Cincinnati Reds

• Cincinnati Red Stockings were founded in 1866 as an amateur club– The team became fully professional in 1869

• The Red Stockings won 130 straight games between 1869 and 1870– They were defeated by the Brooklyn Atlantics

8-7 in 11 innings

• Star players were Harry and George Wright and Asa Brainard

• After 1870 the Red Stockings best players relocated to Boston and became the Boston Red Stockings– Later became the Beaneaters, then the

Braves, currently in Atlanta

• A new Cincinnati Red Stockings team became a charter member of the National League

• The team was kicked out of the league for serving beer and renting its stadium on Sundays

• After being kicked out, the team became a founding member of the American Association in 1882

• The team won the league’s championship the first year with a winning percentage of .688 (highest in team history)

• In 1889 the Red Stockings returned to the National League– The NL was growing while the AA was

weakening

• In 1889, the team first shortened its name to “Reds”

• Throughout the 1890s the team couldn’t get any higher then 3rd place

• Cy Seymour was the first Red to win a batting title in 1905

• In 1911, Bob Bescher stole 81 bases, still a team record

• The Reds played on the corner of Findlay and Western Ave. in wooden stadiums which had been damaged by fires

• In 1912, Redland Field was constructed out of steel on the same spot

• 1919 saw the Reds win their first NL pennant

• Stars Edd Roush, Heinie Groh, Hod Eller, and Harry “Slim” Sallee led the team to a world championship– Defeated Chicago White Sox in 8 games

• “Black Sox Scandal” tainted the Red’s victory

• By 1931, the team was bankrupt, and Redland field was in shambles

• In 1933, Powel Crosley bought the Reds out of bankruptcy– Crosley made his money through electronics– Started the WLW radio station and Crosley

Broadcasting Corporation

• Larry Macphail was hired as general manager– Developed a minor league system and

expanded the fan base

• The 1930s saw several firsts for the Reds– Redland Field was renamed Crosley Field– Hosted the first night game in 1935– Johnny Vander Meer became the only pitcher

to throw back-to-back no hitters in 1938

• Stars of those teams were Vander Meer, Bucky Walters, and 1938 MVP Ernie Lombardi

• The Reds won the NL title in 1939 but were swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series

• Repeated as NL champs in 1940 and defeated the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 3 to win the World Series– Frank McCormick won the NL MVP that same

year

• During World War II and the years after the Reds finished in the lower half of the NL

• In 1944, the team borrowed 15 year old Joe Nuxhall from Wilson Junior High in Hamilton, OH– Nuxhall holds the record for youngest player

to ever play in a major league game

• Pitcher Ewell Blackwell and slugger Ted Kluszewski were two stars of Reds teams that struggled in the 1940s and 50s

• In 1956 the Reds hit a NL record 221 homeruns led by Rookie of the Year Frank Robinson

• Robinson, Vada Pinson, Wally Post, Joey Jay, and Jim O’Toole made the Reds contenders during the 1960s

• During the 1950s and 60s the team decided to change its name twice from Reds to Redlegs– The name was removed from the team logo

and uniform

• The team also started a policy of having players be clean shaven– Started to portray a wholesome image

• The 1961 Reds won the NL title but were defeated by the Yankees in the World Series

• The team had winning seasons throughout the rest of the 1960s but could not win a championship

• Manager Fred Hutchinson died from cancer after the 1964 season

• Owner Bill DeWitt had plans of relocating the team and began trading away key players

• Frank Robinson was traded in 1965 in one of the worst trades of all time– Robinson won the 1966 AL MVP

• The team did not move to San Diego after the team, city, and county agreed to build a new stadium on the river

• The last game played at Crosley Field on June 24, 1970– A 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants

• The team moved into the state of the art Riverfront Stadium that summer

• Throughout the 1960s the Reds were able to groom home grown minor league talent

• Bob Howsam became general manager in 1967 and started building what would become the “Big Red Machine”

• In 1970, the Reds hired George “Sparky” Anderson as manager

• The All-Star game was played at the 2 week old Riverfront Stadium– Pete Rose scored the winning run

• The Reds won 70 of the first 100 games of the season and went on to win the NL West title– They swept the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the

pennant

• The Baltimore Orioles best the Reds in 5 games to win the World Series

• Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, and Dave Concepcion were key players in 1970

• After posting a losing record in 1971 other key players were added– Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, and George

Foster

• In 1972 the Reds again won the NL West and the pennant by defeating the Pirates

• The Oakland Athletics beat the Reds in 7 games to win a close World Series

• In 1973 the Reds won the NL West but were upset by the New York Mets for the NL championship– Series is known for scuffles between Pete

Rose and the Mets

• The Reds did not make the playoffs in 1974 but had memorable moments

• Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s home run record at Riverfront Stadium (714 HR)

• Marty Brennaman replaced Al Michaels as the team’s radio announcer

• After the 1976 World Championship the Big Red machine was dismantled

• The team reached the playoffs in 1979 but were swept by the Pirates

• By 1982 the Reds were near the bottom of the league

• Throughout the 1980s the Reds were a mixture of veterans and young talent

• Dave Parker, Dave Concepcion, Tony Perez, and Pete Rose helped bring stability

• Eric Davis, Tom Browning, Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo, and Paul O’Neil formed a foundation for another championship

• From 1985-89 the team finished second 4 times

• Lou Pinellia was manager beginning in 1990– The team started 33-12 and led the NL West

“wire to wire”

• The team made the playoffs where they faced the Pittsburgh Pirates– Won the series in 6 games

• Faced heavily favored Oakland in the World Series– Swept the series in 4 games to win the World

Championship

• The Reds next made the playoffs in 1995 when they won the NL Central under manager Davey Johnson– Defeated the Dodgers in the NLDS– Were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the

NLCS

• In 1999 the club won 96 games under Jack McKeon but lost a 1 game playoff with the New York Mets

• In 2002 Riverfront Stadium was torn down and games are now being played at Great American Ballpark

• The Reds have not had a winning record in the 2000s with players such as– Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Aaron Harang,

Bronson Arroyo, Jay Bruce, and Brandon Phillips