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Cincinnati Reds Wiki Information

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. They are members of the Central Division of the National League.

The franchise originated in 1882 as a charter member of a defunct 19th century Major League, the American Association. The name "Reds" evolved from their original name, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first professional baseball team. The Reds then joined the National League in 1890.

The Reds have enjoyed sporadic success over their 125-plus years. They won the AA's inaugural season in 1882, and did not win another championship until the Black Sox scandal ridden World Series of 1919. After struggling throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Reds made it back to the World Series in 1939, and won it in 1940. They returned to the bottom half of the standings from 1941-1960, except for a third-place finish in 1956, until winning the National League pennant in 1961. After losing to the Yankees in the 1961 World Series, the Reds were unable to piece together any consistent pennant contending teams until the "Big Red Machine" teams of the 1970s. They won 6 National League West Division titles and four National League pennants from 1970-1979, including back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. Their most recent World Series championship was in 1990, and most recent playoff appearance was in 1995.

Since 2003, the Reds have played their home games in Great American Ball Park, a baseball-only facility built next door to their previous home, Riverfront Stadium, which has since been demolished. The Reds field manager is Dusty Baker, their general manager is Walt Jocketty, and their majority owner is Bob Castellini.

CINCINNATI REDS TICKETS

EVENT	DATE	AVAILABILITY
Spring Training: Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians (SS) Tickets 2/22	Feb 22, 2025 Sat, 1:05 PM
Spring Training: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds (SS) Tickets 2/22	Feb 22, 2025 Sat, 1:10 PM
Spring Training: San Francisco Giants vs. Cincinnati Reds Tickets 2/23	Feb 23, 2025 Sun, 1:05 PM
Spring Training: Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Tickets 2/24	Feb 24, 2025 Mon, 1:05 PM
Spring Training: Los Angeles Angels vs. Cincinnati Reds Tickets 2/26	Feb 26, 2025 Wed, 1:10 PM

Franchise history

The original "Red Stockings"

The original Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first openly all-professional team, were founded as an amateur club in 1866, and became fully professional in 1869. The Red Stockings won 130 straight games throughout 1869 and 1870, before being defeated by the Brooklyn Atlantics. Star players included brothers Harry and George Wright, Fred Walterman, and pitcher Asa Brainard. The 1869 Red Stockings made an eastern swing of 21 games and went undefeated. According to Walter Camp, the team received a banquet and a "champion bat...this rather remarkable testimonial was twenty-seven feet long and nine inches (229 mm) in diameter". The following year, the team lost only one game. They were defeated at the Brooklyn Atlantics' Capitoline Grounds. According to Camp, the Red Stockings lost 8–7 in 11 innings. The game apparently served as a precursor to today's unruly crowds because he wrote: "A crowd of ten thousand people assembled to witness this match, and so lost their heads in the excitement as to give the Western men a very unfair reception." [See: "Base-Ball For The Spectator", Walter Camp, Century Magazine October, 1889.]

The best players of the Cincinnati Red Stockings relocated to Boston after the 1870 season, taking the nickname along with them and becoming the Boston Red Stockings, a team later dubbed the "Beaneaters" and eventually the "Braves", who are now based in Atlanta. A new Cincinnati Red Stockings team became a charter member of the National League in 1876, five years after the first Red Stockings team. The second Red Stockings team was expelled from the league after the 1880 season, in part for violating league rules by serving beer to fans at games, and for their refusal to stop renting out their ballpark, the Bank Street Grounds, on Sundays.

The American Association

Following the expulsion, a third Cincinnati team of the same name became a founding member of the American Association, a rival league that began play in 1882 ^[1] ^[2]. That team (which is the same franchise of today) played for eight seasons in the American Association and won the Association's inaugural pennant in 1882. The pennant winning club still holds the record for the highest winning percentage of any Reds club to date (.688). In November 1889, the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Brooklyn Dodgers both left the Association for the National League.

