Free pizza unites Reds and Dodgers fans after lengthy rain delay

Pizza is the great uniter. Whatever your politics, religion or sports team preference, no one can deny that delightful combination of cheese, bread and sauce. 

After a two-hour rain delay pushed the Dodgers-Reds game at Great American Ball Park well past midnight on Tuesday, there were few fans on hand at the end of the Dodgers' 6-1 victory. But for those that stuck around, there was one thing they were all rooting for: free pizza.

With a local Cincinnati pizza chain offering free pizzas when Reds pitchers strike out 11 opposing batters, the Reds were sitting on 10 when Matt Kemp came to the plate in the top of the ninth to face J.J. Hoover. Would the fans get what they wanted? 

It was touch-and-go for a while, as Kemp fouled off a few pitches:

But because either Hoover's slider just had too much movement or Kemp also understands the importance of pizza, everyone, including some Dodgers fans in the building, got to go home happy:

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find a pizza place that's open at nine in the morning.