CINCINNATI — Sometimes a team walks off after a win with a level of satisfaction. Sometimes, teams head to the clubhouse knowing they were lucky to win because of a break here or a call there.
But Sunday’s 6-5 thriller over the Washington Nationals has the potential to mean much more to these Cincinnati Reds.
A highly touted rookie by the name of Trey Liscomb gave the Nationals a 4-3 lead with an opposite field homer to right-center off Buck Farmer that deflected off the outside of Will Benson’s glove in the seventh before dropping into the first row of seats.
Tejay Antone didn’t have it Sunday. The Nationals loaded the bases against him in the eighth with none out and Fernando Cruz came on to remarkably allow just one of the three to score, keeping the game in striking distance at 5-3.
Sunday was all about picking each other up and making up for lost opportunities.
No one picked up the Reds more than their longest tenured regular, 2021 NL Rookie of the Year, Jonathan India. The second baseman had an at-bat for the ages against one of the premier closers in the game.
Kyle Finnegan retired Nick Martini and Luke Maile on line outs. India then worked nine pitches and a full count out of him, which included a dribbler down the third base line that nearly stayed fair.
On the tenth pitch, India hooked a pitch just inside the left field line fair for a two-out double.
“He kept throwing it high and away, high and in and just wasn’t giving me anything to hit,” India said. “Even the pitch I hit was tough… It was one of the best at-bats I’ve had I think in my career, just mentally grinding and getting through that. That was fun.”
The Reds still had a pulse.
Then came Benson. He had just missed on the catch in the seventh. He struck out in the seventh after the first two batters reached. He felt it was time to make up for those two moments. And he did by crushing a first-pitch splitter off the “Star Fire” sign above the Reds bullpen in left-center to send the crowd that had stayed into delirium. Game tied.
Will Benson knows his big moment doesn’t happen without the heroics of Jonathan India pic.twitter.com/abwUuFztuH
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) March 31, 2024
Then it was Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s turn. Unlike Benson, CES had struggled to open 2024. He was 0-for-12 over his first three games, including a pair of strikeouts to start Sunday and then a pair of 5-4-3 doubleplays.
But the India double and Benson homer had changed the energy inside Great American. The at-bat started off with a feel of his 12 previous at-bats, with a swing and a miss at a Finnegan splitter.
But the next splitter hung just enough for Encarnacion-Strand to not miss. He put his best swing of the season on it. The ball left his bat at 113 mph and was in the air just four seconds before landing in the lower left field seats, leaving India in awe.
“I was telling Christian the whole the whole day (as) he was struggling and I said, ‘Hey, dude, your time’s coming bro. You’re going to get something you’re going to do some crazy for our team and it’s coming just keep the course, stay focused, stay focused.’ And I was like, ‘Dude, I told you I told you it was going to come up to you and it happened.’ He’s played like 66 big league games. And that’s three walkoffs. That’s hard to do. That’s what I want to do.”
“I bet you now he’s going to go off. When he’s good, he’s one of the best power hitters in the game” Jonathan India on CES. pic.twitter.com/3mb0W8g1K5
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) March 31, 2024
Near-certain defeat had turned into exhilarating victory in a matter of several minutes against one of the best closers in baseball.
“Of course, Will Benson and Christian, I mean huge hits obviously, but it really started with the Jonathan India at-bat,” skipper David Bell said. “And it just takes a lot of toughness. It also takes a lot of belief in your teammates because to put forth that amount of energy when you’re down to your final out. You’re two runs away like when you believe if you can get on, if it’s possible, and you give everything you have right there. It’s so much fun playing that way and it definitely can lead to to bigger things.”
THE RALLY REDS ARE BACK#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/mz7CD0wn30
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 31, 2024
From now on, anytime the Reds are down one, two or even three runs heading into the ninth, they will have Sunday in the memory bank to draw upon.
“I think the more we can push and I think coming back right there in the end just shows what kind of team we are,” Encarnacion-Strand told me. “We’re not going to give up.”
“When I was younger, I tended to respond to pressure. Maybe that’s just what I needed.” Christian Encarnacion-Strand on his GW HR. pic.twitter.com/hlEudBbJSt
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) March 31, 2024
