Cincinnati Reds Punch Their Ticket To October Baseball In Dramatic Fashion
Look who decided to show up to the playoff party fashionably late – the Cincinnati Reds just clinched their first postseason berth since 2020, and honestly, it wasn’t pretty. But hey, ugly wins count just the same as the pretty ones, right?
Reds Make History Despite Loss
YOUR CINCINNATI REDS ARE GOING TO THE
POSTSEASON pic.twitter.com/dO9XS2tgtr— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 28, 2025
Sunday’s 4-2 loss to Milwaukee should have been a funeral dirge for Cincinnati’s playoff hopes. Instead, it turned into a celebration thanks to some divine intervention from Miami. While the Reds were getting roughed up by the Brewers, the Marlins were busy doing the Lord’s work, shutting out the Mets 4-0 and essentially gift-wrapping Cincinnati’s playoff spot with a bow on top.
The math was simple but brutal: both teams finished 83-79, but the Reds owned the season series tiebreaker. Sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good, and boy, were the Reds lucky on Sunday.
The Emotional Rollercoaster That Defined Cincinnati’s Season
Let’s be honest – this team has put their fanbase through more ups and downs than a Six Flags roller coaster. Remember August 19? Cincinnati sat pretty at 67-60, seven games over .500, and looking like legitimate playoff contenders. Then reality hit harder than a Danny Jansen fastball.
The Reds proceeded to go 7-15 over their next 22 games, getting swept by both the powerhouse Dodgers AND the lowly Athletics. Yes, you read that right – the same Athletics team that’s been playing like they’re already planning their Vegas relocation party.
By September 16, Cincinnati was drowning at 75-76, one game under .500, and their playoff dreams seemed deader than disco. But here’s where Terry Francona’s magic kicked in.
Francona’s Calming Presence Pays Dividends For Reds
Hiring Terry Francona wasn’t just about getting an experienced manager – it was about getting a guy who’s been there, done that, and bought the championship t-shirt. Twice. The man has a gift for keeping teams level-headed when everything’s falling apart faster than a house of cards in a hurricane.
“He’s calm,” 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.”
That calmness became infectious. When the Reds were getting swept by Pittsburgh – PITTSBURGH! – in late September, Francona kept preaching his one-game-at-a-time philosophy. It sounds cliché until it works, and brother, did it ever work.
What’s Next For the Wild Card Reds?
Now comes the fun part. The Reds head to Los Angeles to face the defending World Series champion Dodgers in a best-of-three Wild Card series starting Tuesday night. The same Dodgers who swept Cincinnati just last month. The same Dodgers who’ve been treating the Reds like their personal punching bag for years.
But here’s the thing about October baseball – anything can happen. The Reds have Hunter Greene ready to go for Game 1. They have nothing to lose, and they are playing with house money at this point.
Sure, 83-79 isn’t exactly a record that strikes fear into opponents’ hearts. But this Cincinnati team has shown remarkable resilience all season long. They’ve gotten up off the mat more times than Rocky Balboa, and they’re not done swinging yet.
The drought is over in Cincinnati. After years of disappointment and false hopes, the Reds are back where they belong – in October baseball. Whether they can make some noise against the Dodgers remains to be seen, but for now, let’s just appreciate the beautiful chaos that got them here.
