The History of the Cincinnati Reds

1869: In the first game ever played by a professional baseball team (all paid players, no amateurs), the Cincinnati Red Stockings beat the Mansfield Independents, 48-14 on June 1st. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club played the entire season with all of its players under contract. The total salary outlay was approximately $11,000, with the salary of star shortstop George Wright at nearly $2,000. Thus began the era of professional baseball, and professional team sports.

1870: After 130 consecutive games without a loss, Cincinnati falls for the first time: Brooklyn Atlantics 8, Red Stockings 7 in extra innings. The 1869 Red Stockings made history not only as the first professional club, but they also ran off the longest winning streak in baseball history. Although there was no league yet established, there were some 15 teams in the upper tier of clubs. The Red Stockings defeated all of these teams, many of them twice, while they also walloped a number of lesser clubs.

Their final official record was 57-0. (The Red Stockings played and won many more games than this, but these games would be considered exhibition games today. Harry Wright counted only those games against other sanctioned clubs as official. Thus, some record books list a much higher number of games won by the Red Stockings.) The club retained all of its players for 1870, and the Red Stockings ran its unbeaten streak to 81 games, before the Brooklyn Atlantics finally defeated them, 8-7 in 11 innings, before 10,000 spectators in New York.

1871-1875: As professional league’s were starting up the Red Stockings ironically returned to amateur status, only briefly emerging in 1875 to play in the National Association, as the ragged early days of professional baseball saw a mixture of games against professional and amateur clubs before the founding of the National League in 1876.

1876: The Cincinnati Red Stockings are among 8 teams that begin play in the newly formed National League. However this team is a far cry form the original Red Stockings that introduced professional baseball in 1869. The team is without doubt the worst in the new league as they only win 9 times in 65 tries.

1877: The Red Stockings continue to struggle as they finish in last place again with an awful record of 15-42.

1878: Shortening their name to Reds, the club shows marked improvement after 2 last place seasons. The Reds would even challenge for the National League Championship, before falling 4 games short with a 37-23 record.

1879: The Reds would post another winnings season finishing in 5th place with a record of 43-37.

1880: After a last place 21-59 season the Cincinnati Reds are expelled from the National League, due in part to their selling beer in their ballpark, and desiring to play games on Sunday.

1882: After a one year hiatus the Reds would end up playing in the rival American Association, which was formed by Reds Owner Justus Thorner and sports writer O.P. Caylor, and several local businessman. The reconstituted Reds would dominate the new AA posting a 55-25 record to win the pennant by 11.5 games. Following the season the Reds faced the NL Champion Chicago White Stockings in an exhibition series. The Reds would win the first game and the White Stockings would take Game 2. However the series was never continued as both teams had other exhibitions scheduled.

1883: The following year the competition in the AA was vastly improved as they competed with the NL for players the result saw the Reds slip to 3rd with a 61-37 record.

1884: The Reds will slip further in their third year in the AA finishing 5th but just 8 games out for first with a respectable 68-41 record.

1885: The Reds continue to put a competitive team on the field but finish a distant second to the St. Louis Browns with a 63-49 record.

1886: After an ownership change the Reds go through a rogh season posting a disappointing 65-73 record while finishing in 5th Place.

1887: The Reds would rebound and would once again finish above .500, but again finish far behind the St. Louis Browns in 2nd Place with an 81-54 record.

1888: The Reds get off to a strong start and spend the first two months atop the American Association. However, a leg injury would put Bid McPhee on the bench and the Reds would tumble down the standings finishing in 4th Place with and 80-54 record.

1889: Despite hope and optimism around the return of Bid McPhee from injury and one time Reds star from the NL John Reilly the Reds would struggle and finish 4th with a 71-63 record. After the season the Reds would follow the path of several other AA teams by jumping the NL. The return of the NL game just 9 years after they were banned for selling alcohol during games, the AA would manage to play just two more season before folding after the 1891 season.

1890: By the time the Reds returned to the NL in 1890 alcohol sales had become a staple of the game while Sunday games would not be allowed until 1892, the Reds were still happy to be back home even though they only managed to finish in 4th place with a 77-55 record.

1891: The Reds second season back in the NL would not be as successful as they finished in 7th place with a record of 56-81.

1892: On September 22nd, Reds pitcher Charles “Bumpus” Jones fires a no-hitter in his very first big-league game. Becoming the first pitcher to throw a no-no in his Major League Debut, as the Reds posted a combined 82-68 record in a split season.

1893: The Reds would hover around .500 all season as they finished in 5th place with a record of 65-63.

1894: The Reds would struggle all season as they finished in 10th place with a terrible 55-77 record.

1895: The Reds rebound off a terrible 10th place season by finishing in 8th place with a 66-64 record.

1896: The Reds put together a solid season finishing just 12 games out of first while posting a 77-50 record, while pacing 3rd.

1897: The Reds post another solid record at 76-56, but finish 17 games out first in 4th place.

