Will McEnaney recorded the final outs for Cincinnati in both 1975, and 1976. The Big Red Machine relied on their left-handed relieve to get the key outs.
There was a strong Will for the Reds in 1975. McEnaney had first reached the bigs in 1974 with Cincinnati (But they didn't make the postseason despite 98 wins). The team itself wasn't an easy one for a relief pitcher to fit into, due in part to the fact the franchise had it all. Including the bullpen. Six starting pitchers won ten or more games.
Despite that, no Red pitcher won twenty on the '75 Cincinnati Reds. That's because the bullpen was so solid that season. All the main relievers had earned run averages under three. Where did Will McEnaney fit in? He wasn't the closer (Rawley Eastwick was), but he posted a great ERA that year, won five games and saved eleven.
But come postseason, Will had a setback.
It was during a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in game of the best-of-five National League Championship Series that the lefty made his lone appearance at that stage.
Looking to put the finishing touches on a Reds' sweep of the Pirates, Will got the ball in the bottom of the eight frame at Three Rivers Stadium. The visitors were up 3-2. Will got off to a promising start. It was not only a 1-2-3 inning, but Pittsburgh didn't get it out of the infield.
But then, in the ninth, the wheels came off the chariot. Willie Stargell greeted McEnaney with a leadoff single. Dave Parker struck out. Cincy needed just two more outs. But Parker was the last batter McEnaney faced. Rawley Eastwick came in, only for Ritchie Zisk to welcome him to the party with a single. Uh-oh. Eastwick got the next batter out. But a pair of walks not only tied the game 3-3, but loaded 'em up. Rennie Stennett flew out to Cesar Geronimo to end that.
The Reds ended up winning it in extras, to advance to the October Classic. There, it was the Boston Red Sox standing in the way of the National League champs first world crown in 35 years.
Game one was a pitcher's duel between Cincinnati's Don Gullett and Boston's Luis Tiant. But Tiant lead off the last of the eighth with a single, which soon led to Gullett's departure. The home team pushed two runs across and Don was only able to get one out. Trailing 2-0, Cincinnati turned to Will McEnaney. But it just wasn't his day either.
The bases were loaded when Will entered. He fanned Fred Lynn. Two away. Alas, Boston wasn't finished. Rico Petrocelli, Rick Burleson and Cecil Cooper all singled. It was 6-0, Red Sox. Tiant, who'd started the carnage, finished it by popping out to Tony Perez at first. Will needed just twelve pitches to get through the top of the eighth 1-2-3, but the game was already over.
Game two went better for McEnaney and the Reds. Will had an easy 1-2-3 seventh, and Cincinnati overcame a strong performance by Boston starter Bill Lee to win, 3-2. Back at home in Riverfront Stadium, the Reds won 6-5 in extras. But not with much help from McEnaney. Though he pitched 1 2/3 innings, Will was nicked for a run. Curiosly, the left-hander picked up a hold in not only this contest, but also game one. He certainly did hold Boston in check in either game.
That changed in game six, but McEnaney shouldn't have been needed. The visiting Reds had the home team down 6-3 after seven at Fenway. But Bernie Carbo hit a dramatic pinch hit, three-run home run to tie it off Rawley Eastwick. Carbo had taken Clay Carroll outta the park in game three, also as a pinch hitter.
Eastwick did not get it back together in the last of the ninth. Denny Doyle walked and Carl Yastrzemki singled. Two one, no outs. The call went to the Reds' bullpen. Will McEnaney came into to put out Eastwick's fire. Doyle was ninety feet away. Carlton Fisk was up there. Will put him on first. Fred Lynn flied out to George Foster in left. Doyle broke for home...OUT! There was still two on. But Rico Petrocelli grounded out. McEnaney was removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the tenth. The home team prevailed on Fisk's walk-off home run off Pat Darcy in the last of the twelfth, the ball hitting the foul pole in left.
So, it was on to the winner-take all game seven in Fenway. And it seemed like the Boston Red Sox were ready to show off to the Fenway faithful that they were bringin' it all home for the first time since 1918.
