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Cincinnati Reds

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Cincinnati Reds
2025 Cincinnati Reds season
File:CincinnatiReds 100.png
Logo
Major league affiliations
Name
  • Cincinnati Reds (1876–present)
Ballpark
Major league titles
World Series titles (5)1990 • 1976 • 1975 • 1940
1919
NL Pennants (9)1990 • 1976 • 1975 • 1972
1970 • 1961 • 1940 • 1939
1919
AA Pennants (1)1882
Central Division titles (1) [1][2]1995
West Division titles (7)1990 • 1979 • 1976 • 1975
1973 • 1972 • 1970
Wild card berths (0)None
[1] - In 1981, the Reds finished with the overall best record in the National League. However, a players' strike in the middle of the season forced the season to be split into two halves. Cincinnati finished second in both halves and was thereby deprived of a post-season appearance.
[2] - In 1994, a players' strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. Cincinnati was in first place in the Central Division by a half game over Houston when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994.

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of the National League. The original Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first openly all-professional baseball team.

Franchise history

The beginning

The original Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first openly all-professional team, were founded in 1867, turning professional in 1869. The Red Stockings won 130 games in a row between 1869 & 1870, before the Brooklyn Atlantics defeated them. Early stars for the Red Stockings included the Wrights, George and Harry, and pitcher, Asa Brainard. The Red Stockings disbanded after the 1870 season, and Harry Wright moved to Boston along with most of the team's best players to found the Boston Red Stockings, now known as the Atlanta Braves. A new Cincinnati Red Stockings team became a charter member of the National League in 1876. The team was expelled from the league after the 1880 season, in part for violating league rules by serving beer to fans at games. (NOTE:This team has no direct affiliation with the current Cincinnati team.)

Following the expulsion, another Cincinnati team--the direct ancestor of the current franchise--became a founding member of the American Association, a rival league that began play in 1882. By some accounts, the AA team switched leagues in 1890; by other accounts, the AA team folded the same year the new NL team started, and the new team simply signed many of the AA team's star players. The Red Stockings wandered through the remainder of the 1890s signing local stars & aging veterans.

At the turn of the century, the Reds (shortened from the Red Stockings so not to be confused with the Boston AL entry, now shortened to Red Sox) had hitting stars like Sam Crawford and Cy Seymour. Seymour's .377 average in 1905 was the first individual batting crown won by a Red. In 1911, Bob Bescher stole 81 bases which is still a team record.

Redland Field to the Great Depression

In 1912 Crosley Field, built on the corner of Findlay and Western Avenues on the city's west side opened for the Reds. The Reds had actually been playing baseball on that site for the last 20 years. By the late 1910s the Reds began to come out of the second division. The 1918 team finished 4th, and then new manager Pat Moran led the Reds to a NL pennant in 1919. The 1919 team had hitting stars led by Edd Roush and Heinie Groh while the pitching staff was led by Hod Eller and Harry "Slim" Sallee, a lefthander. The Reds finished ahead of John McGraw's New York Giants, and then won the world championship in 8 games over the Chicago White Sox.

By 1920, the "Black Sox" scandal put an asterisk by the Reds first championship. In the remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s the Reds were second division dwellers for most of those years. Eppa Rixey, Dolf Luque and Pete Donohue were pitching stars; the offense never quite lived up to the pitching. By 1931 the team was bankrupt, thanks to the Great Depression, and Crosley Field was in a state of disrepair.

Revival of 1930s

Powel Crosley Jr., an electronics magnate who, with his brother Lewis M. Crosley, produced radios, refrigerators, and other household items, bought the Reds out of bankruptcy in 1933, and hired Larry MacPhail to be the General Manager. Powell Crosley Jr. had also started WLW radio and the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation in Cincinnati and was doing quite well as a civic leader. (WLW has been the Reds' radio flagship for decades.) MacPhail began to develop the Reds' minor league system and expanded the Reds' base. The Reds, throughout the 1930s, became a team of "firsts". Crosley Field, (formerly Redland Field), became the host of the first night game in 1935. Johnny Vander Meer became the only pitcher in major league history to throw back-to-back no-hitters in 1938. Thanks to Vander Meer, Paul Derringer, and second-baseman/third baseman-turned-pitcher Bucky Walters, the Reds had a solid pitching staff. The offense came around in the late 1930s. Ernie Lombardi was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1938, First baseman Frank McCormick was the 1940 NL MVP. Other position players included Harry Craft, Lonny Frey, Ival Goodman and Lew Riggs. By 1938 the Reds, now led by manager Bill McKechnie, were out of the second division finishing fourth. By 1939 they were National League champions. The Reds were swept by the New York Yankees in four straight. In 1940, they repeated as NL Champions, and for the first time in 21 years, the Reds captured a World championship, beating the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 3.