1898: The Reds put together one of their strongest seasons ever finishing in 3rd Place with a solid 92-60 record.

1899: Despite a solid 83-67 record the Reds are forced to settle for 6th place in a competitive National League.

1900: In the early morning hours of May 28th, the main grandstand of Redland Field the Reds home at Findlay and Western burned. The club would move home plate to where the right field corner was, and built temporary stands to finish the season. The Reds would go on to finish the season with a 62-77 record.

1901: In the midst of a last place 52-87 season, no performance typified the season like pitcher Harley “Doc” Parker’s June 21st start. Parker is pummeled for 26 hits and 21 runs (both National League records) in what would be his only Reds outing.

1902: A fabulous new iron and concrete grandstand opened, replacing the charred ruins from the 1900 fire. The grandstand, nicknamed the “Palace of the Fans,” was unique; a blend of Roman and Greek styling that had never been used before in a grandstand, and has never been seen since. The 3,000-seat grandstand featured 19 “fashion boxes” along the front railing that could hold 15 or more well to do fans.

Beneath the grandstand, at field level, was standing room for 640 more spectators in a rowdy section known as “Rooter’s Row.” On Opening Day, some 10,000 spectators crowded into the park and watched the Reds lose to the Chicago Cubs, 6-1. With the new stadium the Reds would go on to finish with a 70-70 record.

1903: The Reds finish in 4th place with a respectable 74-65 record.

1904: Despite finishing a distant 3rd place the Reds put together a solid 88-65 season.

1905: The Reds take a step backwards falling to 5th place with a mediocre 79-74 record.

1906: The Reds finish an incredible 51 and half games out of first with 64-87 record that landed them in 6th place.

1907: The Reds continue to struggle finishing in 6th place again with a record of 66-87.

1908: The Reds show only slight improvement climbing to 5th place with a record of 73-81.

1909: The Reds end a string of 3 straight losing seasons by finishing in 4th place with a record of 77-76.

1910: The Reds battle trough a mediocre season finishing in 5th place with a record of 75-79.

1911: Despite another poor 70-83 season interest in baseball in Cincinnati continues to grow forcing the Reds to demolish the beautiful grandstand after the season in favor of one to accommodate more fans.

1912: On April 11th Redland Field (later known as Crosley Field) is officially dedicated, as the Reds beat Chicago Cubs in the first game 10-6. This was an era of new ballparks - Forbes Field, Comiskey Park, Ebbets Field and Wrigley Field all opened about the same time. Most were named after the club’s owner, but Herrmann declined the honor, opting for “Redland Field,” a nickname that had often been applied to the old park. The new brick stands, with the bleachers beyond the right field fence, and a steep terrace in left field, seated 20,000 spectators. Despite the new ballpark the Reds still struggle to finish with a 76-78 record.

1913: The Reds struggle all season and finish in 7th place with a poor record of 64-89.

1914: The Reds land in last place with a terrible record of 60-94 record.

1915: The Reds struggle all season and finish in 7th place with a poor record of 64-89.

1916: Legendary Pitcher Christy Matthewson takes over in the middle of another terrible season as the Reds finish in 7th place with a record of 59-92.

1917: On May 2nd baseball’s greatest ever pitching duel, features the Reds Fred Toney and Jim “Hippo” Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs both hurl no-hitters through 9 innings. The Reds would break up Vaughn’s no-hitter to win in extra frames, 1-0. The Reds would go on to end a string of losing seasons with a 78 -76 record to finish in 4th place.

1918: The Reds show improvements as they climb to 3rd place with a 68-60 record in a season that ends on Labor Day because or Wartime consideration. Reds Manager Christy Matthewson would be one of a number of people involved in baseball to go over for fighting. Matthewson would not escape the war unscathed as he breathes in mustard gas. For the remainder of his life Matthewson would be constantly sick, and would have to stop his active career managing the Reds.

1919: Under new Manager Pat Moran the Reds claim their first ever National League Championship with a record of 96-44, to earn a spot in the World Series against the Chicago White Sox. That year it was decided to change the World Series format to best of 9. The Reds would go to take the World Series in 8 games to claim their first ever World Championship. However, after the World Series it was leaned at least 6 White Sox conspired with gamblers to throw the World Series, propelling baseball into an ugly scandal. The scandal forever tarnished the Reds championship, which is an unfortunate side effect, as the Reds were a solid team that season.

1920: The Reds follow up their World Championship by finishing in 3rd place with a solid 82-71 record, as a dark cloud surrounds the team while the White Sox are investigated.

1921: The Reds slide to 6th place finishing with a disappointing record of 70-83.

1922: The Reds put together a solid 86-68 season, falling just 7 games short of the NL Pennant.

1923: The Reds challenge the New York Giants all season for the NL Championship. However, in the end the Reds with a 91-63 record would fall 4 and a half games short of their goal.

