Cincinnati Reds: Historically, hot start may mean start of something great

Are the Reds ready to embark on a championship season?

Historic starts turn into historic seasons when teams take care of business. They’re well-rounded teams who compete with the other leaders of the league and take the series against the bad teams.

The 1950 New York Yankees took care of all the business when they opened the season with 50 runs in six games and ended the season sweeping the World Series. Led by the likes of Yogi Berra and Hank Bauer, this was an intense lineup that won 37 games by five runs or more.

They had at least a .600 winning-percentage against all their opponents, except for second-place Detroit (.500) and third-place Boston (.591). These Yankees handled all their business, all the time.

Another team that went to the World Series after a historic hot-start– and the only team to have two such historic starts– the Cleveland Indians matched the Reds 57 runs in six games in 1995. It only took them a few more year to do one run better in 1999.

The 1995 Cleveland Indians spent 131 of 162 games in first place, winning 100 games, sweeping the ALDS, and winning the AL pennant. The 1995 Indians were a very well-rounded team that finished with an absurd +233 run differential. The 1995 Indians’ team enjoyed a great postseason run that was ended by the Atlanta Braves in the World Series.

Now some might say the 1999 lineup had the even more impressive run, as Cleveland’s pitching staff had fallen off a few steps since 1995. Often playing in high-scoring games, Cleveland found themselves in one-run situations quite frequently. They posted a 26-19 record in one-run games that season.

Their 57 runs in six games; same as the 2021 Reds, created much needed momentum in a highly competitive season. It also gave a shaky pitching staff at least some peace of mind knowing they’d usually get run support.

A stacked lineup of lefties like Jim Thome and Kenny Lofton created over 1,000 runs and a +149 run differential and won Cleveland the AL Central before falling to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series.

These three teams had it all. Their historic hot-starts were siren calls to the league that they were the stars and they were going to win. They had multiple guys in the lineup that could hit and a few more that could really hit for power.

They were representations of authentically dangerous lineups that would rack up the score on opponents, generate a division title and get the team to the postseason. They competed against the other leaders, won close games, and took care of business.

As some of the Reds injured players begin to slowly return, fans are hopeful that the team can become more well-rounded through some better defense and added pitching depth. But if the individual offensive improvements can continue and the Cincinnati Reds keep on taking care of business, they’ll at least be in position to carry this improbable start to the right side of history.