A DECADE OF UPS AND DOWNS

The Reds kicked off the new decade by letting Joe Morgan leave in free agency. Joe Morgan returned to the Houston Astros for the 1980 season. The same team that he spent nine seasons with before being traded to Cincinnati. Morgan spent eight seasons as a Cincinnati Red and he would be sorely missed. His replacement at second base would be Junior Kennedy. Kennedy played in 83 games the previous year with a batting average of .273 with 220 at bats.

The rest of the starters were Dan Driessen at first base. Dave Concepcion at shortstop. Ray Knight at third base. George Foster and Ken Griffey in the outfield joined by the speedy Dave Collins, who would replace Cesar Geronimo. And Johnny Bench who would still be catching. A few other players on the 25 man roster consisted of Ron Oester, Hector Cruz, Eddie Milner and Joe Nolan.

The pitching staff consisted of Mike LeCoss, Tom Seaver, Paul Maskau, Frank Pastore, lefty Charlie Leibrandt & rookie Joe Price. The bullpen would be rounded out with Tim Hume, Doug Bair, Dave Tomlin and Bill Bonham.

The 1980 baseball season also saw the emergence of Reds pitching great Mario Soto. Soto had been signed in 1973 by the Reds as an amateur free agent. But didn't make his pitching debut until 1977 where he played periodically with the Reds. In 1980 Soto led the club in E.R.A (3.07) and Strikeouts (182).

The Reds started the 1980 baseball season by going 8-0 right of the shoot. Leading the division until the last day of April where they bounced around from second and third place. Cincinnati moved back into first place in on May 13th only to lose the lead again two days later. Cincinnati continued to bounce around from second to third with the Dodgers and Astros drifting farther away in the standings. By June 21st, Cincinnati was seven games out of first place. But the club kept coming back. On August 13th the Reds defeated the Padres 4-3 which put the Reds back in first place. Cincinnati would hold on to first for only a couple of days before losing it for good.

In late September, the Reds swept the Dodgers , which put Cincinnati 2½ games behind the division leading Astros. Cincinnati's next series would be against Houston. A clean sweep of the Astros would put the Reds in first place. But it wasn't meant to be. Cincinnati proceeded to lose the series to Houston, shutting down any possibility to repeat as division champions. The Reds finished the season with a record of 89-73. Placing them 3½ games behind the Astros.

The 1980 National League Championship Series saw two former Reds players face off against each other. Pete Ros's Philadelphia Phillies versus Joe Morgan's Houston Astro's. The Phillies would win the series 3 games to 2. And would go on to defeat the Kansas City Royals and win the franchises first (and only) World Series title.

During the off season Cincinnati traded pitcher Jay Howell to the Cubs for catcher Mike O'Berry. Jay Howell went on to play fifteen seasons with the Cubs, Yankees, A's, Dodger, Atlanta and Texas. While O'Berry on played 76 games with Cincinnati in his two years on the club. And was out of baseball by 1986. Cincinnati also sent Hector Cruz to the Cubs for Mike Vail.

Cincinnati also saw the departure of Big Red Machine outfielder Cesar Geronimo. Geronimo who was traded to Kansas City for German Barranca. The reminisce of the historic Reds team of the seventies were fading even more. All that remained in the starting line up was Concepcion at shortstop, Foster in left field and Griffey in right field. Johnny Bench was still playing for the Reds, but he was used as a utility player starting in 1981.

The Reds being the only team never to acquire a player from free agency finally gives in to the changing times. They picked up Larry Biitner marking the clubs first free agent. He was one of the top pinch hitters in the National League. He piles up 34 RBI's on 33 pinch hits during his three years with the Chicago Cubs. His 12 RBI's as a pinch hitter ranked second in the National League the previous year.

Cincinnati starting line up consisted of Dan Driessen at first, ron Oester at second, Dave Concepcion at short stop, Ray Knight at third and Joe Nolan behind the plate. In the outfield was Ken Griffy Sr, Dave Collins & George Foster. Cincinnati finished second in the National League in batting average (.255), on base percentage (.345), slugging percentage (.364) & runs scored (464).

The starting pitching staff was Mario Soto (12-9, Tom Seaver (14-2), Frank Pastore (4-9), Bruce Berenyi (9-6) & Mike LaCross (4-7). The bullpen consisted of Tom Hume (13 saves), Paul Moskau, Doug Bair & lefty Joe Price. Tom Seaver was brilliant in 1981. He led the league with a 14 - 2 record and by all rights should have won the Cy Young award. He lost the award to 20 year old Fernando Valenzuela who who's record was 13-7. It would not be the only injustice to the Reds during the 1981 season.

