These Cincinnati Reds aren’t holding back: ‘We’re going to win the division’
GOODYEAR, Ariz. – When they’re not shattering teammates’ car windows in living batting practice, when they’re not practicing plays at home plate with stuffed hippos, they’re borrowing the celebrated phrases by one of their famed alumni. “We comin.” The Cincinnati Reds, who don’t have a single everyday player born since the last time they won the World Series in 1990, with 29 years gone elapsed since their last postseason series victory, are going all Deion Sanders this season. This is the year everything changes in Cincinnati.
“This is the year we’re going to be a playoff team” Jonathan India tells USA TODAY Sports. “We all know it. We just missed the playoffs by two games last year. We’re not going to miss it again. “We’ve got more energy. We’ve more confidence. And a lot of us have a chip on our shoulder. “We’re going to win the division this year.”
Hey, why not? This is the youngest, most dynamic team in baseball. You can’t keep your eyes off Elly De La Cruz’s athleticism, Hunter Greene’s fastball, or the talent of Matt McLain and Spencer Steer. They’re must-watch even in practice, with De La Cruz De La Cruz shattering Greene’s car window one day, playfully arguing who will pay. Meanwhile, third-base coach J.R. House is using a stuffed hippo for catchers to practice receiving throws and applying tags. “We’re electric,” India says. “We’re fast. We’re always on base. We steal bases. We create havoc. We’re got energy. We’re here to change the way of the game this year.
“We’ve got the best fans in baseball, and we’re going to get the division championship for the city.” This is a city steeped in glorious baseball tradition, going back to 1882, and it fell in love with the Reds all over again. They drew more than two million fans for the first time since 2015. They had 10 sellouts, their most in a decade. And ticket sales for this season are way up. “It’s a
baseball town, you’ve had generations of Reds’ fans,” says Reds legend Eric Davis, who was on their 1990 World Series team. “They want to see some good exciting baseball, and that’s what we gave them last year. It’s a sea of red.
