Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays (12) reacts after getting hit by a wild pitch in the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Watch: Reds crumble against Cubs in disastrous home loss

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 25, 2025 6:54 PM ET

Cincinnati Reds play-by-play broadcaster John Sadak was exasperated after they collapsed in a home loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

"In a season that's had some very frustrating moments, this is the worst so far and it's not close," Sadak said during the FanDuel Sports Network broadcast (h/t Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

The frustrating moment could be hard to top. Entering the top of the sixth inning, the Reds led, 8-3. The Cubs proceeded to score eight unanswered runs.

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner drove in two runs with a double in the top of the seventh inning. He also scored a run off a wild pitch in the sixth and a single from first baseman Michael Busch in the seventh.

Things continued to snowball for the Reds in the eighth inning. Cubs catcher Reese McGuire — who was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday — homered to right field on a 78 mph sweeper from Reds relief pitcher Taylor Rodgers.

Welcome to the @Cubs, Reese McGuire!

His first career multi-HR game evens the score. pic.twitter.com/Q9Lzdn3Q3E
— MLB (@MLB) May 25, 2025

Reds relief pitcher Luis Mey replaced Rodgers after he walked left fielder Ian Happ, and right fielder Kyle Tucker singled off of him. That didn't work.

Cubs left fielder Seiya Suzuki homered into left field off a 97 mph sinker from Mey, giving the Cubs an 11-8 lead. The 399-foot moonshot helped seal a win for Chicago.

SEIYA SUZUKI GO-AHEAD 3-RUN BLAST!

He leads MLB with 49 RBI! pic.twitter.com/iKsuTtgMO1
— MLB (@MLB) May 25, 2025

More crushing losses could be in store for the Reds (26-28), who trail the Cubs (32-21) by 6.5 games in the National League Central. As of Sunday, FanGraphs Baseball projects that Cincinnati will finish with a 78-84 record.

This defeat, however, may sting more for the Reds than any past or future losses during the 2025 season.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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