Cincinnati started the 1981 season on April 8th with a win over the Phillies and proceeded to stumble through first half of the month of April. By April 22nd, the Reds were 5-6. Cincinnati turned it around mid April and entered May only 2½ games behind the Dodgers. However, the Reds stumbled through May ending the month with a record of 28-20 placing the club 5½ games behind the Dodgers. After Cincinnati defeated the Giants on June 3rd, the club won seven straight games. The winning streak, lasting from June 3rd to June 11th, put the Reds within a half game of the Dodgers. However, the winning streak (and baseball season) ended on June 12th when the players went on strike.

This strike wound up killing two months of the baseball season. When it became evident that the strike was ending in August and making it possible to complete a regulation season intact. Major League Baseball foolishly decided to split the 1981 season in half. Instead of simply picking the season up where it left off MLB treated the pre-strike standings as "total". The teams who were leading their divisions were declared the "first-half" winners and which ever team finished first in the standings during the "second-half" would be declared the "second-half" winners. The first-half winners would then play the second-half winners in a best five playoff series to determine who was the division champs.

When the strike started the Reds were a half game behind the Dodgers in the N.L. West. So by using this ridiculous split season system, all of the games that the Reds won before the strike - didn't count!!!!  So for the second half of the season, the Reds would have to start from scratch and attempt to win the second-half of the split season. In the mean time the Dodgers were guaranteed a play-off berth at seasons end. Regardless of whether they lost EVERY game in the second half of the season or not. The Reds unfortunatly failed to finish first during the second half also. Cincinnati finish 1½ games behind the Houston Astros who won the second half of the N.L West division. This turn of events left Cincinnati out of the play-offs.

When all of the games from the first-half & second-half of the season were added up, the Reds had a four game lead over the Dodgers and a six game lead over the Astros in the NL West. If the season would have picked were it left off as it should have been, Cincinnati would have won the NL West.

The same held true in the NL East with St Louis. The Cardinals were in the exact same situation as the Reds. They finished second in the division during the first and second half of the season. And despite having the best record in their respective division. The Cardinals were also excluded from the play-offs.

For the Reds, the situation was horribly worse then in St Louis. Because unlike the Cardinals, the Reds had the best record in baseball (on top of having the best record in their division).

For the fans of Cincinnati, as in many other cities throughout the country, the split season had robbed the game of its continuity and created a corrupt system. The Dodgers could have thrown games to weaker teams and by doing so, the Dodgers could help give a weaker team an advantage to win the second half. This system also allowed the Kansas City Royals, who had a losing record over-all, INTO the play-offs. While leaving the Reds who had the BEST record in baseball OUT. The whole hair-brained split season play-off system made the whole 1981 season a joke.....The 1981 National League Championship Series should have been the Cardinals vs's the Reds. Instead the Dodger and Yankees who both failed to rightfully win their divisions were in the World Series. The play-off system tarnished both teams ill-gotten league championships and the Dodgers World Championship.

One of the real tragedies behind the 1981 season is that it turned out to be the last time, (and the best chance) for Mario Soto to win a championship. After the 1981 season, the Reds would become the doormats of the National League. It is believed that the 1981 season was the TRUE end to the Big Red Machine Era. The final reminisce of the Big Red Machine would leave.  Ken Griffey was traded to the Yankees for pitcher Fred Toliver and minor leaguer Brian Ryder. While George Foster is traded to the Mets for catcher Alex Travino and pitcher's Jim Kern & Greg Harris.

Other off season departures was Dave Collins, who signed with the Yankees as a free agent. Scott Brown who was shipped to the Royals for Clint Hurdle. Traded Ray Knight to the Astros for Cesar Cedeno. Traded Paul Moskau to the Orioles for Wayne Krenchicki. Traded Joe Nolan to the Orioles for Dallas Williams.

For the 1982 amateur draft, Cincinnati piced up Kal Daniels in the 1st round (7th pick) and pitcher Tom Browning in the 9th round of the 1982 amateur draft. Initially the Reds selected local Moeller gradute Barry Larkin but he opted to go to college instead. So the Reds used selected Kal Daniels in his place.

Returning to the Reds for the 1982 season was Dan Driessen at first base, Ron Oester at second base, Dave Concepcion at shortstop and Johnny Bench replacing Ray Knight at third base. New to the line up was Alex Trevino behind the plate and Cesar Cedeno, Paul Householder & Eddie Milner in the outfield. Not a single member of the starting line-up batted over .300. Cincinnati finished dead last in the National League in batting average with a dismall .251.

