114-852: The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati . The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division and were a charter member of the American Association in 1881 before joining the NL in 1890. The Reds played in the NL West division from 1969 to 1993, before joining the Central division in 1994. For several years in
228-484: A 535-foot (163 m) home run against José Lima . He also broke the major league record for strikeouts in 2004. Although a number of free agents were signed before 2005, the Reds were quickly in last place, and manager Dave Miley was forced out in the 2005 midseason and replaced by Jerry Narron . Like many other small-market clubs, the Reds dispatched some of their veteran players and began entrusting their future to
342-519: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Union Association The Union Association was an American professional baseball league which competed with Major League Baseball , lasting for just
456-468: A closer had diminished, and no other consistent relievers emerged. Dave Concepción was the sole remaining starter from the Big Red Machine era. Wagner's tenure ended in 1983, when Howsam, the architect of the Big Red Machine, was brought back. The popular Howsam began his second term as the Reds' general manager by signing Cincinnati native Dave Parker as a free agent from Pittsburgh. In 1984 ,
570-399: A club generally provides most of the equipment and clothing needed for play. However, players are required to supply their gloves and shoes themselves. Many players enter into sponsorship arrangements with shoe manufacturers, but until the mid-1980s, the Reds had a strict rule requiring players to wear only plain black shoes with no prominent logo. Reds players decried what they considered to be
684-748: A complete game. The Reds won a third NL West crown in 1973 after a dramatic second-half comeback that saw them make up 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 games on the Los Angeles Dodgers after the All-Star break . However, they lost the NL pennant to the New York Mets in five games in the NLCS . In Game 1, Tom Seaver faced Jack Billingham in a classic pitching duel, with all three runs of the 2–1 margin being scored on home runs. John Milner provided New York's run off Billingham, while Pete Rose tied
798-462: A complete turnover since 1976, except for Fred Norman. In addition to ace starter Tom Seaver , the remaining starters were Mike LaCoss , Bill Bonham and Paul Moskau . In the bullpen, only Borbon had remained. Dave Tomlin and Mario Soto worked middle relief, with Tom Hume and Doug Bair closing. The Reds won the 1979 NL West behind the pitching of Seaver, but were dispatched in the NL playoffs by
912-508: A core of highly regarded young players in addition to veterans like Parker. However, he was unable to capitalize on an excess of young and highly touted position players including Kurt Stillwell , Tracy Jones and Kal Daniels by trading them for pitching. Despite the emergence of Tom Browning as Rookie of the Year in 1985 , when he won 20 games, the rotation was devastated by the early demise of Mario Soto's career to arm injury. Under Bergesch,
1026-409: A double play by calling him a name. This also led to two more incidents in which play was stopped. The Reds trailed 9–3, and New York's manager Yogi Berra and legendary outfielder Willie Mays , at the request of National League president Warren Giles , appealed to fans in left field to restrain themselves. The next day the series was extended to a fifth game when Rose homered in the 12th inning to tie
1140-465: A dramatic 12th-inning home run off the foul pole in left field to give the Red Sox a 7–6 win and force a decisive game 7. Cincinnati prevailed the next day when Morgan's RBI single won Game 7 and gave the Reds their first championship in 35 years. The Reds have not lost a World Series game since Carlton Fisk's home run, a span of nine straight wins. 1976 saw a return of the same starting eight in
1254-473: A fly ball in Game 4, and his play was greatly limited the next year. In 1992 , Quinn was replaced in the front office by Jim Bowden . On the field, manager Lou Piniella wanted outfielder Paul O'Neill to be a power hitter to fill the void Eric Davis left when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Tim Belcher . However, O'Neill only hit .246 with 14 home runs. The Reds returned to winning after
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#17327662549811368-458: A game at Dodger Stadium. In 1989 , following the release of the Dowd Report , which accused Rose of betting on baseball games, Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti , who declared him guilty of "conduct detrimental to baseball." In 1987 , general manager Bergesch was replaced by Murray Cook , who initiated a series of deals that would finally bring the Reds back to
1482-598: A goatee. The New York Yankees continue to have a similar rule today, although Yankees players are permitted to have mustaches. Much like when players leave the Yankees today, players who left the Reds took advantage with their new teams; Pete Rose , for instance, grew his hair out much longer than would be allowed by the Reds once he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1979. The Reds' rules also included conservative uniforms. In Major League Baseball,
1596-542: A lineup that came to be known as " the Big Red Machine ." Playing at Crosley Field until June 30, 1970, when they moved into Riverfront Stadium , a new 52,000-seat multi-purpose venue on the shores of the Ohio River , the Reds began the 1970s with a bang by winning 70 of their first 100 games. Johnny Bench , Tony Pérez , Pete Rose , Lee May and Bobby Tolan were the early offensive leaders of this era. Gary Nolan , Jim Merritt , Wayne Simpson and Jim McGlothlin led
1710-491: A losing season in 1991 , but 90 wins was only enough for second place behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves . Before the season ended, Piniella got into an altercation with reliever Rob Dibble. In the offseason, Paul O'Neill was traded to the New York Yankees for outfielder Roberto Kelly , who was a disappointment for the Reds over the next couple of years, while O'Neill led a downtrodden Yankees franchise to