The National League returns to Cincinnati

Although some dispute whether the two teams are the same ^[3], the Cincinnati Red Stockings left the American Association in 1890 to play in the National League. One of the main reasons was the emergence of the new Player's League. This new league, an early, failed attempt to break the reserve clause in baseball, 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. It was also at this time that the team first shortened their name from "Red Stockings" to "Reds". The Reds wandered through the 1890s signing local stars & aging veterans. During this time, the team never finished above third place (1897) and never closer than 10 1/2 games (1890).

At the turn of the 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 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.

Redland Field to the Great Depression

In 1912, the club opened a new steel-and-concrete ballpark, Redland Field (later to be known as Crosley Field). 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 the late 1910s the Reds began to come out of the second division. The 1918 team finished 4th, and new manager Pat Moran led the Reds to an NL pennant in 1919, in what the club inaccurately 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 the world championship in 8 games over the Chicago White Sox.

By 1920, the "Black Sox" scandal had brought a taint to the Reds' first championship. In the remainder of the 1920s 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 the team was bankrupt, the Great Depression was in full swing, and Crosley Field was in a state of disrepair.

Revival of 1930s

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 was also a prominent civic leader. MacPhail began to develop the Reds' minor league system and expanded the Reds' fan base. The Reds, throughout the 1930s, became a team of "firsts". Crosley Field, (formerly Redland Field), became the host of the first night game in 1935. Johnny Vander Meer became 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, now led by manager Bill McKechnie, were out of the second division finishing fourth. Ernie Lombardi was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1938. By 1939, they were National League champions, but in the World Series, they were swept by the New York Yankees. First baseman. In 1940, they repeated as NL Champions, and for the first time in 21 years, the Reds 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.

From WWII through the 1960s

World War II and age finally caught up with the Reds. Throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, Cincinnati finished mostly in the second division. 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 person ever to play in a major league game -- a record that still stands today. Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell 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 1956, led by National League Rookie of the Year Frank Robinson, the Reds hit 221 HR 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 the 1961 National League pennant, holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers and the 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), but finished third. In 1964, they lost the pennant by one game to the Cardinals after having taken 1st place when the 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's selling off key components of the team, in anticipation of relocating the franchise. After the 1965 season he executed what may be the most lopsided trade in baseball history, sending former Most Valuable Player Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun, and outfielder Dick Simpson. Robinson went on to win the MVP and triple crown in the American league for 1966, and lead 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" of 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 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 its original home city. In a series of strategic moves, Howsam brought in key personnel to complement the homegrown talent. The Reds' final game at Crosley Field, home to more than 4,500 baseball games, was played on June 24, 1970, a 5–4 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Striving for an image: The "Redlegs" and Clean Shaves

Twice in the 1950s (the McCarthy era), the Reds, fearing that their traditional club nickname would associate them with the threat of Communism, officially changed the name of the team to the Cincinnati Redlegs . From 1956 to 1960, the club's logo was altered to remove the term "REDS" from the inside of the "wishbone C " symbol. The "REDS" reappeared on the 1961 uniforms, but the point of the C was removed, leaving a smooth, non-wishbone curve. The traditional home-uniform logo was restored in 1967.

Under Howsam's administration starting in the late 1960s, the Reds instituted a strict rule barring the team's players from wearing mustaches, beards, and long hair. The clean cut look was meant to present the team as wholesome in an era of turmoil. All players coming to the Reds were required to shave and cut their hair for the next three decades. Over the years, the rule 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 them the services of star reliever Rollie Fingers, who would not shave his trademark handlebar moustache in order to join the team. ^[4] The rule was not officially rescinded until 1999 when the Reds traded for slugger Greg Vaughn, who had a goatee.

The Reds' rules also included conservative uniforms. In major league baseball, 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 through the mid-1980s, the Reds had a strict rule that players were to wear only plain black shoes with no prominent logo. Reds players decried the boring color choice as well as the denial of the opportunity to earn more money through shoe contracts. A compromise was struck in which players were allowed to wear red shoes.

