The Cincinnati Reds seek the National League’s third and final wild-card spot Sept. 28 with a win against the Brewers in Milwaukee or a New York Mets loss to the Marlins in Miami.
The significance of Sept. 28? It’s 15 years to the day since “Clinchmas,” when former Reds outfielder Jay Bruce hit the first pitch by Houston’s Tim Byrdak in the ninth inning for a walk-off home run that lifted the Reds to a 3-2 victory and clinched the National League Central championship.
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Bruce, the Reds’ first-round pick in the 2005 draft, played for the Reds from 2008 to 2016.
Bruce was a three-time All-Star during his nine seasons in Cincinnati, hitting .249 with 233 home runs. The Reds traded Bruce to the Mets in Aug. 2016 for Max Wotell and Dilson Herrera.
Video of Bruce’s legendary homer, via YouTube:
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds seek wild card 15 years after Clinchmas, Jay Bruce walk-off homer