Remembering the top 10 moments in Reds history

CINCINNATI – The 2025 season marked my 20th year of covering the Reds as a beat reporter for MLB.com. I've also been in and out of Cincinnati throughout my childhood and adult life before I was fortunate enough to land here for two decades to cover baseball.

I've witnessed a lot of great, interesting, crushing and even some bizarre Reds moments over the years and naturally, I've learned plenty about the moments that occurred long before I started covering the team. Cincinnati's standing as the home of baseball's first professional franchise leaves no shortage of significant memories for fans and reporters alike.

With that in mind – and fully knowing several deserving choices were left out – here are what I consider to be my top 10 moments in Reds history.

1. Final out of the 1975 World Series
After years of coming close during the 1970s – with two National League pennants (1970, '72) and an NL West win in 1973 – the Reds finally broke through for a world championship against the Red Sox in 1975. It took the full seven games during what is still considered one of best World Series ever staged. Cincinnati, which hadn't stood at the top of the heap in 35 years, cemented the dynasty known affectionately as "The Big Red Machine" by winning the 1976 World Series in a four-game sweep over the Yankees.

2. Final out of the 1990 World Series
For the next generation of Reds fans, the 1990 "wire-to-wire" championship stands out as an iconic moment in time. It also came in the year following former manager Pete Rose's banishment for gambling on baseball. Under first-year manager Lou Piniella, a charismatic roster filled with future Hall of Famer Barry Larkin plus Eric Davis, Chris Sabo, Jose Rijo and the three-headed bullpen monster known as "The Nasty Boys" – Randy Myers, Rob Dibble and Norm Charlton – completed an unexpected run through the postseason. It culminated in a 4-0 World Series sweep of the heavily favored Athletics.

3. Rose collides with Fosse
This wasn't specifically a Reds moment, but it did happen in Cincinnati. In the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star Game at brand-new Riverfront Stadium, Rose's status as "Charlie Hustle" was set in stone. Treating the exhibition game as if it were a game for all the marbles, he barreled into Cleveland catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run for the National League squad.

4. Rose becomes the all-time 'Hit King'
The season after he returned to his native Cincinnati in a trade from the Expos to become the franchise's player-manager, Rose spent the 1985 season pursuing Ty Cobb's all-time hits record. On Sept. 11, 1985, at Riverfront Stadium, Rose lofted a single to short left field against Padres pitcher Eric Show for career hit No. 4,192 to surpass Cobb's record. A visibly emotional Rose was given a rousing ovation as teammates and son Pete Jr. poured onto the field to congratulate him.

5. Browning is perfect
Following a 2 1/2-hour rain delay on Sept. 16, 1988, lefty starter Tom Browning delivered the first and only perfect game in franchise history against the Dodgers. The 1-0 victory was sealed when Los Angeles' 27th batter – pinch-hitter Tracy Woodson – struck out. Teammates mobbed Browning in celebration near the mound as fireworks launched in the sky above the ballpark.

6. Vander Meer's back-to-back no-hitters
This is included for the mere fact that no other pitcher has matched the feat of throwing a no-hitter in consecutive starts – before or after Johnny Vander Meer did it. On June 11, 1938, vs. the Boston Bees at Crosley Field, Vander Meer threw his first no-hitter in a 3-0 win. Four days later, vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field during the ballpark's first-ever night game in front of over 35,000 fans, the lefty walked eight but struck out seven for back-to-back no-hitters and a 6-0 win.

7. Bruce's homer clinches NL Central
Although the division-leading Reds already had a comfortable lead over the Cardinals, they hadn't quite clinched. On Sept. 28, 2010, Jay Bruce gave Great American Ball Park its first true iconic moment. Leading off a 2-2 game in the bottom of the ninth inning vs. the Astros and lefty Tim Byrdak, Bruce launched the first pitch to the batter's eye in center field for a walk-off home run that officially gave the Reds their first playoff berth since 1995. Right after the ball left his bat, Bruce knew it was clearing the fence and raised his right arm in triumph.

8. Gennett goes deep, four times
Although he would eventually become their everyday second baseman, Scooter Gennett was still a utility role player who got a start in left field on June 6, 2017, vs. the Cardinals. After he snapped an 0-for-19 slump the previous night, Gennett really caught fire in a 13-1 rout over St. Louis by going 5-for-5 with a club-record four home runs and tying a franchise record with 10 RBIs. At the time, Gennett was the 17th player in MLB history to produce a four-homer game.

9. Frazier wins the Home Run Derby at GABP
On July 13, 2015, as Cincinnati served again as All-Star Game hosts, Todd Frazier electrified the crowd at Great American Ball Park by not only winning the Home Run Derby at his home stadium but doing it in dramatic fashion. With a brand new timed format and his brother, Charlie, pitching, Frazier hit a bonus-round drive into the left-field seats to defeat Joc Pederson in the finals. As Frazier celebrated his victory, the sold-out crowd roared and shook GABP.

10. Seaver throws his lone no-hitter
On June 16, 1978, exactly a year and a day after his trade from the Mets to Cincinnati, future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver threw the first and only no-hitter of his illustrious career during a 4-0 win over the Cardinals. The right-hander issued three walks with three strikeouts and had 15 ground-ball outs. For Seaver, it was redemption for some painful almost no-hitters – including losing a perfect game with one out in the ninth inning in 1969 and a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth in 1975.