How Much Credit Does Terry Francona Deserve For Cincinnati Reds Reaching The Playoffs? | MLB News

How Much Credit Does Terry Francona Deserve For Cincinnati Reds Reaching The Playoffs? | MLB News

Trace. Yes. As the biggest Reds fan I know, the biggest biggest Reds fan I know, how does it feel to have your squad back in the back in the postseason? I’m thankful I came on this show specifically. I rolled in here just before uh we went on the air just to make sure that, you know, this wasn’t going to turn sideways because I ultimately know that there’s a chance that Reed Mouse comes on off the bench. the first show, the first show after uh the Reds clench the postseason and we find ourselves in a situation where, you know, someone comes out from under the bridge. But if that happens, I’m here to somewhat try to deflect, defend, and uh you know, I I guess there’s two ways of looking at the whole season in one in the sense that you can look at it just collectively from the lens of just the Reds themselves. And clearly, it was a roller coaster of a season. There was times where I don’t I don’t I don’t even I was trying to think was like, you know, all these people coming at you and in the comments and all these things and that’s that happens when you’re on the internet. It happens when you do shows. It happens all the time. People some someone’s always going to have disdain for you regardless of who you are, how you do it. I was like, is at any point I feel like I was being unrealistic, like overly negative, overly critical? Did I think that I was being unfair? And I don’t I really don’t think I ever was. I mean, the truth is is that they had an unbelievable pitching staff. One of the I think I put out yesterday. I think I was looking back through like I’m not a huge numbers guy, but I was just looking back through the staffs as a whole throughout the history of the Cincinnati Reds and and obviously the 70s when you have the big red machine that’s a formidable opponent. Certainly some people bring up 2012. I I I think that you can make an argument based off of modern technology and based off the the park factor that this pitching staff that the Cincinnati Reds currently have is the best in franchise history and it’s the oldest franchise. So, one would say it’s the best in the oldest franchise. And I I just I think that that maybe was the thing that got overlooked the whole time because you’re just so overly upset about how abysmal the offensive output has been at times. But it doesn’t matter because ultimately you are a you are a collection of your parts and the Mets are finding themselves right now wondering how in the world they didn’t do it and it’s because they didn’t even come close to having the one thing the Reds had. So, I don’t know. I mean, on one hand, I’m sure from a national perspective, people are going to say, “Well, the Mets, you know, they’re a significantly better team than the Reds. They just got unlucky,” or whatever the term you’d like to use. But I just don’t know if they are. I mean, this Reds team has been competitive against all the good teams all year long. But they’ve gotten swept by the A’s. They they lose two or three to the Pirates when you needed to win that series. They’ve done that really all year long where you think as soon as you are out on them, they reel you all the way back in. So, as goofy as it sounds, I think if you ask people who watch this team every single day all year long, if you felt, how confident do you feel going and winning a series against the Pirates? At the same time, how confident do you feel going and winning a series against the Dodgers? I know that’s a a pretty drastic difference there. I don’t think that the feeling changes a significant amount. It really comes down to who’s pitching. And this series, thankfully, the Reds were capable of keeping Hunter Green. And that’s the most important thing that happened this weekend is that they actually have the the the the best arm that they could possibly ask for going game one. And we got a chance against the Dodgers because we play them in three games. I I’ll say that openly. I’m not afraid to say that. I’m happy to say it. You know what? I’m not going to apologize about it. If you put us against the Dodgers in a seven game series, sure. I mean, the chances are little to none. Threeame series and you give me our best arms with the best pitching staff possibly in Red’s franchise history. It is what it is. You got a chance. in any given day, this offense can get hot enough to score four or five runs because I think that’s what’s hot for this offense if we’re being honest and fair. Um, so yeah, I I it’s house money, Reed, and I know that’s always used all the time and people, you know, want to try to draw analogies to how you’re supposed to feel for your team. If the Reds don’t win this postseason series, certainly it’s going to it’s going to it’s going to hurt. But at the same time, the reality is is I just don’t think that any reasonable Reds fan can say that they were supposed to be here. We deserve to be here. I know deserve is not the right word, but uh you never expected to be here and that’s just kind of the mindset I’m going into tomorrow with if it’s it’s kind of funny from from the periphery and I’m not going to do a full troll thing. I thought about it. I mean, I might get some jabs here and there, but it’s not going to be the You were a big reason we got there. I appreciate the Cubs and their their help. Yeah, the yeah, the 92 win Cubs did get swept on a four gamer four four gamer to the Well, that’s the point is I was going to make it felt like throughout this entire season from the periphery that every time there was some marquee game, this is a big moment for the Cincinnati Reds, they’ve got to win tonight, they didn’t get it done, right? Like it’s every single time you they they sweep the Cubs. They bring home the Pittsburgh Pirates, who I don’t even think won 70 games. Not a very good franchise. and they’re like, “All right, you take care of business. You control your own destiny.” And they lose the first two games