1924: Under new Manager Jack Hendricks the Reds finish in 4th place with a record of 83-70.

1925: The Reds put together another solid season with a record of 80-73, but finish 15 games out of first in 3rd place.

1926: The Reds are among 4 teams that battle down to the wire for the National League Championship. In the end the Reds would end up falling 2 games short with an 87-67 record good enough for 2nd Place.

1927: After coming close to the pennant the Reds suffer disappointment as they slide down to 5th place with a record of 75-78.

1928: The Reds put together another mediocre season as they finish in 4th pace with a record of 78-74.

1929: The Reds slide down to 7th place posting a terrible record of 66-88.

1930: The Reds start the decade out on the wrong foot by finishing in 7th place with a terrible 59-95 record.

1931: The Reds would follow up their poor season with an even worse season finishing in last place with a terrible 58-96 record.

1932: The Reds finish in last place for the second straight year posting a record of 60-94.

1933: The Reds finish in last place for the 4th year in a row finishing with a 58-94 record that kept them 33 games out of first place.

1934: After losing most of his money in the stock market crash of 1929, Reds’ owner, Sidney Weil is finally forced to sell the club to broadcasting magnate Powel Crosley. One of the first moves the entrepreneurial Crosley made was to put his name on the ballpark. However, the ownership change did not help the Reds on the field who finished in last again with a 52-99 record.

1935: The first night game in Major League history is played at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field on May 24th, as the Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, before 20,422 fans. General Manager Larry MacPhail and Powel Crosley persuaded the commissioner and other owners to allow the Reds to stage seven night games that year. The Reds had averaged only 2,700 fans a game in 1934, and MacPhail thought night baseball would provide desperately needed revenue.

Fans marveled at the 632 bright lights on eight tall towers as the Reds defeated the Phillies. The players found the illumination satisfactory, although there were some dark shadows in the outfield. But MacPhail’s experiment worked the Reds averaged 18,000 fans in their seven night games, while averaging just 4,600 in their day games. The Reds would also climb out of the cellar finishing in 6th with a 68-85 record.

1936: The Reds struggles continue as they finish in 5th pace with a record of 74-80.

1937: In January Crosley Field’s playing surface is under 21 feet of water due to local creek flooding. Remarkably, the ballpark is made game-ready in time for Opening Day in April. The worst flood in Cincinnati history inundated Crosley Field when water flowed over the outfield walls. In the most famous stunt in Reds history, pitchers Gene Schott and Lee Grissom, rowed a boat down Western Avenue and over the wall. By the time the season started the Reds looked like they were still water logged finishing dead last with a 56-98 record.

1938: On June 15th, Johnny Vander Meer becomes the first Major League pitcher ever to throw back-to-back no-hitters, as he blanks the Dodgers, 6-0, in the first night game ever played at Brooklyn’s Ebbetts Field. Just 4 days earlier Vander Meer dazzled the Boston Braves with first of his gems. The Reds would also go on to show marked improvement finishing just 6 games out of first with a solid 82-68 record, as catcher Ernie Lombardi wins the NL MVP.

1939: On August 26th the Reds play in the first televised Major League Baseball game, as WNBC in New York televises the Reds game vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers from Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn. With the superb pitching of NL MVP Bucky Walters the Reds win their first pennant in 20 years with a 97-57 record. In the World Series the Reds would face a New York Yankees team seeking to become the first ever to win 4-straight World Series.

The Reds would end up being swept in 4 games. The series is best remembered for a play at home in Game 4 in Cincinnati, which featured a 10th-inning collision at home plate between the Yanks Charlie Keller and Reds catcher Ernie Lombardi. Lombardi was knocked unconscious and lay prone at the plate while Joe DiMaggio scored the go-ahead run. Sportswriters would label it “Lombardi’s snooze,” an image that haunted the big catcher until his death.

1940: The Reds win 100 games for the first time in franchise history, while winning their 2n straight NL pennant by 12 games over the second-place Brooklyn Dodgers, as 1B Frank McCormick becomes the 3rd straight Red to win the NL MVP. However the season is not without tragedy as the team is forced to endure the shocking suicide by backup catcher Willard Hershberger on August 3 in a Boston hotel. The World Series matched the pitching and defense of the Reds against the sheer power of the Detroit Tigers.

The Reds chances looked dim when injuries put catcher Ernie Lombardi and second baseman Lonnie Frey on the bench. However, pitchers Bucky Walters and Paul Derringer pitched 4 complete-game victories, as 40-year-old coach Jimmy Wilson hit .353 subbing for Lombardi. The series would go the full 7 games Derringer would get the win in the decisive seventh game at Crosley Field. The Reds won the game 2-1 with 7th Inning Doubles by Frank McCormick, and Jimmy Ripple, which were followed by a long sac-fly by Billy Myers.

1941: The Reds Championship reign ends with a 3rd place 88-66 season that sees them finish 12 games behind the first place St. Louis Cardinals.

