1988 Cincinnati Reds season

March 2026 November 2013 Cincinnati Reds 1988 National League West Riverfront Stadium Cincinnati 87–74 (.540) 2nd Marge Schott Murray Cook Pete Rose WLWT (Jay Randolph, Johnny Bench) WLW(Marty Brennaman, Joe Nuxhall) The 1988 Cincinnati Reds season was the 119th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball, and their 19th and 18th full season at Riverfront Stadium. It marked the last of four consecutive winning seasons for the Reds, all of which resulted in second place finishes in the National League West. Led by manager Pete Rose, the Reds finished with the best record of these four seasons at 87 wins and 74 losses, but finished seven games back of the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 1988 season would be Pete Rose's last full season as Reds's manager. Offseason November 6, 1987: Danny Jackson was acquired from the Kansas City Royals along with Angel Salazar for Ted Power and Kurt Stillwell. December 8, 1987: Dave Parker was traded by the Reds to the Oakland Athletics for José Rijo and Tim Birtsas.Dave Parker page at Baseball Reference Regular season Danny Jackson became the last pitcher to win at least 20 games in one season for the Reds in the 20th Century. The 1988 season also marked the final season for the shortstop, Dave Concepción, an integral member of the Big Red Machine of the 1970s in which he played the last of 19 years with the club.Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.98, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, 978-0-451-22363-0 Suspension of Pete Rose The stage was set in a dramatic end of a home game on April 30 against the New York Mets, in which the score was tied 5–5 leading into the ninth inning. The game had been contentious throughout, with two hit batsman and a bench-clearing brawl in the seventh inning that resulted in the ejections of both Tom Browning and Darryl Strawberry.Mets frustrate Reds (Part 1) https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24111402/ Greg Hoard The Cincinnati Enquirer 13 Newspapers.com May 1, 1988 September 28, 2018Mets frustrate Reds (Part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24111412/ Greg Hoard The Cincinnati Enquirer 15 Newspapers.com May 1, 1988 September 28, 2018 With the Mets batting with two outs in the top of the ninth, Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball to shortstop Barry Larkin, whose throw to first base was wide and pulled first baseman Nick Esasky's foot from the bag. First-base umpire Dave Pallone, who'd long been seen as unfair by the Reds, hesitated before making a delayed safe call. Esasky, waiting for the call, failed to make a throw to the plate on Howard Johnson's attempt to score from second base. Johnson's bold baserunning proved to be the difference and stood as the game-winning run for the Mets. A furious Pete Rose rushed from the dugout, vehemently arguing the call. Rose later claimed that Pallone hit him in the cheek with his finger, prompting Rose to shove Pallone twice with his shoulder and forearm knocking him backward. Rose was then ejected and had to be restrained by his own coaches. At the same time, fans in the stadium began showering the field with debris, at which time Pallone left the field with the players retreating to the dugouts. After a nearly 15-minute suspension of play, the game was resumed with the remaining three umpires.Stadium uproar (Part 1) https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24111181/ Greg Hoard John Erardi The Cincinnati Enquirer 1 Newspapers.com May 1, 1988 September 28, 2018Stadium uproar (Part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24111215/ Greg Hoard John Erardi The Cincinnati Enquirer 9 Newspapers.com May 1, 1988 September 28, 2018 National League president A. Bartlett Giamatti suspended Rose for thirty days, which was the longest suspension ever levied for an on-field incident involving a manager. Rose was also fined. In addition, Reds radio announcers Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall were criticized for inciting the fan response with what were characterized by "inflammatory and completely irresponsible remarks". At the time, especially given Brennaman's and Nuxhall's iconic status in Cincinnati, it was common for spectators at ballparks to listen to their teams' radio broadcasts using portable radios. Chass Murray https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/03/sports/pete-rose-is-suspended-30-days.html Pete Rose Is Suspended 30 Days May 15, 2015 The New York Times May 3, 1988 Season standings Record vs. opponents CIN Notable transactions March 29, 1988: Guy Hoffman was released by the Reds.Guy Hoffman page at Baseball Reference May 14, 1988: Skeeter Barnes was signed as a free agent by the Reds.Skeeter Barnes page at Baseball Reference June 1, 1988: Paul Byrd was drafted by the Reds in the 13th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.Paul Byrd page at Baseball Reference June 20, 1988: Mario Soto was released by the Reds.Mario Soto page at Baseball Reference July 11, 1988: Max Venable was signed as a free agent by the Reds.Max Venable page at Baseball Reference July 13, 1988: Tracy Jones and Pat Pacillo were traded by the Reds to the Montreal Expos for Jeff Reed, Herm Winningham, and Randy St. Claire.Tracy Jones page at Baseball