By Hal McCoy
There was no possible way the Cincinnati Reds could win this game. No way possible.
But there was a way, the most improbable of improbables.
It ended dramatically, a walk-off single poked to right field by Blake Dunn, who lugged a 1 for 19 skid to the plate in the 10th-inning.
His hit, followed by ghost runner Spencer Steer sliding home, gave the Reds a 4-3 win over the hopeless, hapless Kansas City Royals Tuesday night in Great American Ball Park.
How the Reds got to that point was a study in perseverance.
For seven innings they trailed, 3-1, and had one baserunner the entire seven innings.
Spencer Steer homered with one out in the fifth innings against Kansas City starter Noah Cameron.
That was it for the Reds through seven innings against Cameron. He retired every batter but Steer, 22 up, 21 down with eight strikeouts.
Cameron had only 87 pitches but Royals manager Matt Quatraro decided that was enough — fortunately for the Reds.
Matt Strahm arrived for the eighth inning and the first batter was Spence Steer.
Home run. Again. Steer, a dead pull hitter, drilled this one the opposite way to right field. But the Reds still trailed, 3-2, and Steer had the only two hits and was the Reds’ only baserunner.
For the ninth inning, Quatraro brought in his massively struggling closer, Lucas Erceg. He had blown three saves in a row and four of his last five.
Make it four straight and five of six.
Francona sent up much-troubled Will Benson to pinch-hit to open the ninth, hoping he might draw a walk, get hit by a pitch or bloop in a single.
He drove a dangling Erceg pitch into the right field seats. Tie game.
Steer had done about as much damage as he could do for one game and struck out to end the ninth so was the ghost runner in the 10th.
Reds manager Tito Francona sent TJ Friedl up as a pinch-hitter to bunt Steer to third. He struck out. But with two strikes, Dunn delivered his walk-off.
The Royals are 4-12 in one-run games, a partial explanation why they are 15 games under .500.
Reds starter Andrew Abbott pitched five scoreless innings, but gave up three in the other inning, the fourth.
The Royals batted around with one run scoring on a ground ball and two more on number nine hitter Michael Massey’s two-out two-run single.
Abbott pitched six innings and gave up three runs, five hits, walked four and struck out five.
And on this night, the Reds bullpen was impeccable — no runs, no hits, four walks and six strikeouts over four innings.
TeJay Antone, Sam Moll, Zach Maxwell and Brock Burke contributed one inning each.
“It was an unreal job by everyone,” said Steer after his eighth and ninth home runs extended his on-base streak to 21 games, longest in the majors.
“Abbott battled to give us a chance and the bullpen came in and shut ‘em down,” he added.
“Their starter (Cameron) wasn’t missing over the plate and had us off balance with his fastball and off-speed,” he said “But we found a way.”
He found a way. Nobody else did until Cameron was lifted.
“I couldn’t be happier for Will Benson,” said Steer. “He was ready for that moment. He is ready every single day, the way he goes about his business and prepares for his at bats. I don’t think anybody deserves it more and that at bat was magic.”
Dunn swung a magic bat in the 10th, a soft line drive over the second baseman’s head to end it.
“Getting a win for the team is the most important thing,” said Dunn. “That was awesome.”
Asked about the Steer and Benson homers, Dunn said, “I’m not here (talking to reporters) without those guys.
“Steer picked us up with those homers and Benson comes off the bench. . .pinch-hitting is one of the hardest things to do and the fact he was able to come in right there, that was huge,” he added.
It was the team’s first win without injured Elly De La Cruz after taking a 9-2 drubbing from the Royals Monday.
“We have a lot of guys stepping up and a lot of guys who have been stepping up,” said Steer. “Losing Elly De La Cruz. . .he is a massive part of our team.
“It is up to us to fill that void, win some ballgames without him, and hopefully when he comes back he’ll hit the ground running.”
Asked what a win like this one means, Francona said, “It means we won, which is what we set out to do.
“It was a pretty quiet night and if it wasn’t for Steer, we had nothing,” he added. “Their guy was just carving us up.”
But once Cameron left, it was the Reds doing the carving against a team that has lost seven of eight and 17 of 21.
“Will Benson had the huge hit so that we get to keep playing,” said Francona. “Once you tie and go into extra innings, we’re at home and the advantage is ours.”
And asked what he saw during Benson’s at bat, Francona replied quickly, “He hit a home run. Their guy (Erceg) gives up a lot of walks, so the hope was that Benson could find a way to get on or get a hit.
“Obviously, he hit a home run, but that’s certainly not what we expected.”