Great Lakes bracket: 1973 Reds defeat 2019 Blue Jays in six games

Game One: Reds 4, Blue Jays 2
WP: Carroll (1-0)
LP: Boshers (0-1)
Save: Borbon (1)
HR: Bench (1)

Game Two: Reds 9, Blue Jays 3
WP: Grimsley (1-0)
LP: Font (0-1)
HR: Grichuk (1), L Gurriel (1), Morgan (1), Bench (2)

Game Three: Reds 5, Blue Jays 1
WP: Norman (1-0)
LP: Thornton (0-1)
HR: L Gurriel (2)

Game Four: Blue Jays 2, Reds 1
WP: Waguspack (1-0)
LP: Gullett (0-1)
Save: Giles (1)
HR: Jansen (1)

Game Five: Blue Jays 6, Reds 5
WP: Pannone (1-0)
LP: Hall (0-1)
Save: Giles (2)
HR: Perez (1), Kosco (1)

Game Six: Reds 3, Blue Jays 2
WP: Grimsley (2-0)
LP: Stroman (0-1)
Save: Borbon (2)
HR: Jansen (2)

Toronto's bloodline-laden lineup matched the Big Red Machine in long balls but couldn't match Cincinnati's starting pitchers.

Game One, played out in Riverfront Stadium, came down to the bullpens.  The visitors dinged Jack Billingham for solo runs in the first and third innings. Cincinnati loaded the bases against Marcus Stroman in the sixth with one out, and Dan Driessen singled into runs off Buddy Boshers to tie it at 2. Boshers left in the eighth after allowing a leadoff hit to Joe Morgan, and Johnny Bench greeted Justin Shafer with a two-run homer. Clay Carroll got the last out of the top of the eighth and was credited with the win.

Morgan and Bench hit back-to-back homers in a five-run seventh in Game Two's rout. Ross Grimsley allowed one run on four hits in six innings for the win. Pete Rose singled, doubled, walked twice, scored a run and drove in a pair, and Morgan also had two hits, two walks, a steal, a run and two RBIs.

The Reds made it three straight in 2019's Rogers Centre behind Fred Norman's seven innings of five-hit ball. Bobby Tolan tripled and doubled for two RBIs and a run. Rose had three more hits, one a triple, and scored twice.

The Jays avoided the sweep in Game Four. Jacob Waguespack allowed one run and two hits in seven innings, and Tim Mayza and Ken Giles each worked a scoreless frame. Danny Jansen homered off loser Don Gullett, and Randall Grichuk singled in Toronto's winning run.

The Jays followed with another win, even though Tony Perez and Andy Kosco hit consecutive homers as the Reds peppered Clayton Richard for five runs in 3.1 innings. The Jays scored the next six runs, three of them unearned, and Thomas Pannone worked 3.3 scoreless innings of relief for the win.

The Reds wrapped up the series at home in Game Six, with Grimsley turning in six innings of shutout ball. Carroll, handed a 3-0 lead in the seventh, promptly gave up a two-run homer to Jansen, but he threw a scoreless eighth, and Pedro Borbon allowed only a walk in the ninth to close out the game and the series. Two of Cincinnait's runs were unearned.

Player availability: Cincinnati has no injuries and a fresh bullpen for the second round

Projected rotation: Billingham-Norman-Gullett-Grimsley-(Billingham)-(Norman)-(Gullett).