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Reds Timeline

  1. 1800s
  2. 1900-1939
  3. 1940-1979
  4. 1980-1999
  5. 2000s

  1. 1800s

    1869 Redstockings
    May 4: The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first all-professional nine, kick off their first regular season with a 45-9 win over the Great Westerns of Cincinnati.
    1869
    Nov. 6: In the final official match of the season, the Red Stockings defeat the Mutuals of New York, 17-8, on Union Grounds. Baseball's first team of professionals finished the season with a perfect 57-0 record.
    1870
    June 14: The Red Stockings' winning streak ends at 81 games as Cincinnati falls to the Brooklyn Atlantics, 8-7, in extra innings in Brooklyn.
    1876
    Feb. 2: The National League is formed in New York City with Cincinnati as a charter member. The other cities in the league include Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Hartford, Louisville, New York and Philadelphia.
    1880
    Oct. 8: Cincinnati is expelled from the NL, due in part to its refusal to stop renting out their ballpark on Sundays and to cease selling beer during games.
    1881
    Nov. 2: The American Association is formed during a meeting at the Gibson Hotel in Cincinnati. The Reds would play their next eight seasons in the league.
    1889
    April 17: The first Opening Day "festivities" are seen in Cincinnati. Ballpark decorations and a pre-game concert by the Cincinnati Orchestra greet fans before the opener.
    Nov. 14: Cincinnati is granted re-admission to the NL, joining Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
    1891
    April 22: The first Opening Day parade is organized by new team owner John T. Brush. The parade consists of Webber's military band and two large horse-drawn wagons, called Tallyho's, which were occupied by the Reds and their opponents, the Cleveland Spiders.

  2. 1900-1939

    1905
    Oct. 3: Cy Seymour wins the NL batting title and sets the club record with a .377 batting average for the season.
    1912
    April 11: Redland Field (later known as Crosley Field) hosts its first game as the Reds beat Chicago, 10-6. The official dedication of the ballpark comes the following month on May 18.
    1919
    Oct. 9: Cincinnati claims its very first World Series Championship in Game 8 of the bestof- nine series against the Chicago White Sox. On Sept. 24, 1920, the title is tarnished as several members of the White Sox are suspended for allegedly "throwing" the Series. Cincinnati insists the club would have won anyway.
    1934
    April 16: The Cincinnati Reds board of directors rename Redland Field "Crosley Field" in honor of new team owner Powel Crosley Jr. Crosley, a radio tycoon, bought the team earlier in the year on Feb. 4, assuring that the team, which had been hit hard by the Depression, would stay in Cincinnati.
    June 8: The Reds become the first team in Major League history to use an airplane to travel from one city to another (Cincinnati to Chicago).
    1935
    May 24: The first night game in Major League history is played at Crosley Field. The Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, before 20,422 fans.
    1937
    Jan. 27: Crosley Field's playing surface is submerged under 21 feet of water due to local creek flooding. Reds pitcher Lee Grissom and groundskeeper Matty Schwab are photographed in a rowboat crossing the playing surface.
    1938
    June 15: Johnny Vander Meer makes baseball history by pitching a second consecutive no-hitter during a 6-0 win over the Dodgers in Brooklyn. Four days earlier, he held the Boston Braves hitless during a 3-0 win at Crosley Field.
    July 6: Crosley Field plays host to the sixth annual All-Star Game. Ernie Lombardi, Paul Derringer, Ival Goodman, Frank McCormick and Johnny Vander Meer represent the Reds on the NL squad. Vander Meer tosses three scoreless innings as the NL wins, 4-1.
    1939
    Sept. 28: The Reds clinch their first NL pennant in 20 years with a 5-3 win over the Cardinals at Crosley Field. The AL Champion Yankees would eventually sweep Cincinnati in the World Series.

