The Cincinnati Reds are once again bound for October’s stage, returning to the postseason for the first time since the pandemic-curtailed 2020 campaign. They seized the National League’s final wild card on the very last day of the marathon season. Amid a 4-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, fortune smiled as the New York Mets tumbled 4-0 to the Miami Marlins, giving Cincinnati the lifeline they needed. Both teams closed at 83-79, but the Reds’ supremacy in their head-to-head matchups, winning four of six games against New York, proved decisive.
The Reds became the first team in MLB history to reach the postseason in a full, 162-game season without a single qualifying batter hitting .270, without a player hitting 25 home runs, without a pitcher winning 15 games, and without a pitcher recording 200 strikeouts, according to OptaSTATS. They join an exclusive group of sub-84-win teams to make the playoffs in the 162-game era, including the 1973 Mets (82-79), 2005 San Diego Padres (82-80), and 2006 Arizona Cardinals (83-78).
The late-season revival of the Reds was born of steadfast resolve and strategic roster moves. After reaching a season-high 67-60 on Aug. 19, the Reds went 8-16 over their next 24 games, falling below .500. Manager Terry Francona’s mid-September pep talk sparked a turnaround, with Cincinnati winning eight of their last 11 games while the Mets faltered, going 5-6 in the same stretch after holding a 45-24 record through June 12. Key moments included a four-game sweep of the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs and a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, highlighted by Noelvi Marte robbing Bryan Reynolds of a ninth-inning tying homer.
The Reds also bolstered their roster at the July 31 trade deadline. Acquisitions of Miguel Andujar and Ke’Bryan Hayes strengthened the lineup and infield defense, while starter Zack Littell’s arrival allowed Nick Martinez to shift to the bullpen. Cincinnati’s rotation is statistically one of MLB’s best, ranking second by WAR behind Philadelphia, led by ace Hunter Greene and supported by left-handers Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo. The bullpen, while middle of the pack, has been sufficient to protect leads in the team’s critical late-season victories.
Now the Reds turn to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers for a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Dodger Stadium, beginning Tuesday night, Sept. 30, with first pitch set for 9:08 p.m. ET. Cincinnati went 1-5 against the Dodgers during the regular season, but the team enters the playoffs with momentum and a history-making narrative. Francona, a two-time World Series champion with Boston and former Cleveland manager, adds another postseason run to his résumé in his first season with the Reds.
