Johnny Bench raised his major league-leading RBI total to 61 by doubling home one run in a four-run third, and hitting a three-run homer in the seventh as the Reds rapped the Braves, 8-4. Bill Plummer, filling in behind the plate while Bench took a "breather" in the outfield, whacked a two-run homer in the third when the Reds routed rookie starter Jamie Easterly and drove in another run with a single in the sixth.

Jack Billingham, staked to an 8-1 lead, got his eighth victory in 11 decisions, although needing relief help in the eighth when Atlanta rallied for three runs, two of them singled home by Mike Lum, who had hit a solo homer in the second. [The Sporting News]



Cincinnati Reds 8, Atlanta Braves 4
Game Played on Monday, June      23, 1975 (Night game) at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Reds         0  0  4    0  0  1    3  0  0  -   8 11  0
Braves       0  1  0    0  0  0    0  3  0  -   4 12  1


Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Braves               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Rose 3b               5   1   1   0     0   0   .317      Garr lf               4   1   2   0     0   0   .267
  Flynn 3b            0   0   0   0     0   0   .250        Gaston ph           1   0   0   0     0   1   .221
Concepcion ss         4   1   3   0     1   0   .281      Perez 2b              5   1   2   0     0   0   .287
Morgan 2b             5   2   2   1     0   1   .354      Baker rf              5   0   2   0     0   0   .237
Bench rf              5   1   2   4     0   1   .302      May cf                4   1   0   0     1   0   .286
Perez 1b              3   1   0   0     1   0   .249      Evans 3b              4   0   0   0     0   1   .254
Foster lf             5   0   0   0     0   0   .265      Lum 1b                4   1   2   3     0   0   .232
Geronimo cf           3   1   1   0     1   0   .306      Blanks ss             3   0   2   1     0   1   .262
Plummer c             4   1   2   3     0   0   .226      Pocoroba c            3   0   0   0     1   0   .259
Billingham p          4   0   0   0     0   2   .091      Easterly p            1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  McEnaney p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Leon p              1   0   1   0     0   0   .667
                                                            Sadecki p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .250
                                                            Goodson ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .197
                                                            Sosa p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .111
                                                            Gilbreath ph        1   0   1   0     0   0   .240

Totals               38   8  11   8     3   4             Totals               37   4  12   4     2   3

Time of Game: 2:25   Attendance:  8,537
Left on Base: Reds 7, Braves 9
DP: Reds 2, Braves 1
Errors: Blanks
Doubles: Bench (28)
Triples: Blanks (3)
Home Runs: Plummer (1), Bench (15), Lum (3)
Stolen Bases: Concepcion (14), Morgan (30)
GIDP: Foster (7), Baker (6), Pocoroba (2)
Hit by Pitch: Perez (2,by Leon), Blanks (2,by Billingham)


Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Billingham W(8-3)       7.1   8   4   4   2   1   1  31   3.65
McEnaney                1.2   4   0   0   0   2   0   9   1.71
Totals                  9    12   4   4   2   3   1  40

Braves                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Easterly L(0-1)         2.2   5   4   4   0   1   1  13   4.66
Leon                    3.2   4   4   3   2   1   1  19   4.40
Sadecki                 0.2   0   0   0   0   0   0   2   4.40
Sosa                    2     2   0   0   1   2   0   8   3.86
Totals                  9    11   8   7   3   4   2  42

Hit by Pitch: Billingham (6), Leon (1)

Umpires: HP - Shag Crawford, 1B - John Kibler, 2B - Dick Stello, 3B - Jerry Dale


REDS 1ST: Rose grounded out (shortstop to first); Concepcion
grounded out (first unassisted); Morgan grounded out (shortstop
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 0, Braves 0.

BRAVES 1ST: Garr grounded out (third to first); Perez grounded
out (second to first); Baker grounded out (third to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 0, Braves 0.

REDS 2ND: Bench flied out to left; Perez grounded out (third to
first); Foster grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Reds 0, Braves 0.

BRAVES 2ND: May grounded out (shortstop to first); Evans flied
out to right; Lum homered; Blanks tripled to right; Pocoroba
walked; Easterly grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Reds 0, Braves 1.

REDS 3RD: Geronimo singled; Plummer homered [Geronimo scored];
Billingham was called out on strikes; Rose singled to center;
Concepcion singled to right [Rose to third]; Morgan forced
Concepcion (first to shortstop) [Rose scored]; Bench doubled
[Morgan scored]; LEON REPLACED EASTERLY (PITCHING); Perez flied
out to right; 4 R, 5 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 4, Braves 1.

BRAVES 3RD: Garr flied out to left; Perez singled to shortstop;
Baker grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first)
[Perez out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4, Braves 1.

REDS 4TH: Foster grounded out (third to first); Geronimo out on
an unknown play; Plummer out on an unknown play; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Reds 4, Braves 1.

BRAVES 4TH: May flied out to center; Evans popped to third; Lum
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds
4, Braves 1.

REDS 5TH: Billingham grounded out (pitcher to first); Rose
popped to shortstop; Concepcion walked; Concepcion stole second;
Morgan was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 4,
Braves 1.

BRAVES 5TH: Blanks was hit by a pitch; Pocoroba grounded into a
double play (second to shortstop to first) [Blanks out at
second]; Leon singled; Garr singled to center [Leon to second];
Perez flied out to center; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 4, Braves
1.

REDS 6TH: Bench grounded out (second to first); Perez reached on
an error by Blanks [Perez to first]; Foster flied out to center;
Geronimo walked [Perez to second]; Plummer singled [Perez scored
(unearned), Geronimo to second]; Billingham forced Plummer
(second to shortstop); 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 5,
Braves 1.

BRAVES 6TH: Baker singled to left; May flied out to center;
Evans flied out to center; Lum flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Reds 5, Braves 1.

REDS 7TH: Rose flied out to left; Concepcion singled to left;
Morgan singled to second [Concepcion to second]; Bench homered
[Concepcion scored, Morgan scored]; Perez was hit by a pitch;
SADECKI REPLACED LEON (PITCHING); Foster flied out to center;
Geronimo grounded out (first unassisted); 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Reds 8, Braves 1.

BRAVES 7TH: Blanks struck out; Pocoroba grounded out (second to
first); GOODSON BATTED FOR SADECKI; Goodson flied out to left; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 8, Braves 1.

REDS 8TH: SOSA REPLACED GOODSON (PITCHING); Plummer flied out to
center; Billingham struck out; Rose out on an unknown play; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 8, Braves 1.

BRAVES 8TH: FLYNN REPLACED ROSE (PLAYING 3B); Garr singled to
shortstop; Perez singled to center [Garr to second]; Baker flied
out to center; May walked [Garr to third, Perez to second];
MCENANEY REPLACED BILLINGHAM (PITCHING); Evans was called out on
strikes; Lum singled to right [Garr scored, Perez scored, May to
second]; Blanks singled to left [May scored, Lum to second];
Pocoroba flied out to left; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 8,
Braves 4.

REDS 9TH: Concepcion singled; Morgan singled to right
[Concepcion to third]; Morgan stole second; Bench struck out;
Perez was walked intentionally; Foster grounded into a double
play (third to second to first) [Perez out at second]; 0 R, 2 H,
0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 8, Braves 4.

BRAVES 9TH: GILBREATH BATTED FOR SOSA; Gilbreath singled to
shortstop; GASTON BATTED FOR GARR; Gaston struck out; Perez
flied out to left; Baker singled [Gilbreath to second]; May
grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 8,
Braves 4.