From WWII through the 1960s

World War II and age finally caught up with the Reds. Throughout the remainder of the 1940s and the early 1950s, Cincinnati finished mostly in the second division. In 1944, Joe Nuxhall, age 15, pitching for the Reds on loan from a Hamilton, Ohio Junior High School, became the youngest person ever to play in a major league game -- a record that still stands today. Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell was the main pitching stalwart before arm problems cut short his career. Ted Kluszewski was the NL home run leader in 1954. The rest of the offense was a collection of over-the-hill players and not-ready-for-prime time youngsters.

In 1956, led by NL Rookie of the Year Frank Robinson, the Reds hit 221 HR to tie the NL record. By 1961, Robinson was joined by Vada Pinson, Wally Post, Gordy Coleman and Gene Freese. Pitchers Joey Jay, Jim O'Toole and Bob Purkey led the staff. The Reds captured the 1961 NL pennant, holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, only to be defeated by the perennially powerful New York Yankees in the World Series. The Reds had many successful teams during the rest of the 1960s, but didn't produce any championships. They won 98 games in 1962 (paced by Purkey's 23), but finished 3rd. In 1964, they lost the pennant by one game. In that 64 season, the beloved leader of the Reds, manager Fred Hutchison died of cancer, subcoming just weeks before the end of the 1964 season, one of baseballs most exciting pennant races ever. The failure of the Reds to win the 64 pennant led to owner Bill DeWitt's selling off key components of the team, in anticipation of relocating the franchise. After the 65 season he executed what may be the most lopsided trade in baseball history, sending former MVP Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Milt Pappas, Jack Balshun and outfilder Dick Simpson. Robinson went on to win the MVP in the American league for 1966, win the "triple crown" and lead Baltimore to its first ever world series title in a 4 game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds never recovered from this trade until the rise of the "Big Red Machine" of the 70's.

Starting in the early 1960s, the Reds farm system began producing a series of future stars, such as Jim Maloney (the Reds pitching ace of the 1960s), Pete Rose, Tony Pérez, Johnny Bench Lee May, Tommy Helms, Bernie Carbo, Hal McRae, Dave Concepcion, and Gary Nolan. The tipping point came in 1967 with the appointment of Bob Howsam as general manager. That same year the Reds avoided an all but certain move to San Diego when the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County agreed to build a new, state of the art, downtown stadium on the edge of the Ohio River. The Reds entered into a 30 year lease in exchange for the stadium commitment keeping the franchise in its original home city. In a series of strategic moves, Howsam nurtured the homegrown talent and brought in key personnel, allowing the team to finally reach its potential during the 1970s. The Reds' final game at Crosley Field, home to over 4500 baseball games, was played on June 24 1970, a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. In its place, a new stadium, and a new Reds dynasty.

Striving for an image: The "Redlegs" and Clean Shaves

Twice in the 1950s (the McCarthy era), the Reds, fearing that their traditional club nickname would associate them with the Communist threat, officially changed the name of the team to the Cincinnati Redlegs. From 1956 to 1960, the club's logo was altered to remove the term "REDS" from the inside of the "wishbone C" symbol. The "REDS" reappeared on the 1961 uniforms, but the point of the C was removed, leaving a smooth, non-wishbone curve. The traditional home-uniform logo was restored in 1967.

Under Howsam's administration starting in the late 1960s, the Reds instituted a strict rule barring the team's players from wearing moustaches, beards, and long hair. (This rule is also enforced, to this day, by the New York Yankees, under the ownership of George Steinbrenner.) The clean cut look was meant to present the team as wholesome and traditional in an era of turmoil. Over the years, the rule was controversial, but persisted under the ownership of Marge Schott. All players coming to the Reds were required to shave and cut their hair for the next three decades or more. On at least one occasion, in the early 1980s, when the Reds were hurting for pitching, strict enforcement of this rule lost them the services of star reliever Rollie Fingers, who would not shave his trademark handlebar moustache in order to join the team. The Reds thus took a pass on Fingers. When Pete Rose became player-manager in the mid-1980s, he grew a "rat's tail," fashionable among the youth of the time, but the rule was not officially rescinded until 1999 when the Reds signed free-agent Greg Vaughn who had a goatee.

