Cincinnati Reds
From BR Bullpen
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Also known as Cincinnati Red Stockings and Cincinnati Redlegs. Franchise Record: 9520-9204 World Series Titles: 5 (1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990) American Association Pennants: 1 (1882) National League Pennants: 9 (1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1990) Playoffs: 12 (1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1990, 1995) Franchise Players: Bid McPhee, Heinie Groh, Edd Roush, Eppa Rixey, Paul Derringer, Ernie Lombardi, Johnny Vander Meer, Bucky Walters, Frank McCormick, Ted Kluszewski, Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, Barry Larkin |  Cincinnati Reds Logo |
[edit] Team History
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team located in Cincinnati, OH. The Reds have made nine World Series appearances, and won the World Series five times, in 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, and most recently, 1990. The Reds have been absent from the playoffs since 1995.
The Reds have played in the National League since 1890, although they trace their origins to the Cincinnati Red Stockings, which was the first-ever professional baseball team in the late 1860s. As a result of this founding role, the National League would traditionally play its season opener in Cincinnati until the 2000s, while the American League opened in Washington, DC.
Early in the twentieth century, the team was referred to in sports articles as "Redlegs" as well as "Reds." From 1954 to 1959, the team officially changed its name to the Cincinnati Redlegs to avoid confusion and possible association with the political "Reds" (Communists), which were especially controversial in the United States at the time.
The Reds have generally not been one of the league's top teams, but have fielded outstanding teams every decade or two: in 1919, they rode an outstanding pitching staff to a surprise National League pennant, then beat the Chicago White Sox in a World Series tainted by the Black Sox Scandal. The Reds reemerged as a power in the late 1930s and won back-to-back pennants in 1939 and 1940, capturing a second World Series title the second year. That team's leaders were pitchers Bucky Walters and Paul Derringer, 1B Frank McCormick and C Ernie Lombardi.
In the late 1950s, the Reds became competitive again with the arrival of young outfielders Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, who brought them an unexpected return to the World Series in 1961. However, the most famous edition of the team is the Big Red Machine, which dominated the National League in the 1970s under manager Sparky Anderson. That team, built around catcher Johnny Bench, second baseman Joe Morgan, outfielder Pete Rose and first baseman Tony Perez, and a succession of outstanding bullpens, won six division titles in the decade, and won the World Series in 1975 and 1976. In 1990, under manager Lou Piniella, the Reds led the NL West from start to finish and surprised everyone by sweeping the heavily-favored Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Shortstop Barry Larkin was the team's best player in those years.
[edit] Further Reading
- Lee Allen: The Cincinnati Reds, Kent State University Press, Kent, OH, 2006 (first edition 1948).
- Daryl Smith: Making the Big Red Machine: Bob Howsam and the Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2009.
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