CINCINNATI — Geno Suarez was eventually going to have his first big moment.
It only took three games for it to happen. Suarez launched a 93 mph fastball from Boston reliever Greg Weissert 431 feet to the upper deck with two-men on to turn a two-run deficit into a slim one-run advantage. But it was enough of a lead on this particular day for the Reds to hold on for their first series win of the season.
“I think that’s a game that last year we lose a lot of times because we were kind of frustrated,” Francona said. “(On Sunday), we had some hits we didn’t get, didn’t bunch them together, but all of a sudden they tried to sneak a fastball by him, and it completely changes the game. And that didn’t happen a lot (in 2025). That’s why we got Geno.”
The Reds seem to wait and wait and wait this offseason for the price to come down and when it did (one year, $15 million with an option for 2027), they were more than willing to make the investment.
On Sunday we saw why.
He had just one hit in his previous 11 plate appearances before stepping in against Weissert. He had five strikeouts, including one in his first at-bat against lefty Connelly Early on Sunday. He was one strike away from his sixth strikeout, in an 0-2 hole, before making the adjustment that paid big dividends.
“It’s just gonna happen, man. I never try for homers,” Suarez said. “I put my best swing on it. I’m not going to hit homers every time. My swing is right there. I want to put my best swing, swing at strikes and get results. I’m gonna have the results at some point. Today is one of those days, for example, that I did my best. I was making my adjustment, and be on time of the fast one, and I had done the homework right there.”
Suarez nearly launched a game-tying homer in the fourth. It landed in Jarren Duran’s glove in center, 403 feet away.
“I was very close on the previous (at-bat),” Suarez added. “They’ve been throwing me a lot of fastballs, and I was late in the previous two games on that fastball. I missed so many but today was different. I try to make my adjustment. I kind of know that they were going to attack me with the fastball and be ready for that one. Today was better, a lot better. Obviously, I got a good results on that. The previous one, I hit it hard, too high a little bit but and then I got the good one.”
The Red Sox were leading on a two-run homer from Wilyer Abreu in the fourth inning before Suarez launched his go-ahead shot to the upper deck in left.
“I felt like that since the day we got him. I think he’s happy to be here. We’re thrilled to have him, and he lifts everybody up. And I think we already had a great group, but he adds a lot,” Francona said.
Lefty reliever Brock Burke (1-0) allowed one hit over 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Tony Santillan picked off Jarren Duran for a critical out in a scoreless eighth and Emilio Pagan redeemed himself for blowing Saturday’s save chance by pitching a scoreless ninth for his first save.
“These are the types of games we’re gonna be in all year long if we’re gonna be the team we think we’re gonna be,” Pagan said.
In taking the last two games, Cincinnati recorded a series win at home against Boston for the first time since taking two-of-three at Riverfront Stadium in the middle set of the 1975 World Series. Before Saturday’s win, Cincinnati was just 3-11 all-time at home against the Red Sox in interleague play. The Reds beat the Red Sox in a regular season series for just the second time since the two began playing each other in 2005.
The pitcher’s duel between two of the best young arms in the game didn’t disappoint as Cincinnati right-hander Rhett Lowder and Boston lefty Connelly Early matched zeroes for the first three innings.
Willson Contreras smoked a one-hop liner past Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz to get the one-out rally started in the fourth. Abreu followed with a two-run homer to right-center on a Lowder slider for a 2-0 Boston lead. “I felt like I had my stuff,” Lowder said. “That one slider got away from me, but I was happy with how I located the fastball and kept us in the game.”
Those would be the only two runs allowed by Lowder over five innings. The right-hander was making his first Major League start since Sept. 28, 2024, after oblique, forearm and shoulder injuries sidelined him all of 2025. Lowder allowed just three hits and walked two while striking out five.
“It’s been a long road back,” Lowder said. “Being out there today, hearing the crowd, and just competing again—it’s what you work for every day in rehab…Geno coming through like that was huge. Our bullpen was lights out after I came out. It’s a great way to start the season.”
Early was even better, scattering four hits over five shutout innings. But he allowed a leadoff single to Matt McLain to open the sixth before striking out Elly De La Cruz. Weissert then walked Sal Stewart, setting up the three-run homer from Suarez. Early was charged with one run over 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, striking out six and walking two.
