Wednesday, October 25, 2000
1975 World Series: Game 3
Fisk, Armbrister go 'bump' in night
Oct.14, 1975, at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati.
This one began as a catcher's duel. Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox opened the scoring with a solo home run off Gary Nolan, and the Reds' Johnny Bench responded with a two-run blast off Rick Wise in the fourth.
The Reds were leading 5-2 in the seventh when former Red Bernie Carbo pinch-hit a HR off Clay Carroll. Dwight Evans hit a two-run HR off Reds closer Rawly Eastwick in the top of the ninth to tie it 5-5.
After Cesar Geronimo singled in the bottom of the 10th, Reds manager Sparky Anderson sent Ed Armbrister up to pinch-hit. He bunted a high-bounding ball into the dirt in front of home plate.
Armbrister hesitated for a split-second before running, which caused a simultaneous bump between him and Fisk, who had flipped off his mask and lunged forward to grab the ball. Fisk then took another step forward to clear himself of Armbrister, then threw to second base, trying to force out Geronimo. The throw sailed into center field.
Instead of getting a double play, the Red Sox faced runners on second and third with nobody out. Despite a heated protest by the Sox they argued that Armbrister interfered with Fisk the umpires ruled in favor of the Reds.
Three batters later, the Reds won when Joe Morgan hit a long fly ball over the head of drawn-in center fielder Fred Lynn.
What if the umpire's no-interference call on Armbrister had gone the other way?
I'd have gone insane, Anderson said.
John Erardi
Reds Stories
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