1824-570: A major league because the then-existing major leagues, the National League (NL) and the American Association (AA), treated it as a significant competitor: "The AA added teams to block the UA. The established leagues changed their own rules via the Day resolutions [to enforce the reserve clause to ban players who played in the UA]. They were forced to pay higher salaries. The AA Washingtons were run out of town by
1938-431: A move that proved to be unpopular. Pete Rose, who had played almost every position for the team except pitcher, shortstop and catcher since 1963, signed with Philadelphia as a free agent. By 1979 , the starters were Bench (catcher), Dan Driessen (first base), Morgan (second base), Concepción (shortstop) and Ray Knight (third base), with Griffey, Foster and Geronimo again in the outfield. The pitching staff had experienced
2052-676: A pitching staff that also included veterans Tony Cloninger and Clay Carroll , as well as youngsters Pedro Borbón and Don Gullett . The Reds breezed through the 1970 season, winning the NL West and capturing the NL pennant by sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games. By the time the club got to the World Series , however, the pitching staff had run out of gas, and the veteran Baltimore Orioles , led by Hall of Fame third baseman and World Series MVP Brooks Robinson , beat
2166-471: A poorly drafted schedule, which saw the league derisively dubbed "The Onion League" by its detractors in the two established leagues. The list of franchise movements is as follows: On January 15, 1885, at a scheduled UA meeting in Milwaukee, only the Milwaukee and Kansas City franchises showed up, and the league was promptly disbanded. The St. Louis franchise itself was deemed to be strong enough to enter
2280-443: A promising young outfielder, was shot and killed during a carjack. Following the season, Dan O'Brien was hired as the Reds' 16th general manager on October 27, 2003, succeeding Jim Bowden . The 2004 and 2005 seasons continued the trend of big-hitting, poor pitching and poor records. Griffey, Jr. joined the 500 home run club in 2004, but was again hampered by injuries. Adam Dunn emerged as consistent home run hitter, including
2394-490: A return to glory. Around this time, the Reds would replace their Big Red Machine–era uniforms in favor of a pinstriped uniform with no sleeves. Controversy erupted after the 1992 season when team owner Marge Schott was reported to have racially and ethnically slurred players and business associates, and in a November interview, praised the early efforts of Adolf Hitler . As punishment, Major League Baseball's executive council prevented her from exercising day-to-day oversight of
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#17327662549812508-579: A specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with
2622-620: A young nucleus that included Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns . 2004 saw the opening of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame (HOF), which had been in existence in name only since the 1950s, with player plaques, photos and other memorabilia scattered throughout their front offices. Ownership and management desired a standalone facility where the public could walk through interactive displays, see locker room recreations, watch videos of classic Reds moments and peruse historical items, such as
2736-579: Is conventionally listed as a major league, this status has been questioned by a number of modern baseball historians, most notably Bill James in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract , who found that the contemporary baseball guides did not consider the Union Association to be a major league: the earliest record James found of the Union Association being referred to as a major league
2850-469: Is still a team record. Like the previous decade, the 1900s were not kind to the Reds, as much of the decade was spent in the league's second division . In 1912, the club opened Redland Field (renamed Crosley Field in 1934), a new steel-and-concrete ballpark. The Reds had been playing baseball on that same site – the corner of Findlay and Western Avenues on the city's west side – for 28 years in wooden structures that had been occasionally damaged by fires. By
2964-506: The Boston Red Sox in the World Series , splitting the first four games and taking Game 5. After a three-day rain delay, the two teams met in Game 6, considered by many to be the best World Series game ever. The Reds were ahead 6–3 with five outs left when the Red Sox tied the game on former Red Bernie Carbo 's three-run home run, his second pinch-hit, three-run homer in the series. After a few close calls both ways, Carlton Fisk hit
3078-764: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
3192-587: The Milwaukee Brewers for Rick O'Keeffe and Garry Pyka, as well as Rick Auerbach from Texas. The end of the Big Red Machine era was heralded by the replacement of general manager Bob Howsam with Dick Wagner . In his last season as a Red, Rose gave baseball a thrill as he challenged Joe DiMaggio 's 56-game hitting streak , tying for the second-longest streak ever at 44 games. The streak came to an end in Atlanta after striking out in his fifth at-bat in
3306-475: The National League featured Radbourn and Charlie Sweeney . According to the 1991 book Glory Fades Away by Jerry Lansche, Sweeney fell out of grace with the Providence team in late July after he refused to be replaced in a game while drunk, and was expelled. Rather than come crawling back, Sweeney signed with Lucas' team, leaving Radbourn by himself. Leveraging his situation, Radbourn pledged to stay with
3420-730: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