Boston had a run in and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth. Don Gullett walked in a run as Rico Petrocelli looked at ball four. Then, Dwight Evans walked. 3-0, Red Sox. Gullett had a scary fourth inning, too. Bill Lee, protecting the 3-0 lead, singled to start it. Bernie Carbo was back up, as he was in the starting lineup this contest. Well, Gullett threw a wild pitch. If Carbo comes through with a hit, it's 4-0. Gullett settled down. Carbo grounded out. Okay, Lee was now ninety feet away. However, Don pitched out the frame as Denny Doyle grounded out to third and Carl Yastrzemski popped out to first, in foul territory. It was second basemen Joe Morgan that recorded the putout.
The fourth inning was Gullett's last. Jack Billingham, on in relief, struggled through the last of the fifth. He got the leadoff man out, but then Boston loaded the bases with two away. Bill Lee gave it a ride to centre. But Cesar Geronimo caught it, nearly on the warning track.
But Cincinnati wasn't getting anything off Lee the pitcher. In the top of the sixth, the visitors were looking at nothing but zeros on the scoreboard in each inning as far as offence was concerned. Pete Rose tried to make a difference as he led off with a single. Joe Morgan was up. But Lee had the edge in this lefty / lefty matchup. Morgan flied out to right. Johhny Bench hit a grounder to short. Would it end the inning?
Shortstop Rick Burleson flipped it to Denny Doyle at second for the force. Pete Rose came charging into the base, forcing Doyle to throw quickly to first. Doyle's throw was high over first basemen Carl Yastrzemski. Tony Perez took a four-seamer from Bill Lee, for ball one. On the next pitch, Perez creamed a blooper offering from Lee well over the Green Monster in left. The Reds were back into this thing, trailing just 3-2.
Though Lee got the first batter out in the top of the seventh, he was forced to leave this last game of the 1975 baseball season with a blister. The last batter to face him was Ken Griffey, who walked. In came Roger Moret. Moret got Cesar Geronimo out on a pop to short.
The Reds weren't done in this frame, alas. Jack Billingham had pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, and this was crucial as it gave the team a chance to continue the comeback.
The comeback was realized.
Griffey stole second. Ed Armbrister, batting for Billingham, drew a walk. Pete Rose, batting from the right side of the dish, singled to centre. 3-3.
Joe Morgan walked, but the rally died as new pitcher Jim Willoughby got Johnny Bench to pop up to Carlton Fisk. One catcher popped out to another.
So it was Clay Carroll who became the third Cincinnati pitcher of game seven. Carroll fanned Fisk to start the bottom of the seventh. Fred Lynn and Rico Petrocelli failed to get the ball out of the infield. But Willoughby needed just seven pitches to retire the Reds in order in the top of the eighth. It was getting down to crunch time.
Dwight Evans led off the last of the eight for Boston by getting a free pass. Cincinnati was walking way to many batters. This was their seventh issued this contest. But Rick Burleson grounded into a double play. Then Cecil Cooper batted for Jim Willoughby and popped out to third basemen Pete Rose.
So it was up to a new Boston pitcher in the ninth to stop Cincinnati. A rookie named Jim Burton was given the ball. Ken Griffey drew a walk to start the frame. Cesar Geronimo bunted him to second on the first pitch. Dan Driessen then swung on the first pitch. All he could do is ground out to Denny Doyle at second. Griffey was now at third. But there were two outs.
Pete Rose was back up, batting right-handed with Burton being a southpaw. Well, Burton threw him curves, giving him nothing to hit. The end result was a bases on balls. The walk brought up Joe Morgan. So the Red Sox had the lefty vs. lefty situation. Two outs, go-ahead run ninety feet from the dish.
Burton threw a ball, then quickly got ahead 1-2 as Morgan swung twice. And missed. Burton's next pitch was a late-breaking slider. Morgan blooped it to centre, Griffey scored. Fred Lynn tried to nail Rose at third, but he was safe. Morgan pulled up at second on the throw. 4-3, visitors.
