Baseball Fathers and Sons: Part IV, 1972 Reds

Which team had the most players who were either a father or son of a player who also played in the major leagues?

In my review, I found the team with the most players that were either a father or son of a major leaguer were the 1972 and 1973 Cincinnati Reds.

Each of these teams had six fathers that would have a son who would later play in the major leagues and one son whose father played in the majors.  This blog is about the 1972 National League Champion, Cincinnati Reds.

1972 Cincinnati Reds

 

 

The 1972 Cincinnati Reds, managed by Sparky Anderson, won the National Western Division with a record of 95 wins and 59 losses.  They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates three games to two in the National League Championship Series and then faced off in the World Series against the American League Champions, Oakland A's. 
 

After losing All Star outfielder Reggie Jackson due to an injury, sustained in game five of the American League Championship Series, the A's were an underdog to the National League Champion Reds.  The A's won the first game in Cincinnati when Gene Tenace set a World Series record (later match by Braves outfielder, Andrew Jones) by hitting home runs in his first two World Series at bats.  The A's also won game two in Cincinnati and after a game four win, they took a three games to one lead in the series.

The Reds come back with two wins, including a 8 - 1 victory in game six, to tie the Series at three games a piece, that set up a decisive seventh game.  The A's game seven 3-2 victory gave them the World Series victory four games to three, winning their first World Championship since 1930, then as the Philadelphia A's.  The series was close as six of the games were decided by a run. 

Sorry, I think I said this was suppose to be a blog about the Reds. 

The 1972 Reds were lead into the World Series by Pete Rose, who topped the team with a .307 batting average.  Catcher Johnny Bench, the 1972 National League Most Valuable Player, lead the team with 40 home runs and 125 RBI.  Gary Nolan had a team high 15 wins and finished with the staff best ERA of 1.99.  Clay Carroll was the top relief pitcher, appearing in 65 games with 37 saves.  Second Baseman, Second Baseman Joe Morgan, with Johnny Bench, started the All Star game.  Clay Carroll and Gary Nolan were also on the team, although they did not appear in the game.

During the National League Championship Series, Pete Rose lead the team with a .450 batting with 9 hits in 5 games.  Joe Morgan paced the Reds with two homers and Bobby Tolan lead the team with 4 RBI. Tom Hall, Ross Grimsley, and Clay Carroll won games during the series as Grimsley and Don Gullett each pitched a team high nine innings.

The World Series was not highlighted by a great offensive output by either the A's or the Reds, as each team had only 46 hits.  During the seven game series, the Reds scored 21 runs and the A's scored only 16 runs.  Each team had a .209 batting average for the series. 

Hal McRae was the top hitter for the Reds with a .444 batting average (4 hits in 9 at bats) with Tony Perez batting .435 (10 hits in 23 at bats).  Johnny Bench, Denis Menke, and Pete Rose hit home runs in the series and Bobby Tolan topped the team with six RBI. 

Ross Grimsley won two games for the Reds and Jack Billingham's win in the game three was the Reds other victory .  Billingham pitched 13.2 innings during the series without giving up an earned run.  Billingham's eight inning effort in game three help propel the Reds to 1 -0 victory.  Tony Perez scored the lone run of the game after leading off the 7th inning with a single.  Perez was sacrificed to second on Denis Menke's bunt and scored on Cesar Geronimo's one out single to center filed. 

One of Grimsley victories came in the Reds 5 - 4 victory in game five.  Grimsley recorded the last out of the 8th inning and the first out of the 9th inning and Billingham got the save, retiring Bert Campaneris on a game ending double play. 

The 1972 Reds had one major league son and six major league fathers. 

This is the list of the players.

Son	Father
Ross Grimsley, Jr.	Ross Grimsley, Sr.

Fathers	Sons
Pedro Borbon	Pedro Borbon
Julian Javier	Stan Javier
Hal McRae	Brian McRae
Tony Perez	Eduardo Perez
Pete Rose, Sr.	Pete Rose, Jr.
Ed Sprague, Sr.	Ed Sprague, Jr.