The Reds starting pitching was Mario Soto, Bruce Berenyi, Frank Pastore & Tom Seaver. Pitching in relief was Tom Hume, Joe Price, Jim Kern and rookies Brad Lesley & Ben Hayes. Despite having the worse offense in the National League, the Reds pitching staff managed to place eighth in the twelve team league with a club ERA of 3.66.

Cincinnati started the season on April 5th against the Cubs with astronauts Joe Engle & Richard Truly throwing the first pitch. The Reds went on to lose the game 3-2 in the eight innings. The game would be called on account of rain. Cincinnati went on win the next two games. But followed up the two wins with six straight losses. The losing kept coming. By the end of April the club was 8-12 and 7½ games behind the Braves. The Reds faired moderetly well through May until another six game losing streak from May 18th to May 24th.

Despite literally no offense from the starting line-up, the Reds managed to stay out of last place in the National League West until June 27. Cincinnati dropped a game to the division leading Atlanta Braves by a score of 2-0 and proceeded to lose their next eight games. The Reds finally ended the bleeding after a win over the Pirates on July 7th. The nine game losing streak put the Reds 18½ games out of first place and dead last in the division. Cincinnati was not going to be vindicated after the 1981 play-off debacle that left them out of the post season. The Cincinnati Enquirer featured a contest in which readers were asked to pick the date & time in which the last place Reds will be eliminated from the division race. The winner would receive two tickets to the last game of the year, while the runner-up gets four tickets to the same game.

After dropping six more straight games from July 16th to 21st, the Cincinnati Reds fired manager John McNamara and replace him with Russ Nixon. McNamara wound up in Boston and managed the Red Sox to the 1986 World Series. He brought the club within one stike-out of winning their first franchise World Series since 1918. With Russ Nixon at the helm, he was able to do very little to improve the pathetic Cincinnati Reds. The club finished the season with a horrible record of 61-101.

One hundred years prior, the 1882 Cincinnati Reds won the league pennant and posted the best winning percentage (.688) of any Reds team to date. One hundred years later, the 1982 Cincinnati Reds would go on to capture the distinction of posting more loses then and Reds franchise to date. The only other Reds team to come close to 100 loses was the 1934 Reds team. That particular club posted a record of 52-99, with a winning percentage of .344. While the 1982 Reds posted the most losses of any club, the 1934 Reds team still holds the club record for the worse winning percentage.

After such a miserable 1982 season, Cincinnati was trying to muster something for the 1983 season. During the off season Cincinnati released Clint Hurdle & Larry Biittner. Drafted Dann Bilardello from the Dodgers and Kurt epshire from the Cardinals in the rule V draft. Traded Tom Seaver back to the Mets for Charile Puleo, Lloyd McClendon and minor leaguer Jason Felice. Traded Mike Vail to the Giants for Rich Gale. Traded Mike O'Berry to the Angels for John Harris. Drafted Tracy Jones in the 1st round of the amateur draft. Traded Bill Dawley & Tom Walker to the Astros for Alan Knicely and traded Rafael Landestoy to the Dodgers for pitcher John Franco.

The Reds drafted well in the 1983 amatuar draft. Cincinnati drafted Kurt Stillwell, Lenny Harris, Joe Oliver, Tracy Jones & Chris Sabo. The Reds also drafted pitchers Jeff Montgomery & Rob Dibble.

Russ Nixon would return as the Reds manager. Also returning (to the starting line up) was first baseman Dan Driessen, second baseman Ron Oester, Johnny Bench at third base & shortstop Davey Concepcion. Returing in the outfield was Eddie Milner & Paul Householder. New in the starting line up was Dann Bilardello at catcher and Gary Redus in the outfield.

The starting pitching consisted of Bruce Berenyi, Frank Pastore, Charlie Puleo, Joe Price, Jeff Russell & Mario Soto. Depite Soto playing on a horrible Reds team, he managed to nab 17 wins on the season with an ERA of 2.70. The bullpen consisted of Ben Hayes, Tommy Hume, Ted Power, Rich Gale and lefty Bill Scherrer.

Cincinnati opened the season with a bang on April 4th. The club plowed through their first six games, going 5-1. The club looked pretty good and appeared to be a far cry from the team of the previous year. Cincinnati finished April in third place and was 4 games behind the division leading Atlanta Braves. However, looks can always appear deceitful. Cincinnati stumbled through May & June. And by July 1st, the Reds record was 33-44. Placing the club 14½ games behind the Dodgers. The season was over! Cincinnati finally concluded the season in last place in the NL West. The Reds record was 74-88 and were 17 games behind the division winning Dodgers.