Canadian Reggie Cleveland relieved Burton. Johnny Bench was walked intentionally. Tony Perez flied out to Dwight Evans in right.
So it was up to Will McEnaney to get three more outs. Can you believe it? Given all the heroics everyone had seen from both sides this 1975 World Series, it was a struggle, right?
Wrong. The Reds were about to win their first Fall Classic in thirty-five years!
Juan Beniquez batted for left fielder Rick Miller. Will got Rick to fly out to Ken Griffey in right. Bob Montgomery grounded out on the first pitch. Seems like McEnaney was making it look embarrassingly easy. He'd thrown just four pitches. And when Carl Yastrzemski flied out to Cesar Geronimo in centre, the 1975 World Series was the Reds, four games to three.
It was a different story in the postseason. Cincinnati beat Philadelphia in the NLCS. As it was in 1975, it took the Reds just three games to advance. Once in the World Series, it quickly came apparent the New York Yankees (Who were making their first Fall Classic appearance in a dozen seasons) were in over their heads. Cincinnati was looking to become the first National League to win it all two years in a row since the 1921-22 New York Giants.
Don Gullett went out and beat future Toronto Blue Jay Doyle Alexander in the opening act in Cincinnati. The game was close (3-1 for the home team) until they broke it open with two more tallies in the seventh.
The second game was the only close one. Catfish Hunter of the Yankees went out and pitched his heart out. The contest was tied 3-3 after eight. But Jack Billingham, who'd blown the save for Cincinnati when he allowed the Yankees to tie it in the top of the seventh (It was 3-1 Cincy at the time), retired New York 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth. Hunter was not so lucky.
After retiring both Dave Concepcion Pete Rose on a fly balls, this bout looked destined for extras. Ken Griffey reached on an error by shortstop Fred Stanley. The roof then caved in on New York.
Griffey was in scoring position because of a bad throw, so Joe Morgan was walked. The Reds then walked it off as Tony Perez stroked a single to left. Cincinnati was heading to Yankee Stadium up two games to none.
And in game three in the Bronx, it was the Reds up 4-1 on the Yankees after 6 1/2. But Cincy started Pat Zachry gave up a solo home run to Jim Mason, 4-2. Mickey Rivers then walked. Roy White erased Rivers via a grounder to third. But when Thurmond Munson singled, the inning was still alive and the tying run was on first.
Now, this brought up Chris Chambliss to the dish. Chambliss had gotten New York to the World Series with a dramatic walk-off home run of his own in the American League Championship Series vs. Kansas City.
So Will McEnaney was brought in to nail it down. He got Chambliss to ground out to Tony Perez at first, with the pitcher taking the throw and recording the putout.
The Reds then tacked on two more runs in the top of the eighth to make the score 6-2. It was still a save situation as McEnaney had entered with the tying run on first. He got through the last of the eighth without much trouble. Greg Nettles had reached on an error. But that was it.
Dick Tidrow retired Cincy 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth. The bottom of the frame wasn't easy, alas.
Otto Velez was first up. Will McEnaney fanned him. Mickey Rivers singled for his second hit of the game. Which went along nicely with his seventh inning walk. Roy White popped out. But Thurmond Munson, having a great Fall Classic, kept the game going with a single. The tying run was on-deck. Chris Chambliss ended the night by flying out to George Foster in left.
So the visiting Reds had a 6-2 win. But I think I was wrong when I said that the Yankees were overmatched. It seemed like Cincinnati was breaking open close games late in the contest. And they were able to keep the Yankees from drawing any closer due to their superb bullpen.
It was more of the same in the fourth contest. The home team actually scored first, in their first at-bats. Cincinnati put up a "3" on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. However, the home team got one run back an inning later. The game actually stayed 3-2 until the top of the ninth.
Gary Nolan was in charge of protecting the lead, but ran into problems trying. In the last of the seventh, Thurmon Munson again came through. His two-out single lifted his batting average to a series-leading .475.
So it was time to impose the Will on the Yankees. McEnaney came in. Get got Chambliss out on a grounder to second. But Ed Figueroa then retired the visitors in order. It was still a close game as it headed into the bottom of the eighth.
