Devastating Defeat
30th Anniversary Of NLCS Loss
Three Decades Later 1972 Post-Season Loss Still Stings
By John E. Sacco

"The walk back from the field to the clubhouse in Cincinnati is a long one as it is. That day it felt like a 10-mile walk. It was an ugly way to lose a playoff series," —Richie Hebner, Pirates' third baseman on the initial moments after the Pirates lost, 4-3, to Cincinnati on a wild pitch in the decisive Game 5 of the 1972 NLCS.

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They were three outs from a second straight World Series appearance.

They were three outs and four World Series wins away from the makings of a dynasty.

That's why the National League Championship Series loss to the Cincinnati Reds in 1972 was as devastating as a defeat can be. And nearly 30 years after Bob Moose uncorked the wild pitch that sunk the Pirates, and opened the door to greatness for the Reds and Oakland Athletics, the loss still stings those who were part of it and those who witnessed it.

Perhaps the franchise's greatest team ever suffered Pittsburgh professional baseball's most difficult loss ever.

"It was shocking," said Stush Carrozza, a long-time Pirates fan and season-ticket holder. "They were three outs away with the best reliever on the mound. It took a number of years for me to shake it off."

The 1972 Pirates were on the verge of something big, something special.

But the 3-2 lead they held going to the bottom of the ninth inning was quickly wiped away when Johnny Bench hit an opposite field home run on a 1-2 pitch off reliable closer Dave Giusti to tie the game.

The blast shook Giusti and he yielded consecutive hits to Tony Perez and Dennis Menke as he couldn't regain his composure or focus.

Pirates' Manager Bill Virdon had turned to Giusti after lefty Ramon Hernandez recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning. With three right-handed hitters due and Giusti being the closer, Virdon's choice was practically automatic.

What wasn't natural was having to remove Giusti from a game. But Virdon sensed Giusti was rattled and the Pirates had no margin for error. He summoned Bob Moose, who made 30 starts and relieved just once, which resulted in a save, during the regular season.

Reds' Manager Sparky Anderson sent George Foster into run for Perez.

Moose got Cesar Geronimo to fly out to Clemente in deep right field, allowing Foster to tag and move to third. Darrell Chaney popped to shortstop Gene Alley for the second out. It was down to Moose and pinch-hitter Hal McRae.

On a 1-1 pitch, Moose threw a slider. It was wide and bounced away from Sanguillen who tried to backhand the ball. He couldn't and Foster raced home to give Cincinnati an unthinkable victory.

"I think about it when someone brings it up," Hebner said. "It's not a good way to go home. I didn't watch the World Series. It just was an ugly way to lose."

Giusti said the loss was "devastating" for him.

"It's the kind of thing you never forget," said Giusti, who makes his home in Upper St. Clair. "I was the goat that day.

"I was in the dugout when Moose threw the wild pitch. I saw the whole thing. It was not a good time for me. I think it was such a heartbreak because we thought we had a better team."

Carrozza, a Bethel Park resident and Washington native, was a college freshman in 1972. He said after Bench hit the home run, he shut the television off.

"I didn't want to see them lose," he said. "It's the only Pirates game I ever turned off in the middle of the game. I walked out of the house but after awhile I came back in and turned the TV on. Foster was on third and two were out. Then I saw the wild pitch. That was it. It was over."

More Than Defeat

While the loss denied the Pirates an opportunity to win consecutive World Series championships and a chance at putting together a string of titles, it opened the door for the Reds to become a great team eventually known as the Big Red Machine ? and certainly the Athletics, who went on to win the 1972 World Series and three straight to become known as one of baseball's dynasty teams.

It also cost the 1972 Pirates a chance at claiming the tag as the franchise's best team ever. To a man, the members of the '72 team think that squad was better than the team that defeated Baltimore four games-to-three in the 1971 World Series.

"I think we had better depth and the big difference was we were pretty confident coming into the '72 season," said pitcher Nellie Briles. "We were a team that stayed together and had a chance to go back to the Series. There wasn't any doubt in anyone's mind that we were heading back.

"It was a well balanced club, not a lot of superstars on the pitching staff. As people reflect on most of the team's of the 1970s, they primarily think of power. Our 1971 team's pitching staff gave up the fewest amount of runs in the big leagues.

"There wasn't a big weakness on the 1972 ballclub. We didn't steal bases but we didn't want to take those chances or give away outs. It was a team capable of the two- or three-run home run, especially late in games."