 

The Grimsleys: 

 

Ross Grimsley Sr. 1977 Ted Fritsch One Year Wonder #4 & Ross Grimsley Jr. Topps 1972 # 99

In 1972, during just his second year in the major leagues, Ross Grimsley, Jr., was second on the Reds, with 14 wins.  In game 4 of the League Championship Series, against the Pirates, Grimsley pitched a complete game two-hitter in the Reds 7 - 1 victory.  The only run the Pirates scored was a 7th inning Roberto Clemente home run.  During the World Series, he pitched in four games.  He was the starting pitcher and game two loser in the Reds 2 -1 loss as he pitched the first five innings.  He gave up both of the A's runs, a Jim "Catfish" Hunter run scoring single in the 2nd inning and a 3rd inning Joe Rudi home run.  Later in the Series, Grimsley appeared in relief in games five, six, and seven and was the winning pitcher in the Reds games five and six victories.  

 

Ross Grimsley Sr.  pitched only one year in the major leagues, for the 1951 White Sox.  He appeared in seven games with no decisions.



Father

 

Player: Ross Albert Grimsley, Sr.
Birth Day: June 4, 1922			Birth Place: Americus, KS
Position: Pitcher
Years in Major Leagues: 1 year, 1951
Team: White Sox
Debut: Sept. 3, 1951 with White Sox			Final Game:Sept. 30, 1951 with White Sox
Career Totals
Games	Wins	Losses	Strikeouts	Walks	ERA
7	0	0	8	10	3.86

 

Son

 

Player: Ross Albert  Grimsley, Jr.
Birth Day: January 7, 1950			Birth Place: Topeka, KS
Position: Pitcher
Years in Major Leagues: 11 years, 1971 - 1980, 1982
Teams: Orioles, Reds, Expos, and Indians
Debut: May 16, 1971 with Reds			Final Game: Sept. 24, 1981 with Orioles
Career Totals
Games	Wins	Losses	Strikeouts	Walks	ERA
345	124	99	750	608	3.81





 

 

The Borbons: 

 

Pedro Borbon 1978 O Pee Chee #99 & Pedro Borbon Bowman 1993 #226

In 1972, Pedro Borbon (father) had the second most appearance as a Reds reliever, pitching in 62 games.  He finished the season with a record of eight wins and three losses with 11 saves.  In the League Championship Series, he appeared in three games including in relief of starter Don Gullett, during the fifth game. The Reds won game five 4 - 3, when George Foster scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning.   Borbon pitched in six games during the World Series.  His lone decision during the series was a loss in game seven.  He entered the game in the 6th inning with the scored tied at one, and gave up back to back run scoring doubles to Gene Tenace and Sal Bando which lifted the A's to a 3 - 1 lead in their 3 - 2 victory.  During his career with the Reds, Borbon, also pitched in the post season during the 1973, 1975, and 1976 seasons and was a part of the 1975 and 1976 Big Red Machine World Championship teams. 

 

Pedro Borbon (son) best year in the major leagues was 2001 while pitching for the Blue Jays.  He appeared in 71 games, finishing the year with 2 wins and 4 losses.  His only post season appearances came with the 1995 Braves when he pitched in one game, and one inning, in the League Championship Series against the Rockies and then pitched in one World Series game, one inning, against the Indians.

Father

 

Player: Pedro (Rodriguez) Borbon
Birth Day: Dec. 2, 1946			Birth Place: Mao, Dominican Republic
Position: Pitcher
Years in Major Leagues: 12 years
Teams: Reds, Angels, Giants, and Cardinals
Debut: April 9, 1969 with Cardinals			Final Game: August 15, 1980
Career Totals
Games	Wins	Losses	Strikeouts	Walks	ERA
593	69	39	409	334	3.52

Son

Player: Pedro Felix (Marte) Borbon
Birth Day: November 15, 1967			Birth Place: Mao, Dominican Republic
Position: Picher
Years in Major Leagues: 9 years
Teams: Blue Jays, Braves, Dodgers, Astros, and Cards
Debut: October 2, 1992			Final Game: August 15, 2003
Career Totals
Games	Wins	Losses	Strikeouts	Walks	ERA
368	16	16	224	158	4.68

 

The Javiers:

Julian Javier Topps 1964 #446 & Stan Javier Fleer Ultra 1999 #160

 

Julian Javier served as a reserve infielder for the Reds during the 1972 season.  After playing a dozen years with the Cardinals, Javier was traded to the Reds during spring training for pitcher Tony Cloninger.  He played in 40 games in 1972 batting .209 (19 hits in 91 at bats) with 2 home runs and 12 RBI.  Javier did not play in the League Championship Series, however, did appear as a pinch hitter in four of the 1972 World Series games.  He did not get a hit in two World Series at bats.  Javier also appeared in the 1964, 1967, and 1968 World Series with the Cardinals, winning World Championships in 1964 and 1967.  Javier ended his career appearing in 19 World Series games, batting .333 (18 hits in 54 at bats) with 1 home run and 7 RBI. 

