The Reds, last year's champions but already counted out of this year's race, came from behind to defeat the Giants, 6-5, cutting the Frisco crew's West division lead to two games over the Dodgers. The Giants knocked out Ross Grimsley in the first inning, scoring three runs on singles by Ken Henderson and Tito Fuentes, a double by Bobby Bonds and single by Willie McCovey. A walk to McCovey, single by Dave Kingman and two infield outs made it 4-0 in the fourth.

George Foster homered to open the fifth, sparking the Reds' comeback. Two more runs followed on a walk to Ty Cline and singles by Pete Rose, Tommy Helms and Lee May. The Reds tied the score in the sixth on a single by Bernie Carbo, an error, a sacrifice and a balk by Jerry Johnson, allowing pinch-runner Buddy Bradford to cross the plate. Then, in the seventh, May singled and Johnny Bench smashed a homer to send the Reds ahead. The Giants rallied for a run in the ninth on a one-out single by Jim Ray Hart and double by Willie Mays, but Clay Carroll retired Henderson on a grounder and struck out Fuentes to nail down his victory in relief. [The Sporting News]



Cincinnati Reds 6, San Francisco Giants 5
Game Played on Friday, September 24, 1971 (Night game) at Riverfront Stadium
Giants       3  0  0    1  0  0    0  0  1  -   5 10  1
Reds         0  0  0    0  3  1    2  0  x  -   6 10  0


Giants               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Henderson cf          4   1   1   0     1   1   .262      Rose rf               4   1   2   0     1   0   .304
Fuentes 2b            5   1   1   0     0   1   .265      Helms 2b              4   0   1   1     1   0   .262
Bonds rf              4   1   2   2     0   1   .289      May 1b                4   1   2   0     0   1   .279
McCovey 1b            3   1   2   1     1   0   .267      Perez 3b              4   0   1   1     0   1   .269
Kingman lf            4   0   1   0     0   2   .260        Concepcion ss       0   0   0   0     0   0   .204
Gallagher 3b          4   0   0   0     0   1   .280      Bench c               4   1   1   2     0   1   .239
  Lanier 3b           0   0   0   0     0   0   .228      Carbo lf              3   0   1   0     0   0   .221
Speier ss             4   0   0   1     0   0   .236        Bradford pr,lf      1   1   0   0     0   0   .188
Healy c               3   0   0   0     0   1   .280      Foster cf             4   1   1   1     0   0   .246
  Hart ph             1   1   1   0     0   0   .263      Woodward ss,3b        3   0   1   0     0   0   .251
Carrithers p          2   0   0   0     0   1   .176      Grimsley p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .102
  J. Johnson p        1   0   1   0     0   0   .182        McGlothlin p        1   0   0   0     0   0   .137
  Mays ph             1   0   1   1     0   0   .277        Cline ph            0   1   0   0     1   0   .198
                                                            Sprague p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Smith ph            1   0   0   0     0   1   .170
                                                            Carroll p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .100

Totals               36   5  10   5     2   8             Totals               33   6  10   5     3   4

Time of Game: 2:32   Attendance: 17,105
Left on Base: Giants 6, Reds 8
DP: Giants 0, Reds 1
Errors: Fuentes
Doubles: Bonds (31), J. Johnson (1), Mays (22), May (17)
Home Runs: Foster (12), Bench (27)
Sacrifice Hits: Woodward (8), Carroll (3)
GIDP: Gallagher (15)


Giants                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Carrithers              4.1   5   3   3   2   0   1  20   4.03
J. Johnson L(12-8)      3.2   5   3   2   1   4   1  18   2.93
Totals                  8    10   6   5   3   4   2  38

Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Grimsley                0     4   3   3   0   0   0   4   3.56
McGlothlin              5     1   1   1   1   3   0  16   3.22
Sprague                 1     1   0   0   0   2   0   4   0.00
Carroll W(10-4)         3     4   1   1   1   3   0  14   2.43
Totals                  9    10   5   5   2   8   0  38

Passed Balls: Bench 2 (6)
Wild Pitches: Carrithers (7)
Balks: J. Johnson (1)

Umpires: HP - Jerry Dale, 1B - Augie Donatelli, 2B - Ed Vargo, 3B - Doug Harvey


GIANTS 1ST: Henderson singled to center; Fuentes singled to left
[Henderson to second]; Bonds doubled to right [Henderson scored,
Fuentes scored, Bonds to third (on throw)]; McCovey singled
[Bonds scored]; MCGLOTHLIN REPLACED GRIMSLEY (PITCHING); Kingman
struck out; Gallagher grounded into a double play (second to
shortstop to first) [McCovey out at second]; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Giants 3, Reds 0.