  3. 1940-1979

    1940
    Aug. 3: Reds catcher Willard Hershberger commits suicide midseason and becomes the first big leaguer ever to take his own life during the season.
    Oct. 8: After winning their second NL pennant in a row, Cincinnati grabs the World Championship, defeating the Tigers, 2-1, in Game 7 of the World Series.
    1944
    June 10: Pitcher Joe Nuxhall becomes the youngest player in the 20th century to appear in a Major League game. Nuxhall - at 15 years, 10 months and 11 days - yields five runs and retires just two batters in two-thirds of an inning. Nuxhall wouldn't pitch again in the majors until 1952.
    1947
    July 25: Ewell Blackwell sets the NL record for right-handers and a club record by winning his 16th consecutive start.
    1949
    July 6: The Reds' Walker Cooper sets a club record by collecting 10 RBI in a game vs. the Chicago Cubs.
    1953
    July 14: Crosley Field plays host to the All-Star Game. A crowd of 30,846 watch as the NL defeats the AL, 5-1. Gus Bell and Ted Kluszewski represent Cincinnati.
    1956
    Aug. 18: The Reds set a team record (since broken) by hitting eight homers in one game while victimizing the Milwaukee Braves, 13-4. For the season, Cincinnati would clout 221 homers and tie the NL record.
    1957
    July 1: After Cincinnati fans stuff the ballot box and vote eight starters onto the All- Star team, the NL intervenes and pulls three Reds players from the starting lineup. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Stan Musial replace George Crowe, Wally Post and Gus Bell as starters.
    1961
    Sept. 26: Under Manager Fred Hutchinson, the Reds clinch the National League pennant. The Reds would eventually lose the World Series to the Yankees in Game Five.
    1967
    Sept. 1: The Reds partake in the longest game in club history and lose to the San Francisco Giants, 1-0, in 21 innings.
    1970
    June 24: The final of 4,453 regular-season NL games is played at Crosley Field. The Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4.
    June 30: Riverfront Stadium opens as 51,050 fans attend to see the Reds host the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta wins, 8-2, as Hank Aaron hits the stadium's first home run.
    July 14: Just two weeks after its opening, Riverfront Stadium hosts the All-Star Game. The NL scores a dramatic 5-4 victory in 12 innings as Pete Rose crashes into AL catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run on Jim Hickman's RBI single. Rose was joined in the Midsummer Classic by teammates Johnny Bench, Jim Merritt, Tony Perez and Wayne Simpson.
    Oct. 5: The Reds edge Pittsburgh, 3-2, to complete a three-game sweep of the Pirates in the NLCS and win their first league pennant since 1961. The Reds would eventually lose the World Series to Baltimore in Game 5.
    1972
    Oct. 11: The Reds score two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Pirates, 4-3, in the fifth and deciding game of the NLCS. Johnny Bench ties the game with a homer off Dave Giusti. George Foster scores the winning run on Bob Moose's wild pitch. Eleven day later, the Reds drop Game 7 of the World Series to the Oakland A's.
    1975
    Sept. 28: The Reds finish the season with a 64-17 record at Riverfront Stadium and a club record 108 regularseason wins. It's the most victories recorded by the Reds at home in the modern era.
    Oct. 22: The Reds win their first World Series title in 35 years with a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 7. The Series proves to be one of the most exciting in baseball history and features five one-run games, five come-frombehind victories and Carlton Fisk's legendary 12th-inning home run in Game 6 to tie the series, 3-3. Series MVP Pete Rose (10-for-27, .370) helps the Reds to come from behind in every one of their victories.
    1976
    Oct. 21: Cincinnati's Big Red Machine wins its second straight World Series title. The Reds sweep both the Phillies and Yankees in postseason play.
    1977
    Sept. 28: George Foster hits his club-record 52nd home run during an 8-0 win over the Padres at Riverfront Stadium. Foster would go on to dominate the NL MVP voting after hitting .320 with a league-high 149 RBIs and 124 runs scored.
    1978
    July 31: Pete Rose extends his hitting streak to 44 consecutive games, a mark topped only by Joe DiMaggio's record of 56. Rose would have the streak halted the next night in Atlanta.