3534-529: The Philadelphia Phillies (winning game 3 in their final at-bat) to return to the World Series , where they beat the Yankees at the newly renovated Yankee Stadium in the first Series held there since 1964. This was only the second-ever sweep of the Yankees in the World Series, and the Reds became the first NL team since the 1921–22 New York Giants to win consecutive World Series championships. To date,
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3648-568: The Pittsburgh Pirates . Game 2 featured a controversial play in which a ball hit by Pittsburgh's Phil Garner was caught by Reds outfielder Dave Collins but was ruled a trap, setting the Pirates up to take a 2–1 lead. The Pirates swept the series 3 games to 0 and went on to win the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles . The 1981 team fielded a strong lineup, with only Concepción, Foster and Griffey retaining their spots from
3762-632: The Rosie Reds to urge DeWitt to keep the franchise in Cincinnati. The Rosie Reds are still in existence, and are currently the oldest fan club in Major League Baseball. After the 1965 season, DeWitt executed what is remembered as the most lopsided trade in baseball history, sending former MVP Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun , and outfielder Dick Simpson . Robinson went on to win
3876-561: The St. Louis Cardinals after having taken first place when the Philadelphia Phillies collapsed in September. Their beloved manager Fred Hutchinson died of cancer just weeks after the end of the 1964 season. The failure of the Reds to win the 1964 pennant led to owner Bill DeWitt selling off key components of the team in anticipation of relocating the franchise. In response to DeWitt's threatened move, women of Cincinnati banded together to form
3990-531: The World Series in eight games over the Chicago White Sox . By 1920, the "Black Sox" scandal had brought a taint to the Reds' first championship. After 1926 and well into the 1930s, the Reds were second division dwellers. Eppa Rixey , Dolf Luque and Pete Donohue were pitching stars, but the offense never lived up to the pitching. By 1931, the team was bankrupt, the Great Depression
4104-700: The World Series , pitching every inning of a sweep of the New York Metropolitans of the American Association . His performance in 1884, along with a generally strong career and an overall record of 309-194 (.614), assured Radbourn his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame . The best hitter of the 1884 Union Association was Fred Dunlap of the Maroons, while star pitchers for the UA included Jim McCormick , Charlie Sweeney , Dupee Shaw and Hugh Daily . Notable players that made their debut in
4218-480: The 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some point during the season did not play a full schedule: four teams folded during the season and were replaced, while Chicago moved to Pittsburgh in late August. The league was founded in September 1883 by the young St. Louis millionaire Henry Lucas , who
4332-409: The 1890s, signing local stars and aging veterans. During this time, the team never finished above third place (1897) and never closer than 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 games to first (1890). At the start of the 20th century, the Reds had hitting stars Sam Crawford and Cy Seymour . Seymour's .377 average in 1905 was the first individual batting crown won by a Red. In 1911, Bob Bescher stole 81 bases, which
4446-407: The 1961 National League pennant, holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants , only to be defeated by the perennially powerful New York Yankees in the World Series . The Reds had winning teams during the rest of the 1960s, but did not produce any championships. They won 98 games in 1962, paced by Purkey's 23 wins, but finished third. In 1964, they lost the pennant by one game to
4560-608: The 1970s, they were considered the most dominant team in baseball, most notably winning the 1975 and 1976 World Series ; the team was colloquially known as the " Big Red Machine " during this time, and it included Hall of Fame members Johnny Bench , Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez , as well as the controversial Pete Rose , the all-time hits leader in Major League Baseball. Overall, the Reds have won five World Series championships, nine NL pennants, one AA pennant and 10 division titles. The team plays its home games at Great American Ball Park , which opened in 2003. Bob Castellini has been
4674-590: The 1975 and 1976 Reds were the last NL team to repeat as champions . Beginning with the 1970 National League pennant, the Reds beat either of the two Pennsylvania-based clubs – the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates – to win their pennants (they beat the Pirates in 1970, 1972, 1975 and 1990, and the Phillies in 1976), making the Big Red Machine part of the rivalry between the two Pennsylvania teams. In 1979, Pete Rose added further fuel to
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4788-401: The 1975–76 heyday. After Johnny Bench was able to play only a few games as catcher each year after 1980 due to ongoing injuries, Joe Nolan took over as starting catcher. Driessen and Bench shared first base, and Knight starred at third. Morgan and Geronimo had been replaced at second base and center field by Ron Oester and Dave Collins, respectively. Mario Soto posted a banner year starting on
4902-474: The Big Red Machine, being part of the rivalry when he signed with the Phillies and helped them win their first World Series in 1980 . The late 1970s brought turmoil and change to the Reds. Popular Tony Pérez was sent to the Montreal Expos after the 1976 season, breaking up the Big Red Machine's starting lineup. Manager Sparky Anderson and general manager Bob Howsam later considered this trade to be
5016-487: The Braves benched Aaron, hoping to save him for his record-breaking home run on their season-opening homestand. Then-commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered Braves management to play Aaron the next day, where he narrowly missed a historic home run in the fifth inning. Aaron went on to set the record in Atlanta two nights later. The 1974 season also saw the debut of Hall of Fame radio announcer Marty Brennaman after Al Michaels left