to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Okay. Um, we’re we’re back out on them. And then they they get themselves in a chance to the final game of the year, game 162. Win and you’re in and it just kind of falls. And then you’re you’re celebrating popping champagne and an opponent’s uh locker room after they just beat you. I’m not saying that that’s not bad. I mean, like you you went you made the postseason, you celebrate here, but it’s just objectively funny from from my periphery that it seems like every single time that the Reds had a chance to do something cool to to take it, they never grasp that opportunity. But here they are still uh playing for postseason baseball on Tuesday night against the the Los Angeles Dodgers. Maybe they you can say they backed their themselves in. Either way, the car’s in the carport. Either way, the cars cars in the garage. I don’t know if that takes away any of the excitement for you as a fan. No, it doesn’t take the excitement away from me. I could care less how they got in. They got in. I mean, it’s zero zero. And the truth is is that that’s the most that’s the most I guess like enticing exciting part about all of it is that it really doesn’t matter what you did in the regular season to get to this spot. If the Reds would have won 86 games, 87 games, and the Mets didn’t have a a monumental collapse. I mean, I don’t know if we and Cincinnati for the casual fan that and I understand why you’re a casual fan. Trust me, to be a day-to-day grinder for a major league baseball team is not for the faint of heart. I mean, it is it is uh the es and flows of it are are quite absurd at times. And maybe that’s why you come out and you say some of the things you say at times because you just you get so emotionally attached to something that you put so much time and effort into. But the reality is that the Mets had a monumental collapse. I mean, there is absolutely no fathomable way that you could ask any reasonable mind that the Cubs were gonna or the not the Cubs, excuse me, but the Mets were going to finish with 83 wins. They had 45 wins on June 15th baseball June 15th. At June 15th, they were actually one game below, oddly enough, the Detroit Tigers on June 15th. Now, at one point, I do think the Mets had the best record in baseball, but that’s beside the point. My whole point in saying this is they were 45 and 27. They were knocking on the door of 20 games over 500 well before the All-Star break and now they find themselves finishing the season just a few games above 500. It’s not it’s not something that that that I ultimately really am going to apologize for as a Reds fan, but I am not I guess lesser of a man to admit that that was a huge part of what happened in the back half of the season is that the Mets just completely collapsed. Now, I’m gonna give the Reds some credit for doing that because I think ultimately if the Reds didn’t put pressure on the Mets, I think that they could have maybe probably found a way to get back on their feet and find a way to get into the postseason by winning maybe more than 83 games. But as soon as the Reds won nine of their last 13, they took care of the Cubs. They sw they swept them four games straight. I think it did put a lot of pressure on the Mets. It started to feel like something that seemed so unrealistic starting to catch up to us, right? it in a weird way to backtrack this. I don’t know if you remember in 2020, Reed, but you kept asking me like, “Hey, you know, this was we were in I don’t even know what like the fall of 2020 and you were like, hey, have you read about this this CO 19?” It was it was like January. I was like, “This this might get bad. Have you read about this CO 19 thing or whenever it was and I was just like, no, I haven’t. I mean, I’m too busy worrying about all these other things that seems like you’re telling me that there’s a pandemic that’s going to shut the world down.” It just seemed I guess that my point is as as the Mets clubhouse and probably even their fans outside of obviously Frank because I think that’s a bit anyways. Um I I don’t think that they thought this was realistic to happen to them. And then all of a sudden when the when the Reds were able to sweep the Cubs, I think that was like the light bulb switch. It got really real and then all of a sudden you kind of gave yourself a chance. The Reds gave themselves a chance and then I think the Mets let them in. But who cares? It doesn’t really matter. I mean, they they they have a chance to go to LA. And I am thankful that they’re going to play a team like the Dodgers in a three-game set because I think ultimately if if it was like the old school way where you had to play a five or seven gamer right off the rip, there’s just there’s not a lot of I guess in my opinion realistic people that would expect them to be able to go and do that. But a three game set 100%. Can you imagine if it was the the anxietyridden one game wild card game and you go you go you go you would love your odds like you you’d prefer it you’d prefer it as a Reds fan like hey Hunter Green versus uh Yamamoto let’s do one game we’ll play nine innings to see who moves on and I mean it would get so tense in Chavez Ravine Dodger Stadium they would be they would be on edge knowing that this team was supposed to win 110 games or whatever it is and here they are fating for one game uh to move on in the postseason but facing an 83 win team, too. Like, that’s the thing I think the Reds have going for them is I 100% believe that there’s a chance that the that the narrative around them when you play the Reds is that you have to beat these guys. I mean, look at this lineup. And to be fair to to many of these teams that you’re going to go up against in the postseason, you’re going to probably have that type of narrative surrounding the the the series, which is how could you possibly lose to the Reds in the postseason when you have all of these star-studded lineups when you you look on the other side? And again, I’m not going to be disrespectful to any of our guys here, but I’m just saying in general, it’s not something that you fear all that often