Led by Bobby Tolan, who collected five hits in 10 trips, the Reds defeated the Braves, 6-5 and 3-2, with the first game going 11 innings. In the lidlifter, Earl Williams hit a three-run homer in the seventh to put the Braves ahead, 5-3, but the Reds picked up a run on doubles by Denis Menke and Joe Hague in the eighth and tied the score when Tolan homered in the ninth. Tolan doubled with one out in the 11th and Johnny Bench was passed intentionally. Tony Perez then forced Bench at second, but when Felix Millan threw wildly to first in an attempt to complete the double play, Tolan scored the winning run.

In the nightcap, the Reds scored all their runs in the third inning on a walk to Bill Plummer, forceout by Ross Grimsley and singles by Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Tolan. Dusty Baker produced the Braves' runs with a homer in the ninth. [The Sporting News]



Cincinnati Reds 6, Atlanta Braves 5 (Game 1)
Game Played on Friday, August    4, 1972 (Night game) at Riverfront Stadium
Braves       1  0  0    0  1  0    3  0  0    0  0  -   5  7  2
Reds         0  0  2    0  1  0    0  1  1    0  1  -   6 17  3


Braves               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Brown rf              4   1   0   0     1   0   .209      Rose lf               6   2   4   0     0   0   .291
Garr lf               4   1   0   0     0   0   .322      Morgan 2b             6   0   1   1     0   0   .283
Baker cf              3   1   1   2     1   0   .311      Tolan cf              6   2   3   2     0   1   .292
Williams 1b,c         5   1   3   3     0   1   .277      Bench c               4   0   1   0     2   1   .278
Millan 2b             4   0   1   0     1   0   .251      Perez 1b              6   0   2   0     0   1   .279
Casanova c            4   0   0   0     0   2   .204      McRae 3b              3   0   1   0     0   2   .281
  Lum ph,1b           1   0   0   0     0   0   .231        Menke 3b            2   1   2   0     0   0   .229
Evans 3b              5   0   1   0     0   2   .254      Foster rf             3   0   0   0     0   1   .226
Perez ss              5   0   0   0     0   1   .223        Hague ph            1   0   1   1     0   0   .226
Stone p               1   0   0   0     1   0   .000        Chaney pr,ss        0   0   0   0     0   0   .275
  Blanks ph           1   1   1   0     0   0   .440      Concepcion ss         1   0   1   0     2   0   .201
  Kelley p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .103        Uhlaender ph,rf     1   0   1   0     1   0   .167
  Hardin p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .071      Hall p                3   1   0   0     0   1   .053
  Hoerner p           1   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Geronimo ph         0   0   0   0     0   0   .271
  Jarvis p            1   0   0   0     0   1   .167        Javier ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .227
                                                            Carroll p           1   0   0   0     0   0   .167

Totals               39   5   7   5     4   8             Totals               44   6  17   4     5   7

Time of Game: 2:57
Left on Base: Braves 7, Reds 12
DP: Braves 4, Reds 1
Errors: Millan, Stone, McRae, Foster, Concepcion
Doubles: Blanks (3), Williams (20), Morgan (12), Perez (21), Menke (11), Hague (9), Tolan (23)
Home Runs: Williams (18), Tolan (6)
Caught Stealing: Bench (5)
Sacrifice Hits: Garr (6), Chaney (2)
Sacrifice Flies: Baker (6)
GIDP: Perez (16), Foster (5), Bench (11)


Braves                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Stone                   6     9   3   1   2   5   0  27   4.78
Kelley                  1     3   1   1   1   1   0   7   4.43
Hardin                  0     1   0   0   0   0   0   1   3.63
Hoerner                 1.1   2   1   1   0   0   1   5   3.93
Jarvis L(9-5)           2.1   2   1   0   2   1   0  10   3.78
Totals                 10.2  17   6   3   5   7   1  50

Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hall                    8     6   5   3   4   6   1  35   2.53
Carroll W(5-3)          3     1   0   0   0   2   0  10   1.98
Totals                 11     7   5   3   4   8   1  45

Umpires: HP - Mel Steiner, 1B - Bill Williams, 2B - Dick Stello, 3B - Ed Sudol


BRAVES 1ST: Brown walked; Garr reached on an error by McRae on a
sacrifice bunt [Brown to third, Garr to second]; Baker hit a
sacrifice fly to center [Brown scored (unearned)]; Williams
popped to first; Millan walked; Casanova flied out to left; 1 R
(0 ER), 0 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 1, Reds 0.

REDS 1ST: Rose singled to center; Morgan forced Rose (second to
shortstop); Tolan flied out to center; Bench was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 1, Reds 0.

BRAVES 2ND: Evans struck out; Perez was called out on strikes;
Stone walked; Brown flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Braves 1, Reds 0.