The Reds' grooming rules also included guidelines for wearing the uniform. In major league baseball, a club generally provides most of the equipment and clothing needed for play. However, players are required to supply their gloves and shoes themselves. Many players take advantage of this rule by entering into sponsorship arrangements with shoe manufacturers. Through the mid-1980s, the Reds had a strict rule that players were to wear only plain black shoes with no prominent logo. Reds players decried the boring color choice as well as the denial of the opportunity to earn more money through shoe contracts. A compromise was struck in which players were given the opportunity to wear red shoes.

For years, club management and players throughout Major League Baseball have been involved in a struggle over how uniform pants and stockings are to be worn. Generally, baseball players wear a double layer of socks -- underneath, the regular socks or "sanitaries" (traditionally plain white) and over that, a stirrup-type stocking (traditionally bearing team colors). Some clubs, such as the Reds, require that the pants and socks be worn so that the team colors on the stirrup are visible. However, since the 1980s, players have generally preferred to pull down the cuffs of their trousers all the way to the ankle, thus covering up the colored stockings.

The Big Red Machine

In 1970, little known George "Sparky" Anderson was hired as manager, and the Reds embarked upon a decade of excellence, with a team that came to be known as "The Big Red Machine". Playing at Crosley Field until June 30, 1970 when the Reds moved into brand-new Riverfront Stadium, the first ever major league stadium to be covered entirely in astro-turf, except for dirt sliding pits around the bases and homeplate; a 52,000 seat multi-purpose venue on the shores of the Ohio River, the Reds began the 1970s with a bang by winning 70 of their first 100 games. Johnny Bench, Tony Pérez, Pete Rose, Lee May and Bobby Tolan were the early Red Machine offensive leaders; Gary Nolan, Jim Merritt Jim Maloney and Jim McGlothlin led a pitching staff which also contained veterans Tony Cloninger, Clay Carroll and youngsters Wayne Simpson and Don Gullett. The Reds breezed through the 1970 season, winning the NL West and captured the NL pennant by sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games. By time the club got to the World Series, however, the Reds pitching staff had run out of gas and the veteran Baltimore Orioles beat the Reds in five games.

After the disastrous 1971 season (the only season of the '70s during which the Reds finished with a losing record) the Reds reloaded by trading veterans Jimmy Stewert, May and Tommy Helms for Joe Morgan, César Gerónimo, Jack Billingham Ed Armbrister and Denis Menke. Meanwhile, Dave Concepción blossomed at shortstop. 1971 was also the year a key component of the future world championships was aquirred in George Foster from the San Francisco Giants in a trade for shortstop Frank Duffy.

File:Johnny bench.jpg
Johnny Bench NL MVP 1970 & 1972; WS MVP 1976

The 1972 Reds won the NL West in a baseball first ever strike shortened season... and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in an exciting five-game playoff series; that 5th game in Cincinnati was the last major league game Pittsburgh's great Roberto Clemente ever played in... then faced the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Six of the seven games were won by one run. With powerful slugger Reggie Jackson sidlined due to an injury incurred during Oakland's playoff series against Detroit, Gene Tennace got a chance to play in the series for manager Dick Williams, delivering four homeruns that tied the world series record for homers in a series, propelling Oakland to a dramatic seventh game series win. This was the first world series where no starting pitcher for either side pitched a complete game. The Reds won a third NL West crown in 1973 after a dramatic 2nd half comeback, that saw them make up 10 1/2 games on the Los Angeles Dodgers after the all-star game break. However they lost the NL pennant to the New York Mets in 5 games. In game one, Tom Seaver faced Jack Billingham in a classic pitching duo, with all three runs of the 2-1 margin being scored on homeruns. John Milner provided New York's run off Billingham, while Pete Rose tied the game in the 7th inning off Seaver, setting the stage for a dramatic game ending homerun by Johnny Bench in the bottom of the 9th inning. The New York series provided plenty of controversy with the riotious behavior of Shea Stadium fans towards Pete Rose when he and Bud Harrelson scuffled after a hard slide by Rose into Harrilson at second base during the 5th inning of game 3. A full bench clearing fight resulted after New York's Wayne Garrett came over from 3rd base to take cheap shots at Rose. The resulting on field tension led to two separate incidences where play was stopped for safety of the players. A forefit was in order to the Reds, who at the time trailed 9-3 before New York's manager Yogi Berra and Willie Mays on request of National league president Warren Giles, appealed to fans in left field to restrain themselves. The next day the series was extended to a fifth game when Rose homered in the 12th inning to tie the series at 2 games each. The Reds won 98 games in 1974 but finished in second place. The 1974 season started off with much excitement, as the Atlanta Braves were in town to open the season with the Reds. Hank Aaron entered opening day with 713 homeruns, one shy of tying Babe Ruth's record of 714. On a three ball one strike count, the first pitch Aaron swung at in the 74 season was the record tying homerun off Jack Billingham. The next day the Braves sat Aaron hoping to save him for his record breaking homerun on their season opening homestand. The commissioner of baseball, Buie Kuhn ordered Braves management to play Aaron the next day, where he narrowly missed the historic homerun in the 5th inning. Aaron went on to set the recond in Atlanta two nights later against Al Downing and the Los Angeles Dodgers. 1974 also was the beginning year of current Reds hall of fame radio anouncer Marty Brennaman, who replaced Al Michaels, after Michaels left the Reds to broadcast for the San Francisco Giants.

