Reds Nation

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The modern team emerged after an earlier Reds franchise was expelled from the National League in 1880 for refusing to ban beer sales and Sunday games. Sports editor O. P. Caylor formed a new independent club known as the Red Stockings, which became a charter member of the American Association in 1882. Led by third baseman Hick Carpenter and future Hall of Famer Bid McPhee, they won the inaugural AA pennant that year. The team returned to the National League in 1890 following a dispute over league leadership. Decades later, during World War II, Joe Nuxhall became the youngest player ever to appear in a major league game at age 15 in 1944. In 1953, amidst McCarthyism, the club briefly changed its name to the Redlegs to avoid communist connotations.

In Their Own Story

The 1970s defined the franchise as the "Big Red Machine," a decade where they won the National League pennant five times and the World Series twice in 1975 and 1976. This era featured Hall of Fame members Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Pérez, alongside Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader in Major League Baseball. Prior to this dominance, the team captured its first championship in 1919 over the Chicago White Sox, though the victory carried a taint from the "Black Sox" scandal by 1920. Another title came in 1940 against the Detroit Tigers, ending a 21-year wait for a world championship. In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer achieved a unique feat by throwing back-to-back no-hitters. Despite these peaks, from 1882 to 2025, the Reds hold an overall win–loss record of 11,017–10,845–139.

Reader's Guide

Fans now gather at Great American Ball Park, which opened in 2003 as the team's home. Before this, the club played at Crosley Field (formerly Redland Field), a steel-and-concrete ballpark that hosted the first night game in baseball in 1935 and was renamed in honor of owner Powel Crosley Jr. The team currently plays in the National League Central Division, having moved there in 1994 after spending the years from 1969 to 1993 in the NL West. Bob Castellini has served as the CEO since 2006. While the team won nine National League pennants and one American Association pennant throughout its history, their current focus remains on ending a playoff series drought that dates back to 1995.

Did You Know?

• Joe Nuxhall became the youngest player to appear in a major league game at age 15 on loan from Wilson Junior High School in Hamilton, Ohio.
• Johnny Vander Meer is the only pitcher in major league history to throw back-to-back no-hitters, achieving this feat in 1938.
• The team briefly changed its name to the Redlegs in 1953 due to political climate concerns regarding the word "Red."
• Great American Ball Park opened in 2003, replacing the historic Crosley Field which had hosted the first night game in baseball in 1935.
• Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader in Major League Baseball and was a key member of the Big Red Machine during the 1970s.