The Big Red Machine

In 1970, little known George "Sparky" Anderson was hired as manager, and the Reds embarked upon a decade of excellence, with a team that came to be known as "The Big Red Machine". Playing at Crosley Field until June 30, 1970, when the Reds moved into brand-new Riverfront Stadium, a 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 Red Machine offensive leaders; Gary Nolan, Jim Merritt, Wayne Simpson and Jim McGlothlin led a pitching staff which also contained veterans Tony Cloninger and Clay Carroll and youngsters Pedro Borbón and Don Gullett. The Reds breezed through the 1970 season, winning the NL West and captured the NL pennant by sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games. By time the club got to the World Series, however, the Reds pitching staff had run out of gas and the veteran Baltimore Orioles beat the Reds in five games.

After the disastrous 1971 season (the only season of the '70s during which the Reds finished with a losing record) the Reds reloaded by trading veterans Jimmy Stewert, May, and Tommy Helms for Joe Morgan, César Gerónimo, Jack Billingham, Ed Armbrister, and Denis Menke. Meanwhile, Dave Concepción blossomed at shortstop. 1971 was also the year a key component of the future world championships was acquired in George Foster from the San Francisco Giants in a trade 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 an exciting five-game playoff series, then faced the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Six of the seven games were won by one run. With powerful slugger Reggie Jackson sidelined due to 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 the first World Series in which no starting pitcher for either side pitched a complete game.

The Reds won a third NL West crown in 1973 after a dramatic second half comeback, that saw them make up 10½ 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 NCLS. In game one, 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 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 with the riotous behavior of Shea Stadium fans towards 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 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 the series at two games each.

The Reds won 98 games in 1974 but they 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 74 season was the record tying home run off Jack Billingham. The next day the Braves benched Aaron, hoping to save him for his record breaking home run on their season opening homestand. The commissioner of baseball, Bowie Kuhn, ordered Braves management to play Aaron the next day, where he narrowly missed the historic home run in the fifth inning. Aaron went on to set the record in Atlanta two nights later. 1974 also was the debut of Hall of Fame radio announcer Marty Brennaman, who replaced Al Michaels, after Michaels left the Reds to broadcast for the San Francisco Giants.

With 1975, the Big Red Machine lineup solidified with the starting team of Johnny Bench (c), Tony Perez (1b), Joe Morgan (2b), Dave Concepción (ss), Pete Rose (3b), Ken Griffey (rf), César Gerónimo (cf), and George Foster (lf). 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 combining for 37 saves, and veterans Pedro Borbon and Clay Carroll. On Opening Day, Rose still played in left field, Foster was not a starter, while John Vuckovich, 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, while adding Foster to the outfield gave the offense some added punch. During the season, the Reds compiled two notable streaks: (1) by 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, then swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games to win the NL pennant. In the World Series, the Boston Red Sox were the opponents. After splitting the first four games, the Reds took Game 5. After a three-day rain delay, the two teams met in Game 6, one of the most memorable baseball games ever played and considered by many to be the best World Series game ever. The Reds were ahead 6–3 with 5 outs left, when the Red Sox tied the game on former Red Bernie Carbo's three-run home run. It was Carbo's second pinch-hit three-run homer in the series. After a few close-calls either way, Carlton Fisk hit a dramatic 12th inning home run off the foul pole in left field (which is considered to be one of the greatest TV sports moments of all time) to give the Red Sox a 7–6 win and force a deciding 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.

1976 saw a return of the same starting eight in the field. The starting rotation was again led by Nolan, Gullett, Billingham, and Norman, while the addition of rookies Pat Zachary and Santos 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, 8, and 7 saves respectively. The Reds won the NL West by ten games. They went undefeated in the postseason (to date the only team to do so since playoffs were introduced), sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies (winning Game 3 in their final at-bat) to return to the World Series. They continued to dominate by sweeping the Yankees in the newly renovated Yankee Stadium, the first World Series games played in Yankee Stadium since 1964. This was only the second ever sweep of the Yankees in the World Series. In winning the Series, the Reds became the first NL team since the 1921–22 New York Giants to win back-to-back World Series championships, and the Big Red Machine of 1975–76 is considered one of the best teams ever.

The Machine Dismantled and "We Wuz Robbed!"