  4. 1980-1999

    1981
    Oct. 4: The Reds finish with the best record in the Major Leagues but do not make the playoffs. Due to an unusual "split-season" format, the Reds do not qualify for post-season play.
    1983
    Sept. 17: Johnny Bench homers off Houston's Mike Madden on "Johnny Bench Night" at Riverfront Stadium. It was the 389th and final homer of his career.
    1984
    Aug. 17: Pete Rose debuts as Reds player/manager. Rose leads the Reds to a 6-4 win over the Cubs and goes 2-for-4 with two RBI.
    1985
    Sept. 11: Pete Rose becomes baseball's all-time hits leader with a single to leftcenter field off San Diego's Eric Show for career hit No. 4,192. Rose would finish his career with 4,256 hits.
    1987
    May 30: Eric Davis connects for his third grand slam of the month, tying a Major League record, as Cincinnati tops Pittsburgh, 6-2, at Three Rivers Stadium.
    1988
    July 12: The All-Star Game returns to Riverfront Stadium. The AL edges the NL, 2-1. Danny Jackson, Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo represent the Reds.
    Sept. 16: Tom Browning becomes the first pitcher in Reds history to throw a perfect game when he retires all 27 Dodgers he faces for a 1-0 victory.
    1989
    Aug. 24: Cincinnati hero Pete Rose is given a lifetime ban from baseball for conduct related to gambling.
    1990
    Sept. 29: The Reds clinch the Western Division title when the secondplace Dodgers lose to the Giants, 4-3. The '90 Reds would become the only NL team ever to occupy first place the entire duration of the regular season.
    Oct. 20 After edging the Pirates in the NLCS, the Reds sweep heavily favored Oakland to claim a World Series title. Series MVP Jose Rijo and Chris Sabo lead Cincinnati during the Series.
    1995
    Oct. 6: The Reds sweep the Dodgers with a 10-1 win in Game 3 of the Division Series. The victory sends the Reds to the NLCS, where Atlanta eventually sweeps them in four games.
    Nov. 15: Barry Larkin wins the 1995 NL MVP after setting a club record for shortstops with a .319 batting average (min. 400 at-bats) and a modern club record of 51 stolen bases.
    1996
    April 1: Opening Day turns tragic as long-time NL umpire John McSherry collapses behind home plate just seven pitches into the game. McSherry is rushed to University Hospital, where he passes away due to a massive heart attack.
    Sept. 6: Riverfront Stadium is officially renamed Cinergy Field.
    Sept. 22: Barry Larkin becomes the first shortstop in ML history to join the prestigious 30-30 club (30 homers and 30 stolen bases in the same season), when he belts his 30th homer of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.
    1997
    June 13: For the first time in the team's 129-year history, the Reds play an AL opponent during the regular season. The White Sox spoil the first Interleague game with a 3-1 win.
    1999
    Sept. 4: Eight different Reds (ML record) homer a total of nine times (NL record) during a 22-3 drubbing of the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. The club would connect for 209 homers during the season - the most by a Cincinnati team since the 1956 squad connected for a team-record 221.
    Oct. 4: After finishing the regular season tied for the NL Wild Card spot with a 96-66 record, the Reds fall to the Mets, 5-0, in the sixth one-game playoff in Major League history.

  5. 2000s

    2001
    Sept. 11: All games are postponed due to terrorist acts in New York (World Trade Center), Washington D.C. (The Pentagon) and Somerset, Penn. The regular-season schedule wouldn't resume for another six days.
    2002
    Dec. 31: Cinergy Field comes down in a cloud of dust at 8 a.m. More than 25,000 spectators flooded into downtown Cincinnati to witness the event. In just 37 seconds, Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field was reduced to a pile of rubble.
    2003
    Mar. 31: Cincinnati hosts one of the most anticipated openers in club history with the debut of Great American Ball Park. The Reds lose to the Pirates, 10-1, before a sellout crowd of 42,343.
    2004
    In their first season under manager Dave Miley, the Reds jumped off to a surprising start, finishing the first half of the season six games above .500 and in contention for a playoff spot. However, injuries and inconsistent pitching led to a second-half slide, which left them with a 76-86 record at season's end. Despite the decline, however, there were plenty of bright spots. In the final campaign of his 19-year run with the Reds, Barry Larkin hit .289. Ken Griffey Jr., belted his 500th home run on Father's Day in St. Louis before undergoing season-ending hamstring surgery a few weeks later. Danny Graves became the club's all-time saves leader and Adam Dunn led the team with 46 home runs and 102 RBIs.
    2005
    After the club's poor start resulted in the release of second baseman D'Angelo Jimenez and closer Danny Graves and then the dismissal of manager Dave Miley and pitching coach Don Gullett, the Reds set their sights on making the best of a bad situation in 2005.
    Playing pressure-free ball under interim manager Jerry Narron in the second half, the results were encouraging. Narron got the club focused on the fundamentals of the game, the pitching staff improved dramatically and the offense continued to put up its usual barrage of runs.
    In the end, '05 was the Reds' fifth consecutive losing season, and the team saw the playoff hopes that come with a boosted payroll go by the wayside. But the emergence of youngsters such as shortstop Felipe Lopez, third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and pitchers Aaron Harang and Brandon Claussen gives the club hope that a winning season just might be around the corner.
    2006
    With newly hired GM Wayne Krivsky in control and making a flurry of moves and Jerry Narron in his first full year as manager, the Reds pleasantly surprise as division contenders most of the season. However, a late summer fade left them with an 80-82 mark. Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo became a formidable 1-2 punch for the rotation. Harang led the NL with 216 strikeouts and six complete games and tied for the league lead with 16 wins. Arroyo finished with a 3.29 ERA and 14 wins while leading the Majors with 240 2/3 innings pitched.
    2007
    Brandon Phillips emerged as one of the best all-around players in the game of baseball, receiving votes for the National League MVP, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards. Phillips became just the second second baseman in Major League history to reach the 30/30 plateau, totaling 30 homers and 32 stolen bases on the season.
    2008
    The Reds finished 74-88 during new manager Dusty Baker's first season. It was also a year marked by change as general manager Wayne Krivsky was replaced 21 games into the season by Walt Jocketty. Eventually two longtime cornerstone players, Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, were traded away as the club focused on a youth movement that featured Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and others. There were several nice individual achievements as starting pitcher Edinson Volquez became a breakout sensation, an All-Star and a 17-game winner. Votto, who hit 24 homers, finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. And on June 9, Griffey deposited a Mark Hendrickson curve ball deep over the right-field wall at Dolphin Stadium, which marked career home run No. 600. Griffey became just the sixth player in Major League history join the 600-home run club.
    2009
    The Reds finished in fourth place with a 78-84 record during a season where injuries marred the roster. The regular starting lineup was together for just 10 games while key players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Ramon Hernandez missed significant time. The rotation was hit too with Edinson Volquez going down in May and he eventually needed season-ending Tommy John surgery on his elbow. There were some positive moments. Votto led the club with a .322 average and 25 home runs while Brandon Phillips drove in a team-high and career-high 98 RBIs and became the only player in franchise history to produce at least 20 doubles, 20 homers and 20 steals in three consecutive seasons. On the mound, Bronson Arroyo won 15 games for the second-straight season and reached the 200 innings mark for the fifth straight year. Beginning on July 10, Arroyo posted a 2.07 ERA over his final 16 starts which gave him the best ERA in the Majors over that span. Closer Francisco Cordero finished second in the National League with 39 saves. And it was a positive year for young players. After several missteps the past couple of seasons, pitcher Homer Bailey seemed to put it all together in the second half and went 6-1 with a 1.70 ERA over his final nine starts. Center fielder Drew Stubbs emerged after his big league debut and hit eight homers with 17 RBIs and 10 steals in 42 games.
    2010