1942: The Reds play mediocre baseball all season finishing in 4th place with a .500, 76-76 record.

1943: Despite an 87-67 record the Reds finish a distant 2nd Place behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

1944: On June 10th Joe Nuxhall takes the mound against the St. Louis, Cardinals at the age of 15, becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a Major League game. Enlistment forced many teams to scramble to find players during World War II. The Reds recruited Nuxhall, a high school pitcher from Hamilton, Ohio. He pitched two-thirds of an inning against St. Louis, giving up five runs on two hits and five walks. It was Nuxhall’s only appearance in 1944, but he would return to the Reds in 1952 and wound up with 130 wins, 9th on the Reds all-time list.

1945: The Reds plummet to 7th place posting a horrible record of 67-87.

1946: With the war finally over many of baseball’s top stars returned to the game. However, the Reds were not helped finishing in 6th Place with a 67-87 record.

1947: On June 22nd Ewell “The Whip” Blackwell, who is en route to 16 straight victories, falls two outs shy of back-to-back no hitters, as he settles for one no-hitter. In his next start Blackwell was just as sharp pitching a 2-hit shutout. However, the Reds would still struggle finishing in 5th place with a 73-81 record.

1948: The Reds continue to struggle as they finish n 7th place with a record of 64-89.

1949: The Reds finish in 7th place again with another terrible record of 63-94.

1950: The Reds continue to struggle as they finish in 6th place with a record of 66-87.

1951: The Reds post their 7th straight losing season finishing in 6th place with a record of 68-86.

1952: The Reds continue to wallow in the 2nd division as they finish in 6th place with a record of 66-83.

1953: The Reds continue to struggle finishing in 6th place with a record of 68-86.

1954: Against the backdrop of the McCarthy hearings and the rising threat of Communism the Reds change their name to Redlegs to not be linked with the Soviets, who were generally referred to as Reds. That year the Redlegs would become integrated with the appearance of Chuck Harmon. The Redlegs would go on to finish in 5th place with a 74-80 record.

1955: The Redlegs continue to suffer losing seasons as they finish in 5th place with a record of 75-79.

1956: On August 18th the Redlegs set a team record by blasting 8 homers in one game, against the Milwaukee Braves. For the season, Cincinnati clouted 221 dingers, tying the National League record. The power hitting Redlegs would go on to finish 3rd place with a 91-63 record, only 2 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers for the Pennant.

1957: The fans of Cincinnati are caught stuffing the All-Star ballot box, and vote 8 starters onto the All-Star Team. The National League would intervene, pulling 3 Redlegs out of the starting lineup, as Willie Mays, Henry Aaron and Stan Musial replace George Crowe, Wally Post and Gus Bell as starters. The scandal would cause baseball to remove the fan vote for 12 years. The “star studded” Redlegs would go on to finish in 4th Place with an 80-74 record.

1958: The Redlegs suffer a setback falling to 4th place with a disappointing record of 76-78.

1959: The Redlegs disappoint again finishing in 5th place with a record of 74-80.

1960: After 6 years known as the Redlegs, the team goes back to the traditional Reds name. However, the luck on the field does not change as the Reds finish in 6th place with an awful 67-87 record.

1961: New owner Bill DeWitt takes over the team and made several moves, which all proved successful. The result was a surprise pennant for the “Ragamuffin Reds”. Led by NL MVP Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and the pitching of Joey Jay and Bob Purkey, Cincinnati beats out the Los Angeles Dodgers for the pennant by games with a 93-61 record. In the World Series the Reds are clearly overmatched by one of the greatest New York Yankees teams of all-time.

However, the Reds would put up a fight splitting the first 2 games at Yankee Stadium, and led 2-1 in the 8th inning of Game 3 at Crosley Field. However a pinch-hit Homer by Johnny Blanchard and a lead off Homer by Roger Maris in the 9th would doom the Reds. The Yankees would go on to take the final 2 games by a combined score of 20-5.

1962: The Reds are even stronger finishing with a 98-64 record. However the Reds finish 3 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants who finish in a tie for 1st Place.

1963: Hard nosed Cincinnati native Pete Rose makes his Major League debut, and earns the NL Rookie of the Year. The Reds would go on to finish the season with an 86-76 record.

1964: Trailing the Philadelphia Phillies all season long the Reds are suddenly thrust into a 3-team pennant race in the final week of the season as the Phillies suffered a historic collapse. The Reds would wind up falling 1 game short with a 92-70 record in a 2nd place tie with the Phillies.

1965: Despite a strong record of 89-73 the Reds can only manage to finish in 4th place, finishing a distant 18 games out of first.

1966: The Reds stun their team and fans by dealing away star OF Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles. The Reds who thought Robinson was beyond his prime would finish in 7th place with a 76-84 record. Meanwhile Robinson would win the AL Triple Crown while leading the Orioles to a World Championship.