The later years of the 1970s brought turmoil and change. Popular Tony Perez was sent to Montreal 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 the biggest mistake of their careers. Starting pitcher Don Gullet left via free agency and signed with the New York Yankees. In an effort to fill that gap, a trade with the Oakland A's for starting ace Vida Blue was arranged during the '76–'77 off-season. However, Bowie Kuhn, the Commissioner of Baseball, vetoed the trade in an effort to maintain the competitive balance in baseball. On June 15, 1977, the Mets' franchise pitcher Tom Seaver was traded to the Reds 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 Angels for Craig Hendrickson, Rawly Eastwick to St. Louis for Doug Capilla and Mike Caldwell to Milwaukee for Dick O'Keeffe and Garry Pyka, and got 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 Rose's last season as a Red, he 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 5th at bat in the game against Gene Garber. Rose also earned his 3000th hit that season, on his way to becoming baseball's all time hits leader when he rejoined the Reds in the mid 80's. 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 2nd place finishes, Wagner fired manager Anderson.Cincinnati hero Pete Rose, who since 1963 had played almost every position for the team except pitcher and catcher, signed with Philadelphia as a free agent. By 1979, the starters were Bench (c), Dan Driessen (1b), Morgan (2b), Concepcion (ss), Ray Knight (3b), with Griffey, Foster, and Geronimo again in the outfield. The pitching staff had experienced a complete turnover since 1976 except for Fred Norman. In addition to ace starter Tom Seaver; the remaining starters were Mike La Coss, 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 did to win the 1979 NL West behind the pitching of Tom Seaver but were dispatched in the NL playoffs by Pittsburgh. Game 2 featured a controversial play in which a ball hit by Pittsburgh's Phil Garner was caught by Cincinnati 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.

The 1981 team fielded a strong lineup, but with only Concepcion, Foster, and Griffey retaining their spots from the 1975-76 heyday. ^[5] ^[6] After Johnny Bench was able to play only a few games at catcher each year after 1980 due to ongoing injuries, Joe Nolan took over as starting catcher. Driessen and Bench shared 1st base, and Knight starred at third. Morgan and Geronimo had been replaced at second base and center field by Ron Oester and Dave Collins. Mario Soto posted a banner year starting on 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, Cincinnati had the best overall record in baseball, but they finished second in the division in both of the half-seasons that were created after a mid-season players' 1981 Major League Baseball strike. To commemorate this, a team photo was taken, accompanied by a banner that read "Baseball's Best Record 1981" and Reds' fans proclaimed "We Wuz Robbed!" when talking about the 1981 season.

By 1982, the Reds were a shell of the original Red Machine; they lost 101 games that year. ^[7] Johnny Bench, after an unsuccessful transition to 3rd base, retired a year later.

The 1980s

After the heartbreak of 1981, General Manager Dick Wagner pursued the strategy of ridding the team of veterans including third-baseman Knight and the entire starting outfield of Griffey, Foster, and Collins. Bench, after being able to catch only 7 games in 1981, was moved from platooning at first base to be the starting third baseman; Alex Trevino became the regular starting catcher. The outfield was staffed with Paul Householder, César Cedeño, and Clint Hurdle on opening day. Hurdle 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, and was 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 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 a big disappointment. Kern was also publicly upset over having to shave off his prominent beard to join the Reds, and helped forced the issue of getting traded during mid-season by growing it back.

The Reds fell to the bottom of the Western Division for the next few years. After his injury-riddled 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, rookies Nick Esasky taking over at third base and Gary Redus taking over from Cedeno. Tom Hume's effectiveness as 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 control of the Reds ended in 1983, when Howsam, the architect of the Big Red Machine, was brought back. Howsam began his return by acquiring Cincinnati native Dave Parker from Pittsburgh. In 1984 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 the middle of the 1984 season, Pete Rose was 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 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, from 1985–89 the Reds finished second four times. Among the highlights, Rose became the all-time hits leader, Tom Browning threw a perfect game, 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. In 1989, Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti, who declared Rose guilty of "conduct detrimental to baseball". Controversy also swirled around Reds owner Marge Schott, who was accused several times of ethnic and racial slurs. ^[8]

