On a day where the Major League Baseball trade deadline was the main event, a game stole the show. In what might be the most electric inning of the season, the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves combined for 16 runs. In one inning. Everyone in the Great American Ballpark on Thursday night was shocked by the game, including Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
The veteran walked and scored a run in the eighth inning. However, he did not provide the same spark as Ozzie Albies or Spencer Steer did for Atlanta and Cincinnati, respectively. Instead, he left the game in awe. The 16 runs scored in the eighth inning is one of the highest totals in recent MLB history. In this series, there was no shortage of fireworks.
Ozuna spoke to ESPN after the game, providing a curt reaction to the eighth inning of Thursday's game.
“I've never seen anything like that,” Ozuna said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God.'”
Albies led the way for both sides with four hits in the game. However, Steer tied two of his teammates for the game-high in RBIs with three. The Reds' first baseman batted in all three of his with one swing during the chaos in the eighth inning. Cincinnati matched Atlanta, sending the 11-11 game into extra innings.
Ozuna was the hero, hitting a sacrifice fly to score Matt Olson in the top of the 10th inning. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias stepped in and put up a scoreless inning to secure a win for Atlanta.
The series between the Braves and Reds will be remembered for the setting of Friday night's game. Cincinnati is the home team, but the game is at Bristol Motor Speedway. Friday's matchup is the first game in MLB history that will take place at a NASCAR track. Both fans and the league hope that the game has as much excitement as Thursday night's did.
Regardless of how Ozuna and Co. perform against the Reds, they have one thing under their belt. Players on each team can easily claim that they participated in the craziest inning of the regular season so far.