1967: The Reds post another string season with a record of 87-75. However, they would have to settle for 4th place, finishing 15 games out of first.

1968: In a year dominated by pitching Catcher Johnny Bench caps a spectacular first season by taking home the Rookie of the Year honors. The Reds would finish the season in 4th Place with an 83-79 record.

1969: On April 30th the Reds Jim Maloney no-hits the Houston Astros the following day Astros Don Wilson turns the tables by no-hitting the Reds. Maloney threw 2 no-hitters in the 1960s, while becoming the Reds all-time strikeout leader. The Reds would go on to finish in 3rd place in the NL West with an 89-73 record.

1970: Riverfront Stadium opens on June 30th as, the Reds lose to the Atlanta Braves 8-2. In the mid-’60s, debate intensified over a new Reds’ ballpark. For the first time in club history, a Reds’ ballpark would be built with public funding, a trend rapidly sweeping the sports world. DeWitt favored a suburban location and a baseball-only field, but when the Cincinnati Bengals were awarded a National League Football franchise in 1968, civic leaders wanted a multi-purpose stadium on the riverfront.

A few weeks after the opening of Riverfront Stadium the stadium hosted the All-Star Game. Pete Rose would play a key roll in the mid-summer’s classic that year as he scored the winning run in the 12th Inning while barreling over Cleveland catcher Ray Fosse for the deciding 12th inning run in one of the first games played at Riverfront Stadium. The Reds would go on to win a team record 102 games that year while taking their first ever Western Division Championship. In the NLCS the Reds make quick work of the Pittsburgh Pirates dominating them in 3 straight games to advance to the World Series.

In the World Series the Reds would take on the Baltimore Orioles. In the fall Classic the Reds are victimized by the stellar play of 3B Brooks Robinson who leads the Orioles, with his glove, and bat to a five game Series victory.

1971: After a disappointing 79-83 season that landed them in 5th Place. The Reds deal 1B Lee May, 2B Tommy Helms and INF Jim Stewart to the Houston Astros for 2B Joe Morgan, RHP Jack Billingham, INF Denis Menke and OFs Cesar Geronimo and Ed Armbrister.

1972: With the deal the Reds now have one of the most potent offenses in the history of baseball. With the lineup and Johnny Bench winning the NL MVP for the 2nd time in 3 years the Reds reclaim the West with a 95-59 record. In the NLCS the Reds are matched up once again with Pittsburgh Pirates. However, this time it is not as easy and the series goes the full 5 games. The Reds would enter the 9th inning of the deciding 5th Game trailing 3-2, before staging a dramatic rally to win the NL championship.

First, Johnny Bench homers to tie the game at 3-3, then Pittsburgh’s Bob Moose uncorks a wild pitch to allow George Foster home with the pennant-winning run. In the World Series the Reds would face the Oakland Athletics, who were missing star slugger Reggie Jackson. However, the A’s pitching would get the bets of the Reds in the first 2 games at Riverfront Stadium.

The Reds would respond with a must win victory in Game 3, but the A’s pitching would slow down the Big Red Machine in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. However, the Reds would not go down without a fight winning Game 5 to send the series back to Cincy, and Game 6 to force a deceive 7th Game, but in the end the A’s were too strong winning Game 7 by a 3-2 score.

1973: With a 99-63 record, the Reds beat out the Los Angeles Dodgers for their 3rd Western Division Championship in 4 years. In the NLCS the Reds are huge favorites against a New York Mets team that snuck into the playoffs with an 82-79. However the Mets pitching would frustrate the Reds, to take the series in 5 games. The Series highlight would come in Game 3 when a brawl erupts between Pete Rose and Mets SS Buddy Harrelson.

1974: The Big Red Machine continue to roll along winning 98 games, but their 2-year reign as Division Champions ends as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat them out by 4 games in tightly contested pennant race.

1975: The Reds are more dominant then ever winning a franchise record 108 games en-route to a 4th NL West title in 6 years, as 2B Joe Morgan takes home the NL MVP honors. Once again the Reds face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS. The Pirates would prove no match for the Big Red Machine who sweeps them on the way to their 3rd World Series of the decade. In what some call the greatest World Series ever the Reds face the Boston Red Sox in a classic 7 game series.

After losing Game 1, the Reds would rally for 2 runs in the 9th to win Game 2, and send the series to Cincinnati knotted at a game a apiece. The Reds would win Game 3 on a controversial non-catcher’s interference call in the 10th inning. After losing Game 4 to Luis Tiant, the Reds bounce back to win Game 5 and head to Boston leading the Series 3-2. Rain would postponed the 6th game for 3 days, which meant the Reds would have to face Luis Tiant who shut down them down twice in the series again.

The Reds were in a quick 3-0 hole but came back and took a 6-3 lead heading to bottom of the 8th inning. The Reds were stunned that inning by Bernie Carbo’s dramatic game tying HR. The game would become an instant classic, as each team would squander scoring opportunities until the 12th inning when Boston Catcher Carlton Fisk hit a ball off the foul pole to force a 7th game.