After Pete Rose

In 1987, General Manager Bergesch was replaced by Murray Cook, who initiated a series of deals that would finally bring the Reds back to the championship, starting with acquisitions of Danny Jackson and Jose Rijo. An aging Dave Parker was let go after a revival of his career in Cincinnati. Barry Larkin emerged as the starting shortstop over Kurt Stilwell, who was let go. In 1989, Cook was succeeded by Bob Quinn, who put the final pieces of 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. They started off 33–12, winning their first 9 games, and maintained their lead throughout the year. Led by Chris Sabo, Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, Paul O'Neill and Billy Hatcher in the field, and by José Rijo, Tom Browning and the "Nasty Boys" of 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 Reds winning streak in the World Series to 9 consecutive games. The World Series, however, saw Eric Davis severely bruise a kidney diving for 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 and 14 homers. The Reds returned to winning after a losing season in 1991, but 90 wins was only enough for 2nd place behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves. Before the season ended, Piniella got into an altercation with reliever Rob Dibble. In the off season, O'Neill was traded to the New York Yankees for outfielder Roberto Kelly. Kelly was a disappointment for the Reds over the next couple of years, while O'Neill blossomed, leading a down-trodden Yankees franchise to a return to glory. Also, the Reds would replace their outdated "Big Red Machine" era uniforms in favor of a pinstriped uniform with no sleeves.

For the 1993 season Piniella was replaced by fan favorite Tony Perez, but he lasted only 44 games at the helm, replaced by Davey Johnson. With Johnson steering the team, the Reds made steady progress upward. In 1994, the Reds were in the newly-created National League Central Division with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, as well as fellow rivals Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. By the time the strike hit, the Reds finished a half-game ahead of the Astros for first-place in the NL Central. By 1995, the Reds won the division thanks to Most Valuable Player Barry Larkin. After defeating the NL West champion Dodgers in the first NLDS since 1981, they lost to the Atlanta Braves. As of 2008, 1995 remains the only year in the Division Series era in which neither the Cubs, Cardinals, nor Astros made the playoffs, since the Reds had won the division and the Colorado Rockies (in only their 3rd year) won the NL Wild Card - as a consequence, the Reds have not made the playoffs since 1995.

Team owner Marge Schott announced mid-season that Johnson would be gone by the end of the year, regardless of outcome, to be replaced by former Reds third baseman Ray Knight. Johnson and Schott had never gotten along and she didn't approve of Johnson living with his fiancée before they were married ^[9], In contrast, Knight, along with his wife, professional golfer Nancy Lopez, were friends of Schott's. The team took a dive under Knight and he was unable to complete two full seasons as manager, subject to complaints in the press about his strict managerial style.

In 1999 the Reds won 96 games, led by manager Jack McKeon, but lost to the New York Mets in a one game playoff. Earlier that year, Schott sold controlling interest in the Reds to Cincinnati businessman Carl Lindner. 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 have not had a winning season since.

Riverfront Stadium was demolished in 2002 and ended an era marked by three world championships. 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 team continued to lose. Schott hadn't invested much in the farm system since the early 1990s, leaving 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 Aaron was soon traded to the New York Yankees. Following the season Dan O'Brien was hired as the Reds' 16th General Manager.

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 a home run against Jose 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 a young nucleus that included Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns.

Late summer 2004 saw the opening of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. The Reds HOF 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 stand-alone facility, where the public could walk through inter-active displays, see locker room recreations, watch videos of classic Reds moments and peruse historical items. The first floor houses a movie theater which resembles an older, ivy-covered brick wall ballyard. The hallways contain many vintage photographs. The rear of the building features a three-story wall containing a baseball for every hit Pete Rose had during his career. The third floor contains interactive exhibits including a pitcher's mound, radio booth, and children's area where the fundamentals of baseball are taught by former Reds player videos.

