This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. LOUIS -- Game 162 is here. Due to the outcomes on Saturday, Sunday's final day of the regular season became anticlimactic for the Reds and their players. 

They are not going to the postseason. Miami and Arizona are.

It's not a fun pill to swallow for Cincinnati, even for a surprise contender that few expected to be a factor entering this season. But the club now understands what it's going to take to get over the hump and into the postseason in future seasons.

“I think this experience -- I can speak for myself personally -- is my first time playing meaningful September baseball," Reds center fielder TJ Friedl said. "And so I think for us and how young we are and this young group that we have mixed with a lot of the veteran leadership that we have on the team, it’s a great experience for all of us moving forward, because this is going to be our goal every single year, is to make the playoffs and to get in the playoff hunt."

Cincinnati, with a roster full of young players, defied the odds throughout 2023 as it contended for the postseason well ahead of schedule. 

The roster currently has nine rookies and had a season-high 12 rookies on a 27-man roster for an Aug. 23 doubleheader vs. the Angels. There were 16 players who made their Major League debuts this season -- more than any team in the Majors. That includes Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte, Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson -- all of whom made sizable impacts at various points.

Many of the non-rookies remain young but are now established -- like Friedl and Will Benson -- after playing their first full seasons in the big leagues. 

“So much has happened this year,” manager David Bell said. “Our players deserve all the credit. They’ve been amazing from day one. It’s the best team I have ever been a part of. There’s a lot to be built on when you have a team like that. That’s our players. They worked hard to create that. They created a great experience that will really change everyone that’s been a part of it and sees how you go about it. I will be forever grateful to every single guy on this team. Hopefully we stay together for a long, long time.”

There were so many moments that made one wonder if the Reds had some magic working for them. They have 48 come-from-behind wins and won 24 games in their final plate appearance – with 10 walk-off wins.

“This year as a whole, resiliency is a good word for it, of battling through a lot of adversity and injuries," Friedl said. "All these [rookies] who have really made an impact for this team and are going to continue to make an impact moving forward in years to come."

Despite slumping throughout the second half, De La Cruz supplied plenty of electricity. Whether it was hitting for the cycle, stealing second base, third base and home in three pitches or hitting mammoth home runs, the 21-year-old was often appointment viewing. 

McLain brought steady hitting and strong defense while rookie Spencer Steer led the club in home runs and RBIs while playing four positions.

There were also reasons why the Reds shouldn't have even been in the playoff race all the way to Game 161:

• Rookie pitchers made 61 starts for the Reds, including what will be 19 of the team's final 27 games -- including Sunday.

• The Reds rotation has a 5.42 ERA, ranked 28th in MLB. By season's end, only Hunter Greene remained from the Opening Day starting five as injuries factored throughout the year. The club was not able to add any starters at the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline.

• Cincinnati had a 38-43 home record and is 21-30 against NL Central clubs.

• Six players, including five pitchers, went on the COVID-IL the first two days of September when an outbreak hit the club.

"The way this team has played, the way this team has grinded late in games, we’ve been in it," Reds general manager Nick Krall said. "We might have lost games but we’re still in it. We come back, we fight. We really fight.

“The attitude this group has had is one of my favorites that I’ve ever been around.”