The 1983 season marked the last season for Johnny Bench. Bench's track record speaks for itself. He won National League Rookie of the year in 1968. Ten Gold Gloves from 1967 to 1977. Two National League MVP awards in 1970 & 1972. And played on Reds teams that won seven division titles (1970, 72, 73, 75, 76, 79 & 81), four National League pennants (1970, 72, 75 & 76). And two World Series championships (1975 & 1976). Mr. Bench was well on his way to Cooperstown New York.

During the off-season the Reds signed Vern Rapp to replace Russ Nixon as Reds skipper. The club also picked up Bob Owchinko from the Pirates & Wayne Krenchicki from the Tigers. Traded Steve Christmas to the White Sox for Fran Mullins. drafted in the Rule V dratf Fred Mullins from the Giants, Pat Underwood from the Rangers & Morris Madden from the Dodgers. Signed Jeff Treadwell as an amatuer free agent. Traded Dallas Williams to the Tigers for minor leaguer Charlie Nail. Traded Dan Driessen mid-season to the Expos (Nationals), where Pete Rose signed as a free agent. Signed Brad Gulden & former Pirates star (and Cincinnati native) Dave Parker as free agent. Drafted Mike Smith in the 1984 amateur draft. And re-aquired the beloved Tony Perez from the Philadelphia Phillies. Tony Perez's former team mates on the Phillies were none other then Pete Rose & Joe Morgan. Rose, Morgan, & Perez's 1983 Phillies team won the National League pennant.

The Reds starting line for 1984 consisted of newly acquired Brad Gulden at catcher, Ron Oester at second, Dave Concepcion at shortstop, Nick Esasky at third and for part of the season Dan Driessen. In the out was Gary Redus, Eddie Milner & newly acquired Dave Parker.

Parker was the first big time free agent acquisition that the Reds had signed. He played ten years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and won National League MVP in 1978. Parkers 1979 Pirates swept the Reds in the play-offs while on their way to winning the World Series. After weight problems during his last couple of years in Pittsburgh, Parker came back to his home town in hopes of revitalizing his career. And that is exactly what he did. Dave Parker led the team in 1984 in most catagories. He finished first in Home Runs (16), RBI's (94), Runs (73), Batting Average (.285) & OPS (814).

The Reds starting pitching consisted of Jeff Russell (6-18), Joe Price (7-13), Frank Pastore (3-8), Jay Tibbs (6-2), Bruce Berenyi (3-7) and beloved ace Mario Soto. Despite playing on another weak Reds team, Soto proceeded to go 18-7. He was the only pitcher for the Reds to win more then 9 games. The Bullpen consisted of Ted Power (9-7 with 11 saves), Tommy Hume, Bob Owchinko, Bill Scherrer and the left handed rookie sensation John Franco. Franco went 6-2 with 4 saves his rookie year with an ERA of 2.61.

Cincinnati opened the 1984 season on April 2nd with a win over the New York Mets. The Reds went on to win their next three out of six games, putting them at a 4-3 record. On April 11th Cincinnati was handed a 9-3 loss by Pete Rose's Montreal Expos. The loss was followed by six more. However, the Reds answered the seven game losing streak with a seven game winning streak lasting from April 27th to May 4th. The club began to show some life. The Reds proceeded to win another six straight following the loss on May 5th. The Reds pulled within' a half of a game of the division leading Dodgers. Cincinnati managed to stay at least two games out of the division until June when a five game losing streak dropped the club in the standings. By the end of June, the Reds were 9½ games out of first place and still sinking. After a loss to Mets on July 5th, Cincinnati spiraled out of control. The Reds proceeded to drop eight straight games. Cincinnati was finished!

However, on August 16th Cincinnati stunned the baseball world when they traded Tom Lawless to the Expos for Pete Rose. Rose would return to the Reds as player/manager. On August 17th, Pete Rose would play his first game in a Reds uniform since 1978. Depsite the team being 19½ games out of first place, Pete Rose's return sold the game out fast. The Reds had to delay the game for ten minutes to handle the last minute walk ups.

The Reds went on to end the season with a final record of 70-92. The club finished in fourth place, trailing the division winning (and eventual league winning) Padres by 22 games. The Padres went on to play in their first World Series and squared off against the unstoppable Detroit Tigers. The Tigers manager was former Reds skipper Sparky Anderson. Anderson lead the Tigers to the 1984 World Series title and became the only manager to win World Series in two different leagues.

