Shay Whitcomb just smashed a sixth-inning blast, the San Francisco Giants’ third two-run homer of their series finale against the Cincinnati Reds. Reds.TV analyst and former pitcher Jeff Brantley didn’t hold back, flat out suggesting the Reds were on the verge of getting swept by what was basically a Triple-A team. Oof.
The Giants’ Surprise Offensive Punch
Brantley pointed out the obvious during the broadcast: the Giants must be ecstatic with how things are playing out. “I would think that the San Francisco Giants have got to be happy,” he said. “They’ve basically brought their team up from Sacramento and they’re hitting the ball.” Imagine that, rolling out a lineup mostly from your Triple-A affiliate and still laying waste to a major league club. It’s a stark look for Cincinnati, getting torched by a team that’s clearly playing above its weight class right now. This wasn’t just a bad inning either; it was the series finale, meaning a sweep was looming after Whitcomb’s bomb. Brantley wasn’t just talking about a bad night, he was seeing a problem.
A Tough Look for a Historic Franchise
The hits just kept coming, both literally and figuratively. Brantley later added in the seventh inning that the Reds took a beating throughout the series from “the most dangerous bat they faced.” That’s not just a tough loss, that’s a *series-long* problem that you’ve got to figure out. When you hear comments like that, it makes you think about the legacy of a team, and the Reds have one of the longest in pro baseball. But their history also tells a tale of incredible players who wore that uniform but found their biggest glory elsewhere.
Take Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, a legend who racked up an astonishing 373 career wins. But here’s the kicker: 372 of those incredible victories came with the New York Giants. His one solitary win for the Reds? That came in the only game he ever pitched for them, way back in 1916. Don Newcombe, a four-time all-star, a Rookie of the Year, and the 1956 NL MVP and Cy Young award winner, achieved all that incredible success with the Dodgers before pitching in 66 games for the Reds from 1958 to 1960. Billy Martin, who won four World Series as a player for the New York Yankees and went on to greater fame as a manager including a 1977 World Series championship, only hit .246 in 103 games during his 1960 stint in Cincinnati. Even Roger Craig, who managed the San Francisco Giants from 1985-92, including a World Series appearance in 1989, only played 40 games for the Reds in 1965 during his 12 seasons as a pitcher in the majors.
Charlie Leibrandt, with 140 wins over a 14-year MLB career and memorable stints with the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves, actually got his start in Cincinnati, throwing 82 games for the Reds from 1979-82. César Cedeño, a four-time all-star and five-time Gold Glove winner with the Houston Astros in the 1970s, played 429 games for the Reds from 1982-85. Gary Redus, a 13-season Major League Baseball veteran from 1982-94, started his career in Cincinnati, playing there from 1982-1985. Wyoming High School grad Jeff Russell, a two-time all-star with the Texas Rangers who led the majors in saves in 1989, began his career with his hometown Reds from 1983-84. John Denny, a 13-year MLB veteran who won the 1983 NL Cy Young award with the Philadelphia Phillies, played the last season of his career with the Reds in 1986, going 11-10. Kent Tekulve, who held the major league record for career relief appearances, pitched his final 37 games as a member of the Reds in 1989. Jeff Montgomery, a three-time all-star who saved 304 games in his career with the Kansas City Royals, pitched in just 14 games in the majors for the Reds in 1987. And Jeff Reardon, a four-time all-star with 357 career saves when he signed with the Reds in 1993, recorded eight saves in 58 games in his lone season in Cincinnati. Juan Samuel spent 16 seasons in the majors and… that’s where the stories end.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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