CINCINNATI – Whole sections of the Great American Ball Park stands sat empty as the Cubs and Reds began their final game of the season. The rest hosted a smattering of fans clad in red and blue.
The gentle murmur of the crowd, punctuated now and again by a slightly raised voice that carried clear across the ballpark, served as a reminder of how far from the playoffs the Cubs were finishing the season.
Across Major League Baseball, teams and fan bases were gearing up for a postseason push. Not on this sunbathed field in Cincinnati.
“I still want to be playing,” Cubs manager David Ross said before the Cubs’ 15-2 win against the Reds on Wednesday.