Game 7 would end up be the most watched baseball game in television history. The Reds would fall behind early 3-0, but would comeback with help of a Ton Perez HR. The Reds would win the game, and their first World Series since 1940 on Joe Morgan’s two out single in the 9th inning.

1976: The Reds win 102 games on the way to a 2nd straight NL West Championship. On the way to the Division Title Cincinnati would lead the Major Leagues in ten offensive, defensive and pitching categories (runs scored, doubles, triples, home runs, batting average, slugging average, stolen bases, fewest errors, fielding percentage and saves), a domination that has never been matched.

The Reds domination would continue on into the posts-season, as the Reds won its second straight World Championship. The Reds would take both postseason series with sweeps. A 3-game sweep in the NLCS over the Philadelphia Phillies was highlighted by a dramatic 9th inning comeback in Game 3. In the World Series the Reds victim would be the New York Yankees who could not match the power of World Series MVP Johnny Bench in a 4 game white washing.

1977: Despite a 50 Home Run, MVP season from George Foster, and the acquisition of star pitcher Tom Seaver the Reds fail to repeat as Division Champions falling to 2nd Place with an 88-74 record.

1978: Pete Rose’s bat is the story of the year. First he collects his 3,000th career base hit, and than he would make a summer stab at history. Pete Rose would enjoy a 44 game hitting streak tying the NL mark set by Wee Willie Keeler in 1896. Rose’s 44 game streak is only topped by Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game streak in 1941. The Reds would also fall short in their attempt to win back the Western Division finishing 2 and half games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 92-69 record. However the biggest shock would come following the season as the Reds lose Pete Rose to Free Agency.

1979: With most of the Big Red Machine gone the Reds still prove strong enough win a 6th NL West title of the decade with a 90-71 record. In the NLCS the Reds lose the first two games of the NLCS at home in extra innings, and are eventually swept by eventual World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

1980: The Reds fight tooth and nail, but fall short in a 3-team race for the NL West Title, finishing in 3rd place with an 89-73 record.

1981: The Reds finish with the best record (66-42) in the Major Leagues, but don’t make the playoffs. Due to an unusual “split-season” format forced by a mid-season 50-day Player’s Strike, the Reds do not qualify for post-season play, finishing the 1st half a half game out of first, and following it with a game and half deficit in the 2nd half.

1982: With many of their stars either gone or past their prime the Reds fall from one of the League’s elite teams to last place losing with an NL Worst 101 games.

1983: The Reds continue to struggle finishing last place for the second straight season with a record of 74-888, as Johnny Bench ends an elite 15-year career.

1984: In the midst of a 5th Place 70-92 season the Reds bring back a hometown hero and Reds legend Pete Rose, in an August 16th trade with the Montreal Expos. Rose, who is made player-manager is closing in on history, as he needs only a little more than 100 hits to break Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record.

1985: On September 11th, Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb’s all-time career hits record by ripping a single off the San Diego Padres Pitcher Eric Show in the 1st Inning at a sold out Riverfront Stadium for career hit number 4,192. However as Rose achieved his record the Reds fell just short of the playoffs finishing with a solid 89-72 record.

1986: Following a 2nd Place 86-76 season, Pete Rose would end his 24-year playing career, Rose would wind up with a record 4,256 career base hits. Rose would stay on as manager, however future trouble lay in the weeds for the highly competitive Rose seeking another outlet for his competitive desire.

1987: The Reds finish in 2nd Place for the third year in a row, this time while compiling an 84-78 record.

1988: Pete Rose is suspended a month for shoving umpire Dave Pallone during an April 30th game against the New York Mets. Despite the Rose troubles, the Reds finish in 2nd Place again with an 87-74 record. The highlight of the season comes on September 16th, when lefty Tom Browning throws the first perfect game in Reds history, stifling the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0, at Riverfront Stadium.

1989: On August 24th, after a season marred by an investigation Cincinnati hero Pete Rose is given a lifetime ban from baseball for conduct related to gambling. The terms of his suspension would permit Rose to apply for reinstatement after one year. In an unfortunate side note Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti would die suddenly of a heart attack a little over a week later.

Rose has since applied for reinstatement and has yet to receive it. This suspension has also barred Pete Rose from his deserved entrance into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. With dark cloud of the investigation and suspension hanging over the team all season the Reds would land in 5th Place with a 75-87 record.

1990: The Reds would get off to a flying start led by a bullpen core known of Randy Myers, Norm Charlton, and Rob Dibble who were known as the Nasty Boys. The Reds would enter first place on the first day of the season, and would pull out to a big lead in the 1st half. Despite struggling for most of the 2nd half the Reds would never fall out becoming the first team to ever lead wire to wire with a 91-71 record.