when you look at this lineup. Now, it depends on what Tito is going to do in the postseason and the lineup that he put outs because I actually think Reed, they have a chance to put out a lineup that’s pretty formidable. I I would I would like not I don’t say like our chances because I think that makes it sound a little over the top, but I think that there’s a there’s there’s a way to to construct this lineup that makes you feel pretty damn confident if you’re a Reds fan. I will openly say was it a wild move yesterday to to to have Trevinho Hayes and Mlan 789 in a must I mean you have to consider it a must-win game on 162 to get in it obviously ended up not being a must-win game because thankfully the Miami Marlins did it but I’m also not naive and maybe that’s why people that they get upset at me because I’m I’m I I I’m a realist as much as I can be. The fact of the matter is is that we would be having a completely different conversation today if the Miami Marlins just went out and played terrible baseball, right? If they made a litany of errors, four, five, six errors, they went out there, they gave up six or seven runs in the first inning. What would be the narrative around this baseball team? And what would everybody be saying right now? I know for damn well what it would be. They had three automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup in a must-win game. They let Gavin Lux hit against a left-handed pitcher in the middle of the game when they had Austin Hayes, who’s a capable hitter, against left-handed pitching, but also could play left field. There was a a a massive amount of things yesterday that was really indicative to the lot of the things that Reed, I think a lot of us fans were frustrated with all year long, but it doesn’t matter because the result was positive. And I guess ultimately it depends on what type of person you are. Are you a result driven person that you look at the world and you see whatever happens you’re good with as long as it’s a good outcome you’re happy with or are you a processoriented person where you think to yourself all right this this outcome happened but what did you do and what did you do before that to give yourself a chance to have the best possible outcome and did you do that because if you didn’t do it then you should probably fix it because you can’t sit there and survive on results results results your whole entire life now having said that you know it doesn’t matter because and and again that that’s where people are going to be like well why is he talking about that I’m just saying in general it just seems like and I know it’s es and flows of being a fan. I get it. But at the end of the day, I’m man enough to admit that it took two parties here to tango and I’m very appreciative of the Mets and I love the Mets and I’ve loved the Miami Marlins for making it happen and I am not going to apologize for being in the playoffs for it. Yeah, it’s uh it’s funny because you you know you’re obviously you said if if the Mets would have won yesterday and there in the postseason with with you guys losing the conversation today would be around Terry Francona and the way that he managed that final game and he’s kind of been a powder cake around Red’s fan base to where the guys that um you know like that that that don’t pay attention to the the day-to-day. They just look at hey this is did we win today, did we lose today? they’re not worried about it and they see that a guy like Terry Francona has won pretty much everywhere he’s been in his career. The guys that do care about the process and they’re like, “Man, why are we constantly putting these hitters in bad matchups? Why are we doing this? Why are we putting these pitchers in bad matchups?” They’re obviously not too fond of Terry Frank Kona in his managing style. So, I’ll ask you this question. Sure. We go back to March before Ian Jabau trotted out there in that ninth inning before opening day. If I have sat here in this office and I told you the following, LA de la Cruz will underperform. Matt Mlan by the end of the season will have 90% of this fan base hating him. Your highest paid positional player will be DFA two two two months into the season. Jake Freilley won’t be a part of the team at all. Tyler Stevenson will play fewer than 90 games. Uh Spencer Steer will who’s kind of supposed to be like your one anchor professional hitter in the lineup. he has a bad season at the plate, but um come October, you’re gonna be playing a game in in LA. What would I have told you? Like what what would I have if I told you all that, how would you have thought that the Red Season would have gone? I thought they would have won 75 games. But the only way that you could have said that they would have win more is because they have maybe arguably the best pitching staff in the history history of the franchise. And I think that’s where we just completely have undersold what they were capable of doing and what they did do. I mean, this team lost three straight one to nothing baseball games earlier this year. they survived it. This team lost an opportunity just the other day when they when they had an opening series game against the Mets where you felt like you absolutely needed to gain ground on a team who was already I believe at that time four games up on us. They were four games up on us and we were incapable of getting a run in with the bases loaded and nobody out. The truth is is that I will give Terry Francona all the credit for one thing and one thing only specifically for what I do know. Okay, I know that you can get into the matchups and I know people can get frustrated about, you know, maybe the the the the management in-game management style that he has and and maybe some of the times where he does seemingly pick favorites. Uh, all of that. But one thing I do know um that that really is incapable of being calculated is the grit and the determination and the belief and all of these things that feels like these guys did have. Every time to be fair uh to to anybody that watched this team on a day-to-day basis, anytime you felt like this team was dead, they did rally