The bottom of the ninth inning was setting up perfectly for the Cincinnati Reds.
Down one run on Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants, the Reds had left fielder Jesse Winker and right fielder Nick Castellanos due up for the next inning. Cincinnati could turn to two of the best hitters in the National League this season, and the Giants had already taken closer Jake McGee out of the game.
At the time, the Reds only needed to get through the top of the ninth and score one more run to send the game to extra innings.