It was a walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the ninth by Noelvi Marte that provided the Reds with a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
That is the short version, but so, so much happened for the Reds to get into the situation.
The Reds led, 2-1, entering the ninth after a gutty, gritty pitching performance by Hunter Greene.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
But closer Emilio Pagan gave up a two-run home run to Bo Bichette and a follow-up home run by Daulton Varsho and the Reds were dead and almost buried, trailing 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth.
Many of the 21,773 in GABP vacated the premises, most likely grumbling to themselves about another excruciating loss by the Reds.
They now wish they hadn’t.
Ke’Bryan Hayes was obtained from the Pittsburgh Pirates for his glove, but fortunately for the Reds he brought his bats with him.
First, it was his two-run double in the second inning that provided the Reds with their only runs through eight innings.
Rookie Sal Stewart, just called up and playing first base for only the third time in his professional career, was in the middle of that two-run rally with a single in his first MLB at bat.
Hayes reached leading off the fifth, but didn’t score. He led the seventh with a single, but didn’t score. Until the ninth, the Reds put their leadoff batter on base five times and that runner scored only once.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Once again Hayes singled to open the ninth. With one out, Matt McLain poked a single to right. TJ Friedl appeared to tie the game with a line drive to the right field fence.
But the ball dislodged under a tarp on the right field fence, so McLain had to go back to third and instead of 4-4 it was 4-3.
That brought up Marte, 0 for 11 with four strikeouts. Toronto relief pitcher Brendan Little went to 3-and-2. With the infield drawn in, Marte poked his two-run game-winning single between third and short.
It was, indeed, an improbale win against the American League East’s first-place team.
The Blue Jays had blown only 24 leads all season to Cincinnati’s 35. They were 23-15 in one-run games to Cincinnati’s 16-19.
Marte’s game-closer came with runners on third and second and the count 3-and-2.
“I knew when it got to 3-and-2 nothing was going to be easy,” Marte told reporters through translator Tomas Vera. “First base was open and I knew they weren’t going to pitch to me because they probably were supposed to get the bases loaded to play for a double play on Elly (De La Cruz).
“So I was going to swing, swing at whatever pitch they pitched to me,” he said.
And Marte revealed how happy he is that the Reds took him off third base mid-season and planted him in right field.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“I think it’s the best thing to happen in my career,” he said. “Getting me to right field got me more relaxed playing there. I don’t have to think too much and I enjoy the game more.”
Marte reaped the accolades but Hayes wears the hero’s crown for a full game of contributions.
And none was bigger than his single to lead the ninth.
“That’s what it’s all about, guys don’t give up until the last out,” he said.
Hayes revealed that prior to Sunday’s win over the St. Louis Cardinals that ended a five-game losing streak, there was a players only team meeting.
“We felt like we were a little flat, we felt like when the other teams were punching us back, we were staying flat and not trying to punch right back.
“We were down 4-2 in the ninth and I was leading off and my biggest thing was just trying to find a way on and we’d have a chance if we got a man on. We were fortunate to string together a lot of big hits and win that ball game.”
What a win it was. The New York Mets beat the Detroit Tigers, 10-8, so the Reds were in danger of falling five games behind in the wild card standings. Instead they remain at four back.
If it weren’t for Bichette, Greene might have pitched a shutout. Bichette entered the game 3 for 6 against Greene. And he was one of five guys to hit home runs off Greene in a 2023 game.
On Monday he had three more hits off Greene and is now 6 for 9 with two homers, a triple and a double.
Greene had the Blue Jays shut out until the seventh inning when Bichette doubled and scored on Alejandro Kirk’s single, cutting it to 2-1.
Greene pitched 6-plus innings and held the Blue Jays to one run, five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. Three of the five hits came off Bichette’s bat.
After Kirk’s run-scoring single, Greene was done and Scott Barlow arrived to get the final two outs in the seventh. Tony Santillan pitched a scoreless eighth and turned the 2-1 lead over to closer Emilio Pagan, owner of 26 saves.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
But he blew his sixth save in the ninth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached on an infield hit. Bichette, whose father, Dante, played briefly for the Reds hit his go-ahead home run. The next batter, Varsho, whose father, Gary, played briefly for the Reds, followed with his homer.
Pagan was yanked after getting an out and just-recalled Yosver Zulueta retired the final two.
When the Reds rescued the game in the bottom of the ninth, Zulueta was the winning pitcher, a pleasing happenstance for him because earlier in his career the Blue Jays released him.
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Who: Toronto at Cincinnati
When: 6:40 p.m.
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