Reds History

(This page is a work in progress)

Cincinnati is home to the first ever professional baseball team.  Although a steady franchise within the city was not established until 1881, the Reds were the first team to pay their players which happened in the year of 1869.  Cincinnati's team can trace its original formation in what was known as the American Association.  However, by 1890, the Red Stockings had moved to the newly formed National League.  The game was still young and rules were often changed or adapted throughout its first chapter as a sport.  As a business, baseball was a roller coaster.  Overall, the baseball business was failing more often than succeeding.  Owners, managers, players, fan support and gamblers all played major roles during the infancy of the game much like they still do to this day.  Mainly, baseball's success was determined by the current state of the country and the morale of its citizens.  And even more so, what little money they possessed during America's economic plights before and after the turn of the twentieth century.

In the 1880's through the 1890's the Red Stockings were led by players like pitcher Will White, third baseman Hick Carpenter, and Hall of Famer Bid McPhee at second base.  They captured the first ever American Association pennant in 1882 with a 55-25 record.  They would finish second in the league standings in 1885 and 1887, but were unable to capture another pennant until 1919.  Tony Mullane, John Reilly and Frank Dwyer were the heroes in the last decade of the 19th century for the Cincinnati ballclub.  At the turn of the century it was pitcher Noodles Hahn who captured the awe of Reds fans. For a brief period, the team hired the services of hitting great Sam Crawford.  And Cy Seymour, who won the Reds' first batting title in 1905, is still listed amidst some of the franchise's offensive record holders.

The Reds had played their home games on the west side of Cincinnati at the corner of Western and Findlay Avenue.  The old wooden parks known as "Bank Street Ground" and "League Park" had been damaged by fire on more than one occasion.  So, the organization built a new steel and concrete stadium that was ready for play in 1912.  At the time the new venue was known as "Redland Field".  This fan-friendly park would stand pat until 1970, and was better known as "Crosley Field."  This ballpark was home to some very good Reds teams as well as some not-so-good teams.  But the Cincinnati faithful were blessed with seeing several World Series' take place at Crosley Field before a new stadium was erected.  The first, but certainly not the last, was against a mighty Chicago White Sox team.  The year was 1919, a mere 37 years after Reds baseball was an official mainstay in the sport.  The club itself referred to the 1919 season as their "Golden Anniversary" as they continued to support the original establishment year as 1869, which the team still does today.  They were led by future hall of famer Edd Roush who finished his 18-yeat career with a .323 batting average.  Despite having Roush, the Reds were still well overmatched by the mighty White Sox who possessed talent like Eddie Collins and Shoeless Joe Jackson.  However, the Reds would go on to shock the baseball world by defeating the Sox five games to three.  By 1920, everyone had learned that White Sox took part in a gambling scandal and had intentionally played poorly in some of the games during the series to make a promised profit.  Gambling was a major sideshow to the game in the early part of the century, and ballplayers were typically very underpaid in comparison to ownership.  Although it was Cincinnati's first professional championship, it will always be remembered for the "Black Sox" scandal.

The Reds had tremendous pitching in the 1920's with the likes of Eppa Rixey, Dolf Luque and Pete Donohue.  Yet, they lacked an offensive attack during that period and struggled to finish a season in the top half of the standings, which was known then as the "first division."  The Great Depression engulfed the baseball world just like it did the life of every American citizen and nearly every business.  In 1931, in the midst of the depression, the Reds organization had gone broke and their relatively new stadium was in desperate need of renovation and repair. 

In 1933, Powel and Lewis Crosley had already started WLW radio and then bought the Reds out of bankruptcy.  They hired Larry MacPhail as the new general manager who subsequently developed the Reds' minor league farm system and broadened the fan base.  In 1935, Crosley Field became the first venue to host a night game as well as have a fireworks display for the fans.  Three years later the fans were treated to a pitching performance that has yet to be matched:  Back-to-back no-hitters were tossed by Reds pitcher Johnny VanderMeer.  During that era the Reds were putting together a formidable team with the likes of pitcher Bucky Walters and catcher Ernie Lombardi.  In 1939, the Reds had captured the National League pennant but were swept by Joe DiMaggio and the Yankees in the World Series.  In 1940, their fortunes turned however, as the Reds won 100 games for the first time in franchise history and went on to win the Fall Classic against the Detroit Tigers in seven games.  It was legitimate this time around, no scandal or rubbish to take away from the glory.  The Reds had their second World Series Championship. 

