Keeping Tony Perez after the 1976 World Cup season would not have led the Big Red Machine to its third consecutive World Series title, according to a 1977 season simulation by Strat-O-Matic.
Redleg Nation readers recently requested a simulation of the 1977 season without the pre-season swap from Tony Perez to Montreal for left-handed starter Woody Fryman and right-handed replacement Dale Murray. In the current 1977 season, Cincinnati finished 88-74 and 10 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Strat-O-Matic’s Reds season simulation (with Perez and Fryman and Murray triggering) saw Cincinnati finish 93-69, but still behind the Dodgers. There was no wild card in the playoffs at this time, so a second place would not have qualified the Reds for the postseason.
Perez Simulation Season Statistics:
In actual 1977 stats, Perez beat .283 with 19 home runs and 91 runs for the Expos.
What other “what-if” scenarios would you like to see simulated by Strat-O-Matic? Let us know in the comments below, and the idea with the most yes-votes will be submitted to Strat-O-Matic in the coming days.
Strat-O-Matic, maker of baseball simulation boards and digital games, is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
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