5130-689: The CEO of the Reds since 2006. From 1882 to 2024, the Reds' overall win–loss record is 10,934–10,766–139 (a .504 winning percentage). The origins of the modern Cincinnati Reds baseball team can be traced back to the expulsion from the National League of an earlier team bearing the same name. In 1876, Cincinnati became one of the charter members of the new National League (NL), but the club ran afoul of league organizer and longtime president William Hulbert for selling beer during games and renting out its ballpark on Sundays. Both were important in enticing
5244-752: The MVP and Triple Crown in the American League in 1966, and led Baltimore to its first-ever World Series title in a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds did not recover from this trade until the rise of the "Big Red Machine" in the 1970s. Starting in the early 1960s, the Reds' farm system began producing a series of stars, including Jim Maloney (the Reds' pitching ace of the 1960s), Pete Rose , Tony Pérez , Johnny Bench , Lee May , Tommy Helms , Bernie Carbo , Hal McRae , Dave Concepción and Gary Nolan . The tipping point came in 1967, with
5358-493: The Maroons subsequently opened the season with 20 straight wins, and finished with a record of 94–19 (.832 winning percentage), winning the pennant by 21 games after having clinched it with five weeks to play. The league not only suffered from lopsided talent distribution, but also instability - four franchises folded during the season, forcing the league to scramble to replace them with three teams from lower leagues and one new team, while Chicago moved to Pittsburgh mid-season - and
5472-490: The NL, and an all-time franchise winning percentage of .432. These figures, perhaps, reveal the gulf in class between the UA and the established major leagues. Perhaps the most obvious impact of the short-lived league was on the career of a player who did not jump to the new league: Charles Radbourn . With a schedule of a little over 100 games, most teams employed two regular pitchers, and the Providence Grays in
5586-420: The NL. Upon arriving, however, Caylor and Thorner found that no other owners had accepted the invitation, while even Phillips declined to attend his own meeting. By chance, the duo met former pitcher Al Pratt, who paired them with former Pittsburgh Alleghenys president H. Denny McKnight. Together, the three hatched a scheme to form a new league by sending a telegram to each of the owners who were invited to attend
5700-573: The National League in 1885, but it faced heavy competition within the city, as the St. Louis Browns were a power in the American Association . The lone survivor of the Union moved to Indianapolis and became the Hoosiers after 1886, having compiled records of 36–72 and 43–79 in St. Louis, and they played another three seasons before folding, with records of 37–89, 50–85 and 59–75 for a .360 win percentage in
5814-579: The National League's Most Valuable Player in 1938. By 1939, the Reds were National League champions but were swept in the World Series by the New York Yankees . In 1940, the Reds repeated as NL Champions, and for the first time in 21 years, they captured a world championship, beating the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 3. Frank McCormick was the 1940 NL MVP; other position players included Harry Craft , Lonny Frey , Ival Goodman , Lew Riggs and Bill Werber . World War II and age finally caught up with
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#17327662549815928-522: The Outlaw Reds on August 26 and one by Ed Cushman of the Brewers on September 28. On July 7, Hugh Daily struck out 19 Boston Reds in a nine-inning game, a major league record that would stand for 102 years, until Roger Clemens struck out 20 batters in a game in 1986. Henry Porter and Dupee Shaw got 18-strikeout games. The Chicago Browns executed a triple play on June 19. Although the league
6042-547: The Red Stockings in the spring of 1881 and brought the team to St. Louis for a weekend exhibition. The Reds' first game was a 12–3 victory over the St. Louis club. After the 1881 series proved successful, Caylor and former Reds president Justus Thorner received an invitation from Philadelphia businessman Horace Phillips to attend a meeting of several clubs in Pittsburgh, planning to establish a new league to compete with
6156-624: The Reds became only the second team in MLB history to be no-hit in a postseason game when Philadelphia's Roy Halladay shut down the National League's No. 1 offense in Game 1 of the NLDS . The Reds eventually lost in a three-game sweep of the NLDS to Philadelphia. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for
6270-401: The Reds began to move up, depending on trades and some minor leaguers. In that season, Dave Parker, Dave Concepción and Tony Pérez were in Cincinnati uniforms. In August of the same year, Pete Rose was reacquired and hired to be the Reds player-manager. After raising the franchise from the grave, Howsam gave way to the administration of Bill Bergesch , who attempted to build the team around
6384-409: The Reds did not win under Krivsky, he is credited with revamping the farm system and signing young talent that could potentially lead the team to success in the future. The Reds failed to post winning records in both 2008 and 2009. In 2010, with NL MVP Joey Votto and Gold Glovers Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen , the Reds posted a 91–71 record and were NL Central champions. The following week,
6498-508: The Reds during the 1993 season. For the 1993 season , manager Piniella was replaced by fan favorite Tony Pérez , but he lasted only 44 games at the helm before being replaced by Davey Johnson . With Johnson steering the team, the Reds made steady progress. In 1994 , the Reds were in the newly created National League Central Division with the Chicago Cubs , St. Louis Cardinals , and rivals Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros . By
