August 10, 2016. It’s hard to imagine it was a little over two and a half years since Alex Reyes’ Major League debut against the Cincinnati Reds. He had just come off a start five days earlier for the AAA affiliate for the St. Louis Cardinals the Memphis Redbirds in which he recorded eight strikeouts in six innings pitched while walking two.
It was the top of the ninth inning against the 46-67 struggling Reds. A calm and collected Reyes took the once-in-a-lifetime trot out to the mound from the outfield bullpen and proceeded to throw a perfect one-two-three inning.