With 1975, the Big Red Machine lineup solidified with the starting team of Johnny Bench (c), Tony Perez (1b), Joe Morgan (2b), Dave Concepcion (ss), Pete Rose (3b), Ken Griffey (rf), César Gerónimo (cf), and George Foster (lf). The starting pitchers included Don Gullett, Fred Norman, Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham, Pat Darcy, and Clay Kirby. However, it was the bullpen that was the key to the Reds' pitching (and Anderson's reputation as "Captain Hook") with Rawly Eastwick and Will McEnaney as the key closers with a combined 37 saves. Pedro Borbon and Clay Carroll filled in as stretchers between the starters and the finishers.

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Joe Morgan NL MVP 1975 & 1976

In the 1975 season, Cincinnati clinched the NL West with 108 victories. Then swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games to win the NL pennant. In the World Series, the Boston Red Sox were the opponents. After splitting the first four games, the Reds took Game 5. Game 6 is still one of the most memorable baseball games ever played. The Reds were ahead 6-3 with 5 outs left, when the Red Sox tied the game on former Red Bernie Carbo's three-run home run. It was Carbo's second pinch-hit 3 run homer in the series. After a few close-calls either way, Carlton Fisk hit a 12th inning home run off the foul pole in left field to give the Red Sox a 7-6 win and force a deciding Game 7. Cincinnati prevailed three days later however,(due to rain delays) when Morgan's RBI single won Game 7 and gave the Reds their first championship in 35 years.

1976 saw a return of the same starting eight in the field. There were slight changes in the pitching staff, however, with Pat Zachry and Santo Alcala taking the place of Kirby and Darcy and Manny Sarmiento and Rich Hinton replacing Carroll. McEnaney joined Borbon, Sarmiento, and Hinton as mid-inning relievers, leaving Eastwick as the sole key closer.

In 1976, the Reds swept throughout the NL West and proceeded to go undefeated in the postseason. They swept the Philadelphia Phillies (winning Game 3 in their final at-bat) to return to the World Series, then continued to dominate by sweeping the Yankees,in the newly renovated Yankee Stadium, the first world series games played in Yankee Stadium since 1964, and only the second ever sweep of the Proud Yankees in the world series... who never really challenged the powerhouse Reds. In winning the Series, the Reds became the first NL team in since the 1921-22 New York Giants to win back-to-back World Series championships.

The Machine Dismantled and "We Wuz Robbed!"

Personnel changes were in the offing. Popular Tony Perez was sent to Montreal after the 1976 season, breaking up the Big Red Machine's starting lineup. On June 15 1977, the Reds entered the trading market with a vengeance. New York was heartbroken by the news that the Mets' franchise pitcher Tom Seaver was being traded to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, and Dan Norman. In less successful deals, the Reds also traded Gary Nolan to the Angels for Craig Henderson, Rawly Eastwick to St. Louis for Doug Capilla and Mike Caldwell to Milwaukee for Dick O'Keeffe and Garry Pyka, and got Rick Auerbach from Texas. The end of the Big Red Machine era was heralded by the replacement of General Manager Bob Howsam with Dick Wagner. After the 1978 season, Cincinnati hero Pete Rose, who since 1963 had played almost every position for the team except pitcher and catcher, signed with Philadelphia as a free agent. In Rose's last season as a Red, he gave baseball a thrill as he challenged Joe Dimagio's 56 game hitting streak, tying for the second longest streak ever at 44 games. The streak came to an end in Atlanta after striking out in his 5th at bat in the game against Gene Garber. Rose also earned his 3000th hit that season, on his way to becoming baseball's all time hits leader when he rejoined the Reds in the mid 80's. 1978 also witnessed the only no-hitter of hall of fame pitcher Tom Seavers career, coming against the St.Louis Cardinals.

