That the Cincinnati Reds sprinted to a 9-run lead in their final Saturday home game of the season was fitting. It was a sprint, something they’ve mastered as they have sped around the bases all season, a rookie in Christian Encarnacion-Strand getting the party started.
Rookies punching down the door and showing their talent - that’s the storyline of the 2023 Cincinnati Reds.
As Saturday showed, however, there’s a whole lot more to a roster than merely finding young, cheap hitters who can mash, the storyline that has become the defining one during the demise of the 2023 Cincinnati Reds.