Proud of you, Reds

Billy Hamilton’s debut was over quickly – to no surprise.

The Reds won tonight’s game 6-2 in Cincinnati, taking three out of four from the rival Redbird from St. Louis. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think they had it in them. And if you’re honest, you probably didn’t either.

On the heels of one of the worst losses of the entire season, a 5-4 loss in 16 innings; I was thinking they would come out and lose flat. The Cardinals had the split in hand. But Shin-soo Choo went yard, Jay Bruce hit number 27, and Todd Frazier went deep twice. The Reds answered the bell in surprising fashion – and once again, for at least one night – all was right with the world again in Redsland.

This series will also forever be known as the series the Reds rolled out Billy Hamilton for his big league debut. #RunBillyRun was trending on twitter. Hamilton proved to be the ultimate weapon on the basepaths, swiping two on Yadier Molina in back to back nights in a big spot where only a stolen base would get the job done.

And tonight as the game winded down and Aroldis Chapman entered the game like an executioner sent to put the dreaded Cardinals to death, I found myself text messaging my circle of friends who all swore off the Reds after last night’s loss.

“Maybe we’ll win the division after all.”

In a season where I can’t seem to lift myself from the fog of last season’s NLDS collapse to the Giants, the Reds deserve credit. They certainly haven’t been stuck in the moment – if they were they wouldn’t be on their way to another 90 win season. It is through overcoming adversity that we derive the greatest triumphs. Maybe if this crazy bunch with their crazy skipper at the helm end up surprising everyone and writing a happy ending. I hope they have the last laugh.

But one thing is for sure, they proved to everyone that they’re not scared of the Cardinals. Even if they’re not the better team on paper.