Late last week, I had an uncommon experience. On Thursday afternoon, I settled into my seat in the left field stands at Citi Field, preparing to watch the home-standing Metropolitans face off against the visitors from San Diego. The visit to Queens permitted me to mark yet another big league stadium off my list; I’ve now seen games at 24 parks.
Ordinarily, unless the Reds are playing, I sit back, fill out my scorecard, and just take in the game as an impartial observer who loves the sport. This time, however, I had a rooting interest, and that was the uncommon experience I mentioned earlier. I genuinely cared about the outcome, because our Redlegs have been locked in battle with the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot.
That’s right, friends and neighbors: Reds fans are actually scoreboard-watching! You may be surprised to hear it, but this is what other fan bases get to do in September. Not only do we get to pull for our club, but we have to keep an eye on the scores of other games because of how that result impacts Cincinnati’s playoff odds. Pretty fun, right?
Sure, the Reds are in the mix only because MLB has watered down the playoff structure so much that teams hovering around .500 can still qualify. Beggars can’t be choosers. We don’t get this opportunity very often. Bask in it.
So how did we get here, with the Reds holding the final Wild Card position at the moment? It’s been a wild rollercoaster ride, that’s for certain. Before we go any further, however, I need to offer a mea culpa.
Nearly a month ago, I told you here in these digital pages that “you can’t build a playoff plan around the hope that other teams keep tripping over themselves.” As it turns out, that’s not quite accurate. The Mets keep bumbling and stumbling, their $340 million roster unable to put together any kind of winning stretch. They should have clinched a post-season berth weeks ago. They left the door open.
The ol’ Redlegs decided to wait until it was almost too late, but they’ve gotten hot at the right time. Just over two weeks ago, a gut-wrenching 5-4 loss to those Mets left Cincinnati six games back, playoff dreams fading away like the summer sun. The team had stumbled through a dismal skid in which they lost 11 of 14 games, and you would have been justified if you had given up the club for dead. Well, well, well … how the turn tables.
Since that day, the Reds have clawed back, winning 10 out of their last 15, culminating in a five-game winning streak that has the Reds tied with the Mets at 80-76. The rollercoaster began after that loss to New York, when the Reds won on Saturday and Sunday to take the series. They decamped to the West Coast, where they again lost a tense extra-inning heartbreaker to the Padres in the opener, dropping to 72-72. But, again: resilience. A win in game two was followed by a 2-1 nail-biter, stealing an important series and injecting a tiny bit of hope into our veins.
Then, inexplicably, the Reds were swept by the Athletics. Given what’s happened since, I still can’t believe what we saw out there in Sacramento. Shut out in the opener, routed in the next two, the Reds’ record back dropped below .500. Once again, things were looking bleak.
Yet, the last seven games, against the Cardinals and Cubs, have been the most inexplicable thing we’ve seen all season. In game one in St. Louis, Cincinnati exploded for an 11-6 offensive barrage. They were shut out the following day … but that may end up being the last game the Reds lose all year. The next day, Spencer Steer’s three-run bomb led the Reds to a 6-2 victory, a series win, and the deficit in the Wild Card race had been reduced to just two games.
The real fireworks ignited in a four-game home stand against Chicago, a sweep that’s starting to turn skeptical fans into believers prepared to have their hearts broken again. Thursday’s 1-0 thriller was a pitcher’s duel, a one-hit shutout masterpiece by Hunter Greene. Friday’s 7-4 romp saw Steer with a two-homer explosion. Saturday’s 6-3 victory was pure drama: Steer launched his fourth homer in four games to reclaim the lead in the fifth, TJ Friedl and Tyler Stephenson added solo bombs, and Zack Littell and the bullpen battled through for the win. The eighth inning pulsed with tension, but with two runners on base Tony Santillan struck out Ian Happ and induced a grounder that Elly De La Cruz fielded with electric speed, nipping the runner at first. Sunday’s finale, another 1-0 win, sealed the sweep.
The winning streak owes much to Steer’s heroics (four homers and 10 RBI in the winning streak), a bullpen that’s come through time and again, and (finally!) timely hits from De La Cruz and Stephenson. FanGraphs now pegs Cincinnati’s playoff odds at 42 percent, a doubling from last week.
As the final week dawns, six games stand between the Reds and playoff baseball: a three-game home set against the eliminated Pirates followed by a brutal road trip to face the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers to end the season. One week and six games for Cincinnati, but plenty of scoreboard-watching for this fan base that’s been beaten down time and time again.
I’d urge you to head out to Great American Ball Park for the final home series. The players are giving it all they’ve got. The clubhouse is humming with urgency. The Reds actually have a real chance to experience some October glory. Enjoy the ride. We don’t get to experience this often.
Chad Dotson helms Reds coverage at Cincinnati Magazine and is co-author of “The Big 50: The Men and Moments That Made the Cincinnati Reds,” revised, updated, and available in bookstores now. His newsletter about Cincinnati sports can be found at chaddotson.com.
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