For the Cincinnati Reds, Time is a Flat Circle

The Cincinnati Reds enter the final day of the regular season with a chance to make it to the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2013. The scenario may look eerily similar to a previous game 162 opportunity the Reds faced, albeit with one key difference.

The Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers and they’re in. The Reds lose and the New York Mets lose, and they’re in. By virtue of tiebreakers, the Reds will not have to worry about a game 163. For those of us that remember the 199 team, this is a huge blessing.

In 1999, the Reds put together a fantastically fun season. Some Reds fans too young to remember the Big Red Machine or even the 1990 team still label 1999 as their favorite team, myself included. That team MISSED the playoffs because of bad performances in games 160 and 161 that led to a must win game 162. The Reds won, but that still meant a tiebreaker had to be played with the New York Mets. 

That was a bad game 163.

Had the Reds not lost 2-out of-3 to the Brewers in Milwaukee in the final series of the season, then a tiebreaker game against the Mets would have been unnecessary. As it happened it was and Al Leiter became one of the more reviled names in Reds fans’ memories.

This year it’s more simple. The Reds won 4-of-6 games this season against the Mets. So even if the Mets win today, as long as the Reds win they’re in.

This is just the third time the Reds postseason hopes have come down to game 162. Here’s hoping it ends well and we are talking about matchups with the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Tuesday night.