Reds History: Ex-Marlins slugger shines on Opening Day with gamebreaking home run

There’s nothing quite like Opening Day in Cincinnati. For 135 years, fans have filled the streets with carousing and jubilation. It’s hard to find a happier Ohioan than a Cincinnati Reds fan on Opening Day, but in 2019, Derek Dietrich was maybe the happiest Buckeye of them all.

When the Reds signed Dietrich to a minor-league contract just prior to spring training, he was known more for his physique than his baseball prowess. Dietrich had spent his first six major league seasons with the Miami Marlins, and owned a .757 OPS.

Still, the infielder could be counted on to provide a dozen or so homers off the bench in any given season, and his most impressive long ball of his 2019 season with the Reds came on Opening Day in front of a packed house at Great American Ball Park.

Derek Dietrich’s three-run homer during Reds Opening Day in 2019 sent the fans into a fever

With runners on second (Jose Iglesias) and third (Tucker Barnhart) in the seventh inning, Dietrich stepped in to pinch-hit for pitcher Zach Duke with the Reds tied and Pittsburgh Pirates tied at 2-2. The Pirates had just pulled starter Jameson Taillon, who had already given up a homer and a double that inning. The Cleveland native worked the count and sent a 2-1 fastball into the raucous crowd in right-center.

Dietrich’s celebration was perhaps even more joyous than the home run itself. He flew around the bases, pumping his fist in excitement. The lefty came out for a deserved curtain call, and the blow sealed the Reds’ 5-3 victory over the Pirates on Opening Day.

Dietrich continued the power display throughout the early months of the 2019 season. He had hit 17 home runs by the end of May and was particularly lethal against the division-rival Pirates. Dietrich smashed seven homers in 14 games against the Bucs that season.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. As suddenly as Dietrich rose to Cincinnati stardom, he crashed. He slugged just .263 in June and failed to compete for starting time with Jose Iglesias and Scooter Gennett. His second half was one of the worst in recent memory; he hit .071/.257/.179.

But for one day in March, Dietrich captured the hearts of Cincinnati fans and made Opening Day that much more special.

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