After Cincinnati Reds left fielder Jesse Winker hit his third line drive that cleared the center field fence on Friday night, Great American Ball Park wanted more.
Fans chanted “MVP” for the National League leader in batting average, who sprinted back up to the top of the dugout steps for a curtain call. As Winker pointed to the crowd after his third homer on Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, the ballpark grew louder than it had been all season.
Winker has been the Reds best hitter this season, and he led them out of a four-game losing streak with three home runs as the Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-4.
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If you wanted a sense of the Reds urgency to end that losing streak on Friday night, the bullpen said it all.
In the second inning, when the Milwaukee Brewers had the bases loaded, reliever Amir Garrett was warming up, preparing to enter the game and help the Reds escape the inning.
Starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman rebounded from a shaky start and pitched one of his best games of the season. But manager David Bell was ready to turn to the bullpen early if he needed to.
Reliever Amir Garrett warmed up for the first time in the second, and again in the fourth. Garrett was ready, but Hoffman got out of the second inning and finished with one of his best games of the season.
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For the first time in his career, Hoffman allowed four walks but allowed one run or fewer in five innings. Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP, was the final batter Hoffman faced. To end the fifth inning and his start, Hoffman struck out Yelich.
Garrett pitched a scoreless sixth inning out of the bullpen, and Tejay Antone added two scoreless innings.
Winker did the rest, accounting for seven of the Reds nine runs. He was 4-for-4 at the plate with a single in the first inning, and Winker had the Reds fifth three home run game in the last five years.
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When Winker went back to left field in the top of the ninth inning, he got a standing ovation from the crowd in left field. WInker pointed back again, and more fans shouted “MVP.” After Winker’s final home run, no one in MLB had a better OPS than Winker.
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