Reference August 2, 1988: Ken Griffey, Sr. was signed as a free agent by the Reds.Ken Griffey page at Baseball Reference Roster 1988 Cincinnati Reds Roster Pitchers 40 Jack Armstrong 48 Tim Birtsas 38 Keith Brown 32 Tom Browning 37 Norm Charlton 49 Rob Dibble 31 John Franco 43 Jeff Gray 20 Danny Jackson 46 Rob Murphy 35 Pat Pacillo 38 Pat Perry 45 Dennis Rasmussen 27 José Rijo 33 Ron Robinson 45 Candy Sierra 36 Mario Soto 35 Randy St. Claire 47 Frank Williams Catchers  6 Bo Díaz 30 Lloyd McClendon  8 Terry McGriff 34 Jeff Reed Infielders 25 Buddy Bell 51 Marty Brown 13 Dave Concepción 10 Leon Durham 12 Nick Esasky 25 Ken Griffey 56 Lenny Harris 11 Barry Larkin 16 Ron Oester  9 Luis Quiñones 17 Chris Sabo 15 Jeff Treadway Outfielders 22 Dave Collins 28 Kal Daniels 44 Eric Davis 26 Leo Garcia 29 Tracy Jones  9 Eddie Milner 21 Paul O'Neill 39 Ron Roenicke 57 Van Snyder 29 Herm Winningham Manager 14 Pete Rose Coaches  2 Scott Breeden 19 Tommy Helms  4 Bruce Kimm 23 Lee May 24 Tony Pérez All-Star Game The 1988 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 59th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 12, 1988, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the home of the Cincinnati Reds of the National League. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 2-1. The Perfect Game 350px|right|thumb|upright|A ticket from Browning's perfect game. Tom Browning pitched a perfect game on September 16, 1988 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198809160.shtml Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds, Box Score, September 16, 1988 2021-09-20 Baseball-Reference.com Scorecard September 16, 1988, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio Team123456789RHELos Angeles 000000000001Cincinnati00000100X130W: Tom Browning (16-5)  L: Tim Belcher (10-5)  Attendance: 16,591, Time: 1:51 Batting Los Angeles Dodgers ABRHRBICincinnati RedsABRHRBIGriffin, ss3000Larkin, ss3110Hatcher, 1b3000Sabo, 3b3010Gibson, lf3000Daniels, lf3000Gonzalez, lf0000Davis, cf2000Marshall, rf3000O'Neill, rf3000Shelby, cf3000 Esasky, 1b3000Hamilton, 3b3000Reed, c3000Dempsey, c3000Oester, 2b3010Sax, 2b3000Browning, p3000Belcher, p2000None0000Woodson, ph1000None0000Totals27000Totals26130 Pitching Los Angeles DodgersIPHRERBBSOCincinnati RedsIPHRERBBSOBelcher, L (10-5)8.031017Browning, W (16-5)9.000007 Player stats = Indicates team leader Batting Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI C Bo Díaz 92 315 69 .219 10 35 1B Nick Esasky 122 391 95 .243 15 62 2B Jeff Treadway 103 301 76 .252 2 23 SS Barry Larkin 151 588 174 .296 12 56 3B Chris Sabo 137 538 146 .271 11 44 LF Kal Daniels 140 495 144 .291 18 64 CF Eric Davis Eric Davis (baseball) 135 472 129 .273 26 93 RF Paul O'Neill Paul O'Neill (baseball) 145 485 122 .252 16 73 Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI Dave Concepción 84 197 39 .198 0 8 Dave Collins 99 174 41 .236 0 14 Ron Oester 54 150 42 .280 0 10 Jeff Reed 49 142 33 .232 1 7 Lloyd McClendon 72 137 30 .219 3 14 Herm Winningham 53 113 26 .230 0 15 Terry McGriff 35 96 19 .198 1 4 Tracy Jones 37 83 19 .229 1 9 Buddy Bell 21 54 10 .185 0 3 Luis Quiñones 23 52 12 .231 1 11 Leon Durham 21 51 11 .216 1 2 Eddie Milner 23 51 9 .176 0 2 Ken Griffey Sr. 25 50 14 .280 2 4 Lenny Harris 16 43 16 .372 0 8 Ron Roenicke 14 37 5 .135 0 5 Leo García 23 28 4 .143 0 0 Van Snider 11 28 6 .214 1 6 Marty Brown 10 16 3 .188 0 2 Pitching = Indicates league leader Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO Danny Jackson 35 261.0 23* 8 2.73 161 Tom Browning 36 250.2 18 5 3.41 124 Mario Soto 14 87.0 3 7 4.66 34 Ron Robinson 17 78.2 3 7 4.12 38 Jack Armstrong 14 65.1 4 7 5.79 45 Norm Charlton 10 61.1 4 5 3.96 39 Dennis Rasmussen 11 56.1 2 6 5.75 27 Tied with Orel Hershiser (LAD) for league lead Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO José Rijo 49 162.0 13 8 2.39 160 Keith Brown 4 16.1 2 1 2.76 6 Relief pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G W L SV ERA SO John Franco 70 6 6 39 1.57 46 Rob Murphy 76 0 6 3 3.08 74 Frank Williams 60 3 2 1 2.59 43 Rob Dibble 37 1 1 0 1.82 59 Tim Birtsas 36 1 3 0 4.20 38 Pat Perry 12 2 2 0 5.66 11 Randy St. Claire 10 1 0 0 2.63 8 Pat Pacillo 6 1 0 0 5.06 11 Jeff Gray 5 0 0 0 3.86 5 Candy Sierra 1 0 0 0 4.50 4 Dave Concepción 1 0 0 0 0.00 1 Farm system Minor League Baseball AAA Nashville Sounds American Association Jack Lind, Wayne Garland, Jim Hoff, George Scherger and Frank Lucchesi AA Chattanooga Lookouts Southern League Tom Runnells A Cedar Rapids Reds Midwest League Marc Bombard A Greensboro Hornets South Atlantic League Dave Miley Rookie GCL Reds Gulf Coast League Sam Mejías Rookie Billings Mustangs Pioneer League Dave KellerLEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Chattanooga, Cedar RapidsJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007 Awards and honors Ron Oester, Hutch Awardhttp://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_hut.shtml Hutch Award Baseball-almanac.com August 24, 2012 Chris Sabo, NL Rookie of the Year All-Star Game Danny Jackson, Pitcher, Reserve Barry Larkin, SS, Reserve Chris Sabo, 3B, Reserve References 1988 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference 1988 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Almanac 53em Cincinnati Reds Season, 1988 Category:Cincinnati Reds seasons Cinc