It was a moment that wasn't possible for the Cincinnati Reds last year when they played inside of empty stadiums without fans.
Tony Santillan, making his Major League debut, was trying to survive a bases-loaded jam in the third inning during the Reds' 6-2 victory against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
Here was in a 3-1 count against first baseman C.J. Cron. Catcher Tucker Barnhart, who had already visited the mound with pitching coach Derek Johnson before the at-bat against Cron, returned for another quick chat.
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The Reds had a two-run lead, but these were the pitches that can decide games. The Great American Ball Park crowd, sensing the moment, started to roar. Anything they could do to help Santillan in a pivotal moment.
"It was the first time that I’ve played in front of that many people, ever," Santillan said. "When the crowd came alive, it was pretty awesome. A very surreal moment."
Santillan’s next pitch was a 95-mph fastball that caught the outside corner. Cron flung his bat the dugout, thinking it was ball four, and the crowd cheered louder.
On the next pitch, Cron flew out to right field to end the inning. Barnhart punched his glove three times in excitement after he saw where the ball was headed. The crowd of 18,268 erupted with approval.
Santillan survived the jam and the Reds have survived an up-and-down start to their season. The Reds completed a three-game sweep over the Rockies, the first time the Reds swept the Rockies in a series of any length since 2012.
"It's everyone picking each other up," Reds manager David Bell said. "We saw it happen last year with a different team, but a lot of the same guys. There's something to be said about that confidence and believing in each other and believing you're going to find a way to get it done. That's what I'm seeing."
The Reds have a 32-31 record, the first time they’ve been above .500 since April 21 (9-8 record). They’ve won 10 of their last 13 games.
Next up is a nine-game road trip. The Reds will begin a three-game series against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.
"It’s going to be a tough division all year long as it should be," Joey Votto said. "You have to meet your competition where they are and we have to catch up. Urgency is real. We have to hurry up, and that’s an odd thing to say with 100 games remaining, but urgency without panic."
The Reds have withstood some key injuries on their path back to a winning record. They're relying on two rookies, Santillan and Vladimir Gutierrez, in their starting rotation.
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The bullpen, which is without Tejay Antone until at least Friday, allowed one hit (a solo homer) in 4 1/3 innings in Sunday's win. Ryan Hendrix and Amir Garrett stepped up with key strikeouts to strand runners. Lucas Sims pitched the final two innings.
"We’re at a point where we came together as a group and realized, 'it can either go one or two ways at this point, boys. Let’s figure out something,'" Sims said. "This was a very big game for us. Very big game for us."
The Reds outscored the Rockies, 27-10, in the three games. The Rockies have an abysmal 5-27 road record, but those are games that the Reds can't afford to lose if they want to remain in the playoff mix.
Santillan had shaky command in his debut, but he kept pitching out of trouble. He allowed one run in 4 ⅔ innings while permitting five hits, four walks and hitting two batters.
“It ain’t always sunshine and rainbows," said Santillan, who didn't feel any nerves on the mound. "You’ve always got to accept the challenge and find a way to conquer that challenge."
There were two runners on base with one out in the second inning. As opposing starter Antonio Senzatela tried to drop a sacrifice bunt, he fouled a pitch and Barnhart made a sliding catch on the warning track behind the plate.
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Santillan exited in the fifth inning with two outs and the bases loaded after issuing back-to-back walks in the rain, receiving an ovation from the GABP crowd. Ryan Hendrix, who spent years in the minor leagues with Santillan, picked up his teammate by striking out Dom Nuñez on a full-count slider in the dirt to end the inning.
"That was big time in less than ideal conditions," Sims said. "It’s like it’s all about perspective, right? You don’t give a (flip) about playing in the rain when you’re a kid, so why care about it now, right?
"He didn’t let it bother him. He executed probably one of the biggest pitches of his career thus far, and I think that’s going to be big for him moving forward."
When the Reds' bullpen was clinging to a one-run lead, the offense responded with a three-run seventh inning. Kyle Farmer was hit by a pitch, Shogo Akiyama hit a double and Jonathan India drew a seven-pitch walk to load the bases.
Jesse Winker, who has played an MVP-level all year, came through once again. He hit a chopper up the middle that snuck past an infield that was drawn in and his hustle turned into a two-run double. Winker did a head-first slide into second base, then stared at his teammates in the dugout and smiled as he pointed at them.
The Reds are playing their best baseball of the season. They've survived some injuries and seen players step up when given the opportunity.
Now that they've hurdled the .500 mark, their new challenge is navigating the upcoming nine-game road trip.
"We wanted the sweep," Winker said. "We smelled it and we came in here and we got it done."
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