20-game winner, was the second-game starter. Arm trouble had kept Merritt on the shelf in the closing weeks of the regular season, but Manager Anderson had precedent going for him in this case. Merritt had beaten the Pirates six times in six starts over the two-year period. He made it seven for seven by lasting innings this time. Carroll relieved Merritt in the sixth, but gave up two hits and had retired only one batter when Anderson signaled for Gullett. That did it. Gullett shut off the Pirate threat immediately, striking out the side in the seventh and finishing with hitless innings for the save. Game 3 The Pirates started the Game 3 scoring by a run in the first inning off Tony Cloninger, who averted disaster three times before Anderson finally yanked him for a pinch-hitter in the fifth with the score 2–2. The slugging Reds uncorked their only power show of the playoffs in the first inning, Tony Pérez and Johnny Bench smacking successive homers off Bob Moose. Pirate starter Moose showed more courage than stuff in the early going. But he hung on and proceeded to halt the Reds until he had two outs in the eighth. Then he walked pinch-hitter Ty Cline and gave up a single to Pete Rose. With Tolan coming up, Pirate manager Danny Murtaugh brought in lefty Joe Gibbon. Tolan whacked a single to left. Cline took off from second and sped for the plate. he arrived just a hair ahead of Willie Stargell's peg, and the Reds had a 3–2 lead. The Reds had a pitching star in this one, too, young Milt Wilcox, who worked three shutout innings in relief of Cloninger and earned the victory. Wilcox vanished for pinch-hitter Cline in the eighth. Wayne Granger tried to protect the Reds' 3–2 lead in the ninth, but was removed with two down and a runner on first. Gullett was Anderson's choice to wrap it up. The teenager wasn't invincible this time, yielding a single to Stargell. But with runners on first and third, Al Oliver swung at Gullett's first pitch and grounded to Helms and the NL pennant belongs to the Reds, their first in nine years. Composite box 1970 NLCS (3–0): Cincinnati Reds over Pittsburgh Pirates References External links Baseball-Reference.com – 1970 NLCS National League Championship Series National League Championship Series Pittsburgh Pirates postseason Cincinnati Reds postseason 1970 in