For Opening Day 2006, President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch, becoming the first sitting president to throw out the first pitch at a Reds game. 2006 also began a new era in Reds baseball as fruit and vegetable wholesaler Robert Castellini took over as controlling owner from Lindner. Castellini promptly fired general manager Dan O'Brien. Wayne Krivsky, previously an assistant General Manager with the Minnesota Twins, was appointed as the General Manager after a protracted search. The first move Krivsky made was to trade young outfielder Wily Mo Peña to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo made his first start in a Reds uniform on April 5, 2006. He not only earned the win, but also led off the third inning with his first career home run. Krivsky also gave fans hope with mid season trades that bolstered the bullpen, trading for "Everyday Eddie" Guardado and then trading outfielder Austin Kearns, shortstop Felipe López, and 2004 first round draft pick Ryan Wagner to the Washington Nationals for relievers Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, shortstop Royce Clayton, and two prospects. This move was controversial, as not only did it seem as if the Reds did not receive much in return for two starting position players and a former first-round draft pick, but also it was later discovered that the Nationals may have hidden Majewski's health problems. The Reds made a run at the playoffs in the weak Central Division, but ended with a 80–82 losing record.

The 2007 season was again mired in mediocrity. Midway through the season Jerry Narron was fired as manager and replaced by Pete Mackanin, an advance scout for the club. The Reds ended up posting a winning record under Mackanin, but finished the season in 5th 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, Wayne Krivsky was fired and replaced by former St. Louis Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty, who helped build the 2006 World Champion Cardinals. Jocketty had been added by Castellini in the offseason in an advisory role, and after another poor start by the Reds, took the reins of general manager. Though the Reds did not win under Krivsky, he is credited with revamping the farm system and signing young talent that could potentially lead the Reds to success in the future.

Logos and Uniforms

Season-by-season results

Current roster

40-man roster

Spring Training
non-roster invitees

Coaches/other

Pitchers

61 Bronson Arroyo
34 Homer Bailey
45 Bill Bray
51 Jared Burton
48 Francisco Cordero
47 Johnny Cueto
-- Carlos Fisher
39 Aaron Harang
52 Daniel Ray Herrera
-- Sam Lecure
57 Mike Lincoln
-- Matt Maloney (baseball)
-- Robert Manuel (baseball)
40 Nick Masset
56 Micah Owings
58 Ramón Ramírez (starting pitcher)
-- Arthur Rhodes
65 Josh Roenicke
53 Daryl Thompson
36 Edinson Volquez
25 David Weathers

Catchers

26 Wilkin Castillo
29 Ryan Hanigan
55 Ramón Hernández
71 Craig Tatum

Infielders

77 Yonder Alonso
28 Edwin Encarnación
-- Juan Francisco
2 Álex González (shortstop)
7 Paul Janish
27 Jeff Keppinger
4 Brandon Phillips
62 Danny Richar
60 Adam Rosales
19 Joey Votto

Outfielders

32 Jay Bruce
21 Chris Dickerson (baseball)
30 Norris Hopper

Outfielders

-- Laynce Nix

Manager

12 Dusty Baker

Coaches

-- Mark Berry (baseball) (third base)
22 Billy Hatcher (first base)
49 Brook Jacoby (hitting)
59 Juan López (baseball) (bullpen)
43 Dick Pole (pitching)
35 Chris Speier (bench)
72 Mike Stefanski (bullpen catcher)

* Not on active roster
† 15-day disabled list
updated 2008-12-14
•

Quick facts

"Founded": 1882 - Reds merchandise purchased at Great American Ballpark lists 1869 as the date in which the Reds were founded; However, their own museum acknowledges that the current club dates from 1882.
Formerly known as: The Red Stockings in the 19th century; the Redlegs (1953-1960)
Home ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Uniform colors: Red and white, trim Black
Logo design: a drop-shadow red wishbone "C" with the drop-shadowed word "REDS" inside
Team motto: The Power of Tradition
Playoff appearances (12): 1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1990, 1995
Pennants: 1882,1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1990
World Series Champions: 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990
Other "titles" won: (2): Had baseball's best overall record in 1981; First place in N.L. Central in 1994
American Association pennants won: (1): 1882
Ownership: Robert Castellini
Local Television: FSN Ohio
Spring Training Facility: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, FL (moving to Arizona in 2010)
Home Runs: Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 600th home run on June 8, 2008.
Record Victory: (since 1900) Reds 23, Chicago Cubs 4, on July 6, 1949.
Record Defeat: Philadelphia Phillies 22, Reds 1, on July 6, 2009, exactly 60 years to the day of the record victory.

