After dominating the NL West for the final few months of the season, the Big Red Machine didn't have much trouble with the Pirates in the NLCS.

Cincinnati's stars were shining bright, with Dave Concepcion, Tony Perez and Pete Rose each contributing five hits in three games, with Perez and Ken Griffey driving in four runs apiece.

Richie Zisk had five hits for the Pirates in the series.

Path to the NLCS: The Pirates (92-69) won the NL East by 6 1/2 games. The Reds (108-54) won the NL West by 20 games.?

Managers: Sparky Anderson, CIN; Danny Murtaugh, PIT