6612-519: The Reds finished second four times from 1985 to 1989 . Among the highlights, Rose became the all-time hits leader, Tom Browning threw a perfect game , Eric Davis became the first player in baseball history to hit at least 35 home runs and steal 50 bases, and Chris Sabo was the 1988 National League Rookie of the Year . The Reds also had a bullpen star in John Franco , who was with the team from 1984 to 1989. Rose once had Concepción pitch late in
6726-465: The Reds in five games. After the disastrous 1971 season – the only year in the decade in which the team finished with a losing record – the Reds reloaded by trading veterans Jimmy Stewart , May and Tommy Helms to the Houston Astros for Joe Morgan , César Gerónimo , Jack Billingham , Ed Armbrister and Denis Menke . Meanwhile, Dave Concepción blossomed at shortstop . 1971 was also
6840-765: The Reds to broadcast for the San Francisco Giants . With 1975, the Big Red Machine lineup solidified with the "Great Eight" starting team of Johnny Bench (catcher), Tony Pérez (first base), Joe Morgan (second base), Dave Concepción (shortstop), Pete Rose (third base), Ken Griffey (right field), César Gerónimo (center field) and George Foster (left field). The starting pitchers included Don Gullett , Fred Norman , Gary Nolan , Jack Billingham , Pat Darcy and Clay Kirby . The bullpen featured Rawly Eastwick and Will McEnaney , who combined for 37 saves, and veterans Pedro Borbón and Clay Carroll . On Opening Day, Rose still played in left field and Foster
6954-460: The Reds, as the team finished mostly in the second division throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. In 1944, Joe Nuxhall (who was later to become part of the radio broadcasting team), at age 15, pitched for the Reds on loan from Wilson Junior High school in Hamilton, Ohio. He became the youngest player ever to appear in a major league game, a record that still stands today. Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell
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#17327662549817068-590: The Union Association included Tommy McCarthy , who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946, and Jack Clements , the only man in baseball history to play a full career as a left-handed catcher. Switch-pitcher Tony Mullane attempted to sign with the Maroons, but the Browns had a reserve clause on Mullane, and he relented after he was threatened with banishment from the NL if he signed. The Union Association saw two no-hitters in its brief existence: one by Dick Burns of
7182-469: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
7296-521: The actual reason had more to do with Kuhn's continued feud with Athletics owner Charlie Finley. On June 15, 1977, the Reds acquired pitcher Tom Seaver from the New York Mets for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn , Steve Henderson and Dan Norman. In other deals that proved to be less successful, the Reds traded Gary Nolan to the California Angels for Craig Hendrickson; Rawly Eastwick to the St. Louis Cardinals for Doug Capilla ; and Mike Caldwell to
7410-424: The addition of Foster to the outfield giving the offense some added punch. During the season, the Reds compiled two notable streaks: 1.) winning 41 out of 50 games in one stretch, and 2.) by going a month without committing any errors on defense. In the 1975 season , Cincinnati clinched the NL West with 108 victories before sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games to win the NL pennant. They went on to face
7524-556: The advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
7638-487: The appointment of Bob Howsam as general manager. That same year, the Reds avoided a move to San Diego when the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County agreed to build a state-of-the-art, downtown stadium on the edge of the Ohio River. The Reds entered into a 30-year lease in exchange for the stadium commitment keeping the franchise in Cincinnati. In a series of strategic moves, Howsam brought in key personnel to complement
7752-535: The biggest mistake of their careers. Starting pitcher Don Gullett left via free agency and signed with the New York Yankees. In an effort to fill that gap, a trade with the Oakland Athletics for starting ace Vida Blue was arranged during the 1977–78 offseason. However, then-commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed the trade in order to maintain competitive balance in baseball; some have suggested that
7866-403: The boring color choice, as well as the denial of the opportunity to earn more money through shoe contracts. In 1985, a compromise was struck in which players could paint red marks on their black shoes and were allowed to wear all-red shoes the following year. In 1970 , little-known George "Sparky" Anderson was hired as manager of the Reds, and the team embarked upon a decade of excellence, with
7980-499: The championship puzzle together, with the acquisitions of Hal Morris , Billy Hatcher and Randy Myers . In 1990 , the Reds , under new manager Lou Piniella , shocked baseball by leading the NL West from wire-to-wire, making them the only NL team to do so. Winning their first nine games, they started 33–12 and maintained their lead throughout the year. Led by Chris Sabo , Barry Larkin , Eric Davis , Paul O'Neill and Billy Hatcher on
8094-400: The championship, starting with acquisitions of Danny Jackson and José Rijo . An aging Dave Parker was let go after a revival of his career in Cincinnati following the Pittsburgh drug trials . Barry Larkin emerged as the starting shortstop over Kurt Stillwell, who, along with reliever Ted Power , was traded for Jackson. In 1989 , Cook was succeeded by Bob Quinn , who put the final pieces of
8208-484: The city's large German population to support the team. While Hulbert made clear his distaste for both beer and Sunday baseball at the founding of the league, neither practice was against league rules at the time. On October 6, 1880, however, seven of the eight team owners adopted a pledge to ban both beer and Sunday baseball at the regular league meeting in December. Only Cincinnati president W. H. Kennett refused to sign