With the 1940's came America's entrance into the second great war.  Some of baseball's greatest heroes would go on to enlist or be drafted into the military to fight for their country during the turmoil.  Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio and more than 500 other Major League ballplayers were off to see action.  The minor leagues saw over 4,000 of its ballplayers taken from their fields to fight the war, causing a major shortage of teams that dropped from 44 clubs to 12.  By the end of the war, 142 professional ballplayers had given their lives fighting for their country.  With the depletion of players in the game as a whole, baseball had to use gimmicks, marketing schemes and anything else to bring people to the ball fields.  The Reds, whose farm system was also quite depleted, would be in such need of pitching that they called a prospect by the name of Joe Nuxhall.  The interesting thing about the left-handed Nuxhall was that he was only 15 years old when he was called up.  "The Ol' Left Hander" Nuxhall pitched two-thirds of an inning for the Reds in 1944, making him the youngest person to ever play Major League Baseball.  That record is still held today, and it is unimaginable that it will ever be broken.  Despite the 1940 Championship, the Reds were rather unsuccessful throughout the remainder of the decade.  1941, '43, and '44 were the only other decent years the club had during that timeframe winning 88, 87, and 89 games respectively.

Although the 1950's were not a bright spot in the rich history of Cincinnati's franchise, there were some well-remembered players.  It should also be noted that the Reds had changed their name to the Redlegs from 1954-1959.  This was due to the country's ongoing dispute with communist nations whom were labeled as "Reds".  America was suffering from "The Red Scare" in thinking that an atomic bomb would be dropped on its soil at any given moment.  Baseball was a way to get away from the problems that faced the nation at the time and was a cure for the frightened souls of masses.  The 50's didn't provide the fans in Cincinnati any championships, but it did provide plenty of entertainment and promise.  Ted Kluszewski, known to fans everywhere as "The Big Klu" would establish himself throughout the Majors as one of the sport's premeir power hitters.  Kluszewski was known for his large biceps as well as the sleeveless jerseys he donned to show them off.  The home run ball and the sleeveless Kluszewski were unplanned marketing tools that helped put fans in the seats at Crosley even when the team wasn't a performer.  Kluszewski was not the only power hitter on the club, as outfielders Wally Post and Gus Bell were also blasting home runs.  Catchers Smoky Burgess and Ed Bailey too, were power hitters that joined in on the home run action.  In 1956, the Redlegs would tie the National League record for combined home runs hit by a team with 221.  In that same season, the world would see the rookie season of one of baseball's finest players in Frank Robinson.  Robinson would go on to hit .290 with 38 home runs and 83 runs batted in during his first year as a profession ballplayer, which was good enough to win Rookie of the Year. The Cincinnati Redlegs would win 91 games in 1956, which was only good enough for third place in the National League.  It was crowded at the top of the league that year as the Brooklyn Dodgers had won 93 games to capture the pennant. 

When the 1960's came, so did the promise of winning for the folks living on the banks of the Ohio River.  The decade of the 60's may be one of the most important of the organizations 150 year history.  By 1961, the Reds were a powerful team with a mixture of young promising stars and proven veterans.  Offensively, the club was led by young Vada Pinson, who batted .343 for the season.  Robinson had himself another season for the ages as he batted .323, hit 37 homers, batted in 124 runs, and stole 22 bases.  Although The Big Klu was gone, Wally Post was not, and he remained a productive bat in the lineup as well.  The corner infielders were Gordy Coleman and Gene Freese who combined for 53 homers and 174 runs batted in.  The pitching staff was anchored by left-hander Jim O'Toole.  He had tremendous help in the rotation from the likes of Joey Jay and Bob Purkey.  Combined, the three starters had 56 wins.  The Reds would finish the year with a 93-61 record, and would go to face the mighty Yankees in the World Series.  Cincinnati and New York had already met once in the Series back in 1939, and they were swept.  The Yankees were a perennial powerhouse and were always overflowing with talented stars.  In 1961, it was the "M&M Boys," Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.  Maris had stunned the masses by breaking the all-time single season home run record held by the game's beloved Babe Ruth.  Mantle only had six at-bats in the series due to injury, but Yankee pitching was strong enough to hold back the Reds without the need of Mickey's bat.  The Reds lost the series four games to one. 

