Cincinnati Reds
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The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of the National League.
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Franchise history
The beginning
The original Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first openly all-professional team, were founded in 1867, turning professional in 1869. The Red Stockings won 130 games in a row between 1869 & 1870, before the Brooklyn Atlantics defeated them. Early stars for the Red Stockings included the Wrights, George and Harry, and catcher, Cassius Emmons. (In 1871, Harry Wright took most of his best players to Boston, and founded the Boston Red Stockings, now known as the Atlanta Braves.) The Red Stockings disbanded after the 1870 season, but reconstituted to become a charter member of the National League in 1876. The team was expelled from the league after the 1880 season, in part for violating league rules by serving beer to fans at games.
Following the expulsion, Cincinnati became a founding member of the American Association, a rival league that began play in 1882, and retained the nickname Red Stockings. By some accounts, the AA team switched leagues in 1890; by other accounts, the AA team folded the same year the new NL team started, and the new team simply signed many of the AA team's star players. The Red Stockings wandered through the remainder of the 1890s signing local stars & aging veterans.
At the turn of the century, the Reds (shortened from the Red Stockings so not to be confused with the Boston AL entry, now shortened to Red Sox) had hitting stars like 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.
Redland Field to the Great Depression
In 1912 Redland Field, built on the corner of Findlay and Western on the city's west side opened for the Reds. By the late 1910s the Reds began to come out of the second division. The 1918 team finished 4th, and then new manager Pat Moran led the Reds to a NL pennant in 1919. The 1919 team had hitting stars led by Edd Roush and Heinie Groh while the pitching staff was led by Hod Eller and Harry "Slim" Sallee, a lefthander. 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 put an asterisk by the Reds first championship. In the remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s the Reds were second division dwellers for most of those years. Eppa Rixey, Dolf Luque and Pete Donohue were pitching stars; the offense never quite lived up to the pitching. By 1931 the team was bankrupt, thanks to the Great Depression, and Redland 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. Powell Crosley Jr. had also started WLW radio and the Crosley Broadcasting Company in Cincinnati and was doing quite well as a civic leader. (WLW has been the Reds' radio flagship for decades.) MacPhail began to develop the Reds' minor league system and expanded the Reds' 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 shortstop-turned-pitcher Bucky Walters, the Reds had a solid pitching staff. The offense came around in the late 1930s. Ernie Lombardi was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1938, First baseman Frank McCormick was the 1940 NL MVP. Other position players included Harry Craft, Lonny Frey, Ival Goodman and Lew Riggs. By 1938 the Reds, now led by manager Bill McKechnie, were out of the second division finishing fourth. By 1939 they were National League champions. The Reds were swept by the New York Yankees in four straight. In 1940, they repeated as NL Champions and for the first time in 21 years, the Reds captured a World Series beating the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 3.
From WWII through the 1960s
World War II and age finally caught up with the Reds. Throughout the remainder of the 1940s and the early 1950s, Cincinnati finished mostly in the second division. In 1944, Joe Nuxhall, age 15, pitching for the Reds on loan from Hamilton High School, 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 NL 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 NL 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 many successful teams during the rest of the 1960s, but didn't produce any championships. They won 98 games in 1962 (paced by Purkey's 23), but finished 3rd. In 1964, they lost the pennant by one game. Starting in the early 1960s, the Reds farm system began producing a series of future stars, such as Jim Maloney (the Reds pitching ace of the 1960s), Pete Rose, Tony Pérez, Johnny Bench and Gary Nolan. The tipping point came in 1967 with the appointment of Bob Howsam as general manager. In a series of strategic moves, Howsam nurtured the homegrown talent and brought in key personnel, allowing the team to finally reach its potential during the 1970s. The Reds' final game at Crosley Field, home to over 4500 baseball games, was played on June 24 1970. In its place, a new stadium, and a new Reds dynasty.
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 Communist threat, 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 moustaches, beards, and long hair. The clean cut look was meant to present the team as wholesome and traditional in an era of turmoil. Over the years, the rule was controversial, but persisted under the ownership of Marge Schott. All players coming to the Reds were required to shave and cut their hair for the next three decades or more. On at least one occasion, in the early 1980s, when the Reds were hurting for pitching, strict 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. The Reds thus took a pass on Fingers. When Pete Rose became player-manager in the mid-1980s, he grew a "rat's tail," fashionable among the youth of the time, but the rule was not officially rescinded until the 21st century.
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 in 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 and Jim McGlothlin led a pitching staff which also contained veteran Tony Cloninger and youngsters Wayne Simpson and Don Gullett. The Reds breezed through the 1970 season, won the NL West and captured the NL pennant. 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 May and Tommy Helms for Joe Morgan, César Gerónimo, Jack Billingham and Denis Menke. Meanwhile, Dave Concepción blossomed at shortstop.
The 1972 Reds won the NL West 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, but Oakland won in Game 7. The Reds won a third NL West crown in 1973 but lost the NL pennant to the New York Mets. The Reds won 98 games in 1974 but finished in second place.