 

Stan Javier best season was in 1990 when he split time with the A's and Dodgers.  He started the season with the A's and the May 13 trade for Willie Randolph sent him to the Dodgers.  While with the Dodgers, Javier played in 104 games, batting .304 with 3 home runs and 24 RBI.  During his career, Javier played in the post season during six different seasons, ending his with a post season batting average of .253 (19 hits in 75 at bats) with 1 home run and 8 RBI.  He was on the A's 1989 World Series Championship team.

Father

Player: Manual Julian (Liranzo) Javier
Birth Day: August 9, 1936			Birth Place: San Francisco de Macoris,  Dominican Republic
Position: Second Base
Years in Major Leagues: 13 years
Teams: Cardinals and Reds
Debut: May 28, 1960 with Cardinals			Final Game: October 1, 1972
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
1,622	5,722	1,469	78	506	.257

 Son

Player: Stanley Julian Antonio (Negrin) Javier
Birth Day: January 9, 1964			Birth Place: San Francisco de Macoris,  Dominican Republic
Position: Outfielder
Years in Major Leagues: 17 years, 1984 - 2001
Teams: A's, Giants, Dodgers, Mariners, Phillies, Angels, Yankees, Astros
Debut: April 15, 1984 with Yankees			Final Game: October 6, 2001 with Mariners
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
1,763	5,047	1,358	57	503	.269

 

  

The McRaes:

 

Hal McRae Topps 1973 #28 & Brian McRae Score Gold Rush 1994 #19

Hal McRae played in 61 games for the 1972 Reds.  He batted (27 hits in 97 at bats) with 5 home runs and 26 RBI.  During the Championship Series against the Pirates, McRae's lone appearance was pinch hitting for Clay Carroll in the 9th inning of game five and he was at the plate when George Foster scored the winning run on Bob Moose's wild pitch in the Reds 4 - 3 victory.  During the World Series, McRae was the Reds top hitter with a .444 batting average with 4 hits in 9 at bats.  He started games four and six in right field.  In game six, he lead off the 5th inning and doubled off A's starter Vida Blue.  Later in the inning, he scored on Dave Concepcion's sacrifice fly to give the Reds a 2 to 1 lead in their 8 - 1 victory.  

 

In addition to appearing in the 1972 post season with the Reds, McRae also played in the 1970 League Championship and World Series for them.  Later in his career, he appeared in the post season with the Royals.  McRae played in seven American League Championship Series during the 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, and 1985 seasons, and he played in the 1980 and 1985 World Series, winning the World Championship with the Royals in 1985. 

Brian McRae best season was playing with the 1996 Cubs.  That year in appeared in 157 games, and batted .276 (172 hits in 624 at bats) with 17 home runs and 66 RBI.  Brian never appeared in any post season games.

Father

Player: Harold Abraham McRae
Birth Day: Jul 10, 1945			Birth Place: Avon Park, FL
Position: Designated Hitter and Outfielder
Years in Major Leagues: 19 years, 1968 - 1987
Teams: Reds and Royals
Debut: July 11, 1968 with Reds			Final Game: July 17, 1987 with Royals
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
2,084	7,2188	2,091	191	1,097	.290

 Son

Player: Brian Wesley McRae
Birth Day: August 27, 1967			Birth Place: Bradenton, FL
Position: Outfielder
Years in Major Leagues: 10 years
Teams: Royals, Cubs, Mets, Blue Jays and Rockies
Debut: August 7, 1990 with Royals			Final Game: October 3, 1999 with Blue Jays
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
1,354	5,114	1,336	103	532	.261

 
The Perezes:

 

Tony Perez Topps 1972 #80 & Eduardo Perez 2006 Upper Deck Special F/X Red #584

In 1972, Tony Perez appeared in 136 games for the Reds.  He batted .283 (146 hits in 515 at bats) with 21 home runs and 90 RBI.  He finished second on the team, to Johnny Bench, in home runs and RBI.  In the League Championship Series, Perez batted .200, with four hits.  In the 9th inning of game five, the Reds entered the inning trailing the Pirates 3 - 2.  After Johnny Bench lead off the inning with a home run, Perez singled to center.  He was replaced by pinch runner, George Foster, who went on to score the game winning run on a wild pitch in the 4 - 3 victory that put the Reds in the World Series.

