The story of the costume begins a few weeks ago in San Diego when the Reds picked up a clutch win that kept them right in the mix in the race for a playoff spot. Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley called the Reds a bunch of “cockroaches.” Reliever Nick Martinez shouted that night, “You can’t kill us.”
“It’s become our battle cry over the last couple of weeks,” Pagán said. “(Brantley) was the first to say it and called us cockroaches. That was in San Diego. Martinez says it postgame. Lux says it. It’s who we are. We believe in this group no matter how bad it gets.”
The Reds’ playoff hopes were dwindling several times, and the Reds called team meetings at three different tough moments during the stretch run. But the Reds kept bouncing back, and now they’re heading to Los Angeles for a three-game series in the NL Wild Card round against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I came up with a lot of these guys,” starting pitcher Hunter Greene said. “I’ve seen their demeanor on the field but most importantly off the field. How committed they are to the game. How committed they are to being great teammates and being able to see struggles through. Knowing how difficult this game is and knowing the character of each guy in this clubhouse, there was never a doubt.”
The Reds received some help on Sunday. After winning the first two games of the series against the Brewers, the Reds were in a win-and-in position on Sunday. While they lost, 4-2, they still earned a playoff spot with the Miami Marlins beating the New York Mets.
Recently, the Reds have been playing their best baseball.
“We’re savvy,” Martinez said. “Relentless. It took us to the last week to fully buy in. But for the last week and month-and-a-half even, we’ve been relentless and fully bought into who we are. That’s dangerous.”
This weekend in Milwaukee, the bullpen carried the day in the Reds’ two wins that ultimately sealed their playoff fate. Connor Phillips, Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Pagán were some of the heroes. They were tired as they had to pitch a lot, but they stepped up and delivered when the Reds needed it most.
“We were knocked on our butts 18 million times this year,” reliever Brent Suter said. “We kept responding. I love this team. I love this city. It means the world. It means everything. I can’t wait to see where we go from here. One step of this journey is complete. We are in the dance. We are in the dance. Look out for the Reds. I don’t know if anyone wants to play us.”
The Reds are embracing the opportunity against the reigning World Series champions, and having Greene likely on the mound for Game 1 is a good starting point.
Shortstop Elly De La Cruz is also turning a corner, and the bullpen is an advantage that the Reds have over Los Angeles.
“Everyone says they want to win a World Series,” Greene said. “It’s not easy. These are the steps to do it. You’ve got to be able to go through times like this to know how to do.”
The Reds celebrated their playoff berth with a postgame champagne shower. Steer said that it felt like the best moment of his career, and it paid off all of the struggles that the Reds had to overcome.
“It’s why you do it,” Steer said. “It’s why you grind your butt off all year round. It’s why you grind in the offseason. Grind every day. This is what it’s all about.”
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