8322-421: The club and be the sole primary pitcher if he would be given a raise and granted free agency at season's end. Radbourn, who already had 24 wins at that point to Sweeney's 17, pitched nearly every game after that, and went on to win an astounding 59 games (a record) during the regular season; he has since been credited with another win for 60 that season. For an encore, he also won all three games of 1884's version of
8436-572: The defense of future Hall of Fame second baseman Bid McPhee and the pitching of 40-game-winner Will White , the Reds won the inaugural AA pennant in 1882. With the establishment of the Union Association in 1884, Thorner left the club to finance the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds and managed to acquire the lease on the Reds' Bank Street Grounds playing field, forcing new president Aaron Stern to relocate three blocks away to
8550-419: The end of the year, regardless of the team's outcome, to be replaced by former Reds third baseman Ray Knight. Schott did not like Johnson, and she did not approve of Johnson living with his fiancée before they were married. In contrast, Knight, along with his wife, professional golfer Nancy Lopez , were friends of Schott. The team took a dive under Knight, who was unable to complete two full seasons as manager and
8664-409: The entire starting outfield of Griffey, Foster and Collins. Bench, after being able to catch only seven games in 1981, was moved from platooning at first base to be the starting third baseman; Alex Treviño became the regular starting catcher. The outfield was staffed with Paul Householder , César Cedeño and future Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle on Opening Day. Hurdle
8778-455: The field, and by José Rijo , Tom Browning and the "Nasty Boys" – Rob Dibble , Norm Charlton and Randy Myers – on the mound, the Reds took out the Pirates in the NLCS . The Reds swept the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in four straight and extended a winning streak in the World Series to nine consecutive games. This Series, however, saw Eric Davis severely bruise a kidney diving for
8892-416: The field. The starting rotation was again led by Nolan, Gullett, Billingham and Norman, while the addition of rookies Pat Zachry and Santo Alcalá comprised an underrated staff in which four of the six had ERAs below 3.10. Eastwick, Borbon and McEnaney shared closer duties, recording 26, eight and seven saves, respectively. The Reds won the NL West by 10 games and went undefeated in the postseason, sweeping
9006-422: The game against Gene Garber . Rose also earned his 3,000th hit that season, on his way to becoming baseball's all-time hits leader when he rejoined the Reds in the mid-1980s. The year also witnessed the only no-hitter of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver's career, coming against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 16, 1978. After the 1978 season and two straight second-place finishes, Wagner fired manager Anderson in
9120-513: The game in the seventh inning off Seaver, setting the stage for a dramatic game-ending home run by Johnny Bench in the bottom of the ninth. The New York series provided plenty of controversy surrounding the riotous behavior of Shea Stadium fans toward Pete Rose when he and Bud Harrelson scuffled after a hard slide by Rose into Harrelson at second base during the fifth inning of Game 3. A full bench-clearing fight resulted after Harrelson responded to Rose's aggressive move to prevent him from completing
9234-572: The hastily built League Park. The club never placed higher than second or lower than fifth for the rest of its tenure in the American Association. The Cincinnati Red Stockings left the American Association on November 14, 1889, and joined the National League along with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms after a dispute with St. Louis Browns owner Chris von der Ahe over the selection of a new league president. The National League
9348-404: The history of Reds uniforms dating back to the 1920s or a baseball marking every hit Pete Rose had during his career. Robert Castellini took over as controlling owner from Lindner in 2006. Castellini promptly fired general manager Dan O'Brien and hired Wayne Krivsky . The Reds made a run at the playoffs, but ultimately fell short. The 2007 season was again mired in mediocrity. Midway through
9462-408: The homegrown talent. The Reds' final game at Crosley Field, where they had played since 1912, was played on June 24, 1970, with a 5–4 victory over the San Francisco Giants . Under Howsam's administration starting in the late 1960s, all players coming to the Reds were required to shave and cut their hair for the next three decades in order to present the team as wholesome in an era of turmoil. The rule
9576-482: The inferior quality of the Union Association. In point of fact, if the 1884 UA season is excluded from his career totals, Dunlap's career batting average was .276 (a drop of sixteen points), and he hit 28 career home runs (a loss of nearly one-third of his career total). However, Richard Hershberger, responding to James in the Baseball Research Journal , has argued that the UA should be considered
9690-447: The late 1910s, the Reds began to come out of the second division. The 1918 team finished fourth, and new manager Pat Moran led the Reds to an NL pennant in 1919, in what the club advertised as its "Golden Anniversary." The 1919 team had hitting stars Edd Roush and Heinie Groh , while the pitching staff was led by Hod Eller and left-hander Harry "Slim" Sallee . The Reds finished ahead of John McGraw 's New York Giants and then won
9804-594: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
9918-433: The league in batting average with .412 (86 points higher than his second-best season, and 120 points higher than his career average), and also led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, total bases, and home runs (with 13, typical for the era). After the Association folded, Dunlap never hit higher than .274 or more than seven home runs in a season until he retired in 1891, another measure of
