Reds starter Andrew Abbott talks his outing and catching Mets for playoff spot
Cincinnati Reds lefty Andrew Abbott pitched 4 2/3 scoreless in a 1-0 inning against the Cubs as the Reds caught the Mets in the NL playoff chase.
Though only five years ago, the 2025 Cincinnati Reds are an entirely different team than the last time they made the playoffs in 2020.
Currently in position for a playoff spot, the Reds are tied with the New York Mets by record, but own the head-to-head record tie breaker granting them the final wild card spot in the National League. With six games to go, the Reds have two more series with a magic number of 6 to clinch the playoffs.
Keep reading to learn about the last time the Reds made the playoffs, as well as the best players from their last playoff run.
When the last time the Cincinnati Reds made the playoffs?
The last time the Reds made the playoffs was in the 2020 MLB season. Though the regular season was only 60 games due to COVID restrictions, the Reds went 31-29 in the regular season and earned a playoff berth as the No. 7 seed in the expanded 16-team bracket. They faced the Atlanta Braves, the NL East champions in 2020, in a best-of-three wild card series, losing 2-0 and scoring no runs in either game against Atlanta.
Before the 2020 season, the Reds had not made the playoffs since 2013. They lost the NL Wild Card Game to the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2.
Who was on the Cincinnati Reds the last time they made the playoffs?
Here is a look at the starting lineup from the Reds’ final postseason game against the Atlanta Braves in 2020:
Shogo Akiyama, LFNick Castellanos, RFJoey Votto, 1BEugenio Suárez, 3BMike Moustakas, 2BJesse Winker, DHNick Senzel, CFFreddy Galvis, SSTucker Barnhart, C
Here is the Reds’ starting rotation from their playoff team in 2020:
Trevor Bauer (5-4, 1.73 ERA)Luis Castillo (4-6, 3.21 ERA)Sonny Gray (5-3, 3.70 ERA)Tyler Mahle (2-2, 3.59 ERA)Anthony DeSclafani (1-2, 7.22 ERA)Wade Miley (0-3, 5.65 ERA)Who were the best players on the Reds’ 2020 playoff team?
Below is a list of the most notable players on the Reds from the 2020 playoff team:
Trevor Bauer, SP
In a shortened season, Trevor Bauer had a career year after getting dealt from Cleveland in the 2019 season. He gave up only 14 earned runs in 73 innings, posting a National League-best in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.705), hits per nine (5.1), complete game shutouts (2) and bWAR (3.0). He won the 2020 NL Cy Young award after receiving 27 of 30 first-place votes.
In the first wild card game against the Braves, Bauer powered through 7â…” innings, giving up no runs, no walks and two hits while notching 12 strikeouts on 103 pitches. The Reds got 11 hits, but did not score a single run and got walked off in the 13th inning on a Freddie Freeman single.
After the season, Bauer signed a three-year $102 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but sexual assault allegations led to a 324-game suspension from MLB (later shortened to 194 games) and an eventual release from the Dodgers. Since his release, Bauer has pitched both in the Japanese and Mexican professional baseball leagues, currently on the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan.
Jesse Winker, DH
Jesse Winker was the standout bat on the Reds in 2020, hitting 12 home runs in 56 games with a .939 OPS. The following year he was an all star for the Cincinnati Reds, contuing his prowess behind the dish. Winker only had one hit in the two wild card games against the Braves.
Luis Castillo, SP
Coming off an All-Star Game appearance in 2019, the No. 2 starter for the Reds had a 3.21 ERA in 70 innings. He pitched well in the Reds second wild card game against the Braves, going 5â…“ innings with seven strikeouts, allowing one earned run. The Reds got only two hits in the 6-0 loss.
Raisel Iglesias, CP
A consistent closer for the Reds for six years, Raisel Iglesias rebounded from a subpar 2019 season, earning eight saves in 22 appearances for the Reds with a 2.74 ERA. Though four-strikeout appearance in 1.1 innings in the first wild card game, Iglesias struggled in the second wild card game, allowing three runs in 0.1 innings of work.
When is the next Cincinnati Reds game?
The Reds take on the Pirates on Sept. 23 at 6:40 p.m.