The 1985 Cincinnati Reds saw Pete Rose manage his first full year. And the baseball world watched Pete Rose chase Ty Cobbs record of 4191 career hits. Rose's starting line up consisted of himself at first base, Ron Oester at second, Dave Concepcion at shortstop and newly acquired Dave Van Gorder behind the plate & Buddy Bell (who was acquired from the Rangers in July) at third. The outfield consisted of Dave Parker, Eddie Milner & Gary Redus.

Roses pitching staff was Mario Soto (12-15), Jay Tibbs (10-16), Andy McGaffigan (3-3) and lefty new comer Tom Browning. In Brownings rookie season, he went 20-9, becomes the first rookie since Bob Grim (in 1954) to win 20 games. Browning is the first Reds pitcher to win 20 since Jim Merritt in 1970.

The Reds relief pitchers consisted of Ted Power, John Franco, Tom Hume, Ron Robinson and John Stuper. Stuper played for the 1982 World Champion St Louis Cardinals squad.

Cincinnati opened the season on April 8th with a win over the Montreal Expos (Nationals). The club went on to drop four straight games only to answer with seven straight wins. The winning streak put the club in first place in the division. Cincinnati would lose the lead heading into May. During that month, the Reds would not dip lower then four games out in the division. Cincinnati entered the month of June, three games behind the division leading Padres.

On June 3rd, Major League Baseball would begin the draft. Cincinnati selected in the first round (4th pick) Barry Larkin. Don Wakamatsu in the 11th round. Marty Brown in the 12th round & Mike Roesler in the 17th round. A day after the draft, the Reds defeated the Pirates 9-3. The win put the Reds within 1½ games of first place. However, the Reds could not manage to pull any closer for the rest of the season. Cincinnati finished the year with a 89-72 record which put them 5½ games behind the Dodgers.

Despite not winning the division, Cincinnati did have a great run. Pete Rose brought excitement back to the Reds as a manager and player. On September 11th, Pete Rose became baseball's all-time hit leader after singling to left center off of the Padres Eric Show in the first inning. The hit would be his 4,192nd career hit which broke Ty Cobb's log standing record. The game took place before a crowd of 47,237 fans in Cincinnati. Rose had tied the record in Chicago on September 8th with a single off of Reggie Patterson in a game that was later suspended due to darkness. The suspension of the game enabling Rose to break the record at home.

During the 1986 off-season Cincinnati traded Bob Buchanan to the Giants for Colin Ward. Drafted Carl Willis from the Angels and Eddie Williams by the Indians in the Rule V draft. Traded Gary Redus & Tom Hume to the Phillies for John Denny & Jeff Gray. Traded Jay Tibbs, Andy McGaffigan, John Stuper & Dann Bilardello to the Expos for Bill Gullickson & Sal Butera. Drafted Chris Hammond in the 6th round in the Amatuer Draft. Signed Derek Botelho and resigned Tony Perez as free agents. Traded Wayne Krenchicki to the Expos for Tim Barker & Norm Charlton. And signed Chris Welch as a free agent.

Cincinnati tried to acquire Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers. But in order to give Fingers a spot in the Reds line up, he was told that he would have to shave off his trademark handlebar mustach to comply with the Reds policy. Fingers chose to retire instead. His response was "I'm not about to shave it off just to play baseball."

During the 1986 June draft Cincinnati drafted Scott Scudder. Reggie Jefferson, Eddie Taubensee, Jeff Richardson, Chuck Carr, Keith Lockhart & Keith Brown.

For the Reds 1986 baseball season, Pete Roses starting line up consisted of Nick Esasky at first, Ron Oester at second, Buddy Bell at third, Dave Parker & Eddie Milner in the outfield. Newcomers to the club were catcher Bo Diaz & outfielder Eric Davis. Also new to the club was Kurt Stillwell & Barry Larkin. Both replaced lifetime Reds player Dave Concepcion at shortstop. Stillwell & Larkin would split duties at shortstop.

The starting pitching consisted of Tom Browning (14-13), Bill Gullickson (15-12), John Denny (11-10), Chris Welsh (6-9) & Mario Soto (5-10). The bullpen was John Franco (6-6 with 29 saves), Ron Robinson (10-6 with 14 saves), Ted Power, Rob Murphy & Carl Willis.

The interesting thing about the 1986 Reds team was that six Cincinnati natives played for the club. Pitcher Chris Welsh who attended Xavier High School. Outfielder Dave Parker who went to Courter Tech High School. Third baseman Buddy Bell & shortstop Barry Larkin who both went to Moeller High School. Outfielder Ron Oester who went to Withrow High School and manager Pete Rose who went to Western ills High School.