10032-546: The meeting stating that he was the only person who did not attend, and that everyone else was enthusiastic about the new venture and eager to attend a second meeting in Cincinnati. The ploy worked, and the American Association (AA) was officially formed at the Hotel Gibson in Cincinnati. The new Reds – with Thorner now serving as president – became a charter member of the AA. Led by the hitting of third baseman Hick Carpenter ,
10146-563: The midseason firing of manager John McNamara , who was replaced as skipper by Russ Nixon . The Reds fell to the bottom of the Western Division for the next few years. After the 1982 season, Seaver was traded back to the Mets. 1983 found Dann Bilardello behind the plate, Bench returning to part-time duty at first base, rookie Nick Esasky taking over at third base and Gary Redus taking over from Cedeno. Tom Hume's effectiveness as
10260-434: The mound, only surpassed by the outstanding performance of Seaver's Cy Young runner-up season. La Coss, Bruce Berenyi and Frank Pastore rounded out the starting rotation. Hume again led the bullpen as closer, joined by Bair and Joe Price . In 1981 , the Reds had the best overall record in baseball, but finished second in the division in both of the half-seasons that resulted from a mid-season players' strike , and missed
10374-399: The only pitcher in major league history to throw back-to-back no-hitters in 1938. Thanks to Vander Meer, Paul Derringer and second baseman/third baseman-turned- pitcher Bucky Walters , the Reds had a solid pitching staff. The offense came around in the late 1930s. By 1938, the Reds, led by manager Bill McKechnie , were out of the second division, finishing fourth. Ernie Lombardi was named
10488-455: The playoffs. To commemorate this, a team photo was taken, accompanied by a banner that read "Baseball's Best Record 1981." By 1982 , the Reds were a shell of the original Red Machine, having lost 101 games that year. Johnny Bench, after an unsuccessful transition to third base, retired a year later. After the heartbreak of 1981, general manager Dick Wagner pursued the strategy of ridding the team of veterans, including third baseman Knight and
10602-417: The pledge, so the other owners preemptively expelled Cincinnati from the league for violating the new rules even though they were not yet in effect. Cincinnati's expulsion incensed Cincinnati Enquirer sports editor O. P. Caylor , who made two attempts to form a new league on behalf of the receivers for the now-bankrupt Reds franchise. When these attempts failed, he formed a new independent ball club known as
10716-526: The point of the "C" was removed. The traditional home uniform logo was reinstated in 1967. In 1956, the Redlegs, led by National League Rookie of the Year Frank Robinson , hit 221 home runs to tie the NL record. By 1961, Robinson was joined by Vada Pinson , Wally Post , Gordy Coleman and Gene Freese . Pitchers Joey Jay , Jim O'Toole and Bob Purkey led the staff. The Reds captured
10830-553: The season, Jerry Narron was fired as manager and replaced by Pete Mackanin . The Reds ended up posting a winning record under Mackanin, but finished the season in fifth place in the Central Division. Mackanin was manager in an interim capacity only, and the Reds, seeking a big name to fill the spot, ultimately brought in Dusty Baker . Early in the 2008 season , Krivsky was fired and replaced by Walt Jocketty . Although
10944-521: The series at two games each. The Reds won 98 games in 1974 but finished second to the 102-win Los Angeles Dodgers . The 1974 season started off with much excitement, as the Atlanta Braves were in town to open the season with the Reds. Hank Aaron entered opening day with 713 home runs, one shy of tying Babe Ruth 's record of 714. The first pitch Aaron swung at in the 1974 season was the record-tying home run off Jack Billingham. The next day,
11058-426: The seven games were decided by one run. With powerful slugger Reggie Jackson sidelined by an injury incurred during Oakland's playoff series , Ohio native Gene Tenace got a chance to play in the series, delivering four home runs that tied the World Series record for homers, propelling Oakland to a dramatic seven-game series win. This was one of the few World Series in which no starting pitcher for either side pitched
11172-473: The team and the political connotation of the word "red" to mean Communism , but as the New York Times reported, "The political significance of the word 'Reds' these days and its effect on the change was not discussed by management". From 1956 to 1960, the club's logo was altered to remove the term "REDS" from the inside of the " wishbone C " symbol. The word "REDS" reappeared on the 1961 uniforms, but
11286-460: The team relatively thin on talent. After years of promises that the club was rebuilding toward the opening of the new ballpark, general manager Jim Bowden and manager Bob Boone were fired on July 28. This broke up the father-son combo of manager Bob Boone and third baseman Aaron Boone , and the latter was soon traded to the New York Yankees . Tragedy struck in November when Dernell Stenson ,
11400-483: The team to a group led by Carl Lindner , retaining a minority interest, and never again directed the team's operations. In 1999 , the Reds won 96 games, led by manager Jack McKeon , but lost to the New York Mets in a one-game playoff . Despite an 85–77 finish in 2000 , and being named 1999 NL manager of the year, McKeon was fired after the 2000 season . The Reds did not have another winning season until 2010 . Riverfront Stadium , by then known as Cinergy Field,
11514-461: The time the strike hit, the Reds finished a half-game ahead of the Houston Astros for first place in the NL Central. In 1995 , the Reds won the division thanks to MVP Barry Larkin . After defeating the NL West champion Dodgers in the first NLDS since 1981, however, they lost to the Atlanta Braves . Team owner Schott had decided before the 1995 season that manager Johnson would be gone by