In 1962, the Reds would continue their winning ways and finish the year with a 98-64 record.  Unfortunately, this was only good enough for third place in the NL as the Giants took the pennant by winning 103 games.  Bob Purkey would win 23 games that season for the Reds.  In 1964, Cincinnati couldn't quite catch the Cardinals before season's end and again would be a great team without anything to show for it. The team would not finish a season better than fourth place for the remainder of the decade. In 1965, current general manager Bill DeWitt executed one of baseball's most lop-sided trades in history when he sent MVP Frank Robinson to Baltimore for Milt Pappas, Jakc Baldschun, and Dick Simpson.  Robinson would go on to win the AL MVP, the Triple Crown, as well as help the Orioles reach and win their first World Series the season following the trade.  Between 1965 and 1969, the Reds organization was unstable at best and looked as though they might relocate to a new city.  Yet, the Reds' farm system which had already produced 1960's pitching ace Jim Maloney, had been continuously building itself and was overflowing with talent during the mid-to-late 60's.  Bob Howsam took over as general manager and was able to make all the right moves.  He was able to, in part, help create one of the greatest dynasties in the history of game.

In 1970, Riverfront Stadium was built in order to keep the Reds in Cincinnati and not lured to San Diego.  Howsam was crucial in getting this project underway and completed.  He also hired new manager, George "Sparky" Anderson.  Before the 1970 season had begun, Pete Rose and Johnny Bench had already started their long and illustrious careers.  They were soon joined by Tony Perez, Lee May, Davey Concepcion and Tommy Helms.  Gary Nolan, Jim Merritt, Wayne Simpson, Clay Carroll, Don Gullett, and Pedro Borbon were now all intregal parts of the ptiching staff.  Starting in the previous season, the post-season format of baseball had added the Championship Series for each league, thus creating playoffs.  The Reds would win a franchise high 102 games in 1970, and advance to the National League Championship Series and then to the World Series.  The following season was disappointing for Reds players and fans alike as they finished the season under .500.  However, it was the only season in the entire decade where they didn't finish with a winning record.  The Reds sought to improve their team even more and looked to repeat the success of the 1970 season.  Howsam added George Foster to the roster and pulled off a trade that may very well have made up for the Frank Robinson fiasco six years earlier.  Cincinnati sent Lee May, Tommy Helms and Jimmy Stewart to Houston for Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, Jack Billingham, Ed Armbrister and Denis Menke.  And just like that, the "Big Red Machine" had been formed.

From 1970 through 1976, the Reds had a team that was considered to be one of the greatest teams in baseball history.  Analysts, fans, and baseball historians themselves tend to agree with this argument.  The Reds would win 102 games in 1970, 95 games in '72, 99 games in '73, 98 games in '74, 108 games in '75, and 102 games in '76.  In that span they would win five division titles and four pennants, leading them to four World Series appearances. And they would win it all twice.  They were indeed a powerhouse.  To this day, many people still overlook the pitching staff because of the offense that the Reds produced in the era.  Jack Billingham, Gary Nolan, Wayne Simpson, Don Gullett, Pedro Borbon, Clay Carroll, Fred Norman, Pat Darcy, Pat Zachry, Clay Kirby, Will McEnenany, Rawly Eastwick and others all played a major role in the success of the Reds.  However, there is a reason the offense is so well remembered.  Their lineup had been described as one of the best in the history of the game and they worked so well together they were like a "well oiled machine."  The best team the Reds ever fielded went as such: Pitcher - Jack Billingham, Catcher - Johnny Bench, 1st Baseman - Tony Perez, 2nd Baseman - Joe Morgan, 3rd Baseman - Pete Rose, Shortstop - Davey Concepcion, Left Fielder - George Foster, Center Fielder - Cesar Geronimo, and Right Fielder - Ken Griffey, Sr.