Cincinnati kicked off the 1986 season April 7th with a 7-4 win over the Phillies. Despite the win, Cincinnati stumbled through the month of April and entered the month of May in the middle of a nine game losing streak. By the time the Reds snapped the losing streak (with a victory over the Braves), the Reds record was 6-16. The club was 8 games behind the division leading Astros. The Reds stayed seven to eigth games out of first place until July 8th. After a win over the Mets Cincinnati creeped within 6½ of the division leading Astros & Giants. The Reds manage to get within four games by July 19th. It would be the closest the Reds would get the rest of the season. The momentum seemed to have been lost after a bizarre 14 inning game on July 22nd in Cincinnati against the Mets.

Darryl Strawberry set the tone of the game, by being ejected after arguing a called 3rd strike in the 5th. In the 9th, Howard Johnson inadvertently kicks the ball after Reds catcher Bo Diaz drops a third strike. Johnson runs out of the baseline and is hit in the back with the throw from Reds pitcher Ron Robinson. Reds coach Billy DeMars is ejected for arguing the safe call. The Mets, down 3–1, with two out, tie the game when Dave Parker drops a routine fly ball. In the 10th, Mets manager Davey Johnson sends in pitcher Rick Aguilera to hit for pitcher Doug Sisk. Aguilera walks, but is stranded. In the Reds 10th, pinch-runner Eric Davis steals second & thrid and bumped into Mets third baseman (and former Red) Ray Knight. Knight punches Davis and both benches empty. After a 16 minute slugfest, Knight, Davis, Kevin Mitchell & Mario Soto were all ejected. Mets catcher Gary Carter moves to third base in place of Knight, McDowell comes in to pitch, and Orosco moves from the mound to right field. With two out and a runner on second in the 11th, Orosco returns to pitch and McDowell moves to left field, while Mets Mookie Wilson moves to right field.  Rose protests to no prevail when Orosco is permitted eight warm-up pitches. Orosco goes on to strike out Reds batter Max Venable to end the inning. In the 12th, The Mets are forced to lead off the inning with Orosco and McDowell, and go down in order. McDowell returns to pitch in the 13th and gets Tony Perez to fly to Orosco in right. The madness finally is concluded when Howard Johnson hits a three-run homer in the 14th and McDowell retires the side in order.

The Reds finished the season in second place within the division with a record of 86-76. Cincinnati finished ten games behind the Houston Astros in the National League West.

During the 1987 off-season Cincinnati traded Mike Smith to the Expos (Nationals) for minor leaguer Bill Cutshall. Signed Bill Scherrer as a free agent. Traded Eddie Milner to the Giants for Frank Williams, minor leaguers Mike Villa and Timber Mead. Traded Wade Rowden to the Cubs for Guy Hoffman. Signed Rosario Rodriguez as an amateur free agent. Traded Derek Botelho to the Royals for minor leaguers Eddie Tanner & Pete Carey. And signed Terry Francona as a free agent.

During the June draft, Cincinnati drafted Jack Armstrong, Freddie Benavides, Reggie Sanders, Bill Risley, Butch Henry, Milt Hill & Glenn Sutko.

The Reds starting lineup saw the return of Nick Esasky at first, Ron Oester at second, Buddy Bell at third and Dave Parker & Eric Davis in the outfield. New to the line was outfielder Tracy Jones & 23 year old Barry Larkin at shortstop. Larkin would go on to be the Reds regular shortstop for the Reds for 20 years. Larkin & Concepcion would be the Reds regular shortstops from 1970 to 2005. An amazing feat.

The Reds starting pitching consisted of Ted Power (10-13), Tom Browning (10-13), Bill Gullickson (10-11) & Guy Hoffman (9-10). The Bullpen had John Franco (8-5 with 32 saves), Rob Murphy (8-5), Frank Williams, Bill Landrum & Ron Robinson.

Cincinnati started the season on April 6th with a win over the Montreal Expos (Nationals). The Reds went on to win three more games, starting the season 4-0 and pound their way into first place by May 1st. Cincinnati hung on to first place until May 9th after a loss to the Phillies. However, the Reds nabbed first place again after a win over the Expos (Nationals) on May 13th. Cincinnati dipped into second place from May 19th to May 27th and managed to inch back into first place again on May 28th. The Reds would hold onto first place in the National League West until August 19th. To top it off, the Reds went on a seven game losing streak which began on August 21st and ended on August 28th. By the end of the losing streak, Cincinnati was 5 games behind Giants and in third place. The Reds never rebounded after spending most of the season in first place. Cincinnati ended the season with a record of 84-78. Finishing 6 games behind the division winning San Francisco Giants.

