Cincinnati Reds

Team information

• Inaugural season: 1882
• Home ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Owner: Robert Castellini
• Team colors: Red, black, and white

Overview

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team playing in the National League Central division. Although the team’s official history began with the 1882 season, the Reds are connected to the first professional baseball team which was formed in 1869. The team can also lay claim to another notable first, as it became the first MLB team to play a night game in 1935. The Reds have won five World Series championships in their history. The first of those in 1919 was tinged with controversy when it was later discovered that key players on the opposing team, the Chicago White Sox, accepted money to intentionally lose. During the 1970s, Cincinnati built one of baseball’s most dominant teams, a dynasty that would be known as the Big Red Machine. Led by four future Hall of Famers, those Reds won back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976. After a surprising World Series victory in 1990, Cincinnati has struggled to win consistently, making just five playoff appearances from 1991 to 2023.

History

For much of the nineteenth century, baseball was played by amateur or semi-pro teams across the Midwest and Eastern United States. In 1869, the first all-professional baseball team was formed in Cincinnati. Technically called the Cincinnati Base Ball Club, the team was better known as the Red Stockings because of the color of their high stirrup socks. The Red Stockings played against amateur or semi-pro squads and dominated the competition. They were 64–0 in 1869, winning some games by margins of 45–9 or 86–8. In 1876, a new professional baseball league called the National League formed, and the Red Stockings were included as a charter member. The team struggled on the field and angered NL officials by playing games on Sundays and selling beer during games—both considered against the strict league rules of the era. As a result, the Red Stockings were expelled from the National League in 1879.

In 1882, a new team was formed in Cincinnati and joined a professional league known as the American Association (AA). This team, also called the Red Stockings, won the AA title in its first season. While the AA made an attempt to compete with the NL, the league had trouble keeping its teams from jumping ship to its rival. In 1890, Cincinnati left the AA for the NL, which by now had amended its rules to allow Sunday games and beer sales. With the move, the team shortened its name from Red Stockings to Reds. The change to a new name and league did little to help the team’s fortunes. Cincinnati struggled to field a competitive team, finishing no higher than third in the NL standings from 1890 to 1918.

In 1919, the Reds finally turned the situation around, winning ninety-six games en route to a berth in their first World Series. Their opponent in the series was the Chicago White Sox, a powerful American League squad that was heavily favored to win the championship. However, the underdog Reds upset Chicago to win the series. A year later, in what became known as the Black Sox Scandal, it was revealed that eight members of the White Sox had accepted money from gamblers to intentionally lose the series. The Reds kept their title, but in some people’s minds, their achievement was tainted by the scandal. The Reds’ players remained adamant that they were the better team and would have beaten Chicago anyway.

While Cincinnati would not return to the World Series until 1939, the team made two significant contributions to MLB history during that time. In 1935, the Reds installed lights at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field and played the first night game in MLB history on May 24, 1935. It would be three more years until another MLB team followed suit. In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer became the only pitcher in history to throw back-to-back no-hitters, blanking the Boston Bees on June 11 and the Brooklyn Dodgers on June 15. Vander Meer was part of a Reds’ pitching staff that led the team to the World Series in 1939 and 1940. Cincinnati lost in 1939 but claimed its second championship a year later with a 4–3 series win over the Detroit Tigers.

In 1954, Cincinnati changed its name to the Redlegs to distance itself from the name “Reds.” As the 1950s marked the start of the Cold War era, the term "red" had become associated with Soviet communism. Despite the change, fans and media generally ignored the switch and still referred to the team as the Reds. In 1959, the team dropped the idea and officially became the Reds once again.

In 1961, Cincinnati returned to the World Series, losing to the New York Yankees. The team played well for much of the 1960s but always fell short of a postseason berth. In the midst of this period, Cincinnati was slowly building a roster that would become one of the best in MLB history. From 1963 to 1967, the team called up infielder/outfielder Pete Rose, infielder Tony Perez, and catcher Johnny Bench. In 1970, the Reds hired manager Sparky Anderson who led them to the 1970 World Series—a 4–1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. In 1972, Cincinnati acquired another key piece of its dynasty by trading for second baseman Joe Morgan.