With 1975, the Big Red Machine lineup solidified with the starting team of Johnny Bench (c), Tony Perez (1b), Joe Morgan (2b), Dave Concepcion (ss), Pete Rose (3b), Ken Griffey (rf), Cesar Geronimo (cf), and George Foster (lf). The starting pitchers included Don Gullett, Fred Norman, Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham, Pat Darcy, and Clay Kirby. However, it was the bullpen that was the key to the Reds' pitching (and Anderson's reputation as "Captain Hook") with Rawly Eastwick and Will McEnaney as the key closers with a combined 37 saves. Pedro Borbon and Clay Carroll filled in as stretchers between the starters and the finishers.
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. Game 6 is still one of the most memorable baseball games ever played. 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. After a few close-calls either way, Carlton Fisk hit a home run off the foul pole in left field to give the Red Sox a 7-6 win and force a deciding Game 7. Cincinnati prevailed the next day, however, 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. There were slight changes in the pitching staff, however, with Pat Zachry and Santo Alcala taking the place of Kirby and Darcy and Manny Sarmiento and Rich Hinton replacing Carroll. McEnaney joined Borbon, Sarmiento, and Hinton as mid-inning relievers, leaving Eastwick as the sole key closer.
In 1976, the Reds swept throughout the NL West and proceeded to go undefeated in the postseason. They swept the Philadelphia Phillies (winning Game 3 in their final at-bat) to return to the World Series, then continued to dominate by sweeping the Yankees, who never really challenged the powerhouse Reds. In winning the Series, the Reds became the first NL team in over 50 years to win back-to-back World Series championships.
The Machine Dismantled and "We Wuz Robbed!"
Personnel changes are in the offing. Popular Tony Perez is sent to Montreal after the 1976 season, breaking up the Big Red Machine's starting lineup. On June 15, 1977, the Reds enter the trading market with a vengeance. New York was heartbroken by the news that the Mets' franchise pitcher Tom Seaver was being traded to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, and Dan Norman. In less successful deals, the Reds also trade Gary Nolan to the Angels for Craig Henderson, Rawly Eastwick to St. Louis for Doug Capilla, Mike Caldwell to Milwaukee for Dick O'Keeffe and Garry Pyka, and get 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. After the 1978 season, Cincinnati hero Pete Rose, who since 1963 has played almost every position for the team except pitcher and catcher, takes free agency to Philadelphia.
The later years of the '70s brought turmoil and change. After two consecutive runner-up seasons, Wagner fired manager Anderson. By 1979, players Gullett, Nolan, Pérez, and Rose, among others, had left the club. 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 an almost complete turnover. The ace starter was now Tom Seaver, acquired from the New York Mets in 1977 in a multiple-player deal. Only Norman was left from 1975-76; 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 mid-innings with Tom Hume and Doug Bair closing.
The Reds did manage to win the 1979 NL West behind the pitching of Tom Seaver but were dispatched in the NL playoffs by Pittsburgh, after a controversial play in Game 2 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, with only Concepcion, Foster, and Griffey retaining their spots from the 1975-76 heyday. Johnny Bench was suffering from knee problems and so Joe Nolan played the majority of games behind the plate. Driessen and Knight still played the corners, but 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, even surpassing the performance of future hall-of-famer Seaver. La Coss, Bruce Berenyi, and Frank Pastore (now a right-wing Christian talk show host) rounded out the starting rotation. Hume again led the bullpen as closer, joined by Bair, Moskau, Joe Price, and Geoff Combe.
In 1981, Cincinnati had the best overall record in baseball, but after a mid-season players' strike, they finished second in the division in both of the half-seasons that were created. 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; they lost 100 games that year. Johnny Bench retired a year later. Outraged Reds fans proclaimed, "We Wuz Robbed!"
The 1980s
After the heartbreak of 1981, General Manager Dick Wagner pursued the strategy of ridding the team of pricey veterans, stars, and proven winners, ridding the roster of catcher Nolan, third-baseman Knight (who had adequately replaced the unreplaceable Pete Rose) and the entire starting outfield of Griffey, Foster, and Collins. Johnny Bench decided to give up catching entirely and was made the starting third baseman; Alex Trevino became the regular starting catcher. The outfield was staffed with Paul Householder, Cesar Cedeno, and the untried Eddie Milner. The starting rotation still featured the strong Seaver and Soto, joined by Pastore and Bruce Berenyi, but their efforts were wasted without a strong offensive lineup backing them. Tom Hume still led the bullpen, but he had no support from the dismal relieving of Ben Hayes, Brad Lesley, Joe Price, and Jim Kern.
The Reds fell to the absolute bottom of the Western Division for the next few years, losing Seaver after the 1982 season. A series of desultory changes -- Dann Bilardello behind the plate, Nick Esasky taking over after Bench's failed experiment in the hot corner, and Gary Redus taking over from Cedeno. Tom Hume had pitched himself out and there was not a body in the bullpen worth naming. Dave Concepcion was the sole remaining starter from the Big Red Machine era.