During the 1988 off season Cincinnati traded Ted Powerr & Kurt Stillwell to the Royals for Angel Salazar & pitcher Danny Jackson (Salazer would be released during spring training). Signed Ron Roenicke as a free agent. Traded Carl Willis to the White Sox for minor league Darrell Pruitt. Brought back Eddie Milner as a free agent. Traded Jeff Montgomery to the Royals for Van Snider. Traded Bill Landrum to the Cubs for Luis Quinoses. And traded Dave Parker to the A's for Tim Birtsas & pitcher Jose Rijo.

Returning to the Reds starting line up was Bo Diaz behind home plate, Nick Esasky at first, Barry Larkin at shortstop & Eric Davis in the outfield. New to the starting line up was Jeff Treadway at second, Chris Sabo at third and Kal Daniels & Paul O'Neill in the outfield. Chris Sabo had a great rookie year. He had 74 runs, 146 hits, 40 doubles & 11 home runs. His Batting Average was .271, Slugging Percentage was .414 and On Base Percentage was .314. His solid performance earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

The picthing staff consisted of newcomer's Danny Jackson (23-8), Jack Armstrong, Dennis Rasmussen & Norm Charlton. Danny Jackson won a World Series ring with the 1985 Kansas City Royals. Returing to the line up was Ron Robinson, Tom Browning (18-5) and Mario Soto. The bullpen consisted of John Franco (39 saves), Rob Murphy, Frank Williams, Tim Birtsas & rookie Rob Dibble.

The 1988 season would turn out to be Sotos last year. After stellar seasons from 1980 to 1985, injuries plagued this brilliant Reds pitcher from then on. It was a shame that Soto played pitched so great for very poor Reds clubs.

The 1988 season would also spell the end of Dave Concepcions career also. After Concepcions retirement, Ken Griffey (who would be re-acquired mid-season) would be the lone player for the Reds that played on the 1975 & 1976 championship teams. Concepcion ended his long career with a lifetime batting average of .267, On Base Percentage .322 & lifetime Slugging Percentage .357. Many question why this man is not in the Hall of Fame?

The Reds opened the season with two victories over the 1987 National League Champion St Louis Cardinals. In game two, Chris Sabo would tie a major-league record with 11 assists at third base in Cincinnati's 8–1 win. However, the Reds stumble through April and enter May without manager Pete Rose after he was suspended for 30 days and fines $10,000. This was the stiffest suspension ever implemented against a manager for an on-field incident.

On April 30th Rose shoved umpire Dave Pallone in the 9th inning of a 6–5 loss to the Mets, inciting a near riot among Cincinnati fans. With the score tied 5-5, Mets third baseman Howard Johnson was on second base with two outs left. Mookie Wilson was at the plate and he hit (what should have been a routine ground out) to Barry Larkin. However, Larkin's throw to first base was to low. This caused first baseman Nick Esasky to stretch for the ball. Umpire Pallone hesitated to make a call and finally called Mookie safe at first. Pallone claimed that Esasky's foot was off of the bag. Esasky began arguing with Pallone and Howard Johnson (during the argument) rounding third and scored. Pete Rose bolted out of the dugout and began yelling at Pallone. Pallone poked Rose on the cheek and Rose answered by shoving him twice with his forearm. 33,000 Reds fans booed, yelled and showered the field with debris causing a 14 minute delay. Fearing for his safety, Pallone left and the game was completed with only three umpires.

During the game Reds radio announcer Marty Brennaman called the umpire "incompetent" and a "horrible umpire". A few days later both Reds announcers (Brennanman and Joe Nuxhall) were summoned to New York by baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti. Both were accused of "inciting the unacceptable behavior of some of the fans".

Rose was suspended on May 2nd and Tommy Helms would take over as field manager. The same day Rose was suspended, Reds pitcher Ron Robinson is one out away from a perfect game against the Astros when pinch hitter Wallace Johnson singles, and Tim Raines follows with a home run. John Franco maintains the Reds' 3–2 victory.

When Pete Rose returned to duty on June 1st, the Reds were in fourth place. Trailing the division leading Dodgers by 6½ and in the midst of a six game losing streak. The streak was snapped after a 5-2 victory on June 4th, over the Dodgers. Cincinnati never managed to pull it together for the rest of the season. The closest the club got to first place was 4 games behind the Dodgers on June 17th. Cincinnati did manage a second place finish with a 87-74 regular season record. The Reds finished 7 games behind the eventual World Series Champion Dodgers club.