During the World Series, Perez batted .435 leading the Reds with ten hits, getting a hit in each of the seven games.  In game seven, the Reds entered the bottom of the 5th inning trailing A's starter, John "Blue Moon" Odom, 1 - 0.   Perez lead off the inning with a double to left field, and he later scored on Hal McRae's sacrifice fly, to tie the game at one.

In his career, Perez appeared in 6 League Championship Series and 5 World Series.  He played in 47 post season games, 42 of those with the Reds, and ended with a batting average of .238 (41 hits in 172 at bats) with six home runs and 25 RBI.  Three of his home runs came in the Reds 1975 World Series victory over the Red Sox.

Eduardo Perez best season was with the 1997 Reds.  That season in 97 games, Perez batted .253 (75 hits in 297 at bats) with 16 home runs and 52 RBI.  In 2002, while playing for the Cardinals, Perez appeared in his only post season.  He played in the National League Divisional Series against the Diamondbacks, and the National League Championship Series against the Giants.  He played in four games with one hit in five at bats.  In game two in the League Championship Series, Perez entered the game in the 8th inning as a pinch hitter and hit a home run, the only Cardinal run in a 4 - 1 loss to the Giants. 

 

Father

Player: Tony (Atanasio Rigal) Perez
Birth Day: May 14, 1942			Birth Place: Camaguey, Cuba
Positions: First Base and Third Base
Years in Major Leagues: 23 years
Teams: Reds, Expos, Red Sox, and Phillies
Debut: July 26, 1964 with Reds			Final Game: October 5, 1986
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
2,777	9,778	2,732	379	1,652	.279

 Son

Player: Eduardo Atanacio Perez
Birth Day: Sept. 11, 1969			Birth Place: Cincinnati, OH
Position: First Base and Outfielder
Years in Major Leagues: 13 years
Teams: Cardinals, Reds, Angels, Devil Rays, Indians, and Mariners
Debut: July 27, 1993 with Angels			Final Game: September 29, 2006 with Mariners
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
754	1,800	445	79	294	.247

 

 

 

The Roses:

 

Pete Rose Topps 1975 Mini #320 & Pete Rose Jr.  Topps Chrome 1998 #240

 

Pete Rose Sr. was the starting left fielder for the 1972 Reds.  He played in 154 games with a batting average .307 and 198 base hits which were team highs.  His games played total and hits were tops in the National League.   Note that the start of 1972 season was delayed due to a players strike.  The strike erased the first week and a half of the season, and the Leagues decided not to makeup the missed games.

In the League Championship Series, Rose paced the Reds with a series high 9 base hits and batting average of .450.  In game five of the series, the Reds entered the bottom of the third inning trailing the Pirates 2 - 0.  Rose doubled to right field scoring Don Chaney with the Reds first run of the game.  During the World Series against the A's, Rose batted .214 (6 hits in 28 at bats) with one home run and two RBI.  In game five, played in Oakland, Rose lead off the game with a home run off A's starter, Jim "Catfish" Hunter.  Then with the scored tied at four in the 9th inning, Rose singled off A's reliever Rollie Fingers, that plated Cesar Geronimo with the game winning run.

During his career, Rose played in 67 post season games, finishing with a post season batting average of .321 (86 base hits in 268 at bats).  He played in six World Series including the 1970, 1972, 1975, and 1976 World Series with the Reds and the 1980 and 1983 World Series with the Phillies.  He won World Championships in 1975, 1976, and 1980 winning the series Most Valuable Player Award in 1975, in the Reds victory over the Red Sox.

Pete Rose Jr. recorded two career hits.  His first hit was a single in his major league debut on September 1 during the Reds 7-4 loss to the Royals.  Pete finished the year with the Reds, his only season in the major leagues, ending with a lifetime batting average of .143 (2 hits in 14 at bats). 

