Eugenio Suárez broke a 0-for-26 slump with a solo home run in the fourth inning Friday, but he was more excited to see Joey Votto reach a career milestone.
In the third inning, Votto blasted a 429-foot, two-run homer to the Budweiser Deck that sits at the back of the right-field seats. It was Votto’s 300th career homer, becoming the third Reds player to reach the milestone and the ninth active player.
As Votto rounded the bases, Suárez skipped onto the field while pumping his right arm. Suárez went in front of Mike Moustakas, the on-deck hitter, and Nick Castellanos, who scored on the homer, to wait at home plate as he clapped his hands. Suárez embraced Votto for a hug and said something to him as Votto broke into a smile.
"This," Votto said, "is one of the most memorable moments of my career."
It was a festive environment as the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-6, in their series opener at Great American Ball Park. The crowd of 16,090, the largest of the season, responded to Votto’s milestone homer with a standing ovation until Votto did a curtain call.
"I’m, of course, happy to hit the 300th, but all I could think about was getting ahead in the game, and the home run put us ahead," Votto said. "When I crossed home plate, the support I received was shocking. I didn’t get teary-eyed or anything, but I was certainly emotional and grateful. I feel lucky to have such good teammates."
Votto, in his 15th season with the Reds, trails only Johnny Bench (389) and Frank Robinson (324) on the franchise's all-time home run list. He joined Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano, Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Upton, Mike Trout and Evan Longoria on the active player list with at least 300 homers.
Moustakas waited outside the batter's box, so the crowd could continue its ovation for Votto. After about 10 seconds, Votto ran up the dugout stairs and tipped his helmet to the crowd.
"I don’t remember the last time I had a curtain call," Votto said. "It’s funny, I’ve thought a lot about that. You want to do well. You want to play well. You especially want to play well for the home fans.
"I’ll daydream about curtain call moments at home."
Votto’s two-run blast, which left his bat at 113 mph, gave the Reds a 3-2 lead. The Reds never trailed again, though they needed Tejay Antone to record the final out for his first career save after the bullpen struggled in the ninth inning. Votto's next major milestone will be 2,000 hits (he's 69 hits away), but he says games played is the stat that means most to him.
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When Votto was asked how he'd celebrate his 300th homer, he said he planned to go home and study the next day's opposing pitcher.
"I want to keep playing well," said Votto, who added two doubles and drove in three runs. "That’s really what’s on my mind. That’s the first thing I thought about after hitting the home run. I want to keep going. I want to play well. I want to play every day. I want to play on a winning team."
Votto's teammates wanted to celebrate his success. They see all the work behind the scenes. They know how often he arrives early for extra batting practice or fielding work at first base. He leads by example.
That's why they had so much pride when he hit No. 300. Suárez may have been the most exuberant, but there were a lot of hugs and private moments. Manager David Bell said he was struck by how Votto's teammates enjoyed it, maybe even more than Votto did himself.
"This is a group that I want to hug and have excitement with at the very end of the season," Votto said. "This is the type of group that I want to do that with."
"Joey's done so many unbelievable things in this game, and there's still obviously more to come, but he'll never talk about it," Tucker Barnhart said. "I think that's one of the things that makes him as special as he is because he's one of the more humble people I've been around. He just wants to come to work and win and get better. It's as simple as that for him."
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Suárez, after embracing Votto on the field, went to the back of the handshake line in the dugout to give him another hug. He was so proud of his longtime teammate.
"You know it’s funny," Votto said. "After I spoke about Jay Bruce and said he was my favorite teammate, I went up to Eugenio the very next day, the very next day, and the first thing I told him was, ‘hey, man, I just want to let you know. I played with him for nine years, plus the minor leagues. I love you, man. I had a hard time saying that he was my favorite teammate because I think that you might pass him, bro. You might pass him.’ He’s such a great teammate."
Votto, 37, hit his first career homer on Sept. 5, 2007 against the New York Mets. It came in the second inning against right-hander John Maine, his second Major League plate appearance. Cubs manager David Ross was on the bench that night as Votto's teammate.
Other players in that game included Ken Griffey Jr., Josh Hamilton, David Wright and Carlos Beltran.
"It’s pretty cool to be able to say that the opposing manager was there for the first one," Votto said. "It’s just a reflection of playing for a bit and I want to keep playing. Hopefully, one day, when Jonathan India is managing, I’m on the other team playing. Or I’ll play for him."
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