Watch: Christian Encarnacion-Strand on his big grand slam for Reds against the Red Sox
Cincinnati Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who has slumped for weeks, hit a go-ahead grand slam Wednesday to help beat the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen were asked during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast about their least favorite MLB park in which to pitch.
The pair agreed on Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, and suggested that the GABP mound is too low and doesn’t meet MLB regulations.
“Cincinnati is tough,” Kelly said. “Cincinnati is pretty brutal. The ball flies and the mound – I know they are supposed to have regulations on how high the mound is, but whatever they are doing, they’re cheating for sure. It’s way lower. Like our mound at home feels like a mountain compared to Cincinnati’s. You can see it.”
“That mound is so flat,” Gallen added. “Look into that. You can notice it from the dugout. That mound is flat. My guess is like if you think about it they could then try to acquire the pitchers that pitch best on that type of mound. Like sinkerballers, or whatever it is works best on that mound. They’ll be like alright we’re gonna stick with these guys because it benefits them.”
Kelly hasn’t pitched at GABP since June 8, 2022. He tossed six shutout inning and allowed just one hit, with three walks and five strikeouts.
Gallen lost to the Reds at GABP in June. He allowed four earned runs and gave up three homers among six hits in 6 2/3 innings.