ATLANTA – Tyler Stephenson watched his ninth-inning homer Thursday drop over the fence in right-center field and he couldn't help but smile.
He ended his homecoming with a homer.
Stephenson's family and friends, sitting in a section behind the Cincinnati Reds' dugout, filled the entire ballpark with their loud cheers. When the Reds walked off the field following their 12-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves, Stephenson's teammates urged the Truist Park crowd to give him a curtain call despite being the away team.
It was a "surreal" moment for Stephenson, who grew up about 25 minutes away from the Braves' new ballpark, and the Reds were thrilled to end their three-game losing streak.
"(Teammates) loved it," Stephenson said. "They loved the entertainment and the cheering section. It was about mid-game today that I had to tell them to relax because it was just kind of getting to me a little bit. But it was funny, I was catching and (bench coach) Freddie (Benavides) came up to me and he was like, ‘you need to get a hit because I want to see how loud they can get.’"
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The rout began in the second inning with a two-out rally against Braves rookie left-hander Kyle Muller. Left-handed pitchers have given the Reds fits all season, but that changed for at least one night with one big swing from Jesse Winker.
Muller had limited lefty hitters to a .107 batting average with zero extra-base hits in his eight career outings. Winker was batting .170 against lefties with two doubles and two homers.
The numbers didn't matter. After back-to-back singles by Tyler Naquin and Vladimir Gutierrez, and a walk from Jonathan India, Winker powered a laser over the right-field wall for a grand slam. It was his 24th home run of the season, which is one behind Joey Votto for the team lead.
"(Votto) hits home runs every day," Winker said. "It's so much fun to watch, man. What he did yesterday was so damn cool. It's definitely not a competition between anybody, no."
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Winker's grand slam was just the start for the Reds' offense. They totaled 14 hits and five homers. It was the 16th time they had a double-digit run total this year. Muller, who pitched five scoreless innings against the Reds on June 27, needed 72 pitches to record seven outs.
In the third inning, Eugenio Suárez hit an RBI double into the left-center gap against Braves reliever Josh Tomlin. Then Naquin cleared the bases with a three-run homer to right field. It was Naquin’s first home run since July 3, ending a 29-game homer-less streak.
That apparently wasn’t enough. Jonathan India added a solo home run off Tomlin in the third inning, pulling a fastball over the left-field fence for a 9-1 lead.
"As good as our offense has been," Reds manager David Bell said, "we haven't had too many games like this."
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After a walk-off loss Wednesday, a gut punch for a team trying to keep its playoff hopes alive, the Reds responded in a big way. Gutierrez was excellent after walking two batters and giving up a run in the first inning.
The rookie right-hander permitted one run on five hits and two walks in six innings while striking out six. It was his fourth consecutive quality start, giving up four runs in his last 25 1/3 innings (1.78 ERA).
"It’s been fun just to see him continue this hot streak," Stephenson said. "He’s been throwing really well. He’s got confidence and it’s continuing to show."
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Shortstop Kyle Farmer ended the fifth inning with a sliding stop and he was rewarded for his hustle in a blowout. He hit a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole, a memorable moment while playing in his hometown.
Then it was Stephenson's turn to play the hometown hero with his solo homer in the ninth, which was his third hit of the game.
"I remember the first time I played in Tampa, I had a bunch of family and friends," said Winker, an Orlando, Florida native. "It's nerve-wracking man. It's cool that he got to hit, that home run. I'm sure every time he comes back here, it'll be easier and easier."
Stephenson met with Chipper Jones before the game, his favorite player growing up. He shared a story about how his little league team attended a Braves game and they were on the field for the national anthem. Each kid stood next to the big-league player at their position and they received an autograph before they were supposed to run off the field.
After receiving an autograph from the Braves catcher, Stephenson sprinted to Jones and Marcus Giles in the infield, so they could sign his ball too.
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"I was telling him that story and he was laughing about it," Stephenson said. "That was pretty cool to meet him today one-on-one."
Not a bad day for Stephenson. He met his favorite player, had three hits with a homer in front of his family and he received a mini-curtain call as a visiting player.
"It was just nice to see his family enjoy the moment," Bell said. "Tyler did, too. You could tell how much it meant to him."
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