The Cincinnati Reds' final game ahead of the All-Star break saw history made at Great American Ball Park.
The Cincinnati Reds' final game ahead of the All-Star break saw history made at Great American Ball Park.
The Reds' 4-2 victory against the Colorado Rockies saw Cincinnati's Terry Francona earn the 2,000th victory of his managerial career before a crowd of 24,541 on Sunday, July 13.
Francona burnished his career resume as he became the 13th manager in MLB history to reach the 2,000-win threshold.
T.J Friedl hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and, after the Rockies took a 2-1 lead, Austin Hays (2-for-3) drove in a run for the second straight game to continue a noteworthy bounce-back from his 0-for-5 showing to open the series. The Reds then took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on a Rockies fielding error with the bases loaded and two outs.
It was the second day in a row a Rockies' error allowed Cincinnati's game-winning run to score, but the Reds would tack on. Spencer Steer's RBI single plated Elly De La Cruz, who scored twice in the game, to double up on the 22-win Rockies.
Nick Martinez earned the win to improve to 7-9 on the year.
Reds closer Emilio Pagán came on to close the game out, earning his 20th save in 23 opportunities. The 20 saves matches a single-season career-high from his 2019 season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The win allowed Cincinnati to reach 50 wins by the All-Star break for the first time since 2023. When the Reds resume the regular season following the break, they'll do so with a 50-47 record and as a real player in the race for the postseason.
Cincinnati will be no worse than 3.5 games back of the third National League Wild Card spot. The Chicago Cubs were 7.5 games ahead of the Reds in the NL Central entering play on Sunday.
The next time players in Reds uniforms are in action will be in the MLB All-Star Game Tuesday, July 15, as Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott will represent the club at the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park.
Cincinnati will pick up regular-season play after the All-Star break with two three-game series against the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals. The Reds' next home game at Great American Ball Park is scheduled for July 25. The game that day against Tampa Bay will commence what is officially considered a nine-game homestand against the Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
The final game of the Braves series scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2, is the Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The Reds will be considered the home team in the game.
Cincinnati will then dive into a stretch of games primarily against NL Central opposition. The Reds will travel to the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field (Aug. 4-6) followed by four games at Pittsburgh's PNC Park (Aug. 7-10). After hosting the Philadelphia Phillies for three games (Aug. 11-13), Cincinnati will welcome the Milwaukee Brewers back to "GABP" for the final time in 2025 (Aug. 15-17).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Terry Francona wins 2,000th game as manager, Reds to All-Star break on a high
Category: Baseball