 

Father

Player: Peter Edward Rose, Sr.
Birth Day: April 14, 1941			Birth Place: Cincinnati, OH
Position: Second Base, Third Base, Outfield, First Base
Years in Major Leagues: 24 years, 1963 - 1986
Teams: Reds, Phillies, and Expos
Debut: April 18, 1963 with Reds			Final Game: August 17, 1986 with Reds
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
3,562	14,053	4,256	160	1,314	.303

 Son

Player: Peter Edward Rose, Jr.
Birth Day:  Nov. 16, 1969			Birth Place: Cincinnati, OH
Position: First Base and Third Base
Years in Major Leagues: One Year, 1997
Teams: Reds
Debut: Sept. 1, 1997 with Reds			Final Game: Sept. 28, 1997 with Reds
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
11	16	2	0	0	.143

 The Spragues:

Ed Sprague Topps 1969 #638 and Ed Sprague 1999 Pacific Paramount #188

Ed Sprague Sr.  was a relief pitcher for the 1972 Reds.  He appeared in 33 games and ended the season with three wins and three losses.  He did not appear in the National League Championship or the World Series.

Ed Sprague Jr.  best season was with the 1993 World Champion Blue Jays, who defeated the Phillies, four games to two.  He appeared in 150 games during the season, batted .260 (142 hits in 546 at bats) with 12 home runs and 73 RBI.  In addition to appearing in the post season with 1993 Blue Jays, he was also a part of their 1992 World Championship team.  In the 1992 World Series, against the Braves, during game two in the top of the 9th inning, Sprague pinch hit for Blue Jays reliever Duane Ward.  The Blue Jays entered the inning trailing 4 to 3.  Sprague's two run home run, off Braves reliever Jeff Reardon, plated Derek Bell and help the Blue Jays win the game 5 - 4.  After playing with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993, Sprague only other post season appearance was in 2001 with the Mariners when he appeared in one game in the League Championship Divisional Series against the Indians.  Sprague ended his post season career playing in 17 games with a .220 batting average (9 hits in 41 at bats) with one homer run and eight RBI.

Father

Player: Edward Nelson Sprague, Sr.
Birth Day: Sept. 16, 1945			Birth Place: Boston, MA
Position: Pitcher
Years in Major Leagues: 8 years, 1968 - 1976
Teams:, A's, Reds, Brewers, Cardinals
Debut: April 10, 1968 with A's			Final Game: June 5, 1976 with Cardinals
Career Totals
Games	Wins	Losses	Strikeouts	Walks	ERA
198	17	23	188	236	3.84

 Son

Player: Edward Nelson Sprague, Jr.
Birth Day: July 25, 1967			Birth Place: Castro Valley, CA
Positions: Third Base and Third Base
Years in Major Leagues: 11 years
Teams: Blue Jays, Pirates, Padres, Mariners, Red Sox, A's
Debut: May 7, 1991 with Blue Jays			Final Game: October 7, 2001 with Mariners
Career Totals
Games	At Bats	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Batting Ave.
1,203	4,587	1,010	152	558	.247

1973 Cincinnati Reds

The 1973 Cincinnati Reds also had seven players who were either a father or son of a major league player.  Pedro Borbon, Ross Grimsley, Tony Perez, Pete Rose, and Ed Sprague returned to the 1973 Reds.  During the off season between the 1972 and 1973 seasons, Julian Javier retired and Hal McRae was traded to the Royals with pitcher Wayne Simpson for pitcher Roger Nelson and outfielder Richie Scheinblum.

 

1973 was Ken Griffey Sr. rookie season with the Reds.  Ken Sr. played nine seasons with the Reds and a total of 19 seasons in the major leagues with the Reds, Yankees, Braves, and Mariners.  His son, Ken Griffey Jr. later played 22 seasons in the major leagues for the Mariners, Reds, and White Sox.  Junior played in Cincinnati from 2000 to 2008.  In 1997, with the Mariners, Ken Jr. won the American League Most Valuable Player award.

 

Ken Griffey Sr. 1982 Topps #620 & Ken Griffey Jr. 2008 Topps Heritage #50 

The Griffeys made baseball history when playing for the Mariners.  On August 31, 1990, they became the first son and father to play on the same team at the same time. In Ken Senior's first game as a Mariner, the pair hit back-to-back singles in the first inning and both scored. On September 14, the pair hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning off Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill, becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs. They played a total of 51 games together before Griffey, Sr., retired in June 1991.  

 

On July 27, 1973, the Reds traded pitcher Ed Sprague to the Cardinals for infielder Ed Crosby.  Crosby played part of this season with the Reds, and spent six seasons in the major leagues with the Cardinals, Reds, and Indians. Bobby Crosby, Ed's son, Bobby played eight seasons in the major leagues for A's, Pirates, and Diamondbacks.  Bobby won the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year award while playing with the A's.

 

Ed Crosby 1976 Topps #457 & Bobby Crosby 2008 Topps Heritage #252