The 1976 Cincinnati Reds: Last Hurrah for the Big Red Machine

The era of free agency in Major League Baseball ensured that it would be difficult to keep star teams together year after year. The 1976 Cincinnati Reds were one of the last to be considered a "dynasty," and this book documents the season of one of the greatest teams in baseball history. During the pursuit of a second-straight world championship in 1976, the "Big Red Machine" was fueled by all-time hits leader Pete Rose, slugger George Foster, and all-stars Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, as well as a balanced pitching staff that had seven players notching double-digit win totals. The 102-win regular season ended with a World Series sweep of the New York Yankees.

The era of free agency in Major League Baseball ensured that it would be difficult to keep star teams together year after year. The 1976 Cincinnati Reds were one of the last to be considered a "dynasty," and this book documents the season of one of the greatest teams in baseball history. During the pursuit of a second-straight world championship in 1976, the "Big Red Machine" was fueled by all-time hits leader Pete Rose, slugger George Foster, and all-stars Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, as well as a balanced pitching staff that had seven players notching double-digit win totals. The 102-win regular season ended with a World Series sweep of the New York Yankees.

Doug Feldmann is a professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Northern Kentucky University and a part-time scout for the Cincinnati Reds. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, he has written several books about baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals, including Dizzy and the Gashouse Gang: The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals and Depression-Era Baseball, Fleeter Than Birds: The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals and Small Ball’s Last Hurrah, and El Birdos: The 1967 and 1968 St. Louis Cardinals. Feldmann lives in northern Kentucky.