Despite the near riot during the April 30th Mets & Reds game. Cincinnati did have a couple other memorable moments. On July 12th, Cincinnati hosted the 59th All Star Game. Reds players that were selected to the game was picther Danny Jackson, rookie Chris Sabo & Cincinnati native Barry Larkin. However, National League manager Whitey Herzog (of the Cardinals) never played Jackson and used Sabo as only a pinch runner. That was a pretty shabby thing to do in front of the home crowd.

A few months earlier Ron Robinson came within one strike out of pitching a perfect game. And on June 6th, Tom Browning came within two outs of a no-hitter. But on September 16th in a game against the Dodgers, Browning finally came through. On his 102nd pitch of the game, Browning struck out pinch hitter Tracy Woodson and became the 14th player in major league history to pitch a perfect game. Tim Belcher of the Dodgers and Browning both pitched brilliantly. Belcher was pitching a no-hitter into the sixth inning but eventually gave up three hits and one run.

During the 1989 Reds off season, Cincinnati picked up Skeeter Barnes & Rick Mahler as a free agents. Traded lloyd McClendon to the Cubs for Rolando Roomes. Traded Nick Esasky & Rob Murphy to the Boston Red Sox for Todd Benzinger, Jeff Sellers & minor leaguer Luis Vasquez. Signed Mike Griffen as a free agent. Signed Manny Trillo, Scottie Madison & Joel Youngblood as a free agents. Sold Jeff Treadway to the Braves. And released Randy St Clair & Don Wakamatsu.

The off season also saw baseball investigations into alleged gambling on baseball by Reds manager Pete Rose. Rose met with baseball Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti on Febuary 21st to discuss his extra curricular activities. Rose is quoted as saying "You can read anything you want into it. But I don't see anything bad". Rose was obviously not convincing and Major League Baseball would begin an investigation on March 20th into Roses gambling habits. The investigation would lasted through out the whole season.

On the field, the Reds starting line up would be Ron Oester at second, Barry Larkin at shortstop, Chris Sabo at third and Paul O'Neill & Eric Davis in the outfield. New to the starting line up was Todd Benzinger at first, Jeff Reed behind the plate and Rolando Roomes in the outfield.

The Reds pitching staff consisted of Tom Browning (15-12), Rick Mahler (9-13), Danny Jackson (6-11), Jose Rijo (7-6), Scott Scudder (4-9) & Ron Robinson (5-3). The bullpen was John Franco (32 saves), Rob Dibble (10-5 with 2 saves), Norm Charlton (8-3), Tim Birtsas & Kent Tekulve. The Reds pitching staff as a whole did not fair to well for the 1989 season. The club's ERA was 3.73 and ranked eleventh (out of twelve teams) in the National League.

The Reds season kicked off with a win over the Dodgers on April 3rd. Cincinnati went on to win their next four of six games and ended the month of April in first place. Despite the off field distractions of the investigations surrounding Pete Rose, the Reds were in and out of first place until June 10th. However, the good fortune wouldn't last. Cincinnati wouldn't be in first place for the rest of the season. In the midst of a 10 game losing streak, that lasted from July 16th to July 26, Cincinnati would ship Kal Daniels & Lenny Harris to the Dodgers for Mariano Duncan & Tim O'Leary. The losing streak solidified that the Reds were sinking from the standings for good.

On August 22nd Commissioner Bart Giamatti bans Pete Rose from baseball for allegedly gambling on baseball, despite not finding evidence that Rose in fact did. Rose had a pending lawsuit against Major League Baseball and chose to drop the suit. In doing so, Giamatti agreed to allow Rose to apply for reinstatement a year later. On September 1st (eight days after Rose was banned) Giamatti dies of a heart attack. Rose has never been reinstated to this day and is ineligible from the Hall of Fame.

Ironically, a year to the day when Rose was banned, he was in prison for tax evasion. Rose served his sentence in a halfway house located in Marion Illinois. In another ironic twist, Marion Illinois is where catcher Ray Fosse was from. The same catcher that Rose smashed into during the 1970 All Star Game. Fosse never played the same after that incident.

With Rose banned for life, Tommy Helms would take over as interim manager. The club was 12 games out of first place with absolutely no hopes of rebounding. The Reds finished the season with a record of 75-87. Placing the club 17 games out of first place.