With the independent leagues starting up, it's time to add a few more of those ballparks to my list. But it is not worth traveling for just one game, so I have to look for spots where I can see a few new venues over a couple of days. The Florence Y'Alls of the Frontier League are located about 15 miles south of Cincinnati, so I looked for a day where the Reds were at home in the afternoon and the Y'Alls in the evening. Turned out that the Frontier League's opening day was just such an occasion. I was staying out by the airport and took the 2X bus downtown, arriving early to enjoy the neighborhood around Great American Ballpark.
The stadium opened in 2003 and at that time, there wasn't much around, but things have changed and now there over a dozen bars to explore in the DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) pedestrian plaza. I chose the Holy Grail Tavern and spent an hour there before heading into the stadium.
Of course, the Reds have the longest history of any MLB franchise and that is celebrated with various monuments, including the one above that commemorates the Red Stockings of 1869, the first professional baseball club. More recent Red heroes such as Johnny Bench have statues around the ballpark.
I last visited here in 2014 for the Blue Jays, so I wanted to wander around to refresh my memory. It is quite a nice stadium, with a few unique aspects.
One addition is the Brewing Heritage Trail, a series of information boards that describe how beer and baseball have been together in Cincinnati for over 150 years. The one below describes how August "Garry" Herrmann, a local political operative and President of the Reds, came up with the idea for the World Series. Fellow sports traveler Gary Herman was happy to hear about this bit of trivia.
The Reds have four mascots, including Mr. Redlegs and Rosie, whose likenesses can be found along the concourse for photo opportunities.
Great American Insurance owns the naming rights and it is their building that dominates the skyline these days. Note the small gap in the upper deck, added so those outside could see in.
A more famous building for those who watched WKRP growing up is the Fourth and Vine Tower, the tip of which can be seen in the photo below.
The signature feature here is the pair of smokestacks that dispense fireworks during the national anthem and after Reds homers.
Below is the view from the aforementioned gap, where there is a standing rail. If I went to many games, I would spend one here, as the view is quite nice.
There are a few more historical touches, such as a photo montage of all the championship teams.
Above the right field seats are a couple of vertical scoreboards that show the current batter and his results for the day in scorebook format, as well as the lineup.
It was a cloudy day with rain in the forecast, which might have kept some fans away. In the end, it sprinkled a couple of times but not enough to leave your seat.
In the end, I was really impressed with GABP and the surrounding area. I enjoy revisiting these ballparks after a long time because things change and so it is almost like discovering it for the first time. Maybe I'll be back in another ten years.
The Game
The defending National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks were the visitors having won the first two games of the series, while the Reds were on a 7-game losing streak, having scored just 13 runs in that span. Hunter Greene started for Cincy while Slade Cecconi was his counterpart. Joc Pederson homered in the first for Arizona and the game moved quickly until Jeimer Candelario tied it in the fifth for the Reds with a surprising homer.
In the top of the 6th, Pederson singled and Christian Walker walked (as he should), sending Greene to the showers. Nick Martinez promptly allowed both runners to score and he gave up another run in the 7th when Walker singled home Ketel Marte who had tripled. But Cincinnati tied it in the bottom half on four singles, only for Reds reliever Fernando Cruz to give up a couple of walks in the 8th. Corbin Carroll then singled in a run and the Diamondbacks bullpen shut down the Reds over the final two frames to sweep the series with a 5-4 win.
The Reds were undone by bad baserunning. In the 6th, Elly De La Cruz had stolen second but broke for third before Cecconi had thrown and was caught in a rundown. In the 8th, pinch runner Stuart Fairchild was on first and took off for second on a hit-and-run play, only to be faked out by shortstop Kevin Newman on a fly ball to center. Fairchild slid into second and was easily thrown out at first, the last Reds baserunner of the afternoon.
Notes
The Reds won their next game in San Francisco to end their losing streak.
Best,
Sean
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