In the NLCS the Reds would face their old rivals Pittsburgh Pirates and with the Nasty Boys dominating all the way would win in 6 games, as Dibble, and Myers split the NLCS MVP. In the World Series the Reds would face the powerful Oakland Athletics who were seeking their 2nd straight World Championship. The Reds would get off to a fast start as Jose Rijo led the way in a Game 1 shutout.

In Game 2 would rally to win in 10 innings and headed to Oakland with a 2-0 series lead. After an 8-3 win in Game 3 the Reds would complete the sweep as Jose Rijo shut down the A’s again to earn World Series MVP honors. However, Eric Davis who made a game saving catch in Game 4 would suffer kidney injuries that would affect the rest of his career.

1991: The Reds follow up their improbable Championship with an injury plagued 74-88 season that lands them back in 5th Place.

1992: The Reds would rebound nicely putting together a solid 90-72 season which is good enough for 2nd Place. However, troubles arise when a brawl erupts between Manager Lou Piniella, and Rob Dibble. The fight would be caught by TV cameras and would lead to the departure of Pinella after just 3 seasons.

1993: For several years the fans and press in Cincinnati had viewed Owner Marge Schott favorably. Often Schott would sign autographs during games, as her dog Schotzie became the club’s mascot. However, there was an ugly side to Marge, and that would be uncovered for the first time when she is suspended for the season after referring to her black employees as trained monkeys. To try and mend fences the Reds hire Tony Perez as their manager, but after he gets the team off to a slow start he is fired, and replaced by Davey Johnson. The Reds would go on to finish the season with a 5th Place 73-89 record.

1994: In a trend that has seemed to develop the Reds follow up a poor season by making a run at the postseason. The trend would continue in 1994 as the Reds and baseball celebrated the 125th Anniversary of the first professional baseball club. However, the season would end prematurely on August 12th as the players went on strike. When the strike takes effect the Reds are in 1st Place in the newly formed NL Central with a 66-49 record.

1995: When the players return to the field the Reds still remain a contender and take the NL Central Championship by 9 games with an 85-59 record, while SS Barry Larkin takes home MVP honors. The Reds would go on to sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first ever NLDS, but in the NLCS the tables were turned as the Reds are swept in 4 straight by the Atlanta Braves. Despite a successful season Manager Davey Johnson is let go after the season, after not agreeing on a new contract.

1996: Opening Day is postponed and a sellout crowd is stunned when, home plate umpire John McSherry collapses and dies on the playing field just seven pitches into the season. Owner Marge Schott would outrage everyone with insensitive remarks, and would even sink as low as giving flowers given to her to McSherry’s family as an apology.

Schott would end up in even more hot water when she made comments that “Hitler was good” during an ESPN interview. This would earn Schott another suspension and would lead to her business partners forcing her a less prominent position with the team and eventual would lead to her selling the team. The fiasco, and the loss of Jose Rijo to an arm injury would lead to a slow start which the Reds would take a full season to recover from ending the year at the break even 81-81 mark.

1997: Pete Rose is allowed to return to Riverfront Stadium which has been renamed CINergy Field on a one game basis to watch his son Pete Rose Jr. makes his MLB debut on Labor Day. Rose seated next to fellow exile Marge Schott would watch Pete Jr. get in a hit in his first at bat. The Junior Rose would only get one more hit in 14 ABs, and would not return to the majors again. The Reds would also struggle finishing in 3rd pace with a 76-86 record.

1998: The Reds continue to sit in the middle of the pack as they finish in 4th place with a record of 75-87.

1999: On September 4th in a 22-3 win at Philadelphia against the Phillies, the Reds become the first team in National League history to hit 9 home runs in a game. The Reds would also find themselves in a tight race for the playoff. In the Reds entered the final weekend of the season tied for the NL Central, and had a 2 game lead over the New York Mets for the Wild Card. However, the Reds would end up losing 2 of 3 to the Brewer in Milwaukee as they watched the division slip away. The Reds grip on the Wild Card would also slip, and they would lose a one game playoff to the Mets at CINgery Field for the Wild Card.

2000: The Reds acquire OF Ken Griffey Jr. from the Seattle Mariners. Griffey would join his father who was a member of the Big Red Machine, and was currently a coach on the Reds. Junior would end up hitting his 400th HR in his first season with Reds, becoming the youngest to reach this milestone. However the Reds only mange an 85-77 season that lands them in 2nd Place.

2001: The Reds begin the season in a hole as Ken Griffey Jr. misses much of the 1st half with a torn hamstring. The Reds would suffer most at home compiling the worst home record in baseball as CINergy Field’s Out Field bleachers are torn down to make room for the construction of the Reds new ballpark set to open in 2003.

Even Griffey’s return could not help the Reds who were in the cellar for most of the season before finishing in 5th Place with a terrible 66-96 record. However, there was some good news in the bad season as Jose Rijo made an improbable comeback after sitting out 5 years with an arm injury.

