My most memorable Reds game included a celebration in the rain

Attending a Reds game is a memorable experience, but some games are never forgotten.

I don’t remember every Cincinnati Reds baseball game I have attended. There are some games, however, that have made a lasting impact. I attended the last game at Cinergy Field, the first Opening Day game at Great American Ball Park, the one-game playoff versus the New York Mets, and most recently game Aristides Aquino smashed three home runs against the Chicago Cubs.

While those games, and sitting front row during Deion Sanders debut, were extremely memorable, there is one game I will never forget. It was towards the end of the season on a rainy Saturday, September 29, 1990, versus the San Diego Padres.

Due to the 1990 baseball lockout, the Reds began the season on the road for only the third time in team history. They beat the Houston Astros on Opening Day 8-4 to start the season atop the NL West division. The Reds won their next eight games to start the season 9-0, the team’s best start in club history. The season kept rolling from there.

On July 7, the Reds won their 50th game. The team reached 26 games over .500 on July 23. Five Reds players made the All-Star Game, with two players earning starting spots. Pitcher Jack Armstrong, who served as the NL starting pitcher, and third baseman Chris Sabo started at the hot corner.

By the middle of September, the Reds magic number to clinch the division continued shrinking. My dad, who grew up watching the Big Red Machine, wanted to give my brother and I a chance to witness the Reds clinch the NL West division for the first time since 1979. We bought tickets to the game on September 29, 1990 versus the San Diego Padres. Cincinnati’s magic number was one.

The weather didn’t cooperate, as rain continually fell. Eventually, the rain was too much and play stopped in the bottom of the 6th inning with the Reds losing 3-1. The tarp came out and the game was stopped. The Reds lost. But wait, the scoreboard revealed a reason to celebrate. The San Francisco Giants were beating the LA Dodgers. If the Dodgers lost, the Reds would win the division.

Fans stayed in the stands during the rain out waiting to see what happened in the Giants-Dodgers game. Reds players stood in the dugout as the final score flashed on the scoreboard. The Giants beat the Dodgers 4-3. The Reds won the NL West to complete the first wire-to-wire winning season in NL history. They were going back to the playoffs.

Fans at Riverfront Stadium erupted in celebration. Soon, the players came out of the dugout and stood in the rain to join in the excitement. Players waved to the fans, slid on the wet tarp, and danced to music blaring over the speakers at Riverfront Stadium. It was a division-winning party in the rain, unlike anything I had ever seen.

For me, September 29, 1990, is the best Reds game I have attended. Not because of the score or a player having a standout performance. What was most memorable was the electric atmosphere in the stands and on the field, and being able to experience Cincinnati clinch a division title. I will always remember this game.