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Well, hello there everybody—this is Mel Allen with you, bringing you the happy recap from Cincinnati, and oh, what a ballgame it was!
On a crisp October afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies traveled into Great American Ball Park and came away with a stirring 4–3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds to grab a one-game-to-none lead in this League Championship Series.
How about that?
The hero of the day—37-year-old right-hander Eric Hoelzle, the wily veteran from Hanford, California. Hoelzle had that fastball darting, the breaking ball biting, and for seven strong innings he handcuffed the Redlegs, scattering just five hits, fanning nine, and keeping the crowd of over 49,000 on edge all afternoon.
The Phillies got their thunder early. In the second inning, shortstop Sam Branscome turned on an A. Miranda pitch and sent it deep into the left field seats. That, folks, was a souvenir—and the Phils were on the board. Then in the sixth inning, with the Reds threatening to climb back in, José Torras answered with a mighty blow of his own, a solo home run that silenced the crowd and pushed Philadelphia’s lead to three.
But these Reds are never out of it. Down 4–1 late, they scratched and clawed. In the eighth inning, J. Castaneda lashed a two-out single to bring them within a run. The bases were buzzing, the ballpark rocking, and you could almost feel Cincinnati ready to steal this one away. But reliever Dallas Moran reached back for something extra, wriggled out of further damage, and then slammed the door in the ninth for the save.
Final score: Phillies 4, Reds 3. The veteran Hoelzle gets the win, Moran the save, and the Phillies take a 1–0 lead in the series.
Oh, what a game of inches it was—Worboys cutting off a run at the plate with a brilliant throw from left, Segovia answering back with a cannon of his own to deny Philadelphia a tally, and pitch by pitch the drama building until Moran got the final out.
So the Phillies draw first blood here in Cincinnati. Tomorrow, it’s game two, and you can be sure the Redlegs will be fighting tooth and nail to even things up.
And there you have it, friends—the happy recap!
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