11628-492: The year a key component of future world championships was acquired, when George Foster was traded to the Reds from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for shortstop Frank Duffy . The 1972 Reds won the NL West in baseball's first-ever strike-shortened season , and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in a five-game playoff series . They then faced the Oakland Athletics in the World Series , where six of
11742-602: Was Ernest Lanigan 's The Baseball Cyclopedia , published in 1922. While the league had a number of major league players (on the St. Louis franchise, at least), the league's overall talent and organization was notably inferior to that of the two established major leagues. Of the 272 players in the Association, 107 (39.34%) never played in another major league, while 72 (26.47%) played very briefly (less than 300 at bats and/or 50 hits) in other major leagues, and 79 (29.04%) had longer careers but little success in other major leagues. The league's only star player, Fred Dunlap , led
11856-434: Was also a prominent civic leader. MacPhail began to develop the Reds' minor league system and expanded the Reds' fan base. Throughout the rest of the decade, the Reds became a team of "firsts." The now-renamed Crosley Field became the host of the first night game in 1935, which was also the first baseball fireworks night. (The fireworks at the game were shot by Joe Rozzi of Rozzi's Famous Fireworks.) Johnny Vander Meer became
11970-467: Was an immediate bust, and rookie Eddie Milner took his place in the starting outfield early in the year. The highly touted Householder struggled throughout the year despite extensive playing time. Cedeno, while providing steady veteran play, was a disappointment, unable to recapture his glory days with the Houston Astros . The starting rotation featured the emergence of a dominant Mario Soto and featured strong years by Pastore and Bruce Berenyi , but Seaver
12084-410: Was controversial, but persisted well into the ownership of Marge Schott . On at least one occasion, in the early 1980s, enforcement of this rule lost the Reds the services of star reliever and Ohio native Rollie Fingers , who would not shave his trademark handlebar mustache in order to join the team. The rule was not officially rescinded until 1999, when the Reds traded for slugger Greg Vaughn , who had
12198-403: Was demolished in 2002 . Great American Ball Park opened in 2003 , with high expectations for a team led by local favorites, including outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. , shortstop Barry Larkin and first baseman Sean Casey . Although attendance improved considerably with the new ballpark, the Reds continued to lose. Schott had not invested much in the farm system since the early 1990s, leaving
12312-518: Was eventually named the league's president, with owner Tom Pratt of the Philadelphia franchise serving as vice-president and Warren W. White of the Washington franchise as secretary. After being appointed president, Lucas bought the best available players for his St. Louis franchise at the expense of the rest of the league, which represented an obvious conflict-of-interest situation:
12426-411: Was happy to accept the teams in part due to the emergence of the new Player's League, an early failed attempt to break the reserve clause in baseball that threatened both existing leagues. Because the National League decided to expand while the American Association was weakening, the team accepted an invitation to join the National League. After shortening their name to the Reds, the team wandered through
12540-533: Was in full swing and Redland Field was in a state of disrepair. Powel Crosley, Jr. , an electronics magnate who, with his brother Lewis M. Crosley , produced radios, refrigerators and other household items, bought the Reds out of bankruptcy in 1933 and hired Larry MacPhail to be the general manager. Crosley had started WLW radio, the Reds flagship radio broadcaster, and the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation in Cincinnati, where he
12654-470: Was injured all year, and their efforts were wasted without a strong offensive lineup. Tom Hume still led the bullpen along with Joe Price, but the colorful Brad "The Animal" Lesley was unable to consistently excel, and former All-Star Jim Kern was also a disappointment. Kern was also publicly upset over having to shave off his prominent beard to join the Reds, and helped force the issue of getting traded during mid-season by growing it back. The season also saw
12768-550: Was not a starter, while John Vukovich , an off-season acquisition, was the starting third baseman. While Vuckovich was a superb fielder, he was a weak hitter. In May, with the team off to a slow start and trailing the Dodgers, Sparky Anderson made a bold move by moving Rose to third base, a position where he had very little experience, and inserting Foster in left field. This was the jolt that the Reds needed to propel them into first place, with Rose proving to be reliable on defense and
12882-449: Was subjected to complaints in the press about his strict managerial style. Marge Schott found herself the subject of further controversy when, in May 1996, she reiterated her 1992 praise for Hitler in an ESPN interview. The MLB executive council threatened to sanction her again, but she instead agreed step aside from day-to-day operations through 1998. In 1999, she sold a controlling stake in
12996-500: Was the main pitching stalwart before arm problems cut short his career. Ted Kluszewski was the NL home run leader in 1954. The rest of the offense was a collection of over-the-hill players and not-ready-for-prime-time youngsters. In April 1953, in a political climate increasingly dominated by anti-Communism, the Reds announced a preference to be called the "Redlegs", saying that the name of the club had been "Red Stockings" and then "Redlegs", The team hoped to avoid any association between
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