Wagner's reign of terror finally ended in 1983, when Howsam, the architect of the Big Red Machine was brought back and he 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. By the end of 1984, 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 was principally known for holding on tightly to perennial future stars like Kurt Stillwell, Tracy Jones, Kal Daniels, and others, refusing to risk these "crown jewels" for pitching help.
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. 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.
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, finally letting go of Bergesch favouriates Stillwell and Parker. In 1989, Cook was succeeded by Bob Quinn, who put the final pieces of the championship puzzle together, with acquisitions such as 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 35-12 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 and swept the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in four straight.
In 1992, Quinn was replaced in the front office by Jim Bowden, who made it his business to bring Cincinnati native Ken Griffey Jr. -- son of the Big Red Machine-era outfielder -- to the hometown team. He finally got his wish in 2000, but the injured Griffey's disappointing performance ruined Bowden's legacy.
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 Cubs, Cardinals, as well as fellow rival Pirates and 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 were in the NLCS again, but lost to the Atlanta Braves. In a bizarre move, eccentric 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, who, along with his wife, professional golfer Nancy Lopez, were personal 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, but lost to the New York Mets in a one game playoff. Riverfront Stadium was demolished in 2002 and ended an era marked by three world championships. General Manager Bowden was replaced by Dan O'Brien.
The Great American Ball Park opened in 2003 with high expectations for a team led by local favorites, including franchise outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., shortstop Barry Larkin, reliever Danny Graves and first baseman Sean Casey. Although attendance improved considerably with the new ballpark, the team continued to lose, and in 2003 the father-son combo of manager Bob Boone and third baseman Aaron Boone was broken up as Bob was relieved and Aaron traded to the New York Yankees.
The 2004 and 2005 seasons continued the trend of big hitting and poor pitching and ultimately poor records. Griffey, Jr. joined the 500-homerun club in 2004, but was again hampered by injuries. Adam Dunn emerged as formidable homerun hitter, hitting a 535-foot 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 have dispatched some of their veteran players and are entrusting their future to a young nucleus that includes Felipe López, Austin Kearns, Ryan Freel and Aaron Harang.
In 2006, a new era in Reds baseball began as Robert Castellini took over as owner, assumming control of the team from Carl Linder. Castinelli promptly fired general manager Dan O'Brien. Wayne Krivsky, previously an assistant General Manager with the Minnesota Twins, was appointed as the General Manager of the Reds 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.
For Opening Day 2006, President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch, becoming the first president to throw out the first pitch at a Reds game.
Quick facts
- Founded: 1867/1869/1876/1882/1890 (depending on the account). See below.
- Formerly known as: The Red Stockings in the 19th century; the Redlegs
- Home ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
- Uniform colors: Red and white, trim Black
- Logo design: a red wishbone "C" with the word "REDS" inside
- Playoff appearances (12): 1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1990, 1995
- World Series Champions 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990
- Other titles won (1): Had baseball's best overall record in 1981
- American Association pennants won (1): 1882
- Ownership Robert Castellini
- Local Televison FSN Ohio
Baseball Hall of Famers
* Manager
** Broadcaster
Ineligible for the Hall of Fame
Retired numbers
- 1 Fred Hutchinson, manager, 1959-64
- 5 Johnny Bench, C-1B-3B, 1967-83
- 8 Joe Morgan, 2B, 1972-79
- 10 Sparky Anderson, manager, 1970-78
- 18 Ted Kluszewski, 1B, 1947-57
- 20 Frank Robinson, OF, 1956-65
- 24 Tony Perez, 1B, 1964-76 & 1984-86; manager, 1993
Since Pete Rose [OF-3B-1B, 1963-78 and 1984-86, manager 1984-89] has been 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, and it is not likely that any Red will ever wear that jersey again.
The number 11 of Barry Larkin (SS, 1986-2004) was not issued in 2005, and it is a near certainty that it will be retired.
Current roster
Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Louisville Bats, International League
- AA: Chattanooga Lookouts, Southern League
- Advanced A: Sarasota Reds, Florida State League
- A: Dayton Dragons, Midwest League
- Rookie: Billings Mustangs, Pioneer League
- Rookie: GCL Reds, Gulf Coast League
- Rookie: VSL Reds, Venezuelan Summer League
See also
- Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
- Reds award winners and league leaders
- Reds statistical records and milestone achievements
- Reds players of note
- Reds broadcasters and media
- Reds managers and ownership
External links
Sports song singer/songwriter and longtime Reds fan Ryan Parker has written and recorded a song titled "This One Belongs To The Reds" for the Reds 2006 season.
de:Cincinnati Reds fr:Reds de Cincinnati ja:シンシナティ・レッズ pt:Cincinnati Reds sv:Cincinnati Reds zh:辛辛那提紅人