Reds broadcaster reaching breaking point with Ke'Bryan Hayes says it all

Every Cincinnati Reds fan knows, once you lose John Sadak — the team's television play-by-play broadcaster — you've officially reached rock bottom. That's where third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes finds himself at this moment, and one has wonder how much longer Reds manager Terry Francona will stick with the Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman.

The Reds broke their losing streak on Tuesday night with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, but Hayes had little to no impact in the final score — other than the fact that the margin for victory could've been much larger. Hayes grounded into two double plays on the evening, and Sadak's reaction was a reflection of fanbase's growing frustration.

Even Reds broadcaster John Sadak sounds exhausted by Ke’Bryan Hayes

Blake Dunn singled during the top of the third inning and a walk to catcher Tyler Stephenson gave Hayes an opportunity to put the Reds on the board, or at the very least, advance the runners. Instead, Hayes swung at the first offering from Phillies' pitcher Jesús Luzardo and grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

As soon as the ball left the bat, Reds color analyst Jeff Brantley exclaimed, "Oh boy!" He knew, just as those who were watching on TV, that Hayes' weak grounder to the second baseman effectively killed any chance of a productive inning.

Hayes had another chance during the top of the fifth inning, but with a runner on first base and no outs, he pounded a ball into the dirt that rolled to Phillies' shortstop Edmundo Sosa. He threw on to second baseman Bryan Stott who then tossed the ball to first baseman Bryce Harper to complete the 6-4-3 double play.

"Bounced to short. Second one, another double-play. He has tied the team lead, that's now five giddy-ups for Hayes. And he entered hitting .147, he's getting on base at a 200-rate," Sadak observed exasperatedly.

The last straw for Sadak came in the top of the seventh inning, however. The Reds loaded the bases with nobody out, and for some strange reason, Francona sent Hayes to the plate with a chance to break the game wide open. Instead, he softly grounded the ball to the shortstop, and Sosa threw home to cut down the runner at the plate.

"Bounced left side, backhand, force at the plate. Oh goodness," Sadak exclaimed. "At least it's not a double play."

Mo Egger of ESPN1530 took to X and wrote, "Ke'Bryan Hayes has even lost John Sadak."

Indeed he has, and that says it all, doesn't it Reds fans? Sadak is the biggest cheerleader for the ole Redlegs, and when he's not in your corner, things have really gone off the rails.

Now the question becomes, what are the Reds going to do about it? Hayes is owed $30 million through the 2029 season and is one of the best defenders in the league. But he's an automatic out almost every time he touches the bat. Cincinnati can't continue to run him out as part of the everyday lineup, but $8 million per year is an expensive bench player.

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