Making the Big Red Machine go

In a trade not popular at the time with the masses in Cincinnati, the Reds 52 years ago today send infielders Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart – the ballplayer, not the actor – to the Houston Astros.

In return, the Reds receive outfielders Cesar Geronimo and Ed Armbrister, pitcher Jack Billingham, third baseman Denis Menke and an undersized second baseman named Joe Morgan (seen here when he is with Houston and May is playing first base for Cincinnati).

Joe Morgan

Cincinnati fans eventually come to love the trade as Geronimo, Billingham and Morgan join Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Dave Concepcion in becoming vital cogs in the nearly unstoppable Big Red Machine.

No cog is bigger, though, than the 5-foot-7, 160-pound Morgan, the future Hall of Famer who over the next five seasons from 1972-76 leads the Reds to three World Series appearances while winning two National League MVP awards.

Morgan ends up playing 22 seasons in the major leagues.

He eventually moves from Cincinnati back to Houston in 1980 before spending two seasons with the San Francisco Giants and another with the 1983 National League pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies before finishing his career in 1984 with his hometown Oakland Athletics.

His final totals: 2,517 hits with 268 home runs, 689 stolen bases, 10 All-Star Game selections and five Gold Gloves.