back. They found a way to make it interesting yet again. And you got to give credit to somebody for that. And obviously Tito’s the one guy that comes to mind for me because he’s the he’s the head of the helm and you’re going to get all the credit in the world just like the quarterback. You’ll get all the all the credit in the world when things go right. You’ll also get all the blame when things go bl. Uh so Tito again uh what what his grade is on the year and all those types of things. Some people are going to say he got an A+ because of just the fact that they got in the postseason yet again. Um and they’re going to use that as the the the metric. And I get it. It’s a it’s a it’s a basically it’s a result-based business. This is what it is. Professional sports. Nobody really gives a damn at the end of the day whether your process is good and all these things are good if you don’t win. And if you do win the Chiefs P perspective or even let’s go back and say even the the Patriots at a time if you want to use Dynasties for for an instance um no one’s going to be able to convince anybody that they had a bad process or weren’t doing the right things because at the end of the day they won. The results speak for themselves. So Tito gets the credit for that. Um but I I do think it’d be unfair to just say that this was all Tito or whatever term you’d want to use there. I it’s it’s a collective and I I think I put out a post yesterday just trying to be not snarky really. I wasn’t trying to be snarky, but I was saying that I see all these people getting all the credit in the world about, you know, the 2025 season and this that and the nature and it’s Tito this and Tito that. And it’s just like, listen, there’s there’s been one mainstay at this organization. Um, and his name’s Derek Johnson and he’s been here for years and he’s continued to progress and make this pitching staff better and better and better and better. And uh you went into this season dropping a guy like Rhett Lauder who I think many of us felt like was hoping to take a next step and be a part of that rotation and they’ve done nothing but succeed and and do it in a major major way. Uh Tito Franko also should get credit for managing the bullpen. They they’ve been very very good all year long. Um you know I know that Santion and those guys felt like they got run to the ground at some point but they just didn’t. They’ve been here all year and they’ve produced. So um I guess it just depends on how you want to look at it. If you want to look at it from the from the lens that you know you you you got fortunate from getting in the playoffs, go ahead. I I I don’t care how you look at it, but they’re zero. You get to play against the Dodgers in a three-game set. And I I don’t want to get overly crazy about it, but I think they have a legitimate chance. I really do. I I mean, all you need to do is just get get a little bit fortunate, I would call it that, in the first few innings in Dodger Stadium and get a couple runs on the board. Hopefully, the offense kind of feels like, all right, this is our time and it snowballs the same way it snowballed for the Mets. I’m hoping it does it in reverse reaction, I guess, for the Sinci Reds and they get hot at the right time offensively because if they can do that, I mean, as stupid as it sounds, and people are going to make fun of this, I’m not kidding when I say it. Like, they could win the World Series if their offense performs above above what I would call league average for the playoffs. It’s not been the case all season long, but if they’re capable of doing that for a month, month and a half, something crazy could happen because they have a pitching staff that is good enough to do it. I said it on this show, I think the last time I was here, and I’ll say it once again. If the offense had the same statistical advantage across the entire league as this pitching staff has, they would be the World Series favorites. And they and and it’s it’s insane to say out loud, but that’s how good this pitching staff has been. Now, it’s scary to always rely on a a baseball game where you feel like you got to hold the opponent to two runs or less and you see the lineup of the Dodgers. I’m not naive in saying that. So, we’ll see. I mean, house money. I don’t want to say who cares because of course you care, but it feels good to be a Reds fan and actually for for for the first time in a long time have something to look forward to in OC, you know, in October. Yeah, it’s funny because I you know there certainly are some people that are giving all the credit to Terry Frank and and and right you understand why, right? It’s the same thing we just talked about. That’s when you view things through the lens of results as opposed to the process. you’re like, well, we we brought in this guy that has won everywhere and he first year as the coach here, we’re in the postseason. He must be the he must be the reason why we’re in here. Obviously, we know there’s more nuance to that. But I think you brought up a really good point. And the thing that that you can never quantify, you’ll never be able to quantify, you’ll never be able to to see it and it drives analytical people crazy because you can’t quantify it is how valuable a manager is towards being in that clubhouse. I’ve said this for the longest time. Every team sports team that I’ve ever been around, every sports team seemingly from the outside seems to take the personality of their leader. That just seems to be those Patriots teams for the longest time had the same personality as Bill Bich. These Chiefs teams that had been good for seem to have the same personality as Andy Reid and you see that in baseball more than anything to where you know this this Terry Francona guy who’s kind of gritty, they kind of fed off that. That was their personality as a team. So, there is something to quantify there. And I think to to say, well, you can’t quantify it. That doesn’t exist, would be silly because these teams obviously find some value in it because they’re willing to pay someone millions of dollars to do this job, right? These teams, these