July 18, 1964 - The Cincinnati Reds had speed, pitching, power, and a total disregard for the league-leading Phillies today at Crosley Field.
Led by Pete Rose (pictured), they exploded 17 hits, including three home runs, as they thrilled a ladies’ day crowd of 13,730 by staging their wildest scoring spree of the season in walloping the pennant-minded Phillies, 14-4.
Two four-run innings featured their devastating attack as they scored almost at will, especially in the early innings, to make it a breeze for Johnny Tsitouris to go the distance in posting his sixth victory in 12 decisions.
The homegrown Rose, enjoying the biggest afternoon of his short but brilliant career, drove in six runs with four hits, one his first major league grand-slam homer, a thunderous blast into the rightfield sun pews in the fifth inning. Rose, benched earlier in the campaign because of weak hitting, has now hit safely in the last 11 games in hiking his average to .274.
Other standouts among the hit-happy Reds today were Deron Johnson and newcomer Don Pavletich. Each unloaded a two-run homer as the Reds treated starter and loser Day Culp and Dallas Green like a pair of batting practice pitchers before veterans Art Mahaffey and Ed Roebuck came on to hold the Reds scoreless in the final two stanzas.
The victory, fourth in 10 outings with the Phils, moved the Reds back within 3½ games of Gene Mauch’s pace-setters.
Costen Shockley and Clay Dalrymple hit homers for the Phillies, who lost Wes Covington in the first inning. Covington was hit in the head by a pitch by Tsitouris and had to be carried from the field. He was taken to Christ Hospital for X-rays and was reported to be in fair condition.
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