The later years of the 1970s brought turmoil and change. After two consecutive runner-up seasons, Wagner fired manager Anderson. By 1979, players Gullett, Nolan, Pérez, and Rose, among others, had left the club. By 1979, the starters were Bench (c), Dan Driessen (1b), Morgan (2b), Concepcion (ss), Ray Knight (3b), with Griffey, Foster, and Geronimo again in the outfield. The pitching staff had experienced an almost complete turnover. The ace starter was now Tom Seaver, acquired from the New York Mets in 1977 in a multiple-player deal. Only Norman was left from 1975-76; the remaining starters were Mike La Coss, Bill Bonham, and Paul Moskau. In the bullpen, only Borbon had remained. Dave Tomlin and Mario Soto worked mid-innings with Tom Hume and Doug Bair closing.

The Reds did manage to win the 1979 NL West behind the pitching of Tom Seaver but were dispatched in the NL playoffs by Pittsburgh, after a controversial play in Game 2 in which a ball hit by Pittsburgh's Phil Garner was caught by Cincinnati outfielder Dave Collins but was ruled a trap, setting the Pirates up to take a 2-1 lead. The Pirates swept the series 3 games to 0.

The 1981 team fielded a strong lineup, with only Concepcion, Foster, and Griffey retaining their spots from the 1975-76 heyday. Johnny Bench broke his ankle and so Joe Nolan played the majority of games behind the plate. Driessen and Knight still played the corners, but Morgan and Geronimo had been replaced at second base and center field by Ron Oester and Dave Collins. Mario Soto posted a banner year starting on the mound, even surpassing the performance of future hall-of-famer Seaver. La Coss, Bruce Berenyi, and Frank Pastore (now a right-wing Christian talk show host) rounded out the starting rotation. Hume again led the bullpen as closer, joined by Bair, Moskau, Joe Price, and Geoff Combe.

In 1981, Cincinnati had the best overall record in baseball, but after a mid-season players' strike, they finished second in the division in both of the half-seasons that were created. To commemorate this, a team photo was taken, accompanied by a banner that read "Baseball's Best Record 1981." By 1982, the Reds were a shell of the original Red Machine; they lost 100 games that year. Johnny Bench retired a year later. Outraged Reds fans proclaimed, "We Wuz Robbed!"

The 1980s

Eric Davis in 1990

After the heartbreak of 1981, General Manager Dick Wagner pursued the strategy of ridding the team of pricey veterans, stars, and proven winners, ridding the roster of catcher Nolan, third-baseman Knight (who had adequately replaced the unreplaceable Pete Rose) and the entire starting outfield of Griffey, Foster, and Collins. Johnny Bench decided to give up catching entirely and was made the starting third baseman; Alex Trevino became the regular starting catcher. The outfield was staffed with Paul Householder, Cesar Cedeno, and the untried Eddie Milner. The starting rotation still featured the strong Seaver and Soto, joined by Pastore and Bruce Berenyi, but their efforts were wasted without a strong offensive lineup backing them. Tom Hume still led the bullpen, but he had no support from the dismal relieving of Ben Hayes, Brad Lesley, Joe Price, and Jim Kern.

The Reds fell to the absolute bottom of the Western Division for the next few years, losing Seaver after the 1982 season. A series of desultory changes -- Dann Bilardello behind the plate, Nick Esasky taking over after Bench's failed experiment in the hot corner, and Gary Redus taking over from Cedeno. Tom Hume had pitched himself out and there was not a body in the bullpen worth naming. Dave Concepcion was the sole remaining starter from the Big Red Machine era.

Wagner's reign of terror finally ended in 1983, when Howsam, the architect of the Big Red Machine was brought back and he began his return by acquiring Cincinnati native Dave Parker from Pittsburgh. In 1984 the Reds began to move up, depending on trades and some minor leaguers. In that season Dave Parker, Dave Concepción and Tony Pérez were in Cincinnati uniforms. By the end of 1984, Pete Rose was hired to be the Reds player-manager. After raising the franchise from the grave, Howsam gave way to the administration of Bill Bergesch, who was principally known for holding on tightly to perennial future stars like Kurt Stillwell, Tracy Jones, Kal Daniels, and others, refusing to risk these "crown jewels" for pitching help.

Under Bergesch, from 1985-89 the Reds finished second four times. Among the highlights, Rose became the all-time hits leader, Tom Browning threw a perfect game, and Chris Sabo was the 1988 National League Rookie of the Year. The Reds also had a bullpen star in John Franco, who was with the team from 1984 to 1989. In 1989, Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti, who declared Rose guilty of "conduct detrimental to baseball." Controversy also swirled around Reds owner Marge Schott, who was accused several times of ethnic and racial slurs.

After Pete Rose....

