The heart of the Cincinnati Reds has rejoined the lineup at the perfect time. Joey Votto drove in three to propel the Reds to their ninth straight win and the Division lead.
Votto underwent shoulder surgery last August and returned to 20,344 Reds fans chanting his name on Monday night.
Before the matchup against the Colorado Rockies, Votto explained how he has to earn his way back into this lineup. That being the starting first basemen isn’t a given.
The Canadian made his case in the bottom of the fifth. Smashing the first pitch of the inning deep into the right-field bleachers and sending Great American Ballpark into a frenzy.
The Rockies retook the lead in the top of the sixth, but the red-hot Reds immediately loaded up the bases for Votto.
“Joey, Joey, Joey,” rained down from the crowd.
He smacked the 1-0 pitch right back up the middle, driving in two and making the crowd explode again. The two runs wound up being the difference maker, as the backbone of the Reds made his return a night to remember.
In one of the most heartwarming postgame interviews, Votto said the 2023 Reds team has a ‘different energy.’ Something that he hasn’t felt his entire career.
The Reds are streaking with no signs of slowing down. They now have nine straight under their belts, and with tonight’s win, they now hold the sole lead in the mysterious NL Central.
In a year where Cincinnati is fielding such a young team, they lucked out going up against underperforming teams within the NL Central. No matter who winds up on top, we won’t know until late in the season.
