Cincinnati Reds Did You Know & Fan Stories
Baseball Sees the Light
On May 24, 1935, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Crosley Field — in the first night game in Major League Baseball history. Baseball had been a day game for 60 years. Owners thought playing under lights was a gimmick that cheapened the sport. Most ballparks didn't have electricity beyond the clubhouse. Then Reds GM Larry MacPhail — a marketing-mad innovator who'd later push the Yankees to play night games too — convinced the league to allow Cincinnati one experiment. The Reds installed 632 floodlights, totaling one million watts. President Franklin D. Roosevelt threw the symbolic switch from a button at the White House. 20,422 fans showed up — more than triple the Reds' average attendance that year. Paul Derringer threw a complete game for the Reds. Babe Herman drove in the winning run. Most importantly: nobody got hurt under the lights. The experiment worked. Within five years, half of MLB had installed lights. Within 50, day games were the rarity, not the night ones. Every MLB ballpark today plays the vast majority of its games at night. Every World Series game since 1985 has been a prime-time broadcast. The infrastructure that built modern baseball — the TV money, the prime-time culture, the dad-takes-his-kid-to-a-game-after-work tradition — all traces back to one Friday night in Cincinnati.
Six for Six and Catching
On May 9, 1937, Cincinnati Reds catcher Ernie Lombardi went 6/6 at the plate as the Reds destroyed the Phillies 21-10. Six hits in six at-bats all while squatting behind the plate for nine innings, in a wool uniform, in May. The picture above is another one of his party tricks; he could hold 6 baseballs at a time in his hand. Lombardi was already one of the slowest runners in baseball history. Infielders famously played him on the outfield grass because he couldn't beat out a dribbler if his life depended on it. He never had a leg hit. Every one of his career 1,792 base hits had to be earned with the bat. Which is why a 6-for-6 day from Schnozz mattered so much: every one of those hits was clean. He'd win the NL batting title the next year, win an MVP that same season, and retire as one of only two catchers ever to win two batting titles. The Reds added 7 runs in the third inning alone that day. The catcher with the heavy bat and the slow legs led the parade. 3 Touchdowns for the Cincy Beng....errr Reds!
Hits from A Rose: Today in Sports History
On this day in 1978, Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose became the 13th player in MLB history to reach 3,000 career hits and he did it faster than anyone before him, in just his 16th season and 2,370th big-league game. At Riverfront Stadium on a chilly night in front of 37,823 fans, Rose went 2-for-4 against the Montreal Expos: - 2,999th hit (3rd inning): High chopper to Expos pitcher Steve Rogers.- ruled a single. - 3,000th hit (5th inning): Clean single to left field off Rogers (bases empty, two outs). The game was stopped for a lengthy standing ovation as Rose’s teammates poured out of the dugout to congratulate him. Former Reds star (and current Expo) Tony Perez, playing first base, greeted him with a big hug at the bag. The Reds ultimately fell 4-3, but Rose later said: "If I had to dedicate my 3,000th hit, it would be to the Cincinnati fans. It’s 35 degrees and 37,000 people show up. That is something." He added, “The thing I’m proudest about is that I’ve been the most consistent player of my generation.” Rose would go on to smash Stan Musial’s NL hits record and eventually become MLB’s all-time hits leader with 4,256. Later that same 1978 season, he kicked off his record 44-game hitting streak - the longest in the National League in the modern era. Hits from P. Rose, one of the most iconic moments in Reds and MLB history.
Cincinnati Reds • Teambook
Overview
The Cincinnati Reds represent the birthplace of professional baseball, carrying the legacy of the sport's oldest franchise from their home at Great American Ball Park on the banks of the Ohio River. Cincinnati's baseball culture runs deep, with the Reds serving as the heartbeat of a city that takes tremendous pride in its role in the game's history. The franchise's traditional red-and-white uniforms and iconic wishbone 'C' logo evoke the classic era of baseball that began when the Red Stockings formed in 1869. While the Reds have cycled through rebuilding phases, their loyal fanbase fills the riverfront ballpark and maintains hope for a return to the glory of the Big Red Machine era. The Great American Ball Park's retro-modern design and scenic views of the Ohio River and Kentucky beyond make it a beloved summer destination.
History & Legacy
Founded as the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869, the Reds are recognized as baseball's first fully professional team, establishing the sport as a commercial enterprise. The franchise won back-to-back World Series in 1975 and 1976 as the 'Big Red Machine,' featuring Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Pérez, and Pete Rose in one of baseball's greatest lineups. Sparky Anderson's managerial brilliance and the team's relentless offense made the Reds the dominant force of the 1970s, with the 1975 Fall Classic against Boston considered perhaps the greatest World Series ever played. Rose's 4,256 career hits—achieved primarily as a Red—and his subsequent banishment for gambling cast a complex shadow over the franchise's legacy. The 1990 wire-to-wire championship under Lou Piniella brought one more title to Cincinnati, and the franchise continues to honor its unparalleled place in baseball history.
Source: Claude
Founded1869
Championships5 (1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990)
Home VenueGreat American Ball Park
Fan contributions
