The Cincinnati Reds are a professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's (MLB) National League (NL). In its 122 major league seasons, the franchise has won 5 World Series championships, tied for seventh most with the Pittsburgh Pirates. [1] The Reds played their home games at Riverfront Stadium from 1970 to 2002 and at Crosley Field before that, from 1912 to 1970. In 2003, the team moved into Great American Ball Park, located on the banks of the Ohio River and built on the old site of Riverfront Stadium. [2]
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The history of baseball in Cincinnati dates back to 1869 when they were originally called the "Red Stockings" and were the first true professional baseball team in the United States. In 1876, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a different organization, were one of the original 8 members of the National League and Major League Baseball. After 5 years of instability, that franchise folded when the National League voted to ban alcohol sales during games and ban Stadium use on Sundays. [3] The modern Cincinnati Reds began play in 1882 as members of the American Association, which the Reds won in their first year of competition. [4] The American Association and all of its history are recognized by Major League Baseball. The Reds joined the National League in 1890. Over their history, the Reds have won 10 National League Pennants and made it to the post season 13 times, along with their five World Series Championships. [5]
Following the Cincinnati Reds second championship in 1940, the franchise only had one post-season appearance between 1941 and 1969. [5] During the 1970s, however, the Reds would appear in the post-season six times during the decade, along with four National League pennants, and back-to-back World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. [5] [6] The Reds were nicknamed Big Red Machine during the time period and complied, what some have claimed to be, the best teams in major league baseball history. [7] Following the 1976 championship and Big Red Machine era, the Reds struggled to sustain consistent post-season appearances.
The fifth and most recent championship for the Cincinnati Reds came in 1990, in which that team went wire-to-wire and swept the World Series. [3] [8] The Reds have made only six post-season appearances since 1991, with their most recent appearance coming in 2025, where they were swept in 2 games in the wild card series. The Cincinnati Reds have failed to advance in the post-season dating back to 1995, a span that is a current record for all North American professional sports. Overall, the Reds have compiled a winning percentage of .508 over their history and also achieved a franchise mark of 10,000 wins on April 20, 2012, becoming just the sixth major league franchise to accomplish the feat. [9] The Reds lost their 10,000th game on August 28, 2015. [10] They were the fourth major league baseball franchise to reach this number.