In 1987, General Manager Bergesch was replaced by Murray Cook, who initiated a series of deals that would finally bring the Reds back to the championship, starting with acquisitions of Danny Jackson and Jose Rijo, finally letting go of Bergesch favouriates Stillwell and Parker. In 1989, Cook was succeeded by Bob Quinn, who put the final pieces of the championship puzzle together, with acquisitions such as Hal Morris, Billy Hatcher, and Randy Myers.

In 1990, the Reds under new manager Lou Piniella shocked baseball by leading the NL West from wire-to-wire. They started off 33-12, winning their first 9 games, and maintained their lead throughout the year. Led by Chris Sabo, Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, Paul O'Neill and Billy Hatcher in the field, and by José Rijo, Tom Browning and the "Nasty Boys" of Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Myers on the mound, the Reds took out the Pirates in the NLCS and swept the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in four straight. The sweep of the Oakland Athletics extended the Reds winning streak in the world series to 9 consecutive games. The World Series, however, cost the team Eric Davis, who severely bruised a kidney diving for a fly ball in the first inning of Game 4, and whose career never really recovered afterward.

In 1992, Quinn was replaced in the front office by Jim Bowden, who made it his business to bring Cincinnati native Ken Griffey Jr. -- son of the Big Red Machine-era outfielder -- to the hometown team. He finally got his wish in 2000, but the injured Griffey's disappointing performance ruined Bowden's legacy. On the field, manager Lou Piniella wanted outfielder Paul O'Neill to be a power-hitter to fill the void Eric Davis left when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Tim Belcher. However, O'Neill only hit .246 and 14 homers. In the midst of all that trouble, the Reds won 90 games in 1992. But that was enough for 2nd place behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves. Before the season ended, Piniella got into an altercation with "Nasty Boy" Rob Dibble. O'Neill would be traded to the New York Yankees for outfielder Roberto Kelly. Kelly would only be in a Reds uniform for a few years. As for O'Neill, he would lead an up-and-coming Yankees team to several postseason appearances. Speaking of uniforms, the Reds would replace the famous "Big Red Machine" uniforms in favor of some sleeveless jerseys.

For the 1993 season Piniella was replaced by fan favorite Tony Perez, but he lasted only 44 games at the helm, replaced by Davey Johnson. With Johnson steering the team, the Reds made steady progress upward. In 1994, the Reds were in the newly-created National League Central Division with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, as well as fellow rivals Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. By the time the strike hit, the Reds finished a half-game ahead of the Astros for first-place in the NL Central. By 1995, the Reds won the division thanks to Most Valuable Player Barry Larkin. After defeating Western Division Champs the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first ever NLDS, they lost to the Atlanta Braves. In a bizarre move, eccentric team owner Marge Schott announced mid-season that Johnson would be gone by the end of the year, regardless of outcome, to be replaced by former Reds third baseman Ray Knight, who, along with his wife, professional golfer Nancy Lopez, were personal friends of Schott's. The team took a dive under Knight and he was unable to complete two full seasons as manager, subject to complaints in the press about his strict managerial style. In 1999 the Reds won 96 games, led by manager Jack Mckeon, but lost to the New York Mets in a one game playoff. Riverfront Stadium was demolished in 2002 and ended an era marked by three world championships. General Manager Bowden was replaced by Dan O'Brien.

The Great American Ball Park opened in 2003 with high expectations for a team led by local favorites, including franchise outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., shortstop Barry Larkin, reliever Danny Graves and first baseman Sean Casey. Although attendance improved considerably with the new ballpark, the team continued to lose, and in 2003 the father-son combo of manager Bob Boone and third baseman Aaron Boone was broken up as Bob was relieved and Aaron traded to the New York Yankees.

The 2004 and 2005 seasons continued the trend of big hitting and poor pitching and ultimately poor records. Griffey, Jr. joined the 500-home run club in 2004, but was again hampered by injuries. Adam Dunn emerged as formidable home run hitter, hitting a 535-foot home run against Jose Lima. He also broke the major league record for strikeouts in 2004. Although a number of free-agents were signed before 2005, the Reds were quickly in last place and manager Dave Miley was forced out in the 2005 midseason and replaced by Jerry Narron. Like many other small market clubs, the Reds dispatched some of their veteran players and began entrusting their future to a young nucleus that includes Adam Dunn, Ryan Freel, and Aaron Harang.

