1971 Cincinnati Reds

1971 Cincinnati Reds / Franchise: Cincinnati Reds / BR Team Page

Record: 79-83, Finished 5th in NL Western Division (1971 NL)

Managed by Sparky Anderson

Coaches: Alex Grammas, Ted Kluszewski, George Scherger and Larry Shepard

Ballpark: Riverfront Stadium

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1971 Cincinnati Reds were the only Reds team of the 1970s that finished under .500. Many of those teams won over 90 games, and in 1970, even before Joe Morgan came to the team, they had won 102 games.

The 1971 Reds, in spite of having a losing record, did score more runs than they gave up. However, Riverfront Stadium was a bit of a pitcher's park in 1971 and many of the players had off-seasons to add to the hitting disadvantage. Veteran Pete Rose had by far the highest batting average on the team, but was not among the National League leaders. Lee May's 39 home runs placed him third in the league.

Youngsters on the team included 23-year-old Johnny Bench, 22-year-old George Foster, and 23-year-old Dave Concepcion. On the pitching staff, there was the 20-year-old Don Gullett who went 16-6, and 21-year-old Ross Grimsley who went 10-7 in his rookie year.

It was Sparky Anderson's second year managing the team, in a string of nine seasons with the Reds before he moved for an even longer period to the Detroit Tigers.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Johnny Bench, Clay Carroll, Lee May and Pete Rose
• NL Gold Glove: Johnny Bench (C) and Tommy Helms (2B)
• Topps All-Star Rookie Team: Ross Grimsley