5-2 lead and helped seal a Cincinnati win.

In his postseason series debut, Joe Morgan would collect five hits in 19 at-bats while adding two home runs and three RBIs. Little Joe’s performance helped the Reds win their second NL pennant in three seasons as the Redlegs would plate two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning in the deciding Game 5 to rally for a 4-3 victory before moving on to face the Oakland A’s in the 1972 World Series.

Little Joe comes up big for the Reds.

First of all, we have to give some credit to Tony Perez. Trailing 3-0 entering the top of the sixth, the Big Doggie’s towering two-run shot over the Green Monster brought the Reds within striking distance before Pete Rose would tie the contest an inning later with a single to centerfield setting the stage for Joe Morgan’s greatest moment.

With the score tied at three entering the ninth inning, the Cincinnati Reds were sending up the bottom third of the order to face Red Sox reliever Jim Burton. Ken Griffey led off the inning by drawing a base on balls on a full count pitch before a sacrifice bunt by Cesar Geronimo moved him into scoring position.

Dan Driessen would be retired on a grounder to second base for the second out of inning and moving Griffey to third. Now the Reds had the top of the order coming to the plate with the potential World Series winning run just 90 feet away.  Rose worked Burton to another full count before drawing a walk and putting runners at the corner for the soon-to-be MVP Joe Morgan.

Burton would jump ahead of Morgan with a 1-2 count and was one strike away from extinguishing the Reds threat. However, as Morgan has recited the story many times over the years, there was no doubt in his mind he would deliver a hit and he did exactly that.

While his single to center that dropped in front of a charging Fred Lynn would never be described as a rocket, it was enough to plate Griffey and give the Reds a 4-3 lead. Left-handed reliever Will McEnany set the Red Sox down in order in the bottom of the ninth as Cesar Geronimo camped under Carl Yaztremski’s fly ball to left-center for the final out giving the Reds their first championship in 35 years.

Baseball has been and continues to be a strange game. In what other major American sport could a 5-7, 160-pound player deliver the biggest moment in a franchise’s history? The answer is zero because there’s only one Joe Morgan.