In 2006, a new era in Reds baseball began as Robert Castellini took over as owner, assumming control of the team from Carl Linder. Castinelli promptly fired general manager Dan O'Brien. Wayne Krivsky, previously an assistant General Manager with the Minnesota Twins, was appointed as the General Manager of the Reds after a protracted search. The first move Krivsky made was to trade young outfielder Wily Mo Peña to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo made his first start in a Reds uniform on April 5 2006. He not only earned the win, but also led off the third inning with his first career home run. Krivsky also gave fans hope with mid season trades that bolstered the "non existant" bullpen, trading for "Everyday Eddie" Guardado and then trading outfielder Austin Kearns, shortstop Felipe Lopez, and 2004 first round draft pick Ryan Wagner to the Washington Nationals for relievers Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, shortstop Royce Clayton, and two prospects.

For Opening Day 2006, President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch, becoming the first sitting president to throw out the first pitch at a Reds game.

Season-by-Season Records

  • Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) (Not Included in W/L Total)
  • 1882 55-25 .688 1st in AA
  • 1883 61-37 .622 3rd in AA
  • 1884 68-41 .624 5th in AA
  • 1885 63-49 .563 2nd in AA
  • 1886 65-73 .471 5th in AA
  • 1887 81-54 .600 2nd in AA
  • 1888 80-54 .597 4th in AA
  • 1889 76-63 .547 4th in AA
  • Cincinnati Reds (NL) (Included in W/L total)
  • 1890 77-55 .583 4th in NL
  • 1891 56-81 .409 7th in NL
  • 1892 82-68 .587 5th in NL
  • 1893 65-63 .508 6th in NL
  • 1894 55-75 .423 10th in NL
  • 1895 66-64 .508 8th in NL
  • 1896 77-50 .606 3rd in NL
  • 1897 76-56 .576 4th in NL
  • 1898 92-60 .605 3rd in NL
  • 1899 83-67 .553 6th in NL
  • 1900 62-77 .446 7th in NL
  • 1901 52-87 .374 8th in NL
  • 1902 70-70 .500 4th in NL
  • 1903 74-65 .532 4th in NL
  • 1904 88-65 .575 3rd in NL
  • 1905 79-74 .516 5th in NL
  • 1906 64-87 .424 6th in NL
  • 1907 66-87 .431 6th in NL
  • 1908 73-81 .474 5th in NL
  • 1909 77-76 .503 4th in NL
  • 1910 75-79 .487 5th in NL
  • 1911 70-83 .458 6th in NL
  • 1912 75-78 .490 4th in NL
  • 1913 |64-89 .418 7th in NL
  • 1914 60-94 .390 8th in NL
  • 1915 71-83 .461 7th in NL
  • 1916 60-63 .392 7th in NL
  • 1917 78-76 .506 4th in NL
  • 1918 68-60 .531 3rd in NL
  • 1919 96-44 .686 1st in NL Won World Series vs Chicago White Sox, 5-3.
  • 1920 82-71 .536 3rd in NL
  • 1921 70-83 .458 6th in NL
  • 1922 86-68 .558 2nd in NL
  • 1923 91-63 .591 2nd in NL
  • 1924 83-70 .542 4th in NL
  • 1925 80-73 .523 3rd in NL
  • 1926 87-67 .565 2nd in NL
  • 1927 75-78 .490 5th in NL
  • 1928 78-74 .513 5th in NL
  • 1929 66-88 .429 7th in NL
  • 1930 59-95 .383 7th in NL
  • 1931 58-96 .377 8th in NL
  • 1932 60-94 .390 8th in NL
  • 1933 58-94 .382 8th in NL
  • 1934 52-99 .344 8th in NL
  • 1935 68-85 .444 6th in NL
  • 1936 74-80 .481 4th in NL
  • 1937 56-98 .364 8th in NL
  • 1938 82-68 .547 4th in NL
  • 1939 97-57 .630 1st in NL Lost World Series to New York Yankees, 0-4.
  • 1940 100-53 .654 1st in NL Won World Series vs Detroit Tigers, 4-3.
  • 1941 88-66 .571 2nd in NL
  • 1942 76-76 .500 4th in NL
  • 1943 87-67 .565 2nd in NL
  • 1944 89-65 .578 3rd in NL
  • 1945 61-93 .396 7th in NL
  • 1946 67-87 .435 6th in NL
  • 1947 73-81 .474 5th in NL
  • 1948 64-89 .418 7th in NL
  • 1949 62-92 .403 7th in NL
  • 1950 66-87 .431 6th in NL
  • 1951 68-86 .442 6th in NL
  • 1952 69-85 .448 6th in NL
  • Cincinnati Redlegs
  • 1953 68-86 .442 6th in NL
  • 1954 74-80 .481 5th in NL
  • 1955 75-79 .487 5th in NL
  • 1956 91-63 .591 3rd in NL
  • 1957 80-74 .519 4th in NL
  • 1958 76-78 .494 4th in NL
  • Cincinnati Reds
  • 1959 74-80 .481 5th in NL
  • 1960 67-87 .435 6th in NL
