4/18/67: "Dodger Baseball is on the air!"

Jerry Doggett: "Now with tonight's play-by-play, here's Vin Scully, Vinnie?" "Thanks Jerry and hi again everybody, wherever you may be on this Southern California evening, the Dodger Stadium opener and our second look already this season at the Cincinnati Reds."

1st inning: "Tommy Harper on 2nd after the lead-off double, here's Vada Pinson with nobody out. The pitch is high, the throw to 3rd, he is safe. Tommy Harper steals 3rd... Dodgers will concede the run, the pitch to Pinson, lined up the middle, a base hit, Harper scores, Reds draw first blood, it's 1-0 with nobody out." Pinson then stole 2nd, went to third on an overthrow and scored on Tony Perez's RBI single. 2-0 CIN

2nd inning: Reds added 2 more runs and had runners on 1st (Pete Rose) and 2nd (Milt Pappas). The batter: Deron Johnson. "Osteen from the stretch, time is called, Osteen wants the umpire to check the ball, ball is fine, it'll be put back in play. 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, Osteen from the stretch, the pitch to Deron Johnson is swung on and hit deep to left, Bailey looks up, forget about it, it is gone, a 3-run homer for Deron Johnson and the Reds are making things Blue on this opening night in Dodger-Town. It's 7-0 and Claude Osteen has to be a little lost right now." 7-0 CIN

Walt Alston stuck with Osteen for the duration, keeping the Reds off the scoreboard until the 8th inning. The Dodgers would make that strategy work, scoring three times off Milt Pappas in the 4th, with 2 of the runs on a homer by Johnny Roseboro. Two more Dodger runs would score in the 5th, making the score 7-5, Reds. That score it would stay, then Dave Bristol made a decision he thought would make sense, bringing in his relief ace Ted Abernathy for a 2-inning save. Turns out, the Dodgers had other plans.

Jim Lefebvre: Leadoff walk. Johnny Roseboro: Walk. Bob Bailey: Single to load the bases. Gene Michael: 2-run single scoring Lefebvre and Roseboro. 7-7, still nobody out. Pinch-hitter Al Ferrara then struck out. Here now is Wes Parker:  "Bailey at 3rd, infield remains in. Abernathy from the stretch, the pitch to Parker, base hit to right field, here comes Bailey, Michael to 2nd and the Dodgers have come from 7 runs down in the 2nd inning to take a 8-7 lead. Incredible!" After Ron Hunt was plunked, Lou Johnson scored Michael with a sac fly. 9-7 LAD

Ron Perranoski struck out Vada Pinson to open the 9th, then walked Pete Rose. Deron Johnson (swinging) and Tony Perez (looking) both struck out to end an incredible game.  LAD (2-3) 9-12-2 CIN (3-4) 7-10-0 WP-Osteen LP-Abernathy SV-Perranoski.  "Union Oil bringing this to you from Dodger Stadium."