Most say it would be difficult to put a lineup like the 1972 Pirates lineup on the field in today's game. Putting together such a balanced lineup, bench and pitching staff together is virtually impossible now because players move around so freely and the talent is diluted because of the amount of teams in operation.

The Pirates of 1972 featured three future Hall of Fame players in first baseman Willie Stargell, right fielder Roberto Clemente, who tragically died later that year in a plane crash, and reserve infielder Bill Mazeroski.

Manny Sanguillen was one of the top catcher's in the game. Secon baseman Dave Cash and Hebner enjoyed solid and productive big-league careers. Alley was an outstanding defensive shortstop. Al Oliver won a batting crown later in his career and challenged for 3,000 career hits. Vic Davalillo was a good outfielder.

"There weren't any weaknesses and a lot of the talent was home grown," pitcher Steve Blass said. "A lot of the team was still young and talented.

"We were very confident. But we always tempered it with the fact that in a short series a couple of hot pitchers, a couple hot hitters, you could lose. We all realized post-season play is a crap shoot. The real measure of a team is what it does over the course of the season. It proved to us we were probably a notch better than the team that won the '71 championship."

The balance of the 1972 team was obvious. With the exception of Alley, who hit .248, the seven other members of the regular starting lineup hit between .282 and .318. Stargell led with 33 home runs and 112 RBI.

Oliver's 88 runs and 176 hits were team highs. Hebner had the best on-base percentage at .378.

As a whole, the Pirates hit .274 that year and scored 691 runs.

The reserves provided much as three of them played in 107 games or more.

Rennie Stennett, a backup second baseman-outfielder, hit .286 in 109 games and 370 at bats. Outfielder Gene Clines hit .334 in 107 games and 311 at bats and first baseman Bob Robertson hit just .193 in 115 games and 306 at bats, but smacked 12 home runs and drove in 41 runs.

Third baseman Jose Pagan, catcher Milt May and Mazeroski rounded out the bench. Richie Zisk, Chuck Goggin, Frank Taveras, Fernando Gonzalez and Charlie Sands also contributed in minor roles.

Blass led the staff with 19 wins followed by Dock Ellis (15), Briles (14), and Moose (13). Giusti recorded 22 saves with a 1.93 ERA and Hernandez had 14 saves with a 1.67 ERA. The staff's ERA was 2.81, second in the NL. Of the 11 pitchers who recorded decisions in 1972, only Luke Walker (4-6) had a losing record. He did add two saves.

Bruce Kison was the fifth member of the rotation, going 9-7 with a 3.26 ERA while Bob Miller and Bob Johnson were bullpen members. Miller went 5-2 with a 2.65 ERA and three saves while Johnson went 4-4 with a 2.96 ERA and three saves.

Better Than '71 Team?

"I don't think you can label the 1972 as technically a better team because we didn't win the World Series in 1972," Blass said. "But in terms of a total team, I thought the '72 team was a better all around team than the '71 team. Only because it was basically the same team with a World Series championship experience behind it."

Virdon, the Pirates' current bench coach, has said the 1972 squad was the best baseball team he's ever been around.

"We had a lot of good players," Hebner said. We knew we had a good team.

You couldn't put a team together like that these days. Forget about doing it."

In 1971, Clemente hit .341 with 86 RBI while Stargell blasted 48 HRs and drove in 125 runs. Sanguillen hit .319 with 81 RBI and Robertson hit 26 HRs while Stargell slugged at .628.

Ellis led with 19 wins and posted a 3.06 ERA. Blass followed with 15 wins and a 2.85 ERA. Giusti saved 30 games and posted a 2.93 ERA.

They whipped San Francisco in the NLCS and then downed the Orioles.

Clemente shined, hitting .414 and Blass won his two starts, allowing just two earned runs in 18 innings.

The 1971 team's accomplishments and records speak volumes.

The 1972 team's legacy is one of sports and personal tragedy.

Clemente's death a few months later rocked the organization. It cast a pall over the 1973 team as it failed to win another division title and, in fact, finished below .500.

The NLCS defeat and loss of Clemente simply was too much to overcome.

"We were just going through the motions the next year," Giusti said. "It can happen to any club. When you lose a big part of a winning club and someone out of your life, it's tough. You could find things turning around on you. In our case, it was a turn for the worse."