OBSERVATIONS: He Was Votto-matic With RISP
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, remembering the day Joey Votto approached me and said, “Hal, you’ve been around this game a long time. If I ever change, will you please tell me?” He changed, but it was for the better and I never had to tell him he changed for the […]
McCoy: Reds Blow 5-0 Lead, Lose to Pirates, 6-5
By Hal McCoy Andrew Abbott was the scheduled starter for Friday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in PNC Park, but was placed on the injured list prior to the game with a sore shoulder. That forced Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell to utilize a Bullpen Day. For four innings it worked perfectly and that’s […]
McCoy: Pirates, Skenes Hang A Zero On The Reds, 7-0
By Hal McCoy For 4 1/2 innings, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes put on a near-perfect pitching display Thursday night in PNC Park. With the help of umpire Larry Vanover’s strike zone, that appeared as wide as the PNC Park’s 15222 zip code, the two pitchers were striking out […]
McCoy: Spiers Hammered By Five Homers
By Hal McCoy There appears to be two Cincinnati baseball teams — the Good Reds and the Bad Reds. The bad guys showed up Tuesday night in Rogers Centre against the last place Toronto Blue Jays. After the good guys showed up Monday for a crisply-played win, Tuesday was deja vu all over again during […]
McCoy: Rookie Aguiar Helps Reds Stop Losing Streak
By Hal McCoy It figured to be a mismatch with veteran Toronto pitcher Kevin Gausman matched against Cincinnati pitcher Julian Aguiar making his major league debut. And it was, but not the way it figured to be as the Reds shed a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the last place Blue Jays. […]
McCoy: Royals Turn Out The Lights On The Reds
By Hal McCoy The Kansas City Royals showed the Cincinnati Reds how the big boys play during a three-game sweep in Great American Ball Park over the weekend. Except. . .the Royals are not one of MLB’s big boys. They inhabit the smallest market in major-league baseball. The Reds are the fifth smallest. And even […]
ASK HAL: Who Had The Most Unusual Stance?
By Hal McCoy Q: Can you recall any player with a more unconventional batting stance than Carl Yastrzemski? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek. A: Oh, so many. Nearly every hitter has his own stance. Former New York Yankee Gil McDougal was so wide open he nearly stood facing the pitcher. Pete Rose had his peek-a-boo stance, peering […]
McCoy: A Debacle At GABP As Royals Rout Reds, 13-1
By Hal McCoy What do you think the score might be when five Kansas City Royals walk to the batter’s box three times before three members of the Cincinnati Reds order bats once? What do you think the score might be when the Royals’ leadoff hitter gets on base in the first five innings and […]
McCoy: A Royal(s) Romp Stops Reds Winning Streak
By Hal McCoy The Cincinnati Reds ran into an old friend and he was far from friendly Friday night in Great American Ball Park. Michael Lorenzen pitched for seven years for the Reds, but now pitches for the Kansas City Royals, his fourth team in the last two seasons. He suffocated the Reds on two […]