billionaires, these millionaires that that run these uh organizations, if they didn’t see value in it, they simply wouldn’t pay someone that much money to take that job. You just wouldn’t do it because that’s too much money. Like, well, I don’t know what Terry Francone is making. You just wouldn’t pay someone if you think that it’s not a valuable position. But obviously it is because if you get in the the clubhouse, you understand that they do feed off those things u from time to time. I will say this about uh having a pitching focused team as opposed to a hitting focused team. Undoubtedly, when you have an offensive driven team, it’s more fun. It’s that it’s certainly more fun to score 12 runs in a game and you get a game that’s 12 to eight. But when you get in these high pressure situations, you’d prefer to have the pitching oriented team. And you you look at um the teams that have won the World Series over the last few years and and these small market team like if you uh you think about these teams, all these wild card teams that go on to win the World Series, the the great majority of them were these pitching focus teams. So that’s that’s you say you’ve got a real shot and I absolutely agree with you that where hey it’s going to be anxietyridden when the Dodgers put up three runs and you know the first three innings you’re like oh man we might be we might be cooked here but also you like your odds if you do take a two nothing lead to be like hey we can we can shut this thing down. Yeah I think it travels better if that’s kind of the word that we could use. I think that the pitching 100% can be a little more consistent over a short period of time than hitting can ever be. And I I do understand the idea that that, you know, you’d like to have an offense that has the firepower, but the reality is is I think if you gave me the option of one or the other, if you’d like to have an elite pitching staff or would you rather have an elite hitting over a three-game series to be very very clear, I’m going to 100% take the pitching. And I think that that’s where I feel very confident that the Reds have a legitimate chance. Of course, I if if if you went to anybody from a national perspective and you asked them what they thought about the Reds, I think that they probably wouldn’t take the Reds all that serious because to be fair, they don’t have they just don’t have this this mantra to them that is all that, you know, daunting. But the reality is is that they’ve not seen they’ve just not seen Hunter Green at his peak. More than likely, they’ve not seen Nick Lolo at his peak. More than likely, they’ve not seen Andrew Abbott basically be able to kind of spot pitches time and time again and get guys out consistently. even though it doesn’t feel or seem like he has something that’s crazy overpowering the and again you see Tony Santion come out of the pin are you really all that worried from a national perspective probably not but he’s been really really good Connor Phillips has been look like the nasty boys the last three weeks and then all a sudden you add in Chase Burns you give the fan again Alio Pagan’s done his job all year for the most part like this is a very formidable opportunity that the Reds present themselves with when they go in and play these three game sets now different story. As I said before, when you get into the seven gamers, I think that that is completely different. And if we find ourselves in a seven game series, you know what I’d say? We’ve we we’re playing with house money yet again, and we’re playing obviously pretty damn good baseball. And we’ll see how the chips fall. We’ll let them ch chips fall where they may. So, um you know, you got to just I guess at this point, you can analyze this every single way you want and try to make make your mind up of the way in which this postseason will go. I just don’t think that you can do it. As you know, Nick’s brought up on on Chatterbox Reds multiple times, you know, the the Cardinals have won World Series by sneaking into the playoffs. The Diamondbacks just Yeah. The Diamondbacks just a few years ago get in. I think they got in with 83 or 84 wins and they found themselves in the World Series. It’s uh it’s the I guess it’s the exciting thing about baseball and I think it’s to be fair if you are a great team. The one thing that you could be completely upset about in the way that the MLB playoffs is constructed is that you play 162 games to try to figure out who the best teams are and then they give a team like the Reds, and I’m just trying to be fair and honest here. You give a team like the Reds that only have to go into Dodger Stadium for three games and they only have to win two of them and they could end the Dodger season when collectively the Dodgers have been significantly better from the aggregate all year long than the Reds have been. It’s a huge advantage for the Reds. The chance that you can sneak in the way that they did and get an opportunity to quite literally be in the same spot as the Los Angeles Dodgers are. The only difference is they get to play in LA versus Cincinnati. That’s the only difference. uh when it comes to what the same advantages are for the those two franchises. And I’d openly say this, this is the reality of it. I think, and I know people are going to say this that I’m crazy for saying this, I think if you gave me the option of whether or not you would want to play in Cincinnati or you wanted to play in LA and you just stripped away all of the meaning to it, of course I’d want to go down to the ballpark. Of course, I would love for it to be in Cincinnati for the city. I’m not take all that away and you just said, “Hey, you got to play in an empty stadium uh in one ballpark or the other.” I think by far uh LA’s ballpark fits this baseball team significantly better. Oddly enough, and maybe that’s some of the frustration you hear from time to time on some of this fan base, this roster seems to be constructed better for their ballpark versus ours. And I will uh I’m not saying I’m I’m I’m I’m excited and thankful that it’s in LA, but I’m not upset about it either. Yeah.