Together, the Big Red Machine, as they were called, made three World Series from 1972 to 1976, winning championships in 1975 and 1976. The 1976 team was particularly dominant, sweeping both the Phillies in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and the Yankees in the World Series. As the Reds’ core began to age or depart, the team fell back in its standings but still remained competitive. Because of a scheduling quirk caused by a player’s strike, the Reds missed out on the playoffs in 1981 despite having the best record in the National League. During the remainder of the 1980s, Cincinnati finished second in its division four times.

In 1990, the Reds won their division and swept the favored Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS. In the World Series, they faced the powerhouse Oakland A’s who had won 103 games and were making their third straight World Series appearance. Surprisingly, Cincinnati easily won the series in a four-game sweep. The championship would be the team’s last as of 2023. After a loss in the 1995 NLCS, the Reds struggled into the new century, missing out on the postseason in all but five seasons.

Notable players

More than thirty-five former players, managers, and team officials associated with the Cincinnati Reds have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Outfielder Edd Roush, who played in Cincinnati from 1916 to 1926, was a key member of the 1919 championship team, winning one of his two career battle titles that season. Eppa Rixey pitched for the Reds from 1921 to 1933 and holds the franchise mark for wins with 179. Johnny Vander Meer had a solid, but injury-plagued career with the Reds from 1937 to 1949 and is best-known for his consecutive no-hitters. The best pitcher on the 1939 and 1940 World Series teams was Bucky Walters who led the NL in wins both seasons. Walters was with the reds from 1938 to 1948 and also won the NL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 1939.

The main catalyst of the 1961 World Series team was Frank Robinson, who won the NL MVP Award that season. Robinson played with Cincinnati from 1956 to 1965 and went on to establish himself as one of the best outfielders in MLB history over his twenty-one-year career. Robinson won the 1956 Rookie of the Year Award and hit 324 home runs with the Reds—second most in franchise history. His 586 career home runs rank tenth all time as of 2020.

Three players from the Big Red Machine and manager Sparky Anderson have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Anderson is the Reds’ all-time winningest manager, compiling 863 victories from 1970 to 1978. Tony Perez played with Cincinnati from 1964 to 1976 and again from 1984 to 1986. Perez is third on the franchise home run list with 287 and second in runs batted in (RBIs) with 1,192. Joe Morgan was with the Reds from 1972 to 1979, winning back-to-back MVP awards in 1975 and 1976. His 268 career home runs as a second baseman are sixth-most all-time at the position. Johnny Bench played his entire career in Cincinnati from 1967 to 1983. Often regarded as the best catcher of his generation, Bench made fourteen All-Star teams and won two NL MVP awards. He is the franchise leader in home runs with 389 and RBIs with 1,376.

Perhaps the best player on Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine was also its most controversial. Pete Rose played nineteen years with the Reds from 1963 to 1978 and again from 1984 to 1986. A prolific hitter, Rose won three battle titles in Cincinnati and is the all-time franchise leader in hits with 3,358. Rose also holds the MLB record for most career hits with 4,258. However, as manager of the Reds from 1985 to 1989, Rose was also found to have bet on games involving his team, which resulted in a lifetime ban from baseball. As a result, although his numbers are Hall-of-Fame worthy, Rose was ineligible for induction as of 2024.

Since the 1980s, the Reds’ two biggest stars have been shortstop Barry Larkin and first baseman Joey Votto. Larkin was with the Reds from 1986 to 2004 and won the 1995 NL MVP Award. His 2,340 career hits are second only to Rose on the team list. Votto began playing with the Reds in 2007 and won the 2010 NL MVP Award.

Bibliography

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“Cincinnati Reds Team History & Encyclopedia.” Baseball Reference, 2024, www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Dotson, Chad, ‎and Chris Garber. The Big 50: Cincinnati Reds. Triumph Books, 2018.

“History.” MLB.com, 2020, www.mlb.com/reds/history. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

“MLB Holds First Night Game.” History.com, 28 July 2019, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mlb-holds-first-night-game. Accessed 4 May 2020.

Rothenberg, Matt. “150 Years Ago, Pro Baseball Began in Cincinnati.” National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, baseballhall.org/discover/pro-baseball-began-in-cincinnati-150-years-ago. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Schoenfield, David. “#TBT: When the Reds became Redlegs.” ESPN, 9 Apr. 2015, www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/‗/id/56756/tbt-when-the-reds-became-redlegs. Accessed 4 May 2020.