Reds pitcher Tony Santillan may have just reignited Cubs' rivalry

One of the Cincinnati Reds' biggest rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, have entered a full-on rebuild. The Cardinals shipped Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox, dealt Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners, and Nolan Arenado was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Thankfully, while the Reds-Cardinals rivalry may be put on hold for the upcoming season, Tony Santillan might've just lit the fuse that will push Cincinnati's feud with the Chicago Cubs into overdrive. Speaking with Cincinnati reporter Charlie Goldsmith, Santillan reminisced his back-and-forth battles with Pete Crow-Armstrong last season, and those comments could reignite the rivalry.

“I’ve been waiting for that at-bat for a while,” Santillan said. “I got to face PCA. I’ve been waiting for a while for that at-bat. Since May. I waited a long time for that at-bat...once I saw Pete step in there, I was happy, I guess. It’s weird. I was happy to get my chance.”

Tony Santillan may have reignited Reds-Cubs rivalry thank to last year's battles with Pete Crow-Armstrong

For those who don't remember, Crow-Armstrong had a viral moment in 2025 and Santillan was on the losing end of it. During a game in late-May, in the top of the seventh inning, Santillan was brought in with the Reds leading 6-4. He allowed a single to Kyle Tucker to load the bases, and then Crow-Armstrong delivered the knock-out blow — a grand slam. Chicago went on to win by the final score of 13-6.

Santillan, however, got his revenge against PCA — but he had to wait until September. In a game the Reds had to have in order to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt, Santillan took the mound in ninth inning looking to put the finishing touches on a four-game sweep of the Cubs.

The Reds led 1-0, and Santillan sandwiched a flyout and strikeout between two walks. That put runners on first and second with Crow-Armstrong due up. Santillan held nothing back from the free-swinging PCA, and after a swinging strike and back-to-back foul balls, Santillan dotted the inside corner with a 97 mph heater and secured the sweep for the ole Redlegs.

The hulking Reds reliever erupted with a roar, embraced his batterymate Jose Trevino, and had his revenge. Santillan told Goldsmith, "I had been waiting for that at-bat for a while now. I finally got it, and I did what I knew I could do.”

The Reds' inter-division hostility toward opposing NL Central teams has seemed dead at times over the past few seasons. Maybe the exchange between Santillan and PCA can inject new life into a rivalry that's been lacking since the days of Amir Garrett and Javier Baez.