REDS 1ST: Rose grounded out (pitcher to first); Helms walked;
May flied out to center; Perez flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Giants 3, Reds 0.

GIANTS 2ND: Speier grounded out (third to first); Healy grounded
out (second to first); Carrithers grounded out (third to first);
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 3, Reds 0.

REDS 2ND: Bench flied out to center; Carbo made an out to
shortstop; Foster flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Giants 3, Reds 0.

GIANTS 3RD: Henderson grounded out (second to first); Fuentes
made an out to second; Bonds grounded out (shortstop to first);
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 3, Reds 0.

REDS 3RD: Woodward grounded out (shortstop to first); McGlothlin
grounded out (second to first); Rose singled to center; Helms
forced Rose (second unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants
3, Reds 0.

GIANTS 4TH: McCovey walked; Kingman singled to left [McCovey to
second]; Gallagher forced Kingman (shortstop to second) [McCovey
to third]; Speier grounded out (pitcher to shortstop to first)
[Gallagher to second, McCovey scored]; Healy grounded out
(shortstop to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 0.

REDS 4TH: May doubled to left; Perez made an out to second;
Bench grounded out (shortstop to first); Carrithers threw a wild
pitch [May to third]; Carbo flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 0.

GIANTS 5TH: Carrithers struck out; Henderson struck out; Fuentes
grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 4,
Reds 0.

REDS 5TH: Foster homered; Woodward flied out to right; CLINE
BATTED FOR MCGLOTHLIN; Cline walked; Rose singled to right
[Cline to second]; Helms singled [Rose to second, Cline scored];
J. JOHNSON REPLACED CARRITHERS (PITCHING); May was called out on
strikes; Perez singled [Helms to second, Rose scored]; Bench
struck out; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 3.

GIANTS 6TH: SPRAGUE REPLACED CLINE (PITCHING); Bonds singled to
center; McCovey flied out to center; Kingman struck out;
Gallagher struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 3.

REDS 6TH: Carbo singled; BRADFORD RAN FOR CARBO; Foster reached
on an error by Fuentes (assist by Gallagher) [Bradford to
second]; Woodward out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second)
[Foster to second, Bradford to third]; SMITH BATTED FOR SPRAGUE;
J. Johnson balked [Foster to third, Bradford scored (unearned)];
Smith struck out; Rose grounded out (second to first); 1 R (0
ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 4.

GIANTS 7TH: CARROLL REPLACED SMITH (PITCHING); BRADFORD STAYED
IN GAME (PLAYING LF); Speier grounded out (third to first);
Healy struck out; J. Johnson doubled to left; Henderson was
walked intentionally; Fuentes grounded out (pitcher to first); 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 4.

REDS 7TH: Helms flied out to left; May singled; Perez struck
out; Bench homered [May scored]; Bradford grounded out
(shortstop to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 6.

GIANTS 8TH: Bonds was called out on strikes; McCovey singled to
center; Kingman forced McCovey (third to second); Bench allowed
a passed ball [Kingman to second]; Gallagher flied out to
center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 6.

REDS 8TH: LANIER REPLACED GALLAGHER (PLAYING 3B); Foster flied
out to right; Woodward singled to right; Carroll out on a
sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second) [Woodward to second]; Rose
was walked intentionally; Helms flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Giants 4, Reds 6.

GIANTS 9TH: CONCEPCION REPLACED PEREZ (PLAYING SS); WOODWARD
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING 3B); Speier grounded out (third to
first); HART BATTED FOR HEALY; Hart singled to center; MAYS
BATTED FOR J. JOHNSON; Bench allowed a passed ball [Hart to
second]; Mays doubled to right [Hart scored]; Henderson grounded
out (shortstop to first) [Mays to third]; Fuentes struck out; 1
R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 5, Reds 6.