REDS 2ND: Perez popped to second; McRae singled to center;
Foster grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to
first) [McRae out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 1,
Reds 0.

BRAVES 3RD: Garr grounded out (third to first); Baker flied out
to right; Williams struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 1,
Reds 0.

REDS 3RD: Concepcion singled to center; On a bunt Hall forced
Concepcion (third to shortstop); Rose singled to center [Hall to
second]; Morgan reached on an error by Stone [Hall scored
(unearned) (no RBI), Rose to third, Morgan to first]; Tolan
forced Morgan (second to shortstop) [Rose scored (unearned)];
Bench flied out to right; 2 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Braves
1, Reds 2.

BRAVES 4TH: Millan singled to left; Casanova struck out; Evans
flied out to center; Perez forced Millan (third to second); 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 1, Reds 2.

REDS 4TH: Perez singled to third; McRae struck out; Foster
grounded out (first unassisted) [Perez to second]; Concepcion
was walked intentionally; Hall struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
 Braves 1, Reds 2.

BRAVES 5TH: Stone grounded out (pitcher to first); Brown flied
out to center; Garr reached on an error by Concepcion [Garr to
second]; Baker singled to left [Garr scored (unearned)];
Williams singled to center [Baker to second]; Millan grounded
out (shortstop to first); 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Braves
2, Reds 2.

REDS 5TH: Rose singled to left; Morgan doubled to center [Rose
scored, Morgan out at third (center to second to third to
first)]; Tolan singled to right; Bench grounded into a double
play (third to second to first) [Tolan out at second]; 1 R, 3 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 2, Reds 3.

BRAVES 6TH: Casanova flied out to right; Evans struck out; Perez
flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 2, Reds 3.

REDS 6TH: Perez doubled to left; McRae struck out; Foster struck
out; Concepcion was walked intentionally; Hall grounded out
(pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 2, Reds 3.

BRAVES 7TH: MENKE REPLACED MCRAE (PLAYING 3B); BLANKS BATTED FOR
STONE; Blanks doubled to left; Brown grounded out (third to
first); Garr flied out to left; Baker walked; Williams homered
[Blanks scored, Baker scored]; Millan flied out to center; 3 R,
2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 5, Reds 3.

REDS 7TH: KELLEY REPLACED BLANKS (PITCHING); Rose singled to
shortstop; Morgan popped to catcher in foul territory; Tolan
struck out; Bench walked [Rose to second]; Perez forced Bench
(third to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 5, Reds 3.

BRAVES 8TH: Casanova struck out; Evans singled to left; Foster
dropped a foul fly hit by Perez for an error; Perez grounded
into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Evans out at
second]; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 5, Reds 3.

REDS 8TH: Menke doubled to left; HAGUE BATTED FOR FOSTER; Hague
doubled to left [Menke scored]; CHANEY RAN FOR HAGUE; UHLAENDER
BATTED FOR CONCEPCION; HARDIN REPLACED KELLEY (PITCHING); On a
bunt Uhlaender singled [Chaney to third]; GERONIMO BATTED FOR
HALL; HOERNER REPLACED HARDIN (PITCHING); JAVIER BATTED FOR
GERONIMO; Javier hit into a double play (right to catcher)
[Uhlaender to second, Chaney out at home]; Rose grounded out
(shortstop to first); 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 5, Reds 4.

BRAVES 9TH: CHANEY STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); UHLAENDER STAYED
IN GAME (PLAYING RF); CARROLL REPLACED JAVIER (PITCHING);
Hoerner struck out; Brown grounded out (third to first); Garr
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 5,
Reds 4.

REDS 9TH: Morgan flied out to left; Tolan homered; Bench singled
to left; JARVIS REPLACED HOERNER (PITCHING); Perez struck out
while Bench was caught stealing second (catcher to second); 1 R,
2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 5, Reds 5.

BRAVES 10TH: Baker flied out to left; Williams doubled to left;
Millan popped to second; LUM BATTED FOR CASANOVA; Lum flied out
to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 5, Reds 5.

REDS 10TH: LUM STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 1B); WILLIAMS CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING C ); Menke singled to left; Chaney out on a
sacrifice bunt (first to second) [Menke to second]; Uhlaender
was walked intentionally; Carroll popped to shortstop; Rose
popped to catcher in foul territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Braves 5, Reds 5.

BRAVES 11TH: Evans grounded out (second to first); Perez
grounded out (pitcher to first); Jarvis struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Braves 5, Reds 5.

REDS 11TH: Morgan grounded out (first unassisted); Tolan doubled
to right; Bench was walked intentionally; Perez forced Bench
(shortstop to second) [Tolan scored (error by Millan) (unearned)
(no RBI), Perez to first]; 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Braves
5, Reds 6.