1976 World Series - Cincinnati Reds vs New York Yankees

Cincinnati Reds 4
New York Yankees 0

October 16 - October 21, 1976

The 1976 World Series saw the return of the Yankees to the Fall Classic after a twelve year absence.

Following shipbuilder George Steinbrenner’s purchase of the Yankees in 1973, the team filled several needs with shrewd trading. The Yankees also signed Jim "Catfish" Hunter, who left Oakland. The Yankees won the AL East by 10½ games and beat Kansas City three games to two in the ALCS.

The defending champion "Big Red Machine" won the NL West by 10 games and swept Philadelphia three games to none in the NLCS.

The 1976 Series was the first in which the designated hitter rule was used. It let Cincinnati put utility infielder Dan Driessen's bat in the lineup. Driessen hit .357 with one home run.

Game 1 at Riverfront Stadium was the first time the DH was used in a National League field. Cincinnati's Joe Morgan hammered a first-inning home run and Tony Perez had three hits in a 5-1 win.

In Game 2, Perez hit a two out single in the ninth to score Ken Griffey for a 4-3 win. Hunter had retired Cincinnati's first two hitters, but shortstop Fred Stanley's throwing error on a grounder by Ken Griffey kept the inning alive.

In a remodeled Yankee Stadium, Driessen homered and went three-for-three in a 6-2 Cincinnati win.

The Reds won the final game 7-2, clinching the 1976 World Series.

Seven Reds batted above .300, led by Johnny Bench's .533 and George Foster's .429. Cincinnati’s pitchers posted a combined 2.00 ERA. Cincinnati became the first National League team to win back-to-back championship since the New York Giants in 1921 and 1922. The Reds also became (and remain) the only team to sweep an entire multi-tier postseason.

Around the World:

• October 16 - Soyuz 23 returned to Earth.
• October 17 - China performed nuclear test at Lop Nor.
• October 18 - Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded to William N Lipscomb Jr.
• October 19 - Battle of Aishiya fought in Lebanon.
• October 20 - Norwegian tanker Frosta collided with Mississippi River ferry MV George Prince, 70 died.
• October 21 - American Saul Bellow won Nobel Prize for Literature.

1976 in Baseball:

• January 14 - Ted Turner purchased Atlanta Braves.
• January 15 - Seattle awarded with AL's 13^th franchise, to begin play in 1977.
• April 17 - Phillies beat Cubs 18-16 in 10 innings. Mike Schmidt the tenth player to hit four homeruns in a game.
• July 20 - Hank Aaron hit 755^th and last home run.
• July 23 - Sadaharu Oh hit 700^th home run., the first player in Nippon Professional Baseball to do so.
• October 3 - Hank Aaron singled in last at bat for 2,297th RBI in 5-2 Brewers loss to Tigers.
• October 11 - Sadaharu Oh hit 715^th home run., finished season with 716 HRs.
• November 29 - Reggie Jackson signed with Yankees for $3.5 million.