MILWAUKEE -- There have been times this season -- and even this month -- where the idea of the Reds making the playoffs seemed improbable, if not far-fetched. One way or another though, they figured out a way to get back in the race. And on Sunday in Game 162, Cincinnati reaped the rewards.
Despite a 4-2 loss to the Brewers, the Reds still clinched the final National League postseason berth by earning the third NL Wild Card spot. As soon as their game ended, players watched on clubhouse televisions as the Mets were handed a 4-0 loss by the Marlins in Miami.
That left the Reds and Mets tied with 83-79 records. But Cincinnati won the tiebreaker advantage by taking the season series (4-2). Thus, the Reds earned the chance to spray the champagne -- which flowed generously.
“I’m partying, baby. We’re celebrating," pitcher Nick Martinez said. "It’s been a hell of a year. We fought so hard to get to this spot. It wasn’t easy. We stared elimination essentially in the face, had our backs against the wall and our guys did not quit. I’m so proud of these guys. This is what we play for. This is addicting.”
It's the first time the Reds have reached the postseason since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. They last reached the playoffs after a 162-game season in 2013 and have not advanced since sweeping the Dodgers in the NL Division Series in 1995.
“Since Day 1, we knew we could make it," said shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who hit his team-leading 22nd home run to lead off the second inning. "Because since Spring Training, we cared about each other, we played together and that’s the key for us. Like cockroaches, you can’t kill us.”
Up next is a trip to Los Angeles for Game 1 of the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series vs. the NL West champion Dodgers.
TJ Friedl's leadoff homer in the third gave the Reds a 2-0 lead. Brady Singer couldn't protect it after giving up Brice Turang's RBI double in the third inning and Danny Jansen's two-run homer to left field in the fourth.
Returning to pitch after starting Thursday, Nick Lodolo came on in relief, but after notching the second out, he had trouble closing the inning. Andrew Vaughn's RBI double to left-center field gave Milwaukee a two-run lead.
While there were some updates about the Mets score, Reds players kept going.
“That was the one message we had going today. Let’s be in the moment. Let’s be in the present," first baseman Spencer Steer said. "I was trying my best not to look at that left-field scoreboard and just focus on our game.”
The Reds' loss was all but forgotten once the Mets were defeated.
While not exactly at the level of breaking the Curse of the Bambino like manager Terry Francona's 2004 Red Sox achieved, securing the final playoff spot over the final days required breaking a stretch of domination the Brewers had over the Reds for about four years.
Before the Reds won their first series over the Brewers since 2022 this weekend, Milwaukee had taken each of the previous 13 series, 14 of the last 15 and 17 of 19 since 2021.
Francona guided his team to the postseason in his first season with Boston (2004) and Cleveland (2013). Now he's done it again.
“It always feels like the first time," Francona said. "Watching these guys have fun, that’s worth every agonizing minute we had all year. It’s unbridled joy. Doesn’t matter what language you speak, what country you’re from; they’re hugging each other and it’s real. It’s worth all the heartaches and everything we did. Just for those couple of minutes.”
Hired by the Reds in October, Francona was brought in exactly for opportunities like this. His influence -- along with some playoff-experienced veterans -- helped keep the team steady through it all.
“I think it’s huge from the sense of a calming voice, a calming presence in the dugout," catcher Jose Trevino said. "You can look down the dugout when stuff is going good or stuff is going bad -- whatever it is -- he’s calm. It’s almost like he trusts us more than anything. He understands the game, and he understands us as players. For him to have that calming presence and that ability to keep everybody else level, it’s priceless.”
The roller-coaster ride featured many heights and descents -- none more pronounced than the final six weeks of the regular season. On Aug. 19, the Reds were a season-high seven games over .500 at 67-60 before going 7-15 over their next 22 games -- which included three-game series sweeps vs. the first-place Dodgers from Aug. 25-27 and then the struggling Athletics from Sept. 12-14.
Francona held a short team meeting after the A's series.
“That’s why I talked to them, because you never know what’s enough or too much. Just keep playing because you don’t know," he said.
As recently as Sept. 16, the Reds were one game under .500 at 75-76.
On Sept. 5, the Mets defeated the Reds at Great American Ball Park. It gave them a six-game lead over Cincinnati, with the Giants and Diamondbacks wedged between them.
“That’s why we play 162 games. They all matter," Steer said. "The fact that we got it done on the last day of the year speaks volumes. We never gave up, never folded. We could have easily folded after Sacramento after we got swept, and we didn’t. That’s the reason why we’re here.”
Through it all, Francona always maintained focus on the one game in front of them -- with no looking back at what was lost or even focusing too long on the wins. It spread throughout the clubhouse to the players.
“I really do stay in the moment. That’s the best I know not to get derailed and to get productive. It just works the best," Francona said. “I’ve told the team that as long as we’re going in the direction together, even sometimes when it’s the wrong direction, we’re doing it together. I always feel like we’ll figure it out.”
Just as the Mets were losing their grip with a surprising swoon of their own, the Reds won six of their next seven games and pulled into a tie with New York on Sept. 21. Then Cincinnati dropped two of three home games to the last-place Pirates to lose control of its own destiny.
Then with Friday's win over the Brewers, coupled with a Mets loss at Miami, the Reds got it back. But this time, they didn't let it go.
“It just speaks volumes to the team, just staying together, staying true," said pitcher Andrew Abbott, who started Saturday. "We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We knew we were going to have a long fight ahead of us. It’s still not going to be easy moving forward. We know what we have to do. We’ll try to handle our business the best we can.”