But when the Reds needed McEnaney the most, he came through. Lou Pinella lined out to George Foster in left. Greg Nettles walked. So the tying run was at first. Here, Will McEnaney needed to bear down. He did. Oscar Gamble flied out to left and Willie Randolph grounded out to short.
That, essentially, was the Yankees' last chance. The Reds' made 'em pay for not scoring in the last of the eight. For one inning later, it was the visitors that erupted.
Tony Perez walked to get it all going. With Dan Driessen (He'd become the first designated hitter to bat in the World Series in game one at the dish, Ed Figueroa uncorked a wild pitch. Driessen drew another bases on balls from Figueroa. Cincinnati was in business.
Dick Tidrow came in to put out the growing fire. He quickly got George Foster on a fly to centre. But after Mickey Rivers made the putout, Tony Perez was on third. Ninety feet away from a valuable insurance run.
Johnny Bench needed a fly to get him home. But the catcher did better. He took Dick Tidrow out of the park. It was now 6-2 for the Reds. The World Series was essentially clinched. But Cincinnati wasn't through. Cesar Geronimo hit a double. Some fan had touched the ball. Dave Concepcion also hit a double. Again, it was touched by a fan. It was 7-2. Sparkly Lyle came in to pitch, but the damage had been done. He got Pete Rose and Ken Griffey to ground out. The ball was in Will McEnaney hands.
The Yankees, dispirited, when down in order in the last of the ninth. The last out was Roy White flying out to George Foster in left.
For the Cincinnati Reds, it was the second straight World Series. For Will McEnaney, it was more clutch pitching. In the 1975 October Classic, Will had made five appearances, pitched 6 2/3 innings, and posted and earned run average of just 2.70. And he'd picked up a save and a hold. It had actually been better in 1976. 4 2/3 innings, 0.00 ERA and two more saves.
However, the lefties excellent performance in the 1976 Fall Classic wasn't enough to keep him on The Big Red Machine.
Cincinnati traded Will to the Montreal Expos, and Will's performance improved. For Montreal, he went 3-5 in 1977, McEnaney dropped his ERA to 3.95. That wasn't enough to keep him in Montreal. In 1978, he was off to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In six appearances, Will's earned-run average was 10.38.
Will came back strongly in 1979. Now in the St. Louis Cardinals, the third team he'd pitched for in the bigs, his record was only 0-3. But that was really his only bad stat. McEnaney made 45 appearances for the Cardinals, and finished 21 of them. How about that earned-run average? Well, it was the best it had been since 1975. 2.95. As fate would have it, this was Will's last MLB season. The Cardinals would release him just before the next season started. The left-hander continued to pitch in the minors and put up good numbers. Good enough to attend spring training for the Detroit Tigers in 1981. But again, it wasn't in the cards and Will failed to make the team. But Will's career was not over. He headed south. The former Cincinnati Red pitched for Plataneros de Tabasco of the Mexican Southern League and the Águilas de Mexicali of the Mexican Pacific League that season. Now 30 years old in 1983, Will McEnaney was now part of the Texas Rangers organization. At the "AA" level, with Tulsa, he made only five appearances. But Will's earned run average was great, 1.29. But at the "AAA" level with the Denver Bears of the American Association, things weren't so good. In 54 appearances (Including four starts), the lefty was just 4-4 with an ERA of 4.93.
After drifting into a few non-baseball jobs, Will was back on the mound in 1985. Pitching for the Miami Marlins of the Florida State League, McEnaney got into 39 games, won one, and posted an earned-run average of 3.82. And Will McEnaney came close to pitching again in 1989, as the Senior Professional Baseball Association's League caught his attention. Set to pitch for the West Palm Beach Tropics, Will found himself on the disabled list all season, alas.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years of the World Series: 1903-2004. Sterling, 2005.
Miller, Mark. “Will McEnaney.” Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, 4 Jan. 2012, sabr.org/bioproj/person/will-mcenaney/. Revised 01 May, 2014.
YouTube, Google, www.youtube.com/. 24 Mar. 2021.
