Let’s recap tonight’s titanic clinching struggle….
FINAL
Houston 2
Cincinnati 3
WP: Chapman (2-2)
LP: Byrdak (2-2)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–THE CINCINNATI REDS ARE NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL CHAMPS!
–BRRUUUUUUUUCCEEEE!! What a way to clinch! After striking out his first two at-bats, then grounding into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded against Wandy Rodriguez, Bruce took left-hander Tim Byrdak deeeep to centerfield in the bottom of the 9th to win the game!
–Edinson Volquez looked great again tonight with 6 innings of 2 run baseball. He walked only 1 batter and struck out 8.
–Drew Stubbs continues to hit and provide sensational defense. His leadoff walk and steal of 2nd base led to the Reds getting on the board first in the 1st inning. But the biggest steal of the day for Stubbs was going over the wall and robbing Carlos Lee of a 2-run homerun in the 3rd inning.
–The bullpen combined for 3 perfect innings. Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset, and Aroldis Chapman shut the door retiring all 9 batters they faced and striking out 4.
–Scott Rolen went 2 for 3 with a walk and had the key RBI in the first inning on an infield single deep in the hole to shortstop.
–Orlando Cabrera started off the 6th inning with a solid single to left field and later scored the tying run.
–Brandon Phillips was on base three times tonight, but it was his RBI single, also of the infield variety, in the 6th that tied the game at 2-2.
NEGATIVES
–Absolutely none.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–THE CINCINNATI REDS ARE NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL CHAMPIONS!
–Next up…who do the Reds get in the first round of the playoffs. At this point it could be any of the Phillies, Braves, Giants or Padres. If they finish with a better record than the NL West division winner, they are guaranteed home field advantage in the first round.
–Somebody tell Kevin Wheeler that the best team in the NL Central will be playing baseball come October.
–Coming into play tonight, Jay Bruce has posted a slash line of .365/.451/.740 since August 8. After hitting just 10 homeruns in his first 114 games, he has hit 12 in his last 28 games.
–Break out the Sombrero!
Jay Bruce
just want to give a shoutout to Buck Showalter who picked the reds to finish 6th at the beginning of the year
Buck and Cowherd must hangout
Since you’re mentioning predictions – how bout Aaron Boone. He was one of the few that picked the Reds for Central champs.
and he is e’er in my heart for it.
Yeah I believe Boone, Larkin, and Sean Casey all picked the Reds. And everyone else made fun of them and called them “Homers”
WHAT A SEASON
@BJ Ruble:
How sweet is it going to be when I walk into work (St. Louis metro area) in my Cincinnati Reds polo and hat!! Yes I’m in a professional job but a hat will be on all day long!!! Screw the smack talk I got after the Cards sweep in Cincy! It is all about me and the Cincinnati Reds!!! 2010 NL Central Champs!!! All the STL fans for the next two weeks will feel the wrath that I bring upon them!!! GO REDS!!! I was 9 the last time the Reds were in the playoffs…Celebratory Drinks for the next two weeks and hopefully the into late October!!! GO REDS…SCREW ST LOUIS!!!
Some excellent video here, Bruce’s game winner, and the post game celebration. Would love to see more video from the clubhouse – please post links!
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100928&content_id=15177854&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
@jdarts: I concur Sir. Incredible….Regardless of what happens from here on out – I love this Reds team. From all the come from behind victories, clutch two-out hitting, the hustle, rookie pitchers stepping up, You name it – It’s been a great year to be a Reds Fan.
On a personal note – My Grandpa, Milt Cooksey of Athens, Ohio, passed away last year. He loved baseball. The only thing he loved more than baseball was Cincinnati Reds baseball. I really hate that he missed this season.
http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-28643-athens-music-scene-(07-30-09).html
@Furniture City Red:
Don’t worry, Grandpa is watching it all!! How could he miss the fireworks last night!!
Dafler said it in the recap:
–Edinson Volquez looked great again tonight with 6 innings of 2 run baseball. He walked only 1 batter and struck out 8.
–The bullpen combined for 3 perfect innings. Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset, and Aroldis Chapman shut the door retiring all 9 batters they faced and striking out 4.
Like I’ve been saying, when our starters can get us to the sixth or seventh plus or minus 2 runs and I love our chances ! 🙂
How ’bout them Cincinnati Reds!!
Congratulations to all loyal Reds’ fans. 1995 seems like quite a while ago. And while I think the playoffs will be challenging (why wouldn’t they be?), I do think these Reds are set for a run of at least being relevant for the next few years. Good job by Jocketty and others before him who realize pitching depth is the most important thing a small-market team needs. Even if you don’t have a champagne bottle, give yourself a sip of that 25-year old can of Hudepohl sitting on your mantle.
Live in Atlanta, but heading home this weekend and I bought tickets to the last game of the year on Sunday. Not sure how ticket sales will be for the last series, but I could not get tickets in the moon deck, mezzanine, or box…there were no tickets available.
Here’s hoping we play the Braves in the playoffs…I will be represented Cincinnati at every game at Turner Field. Revenge for ’95!!!
Not sure if anyone else caught it, but the second the Reds clinched, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight had a split screen of the Reds celebration and the Yankees celebration…and let’s just say, I hope winning never becomes so routine that our celebration is that mundane…granted, I know they just one a spot in the playoffs, they still don’t know if they are wild card champions or division champions, but the young Reds are definitely more exciting to watch.
Does anyone have a link to Marty’s call of the winning HR? I can’t find it on WLW’s site. Thanks.
Sult of Swaff: “Squeeze the most out of your starters and hand it over to a bullpen that can play matchup for as long as it takes. By contrast, other teams will be leaning hard on their starters to pitch into the 7th or 8th innings. For Philly and SanFran, that’s probably a good thing because they have top shelf talent, but for the others it puts them in a precarious situation that we will exploit.”
I think that’s well put. If I were any team playing Cincy in the postseason and the game is close in those late innings, I’d be a little more nervous than usual. Granted, there are teams who can directly stabalize this threat in their own right.
If the first round began today I really wouldn’t be able to choose the easiest matchup. That being between San Diego or Atlanta. Let’s just avoid Philly or Frisco right off the bat, no pun intended. 😐
Ok, I’ll choose one and say Atlanta. Plus, I’ve always quietly despised or maybe even envied the Braves pitching system for some time. They are not even close to the same team they were in the 90s so I’m not worried about that. It would be appropriate if we knocked them and their ol’ skipper out early. A closing of chapters, if you will.
Great day to be a Reds fan. I don’t care who they play in the playoffs, everyone has a fighting chance there.