Cincinnati Reds: Most unbreakable feats in team history

The Cincinnati Reds franchise is littered with history, but which amazing feats will never be duplicated by anyone ever again?

Records are made to be broken is an infamous phrase that most of us know. However, some records will require a Herculean effort if one wishes to stand alone. The Cincinnati Reds have a long and storied history and there are a few records that are unlikely to never be broken. Let’s look at some of the most unbreakable records in team history.

When you look at the sport of baseball, several feats that were commonplace over 100 years ago will likely never be seen in today’s game. Heck, even some records that were set only 30 years may never be touched by today’s athletes.

When you think about some of the most unbreakable records in sports, UCLA’s 88-game win streak comes to mind. Will we ever see a college basketball program that dominant ever again? How about Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in a single game? A few have come close, but that record feels secure, right?

The Boston Celtics won eight consecutive championships, Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 consecutive games and Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consecutive games. Those are impressive stats and it’s unlikely we’ll ever see those records fall.

But what about our favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds? What records have we seen from past players that will most likely never be broken? Some records may be more recent than you think, but they all have one thing in common; breaking such records will require a special set of circumstances.

1. Reds score 26 runs in one game (6/4/1911)

The team record for runs scored in one game was set back on June 4, 1911, when the Cincinnati Reds did battle with the Boston Rustlers. In front of an audience at the Palace of the Fans, in game that lasted just two hours and five minutes, the Reds dismantled the Rustlers by a score of 26-3. It’s hard to see that many runs scored ever again.

Prior to 1900, 30 or more runs were recorded eight different times. After 1900, only one team has equalled 30 runs in one game. The Texas Rangers demolished the Baltimore Orioles in a game on August 22nd. The Rangers scored 10 times the number of runs as the Orioles, winning Game 1 of a doubleheader 30-3.

In terms of National League teams, only once has a team eclipsed the 26-run mark set by the Reds in 1911. In a game against Philadelphia, St. Louis racked up 28 runs back in 1929. The most recent NL team to reach 25 or more runs in a single game was back in 1995 when the Chicago Cubs visited Coors Field and defeated the Colorado Rockies 26-7.

While Great American Ball Park is a hitter-friendly environment, it’s hard to see that many runs being scored in today’s game. With so many infield shifts and different defensive alignments, the likelihood of teams scoring 20 or more runs in a game, while not out of the realm of possibilities, is a hard thought to come by.

2. Scooter Gennett’s four home runs in one game (6/6/2017)

In the long history of the Cincinnati Reds, with primetime sluggers such as George Foster, Joey Votto, Frank Robinson and Ted Kluszewski, no one had ever hit four home runs in a single game. On May 6, 2017, Cincinnati-native Scooter Gennett became the first Reds player to ever accomplish such a feat.

To put what Gennett did into perspective; we’ve seen 23 perfect games in the history of Major League Baseball, but only 17 times has a player hit four round trippers in a single game. Gennett’s first long ball was a no-doubt grand slam to right-center field off Adam Wainwright that put the Reds up 5-0.

Scooter’s second homer came off reliever Jon Gant. Gennett deposited his second home run into center field. Gennett then took Gant deep again in the sixth inning, but this time it was an opposite field shot that put the Reds on top of the St. Louis Cardinals 11-0.

Gennett’s final home run came in the bottom of the eighth inning with one on and two outs. Owning an 11-1 lead, this would be Scooter’s final at-bat of the night. As he walked up to the dish with GABP crowd offering him a standing ovation, Gennett slugged an 0-2 pitch over the right field wall and became the first Reds player to ever hit four home runs in one game.

3. Four triples in one inning (7/22/1926)

Last season, Phillip Ervin led the Cincinnati Reds in triples with seven. Nick Senzel finished second with four three-baggers. How about four triples in one inning? While it’s not an individual record, as a team, the Reds recorded four triples in one inning during a game on July 22, 1926. As a team, Cincinnati recorded just 27 triples all of last season.

The Boston Braves were in town, and before an audience of 3,298 at Redland Field, the Reds put up an 11-spot in the second inning. Hall of Fame centerfielder Edd Roush was part of that Reds team, but was not among those to hit a triple that afternoon in Cincinnati.

Cuckoo Christensen stepped to the plate with two runners aboard and laced a triple into center field. An error allowed Christensen to score and put the Reds up 3-1. The next batter up, Curt Walker knocked a triple of his own into left field. After an RBI single by Roush, Bubbles Hargave hit a triple to right field.

After four straight singles and an error, the Reds had gone on top of the Braves by a score of 9-1. Walker came to the plate for the second time in the inning, and for the second time hit a triple. This one, like the previous three-bagger, went to left field. Roush popped up to end the inning, but the Reds had scored 12 runs. The final score was 13-3.