Achievements

Awards

Baseball Hall of Famers

Sparky Anderson *
Jake Beckley
Johnny Bench
Jim Bottomley
Mordecai Brown
Charles Comiskey
Sam Crawford
Kiki Cuyler
Leo Durocher
Buck Ewing

Clark Griffith
Chick Hafey
Jesse Haines
Harry Heilmann
Miller Huggins
Joe Kelley
George Kelly
Ernie Lombardi
Rube Marquard
Christy Mathewson
Bill McKechnie
Bid McPhee

Joe Morgan
Tony Pérez
Charles Radbourn
Eppa Rixey
Frank Robinson
Edd Roush
Amos Rusie
Tom Seaver
Al Simmons
Joe Tinker
Dazzy Vance

* Manager

Ford C. Frick Award recipients

Names in bold received the award based primarily on their work as Reds broadcasters.

Red Barber
Marty Brennaman
Russ Hodges

* Played as Reds

Retired numbers

Fred Hutchinson Mgr: 1959-64	Johnny Bench C: 1967-83	Joe Morgan 2B: 1972-79	Sparky Anderson Mgr: 1970-78	Dave Concepción SS: 1970-88	Ted Kluszewski 1B: 1947-57 Coach: 1970-78	Frank Robinson OF: 1956-65	Tony Pérez 1B: 1964-76 1B: 1984-86 Coach: 1987-92 Mgr: 1993	Jackie Robinson Retired by Baseball

Since Pete Rose was banned from baseball, the Reds have not retired his #14. However, they have not reissued it except for Pete Rose, Jr. in his 11 game tenure in 1997. The number 11 of former captain Barry Larkin has not been issued since his retirement, and the Reds have not named a new captain since.

The following broadcasters are honored with microphones by the broadcast booth: Marty Brennaman, Waite Hoyt, and Joe Nuxhall. ^[10]

Team records (single-season and career)

Minor league affiliations

AAA: Louisville Bats, International League
AA: Carolina Mudcats, Southern League
Advanced A: Sarasota Reds, Florida State League
A: Dayton Dragons, Midwest League
Rookie: Billings Mustangs, Pioneer League
Rookie: Gulf Coast Reds, Gulf Coast League
Rookie: VSL Reds, Venezuelan Summer League

Radio and television

The Reds' flagship radio station has been WLW, 700AM since 1969. Prior to that, the Reds were heard over: WKRC, WCPO, WSAI and WCKY. WLW, a 50,000-watt station, is "clear channel" in more than one way, as Clear Channel Communications owns the "blowtorch" outlet which is also known as "The Nation's Station". In 2007, Thom Brennaman, a veteran announcer seen nationwide on Fox Sports, joined his Ford C. Frick Award-winning father Marty in the radio booth for the games. Jeff Brantley, formerly of ESPN, was brought on in for the games that Thom does not announce, save for a few games that featured Joe Nuxhall.

Televised games are seen exclusively on FSN Ohio (in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Kentucky) and FSN Indiana. George Grande, who hosted the first SportsCenter on ESPN in 1979, is the play-by-play announcer. Thom Brennaman announces some TV games as the play-by-play announcer as well, and Chris Welsh and Jeff Brantley share time as the color commentator.

NBC affiliate WLWT carried Reds games from 1948–1995. Among those that have called games for WLWT include Waite Hoyt, Ray Lane, Steve Physioc, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Ken Wilson. WSTR-TV aired games from 1996-1998, and the Reds have not broadcast games over-the-air on a regular basis since then. However, a few games, including one against state rival Cleveland Indians, were aired on FOX Network during the 2008 season.