Trace Fowler and Reid Maus debate how much credit that Terry Francona deserves to getting the Cincinnati Reds to the 2025 MLB Postseason.

Watch Off The Bench at 10:00 AM, Monday through Friday on Chatterbox Sports on YouTube! Off The Bench is also available everywhere you get podcasts.

In the heart of the Queen City, where the Ohio River whispers tales of baseball glory, the Cincinnati Reds ignited a firestorm of hope on September 28, 2025. With a 4-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 162 at American Family Field, the Reds didn’t just end their regular season—they punched their ticket to the postseason for the first time since the truncated 2020 campaign. Finishing at 83-79, tied with the New York Mets but claiming the final National League Wild Card spot via a decisive 4-2 season-series tiebreaker, Cincinnati’s improbable surge capped a season defined by resilience, raw talent, and a dash of destiny. This berth isn’t merely a return; it’s a resurrection for a franchise steeped in championship lore, now poised to chase October magic once more.

The 2025 Reds entered spring training with cautious optimism under manager Terry Francona, the grizzled tactician who brought two World Series rings from Boston and a lifetime of wisdom from Cleveland. Signed in the offseason to steady a young roster, Francona’s steady hand proved invaluable amid a campaign that teetered on the razor’s edge. The team honored the late Pete Rose with #14 patches on their uniforms—a poignant nod to the Hit King’s 19 seasons of Reds magic, passing away on September 30, 2024, at 83. Yet, early shadows loomed: injuries to ace Hunter Greene sidelined him for stretches, and a brutal schedule pitted them against playoff contenders in 23 of their final 41 games.