2002: In the final season of baseball at CINergy Field the Reds get off to a strong start despite losing Ken Griffey Jr. early to a knee injury. Sitting in first place when Griffey returned most thought the Reds would take off. However, Griffey would be more of an anchor then a catalyst as he hit just 8 HR and 23 RBI while playing 70 games. Along the way a poll was taken in which fans stated that they rather had Griffey traded. With Griffey struggling and grumbling the Reds would have a terrible 2nd half finishing in 3rd place with a record of 78-84.

2003: Opening Day in Cincinnati was extra special as they were opening a brand new ballpark on the banks of the Ohio. However, the Reds debut at the Great American Ballpark was hardly great as they lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1. The loss on opening day would be a harbinger of things to come as the Reds lost 14 of their first 20 games, as Ken Griffey Jr. was injured again.

As April rolled into May the Reds would play much better as they won 15 of their next 21 to climb above .500. However ownership seeing the team was not going to be a factor in any pennant race began to trade off players, as the Reds began plummeting in the standings at the end of June. In July Griffey returned and was driving the ball well with 5 homers in 5 games. However fate would play a cruel hoax on Junior again as he was lost for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury, he ended up playing in just 55 games total for the season.

The depleted Reds, who replaced Manager Bob Boone at the end of July with Dave Miley, would continue to struggle the rest of the season as the ended up finishing in 5th place with a terrible record of 69-93.

2004: Led by a resurgent Ken Griffey Jr. the Reds got off to a surprisingly good start as they were in first place on June 6th with a 34-22 record. However the Reds began to struggle with the arrival of interleague play as they were swept in back to back series against American League Opponents. On Father’s day Junior Griffey would make his papa proud by belting his 500th career home run, as he was well on his way to returning to his all-star form with 20 homers in the first half.

However a few days before the mid-summer classic Junior suffered another setback, as a torn hamstring would lead to him playing just 3 more games the rest of the season. Without Griffey the Reds would stumble the rest of the way as they posted a horrible 29-45 record after the All-Star Break on the way to finishing in 4th place with a record of 76-86.

2005: The Reds started off the season with a bang as they entered the 9th Inning trailing the New York Mets 6-4, before Adam Dunn blasted a 2-run homer his second homer of the game to tie the game at 6, the very next batter Joe Randa would then win the game with a homer of his own, as the Reds swept the Mets to start 3-0. However, the good feelings of opening day would not last long as the Reds showed many holes while splitting their first 20 games.

From there it was all down hill as they lost their next 8 games and never came close to .500 again, fading to the bottom of the NL Central, where they would land in 5th place with a less then stellar 73-89 record. Among the few bright spots was the play of Ken Griffey Jr, who stayed relatively healthy all year and hit 35 homers while Adam Dunn led the team with 40.

While Felipe Lopez had a bust out season hitting 23 homers equaling his career total entering the season. However, the mound was a hill of horrors for the Reds as Eric Milton the Reds big off season free agent acquisition was horrendous posting an 8-15 record with a nightmarish 6.47 ERA, as the Reds pitching staff was the worst in the NL with a 5.15 ERA, as Manager Dave Miley was fired and repalced by Jerry Narron in the middle of the season.

2006: Following a season in which Reds pitching was lit up on a seemingly nightly basis not much was expected. However, with the spring acquisition of Bronson Arroyo the Reds got off to a strong start with a 17-8 record at the end of April, with Arroyo winning his first five starts. In May the Reds would come back to earth a bit as they slid out of first place, but with a strong June the Reds showed the potential of staying in the race all season.

After a rough start to July the Reds came back from the All-Star Break reenergized as they swept the Colorado Rockies in a four game series, as they neared the All-Star Break in the thick of the Wild Card race and the battle for the NL Central Division Title. Viewing the bullpen as a weak spot the Reds traded Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, and Ryan Wagner to the Washington Nationals for relievers Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, SS Royce Clayton, while acquiring Eddie Guardado.

However, both deals would be beset by injuries as Majewski had an existing shoulder injury that was not disclosed, while Guardado who pitched strong with the Reds would be lost to an elbow injury in early September, as a late August skid all but wiped out the Reds hopes of the playoffs as they fell below .500, and out of the Wild Card Race. The Reds would go on to finish in third place with a record of 80-82, while their team ERA improved more then a half run a game at 4.51.

2007: The Reds entered the season with a new look, bring out a more traditional look that honored the club’s past. Unfortunately for the Reds they could not bring back that great teams of the past as the Reds again struggled and took a step backwards, as they were in last place on July 1st when they Manager Jerry Narron and named advance scout Pete Mackanin interim manager.

Under Mackanin the Reds would show slight improvement posting winning records in July and August. However, the year would see the Reds finish in 5th place with a record of 72-90. The positives for the Reds came with their offense as they had three players hit more then 30 home runs, but pitching wins championships, and the Reds pitching struggled all season pitching in the hitter friendly Great American Ballpark.

Source: http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/