    While putting together their first winning season since 2000 the Reds won 91 games under manager Dusty Baker and reached the playoffs for the first time in 1995 by winning the National League Central division. Cincinnati battled tooth and nail with the Cardinals for most of the first five months of the season but won the division by five games after St. Louis faded down the stretch. The lineup was led by Joey Votto, who was second in the NL with a .324 batting average and was ranked third with both 37 home runs and 113 RBIs. Votto was supported by strong seasons from Scott Rolen, Jonny Gomes, Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips while Jay Bruce notched a career-high 25 home runs.

    On the pitching side, Bronson Arroyo won a career-high 17 games while stream of young pitchers like Johnny Cueto, Travis Wood and Logan Ondrusek played pivotal roles. The season also marked the highly anticipated arrival of Cuban Aroldis Chapman, who garnered attention while regularly throwing over 100 mph. The Reds’ enjoyable run ended faster than they hoped as they were swept in three games by the Phillies in the NL Division Series.

    2011

    Despite high expectations after winning their division the previous season, the Reds ended up disappointing with only 79 wins and a third-place finish in the National League Central. On the plus side, starting pitcher Johnny Cueto shook off an early injury and had his best year yet to develop into the staff ace. Second baseman Brandon Phillips displayed spectacular defense on his way to his third NL Gold Glove Award and was joined by first-time winner Joey Votto, who improved enough defensively to also win a Gold Glove. There were some infamous moments as well. Opening Day starter Edinson Volquez struggled and was demoted to Triple-A twice, while Bronson Arroyo smashed the club record by allowing 46 home runs and Drew Stubbs also set a club record by striking out 205 times.

    2012

    The 2012 season was important not just for the present, but also the future of the Reds as it began when cornerstone players Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips were signed to long term contracts. On the field, the Reds won 97 games and claimed their second National League Central crown in three seasons. It was a year that saw ace Johnny Cueto win a career-best 19 games, Aroldis Chapman become one of the league’s best closers while saving 38 games, rookie Todd Frazier break out as a star and Jay Bruce win a Silver Slugger Award while hitting 34 homers with 99 RBIs. The club did some of its best work while its best player, Votto, was on the disabled list with an injured knee and went 32-16 in his absence

    .

    There were tough times as manager Dusty Baker suffered a minor stroke near the end of the regular season and missed 11 games. After Baker returned, Cincinnati endured a crushing ouster from the NL Division Series to the eventual World Series champion Giants in five games.