  • 1961 93-61 .604 1st in NL Lost World Series to New York Yankees, 1-4.
  • 1962 98-64 .605 3rd in NL
  • 1963 86-76 .531 5th in NL
  • 1964 92-70 .568 2nd in NL
  • 1965 89-73 .549 4th in NL
  • 1966 76-84 .475 7th in NL
  • 1967 87-75 .537 4th in NL
  • 1968 83-79 .512 4th in NL
  • 1969 89-73 .549 3rd in NL West
  • 1970 102-60 .630 1st in NL West Won NLCS vs Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-0. Lost World Series to Baltimore Orioles, 1-4.
  • 1971 79-83 .488 4th in NL West
  • 1972 95-59 .617 1st in NL West Won NLCS vs Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2. Lost World Series to Oakland Athletics, 3-4.
  • 1973 99-63 .611 1st in NL West Lost NLCS to New York Mets, 2-3.
  • 1974 98-64 .605 2nd in NL West
  • 1975 108-54 .667 1st in NL West Won NLCS vs Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-0. Won World Series vs Boston Red Sox, 4-3.
  • 1976 102-60 .630 1st in NL West Won NLCS vs Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0. Won World Series vs New York Yankees, 4-0.
  • 1977 88-74 .543 2nd in NL West
  • 1978 92-69 .571 2nd in NL West
  • 1979 90-71 .559 1st in NL West Lost NLCS to Pittsburgh Pirates, 0-3.
  • 1980 89-73 .549 3rd in NL West
  • 1981 66-42 .611 3rd in NL West
  • 1982 61-101 .377 6th in NL West
  • 1983 74-88 .457 6th in NL West
  • 1984 70-92 .432 5th in NL West
  • 1985 89-72 .553 2nd in NL West
  • 1986 86-76 .531 2nd in NL West
  • 1987 84-78 .519 2nd in NL West
  • 1988 87-74 .540 2nd in NL West
  • 1989 75-87 .463 5th in NL West
  • 1990 91-71 .562 1st in NL West Won NLCS vs Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2. Won World Series vs Oakland Athletics, 4-0.
  • 1991 74-88 .457 5th in NL West
  • 1992 90-72 .556 2nd in NL West
  • 1993 73-89 .451 4th in NL West
  • 1994 66-48 .579 1st in NL Central No Postseason due to Player's Strike.
  • 1995 85-59 .590 1st in NL Central Won NLDS vs Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-0. Lost NLCS, to Atlanta Braves, 0-4.
  • 1996 81-81 .500 3rd in NL Central
  • 1997 76-86 .469 3rd in NL Central
  • 1998 77-85 .475 4th in NL Central
  • 1999 96-67 .589 2nd in NL Central
  • 2000 85-77 .525 2nd in NL Central
  • 2001 66-96 .407 5th in NL Central
  • 2002 78-84 .481 3rd in NL Central
  • 2003 69-93 .426 5th in NL Central
  • 2004 76-86 .469 4th in NL Central
  • 2005 73-89 .451 5th in NL Central
  • Totals 9901-8788 .530
  • Playoffs 47-39 .547 (11-7, .611 in Postseason Series')
  • 5 World Series Championships

Quick facts

Founded: 1867/1869/1876/1882/1890 (depending on the account). See below.
Formerly known as: The Red Stockings in the 19th century; the Redlegs
Home ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Uniform colors: Red and white, trim Black
Logo design: a red wishbone "C" with the word "REDS" inside
Team motto: The Power of Tradition
Playoff appearances (12): 1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1990, 1995
World Series Champions 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990
Other titles won (1): Had baseball's best overall record in 1981
American Association pennants won (1): 1882
Ownership Robert Castellini
Local Televison FSN Ohio
Spring Training Facility: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, FL

Baseball Hall of Famers

   

* Manager

** Broadcaster

Ineligible for the Hall of Fame

Retired numbers

Since Pete Rose [OF-3B-1B, 1963-78 and 1984-86, manager 1984-89] has been banned from baseball, the Reds have not retired his #14. However, they have not reissued it except for Pete Rose, Jr. in his 11 game tenure in 1997, and it is not likely that any Red will ever wear that jersey again.

The number 11 of Barry Larkin (SS, 1986-2004) has not been issued since his retirement, and it is a near certainty his number will be retired.

Current roster

Cincinnati Reds roster

Minor league affiliations

See also

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