April bloomed with promise, as the Reds notched a franchise-record 24 runs in a single game against the Baltimore Orioles on April 20, showcasing an offense that blended veteran savvy with youthful exuberance. Elly De La Cruz, the Dominican dynamo, electrified Great American Ball Park with his 40-40 club aspirations—stealing bases like a phantom and launching moonshots that evoked memories of Eric Davis. Beside him, Jonathan India anchored the lineup with his patient eye and clutch hitting, while newcomer Austin Hays, acquired midseason, provided gritty outfield defense and timely power. The rotation, led by Greene’s blistering fastball upon his August return, stabilized with Andrew Abbott’s crafty lefty guile and Nick Lodolo’s strikeout artistry. But the bullpen, fortified by Emilio Pagán and Scott Barlow, was the unsung hero, slamming the door in high-leverage spots as the team clawed from six games back in early September.

By mid-August, Baseball-Reference pegged their playoff odds at a precarious 31.3%, the toughest remaining schedule in baseball testing their mettle against juggernauts like the Phillies, Dodgers, and Blue Jays.

September’s swoon nearly buried them: On the 5th, a home loss to the Mets ballooned New York’s lead to six games, sandwiching the Giants and Diamondbacks in between. FanGraphs’ probabilities dipped to 19.7% after back-to-back heartbreaks against the Pirates on September 24-25, with odds to miss the dance at -285 via BetMGM.

Pundits whispered of another lost year, echoing the franchise’s painful 12-year drought since 2013—a barren stretch that saw 10,000 days without postseason advancement by early 2023.

But these Reds refused to fade. A six-of-seven win streak from September 15-21 knotted them with the Mets, fueled by De La Cruz’s electric base-running and Steer’s scorching bat. Even as control slipped with two losses to Pittsburgh, the baseball gods intervened: The Mets’ late collapse—coupled with San Francisco and Arizona’s stumbles—opened the door. Heading into the Brewers series, chances hovered at 50%, a coin flip that electrified Reds Nation.

Game 162 unfolded like a thriller. Starter Brady Singer dueled valiantly, but Milwaukee’s offense pecked away for four runs. Yet, as the Mets fell elsewhere, tying the records at 83-79, champagne corks popped in Milwaukee’s visiting clubhouse. The Brewers, gracious in defeat, presented a game ball to Francona—a classy gesture amid the delirium. “We’ve been through the wringer,” Francona beamed, dousing players in bubbly. “This group’s got heart bigger than the Ohio.”

For a franchise born in 1882 as the Red Stockings—the oldest professional team in America—this clinch evokes ghosts of glory. The Reds boast five World Series titles (1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990), the last a wire-to-wire sweep under Lou Piniella’s Big Red Machine 2.0, starring Barry Larkin and Eric Davis.