Cincinnati Reds fans know the long wait all too well. The club has not hosted a playoff game since winning 97 games and the NL Central Division title in 2012, and the 133,018 fans who filled Great American Ball Park for Games 3, 4 and 5 of the National League Division Series left with broken hearts.
Cincinnati had taken the first two games from the San Francisco Giants, only to drop the final three and see a chance at the NLCS - and maybe the World Series - slip away. Since then, the Reds have reached the playoffs three times and lost all five games they’ve played. That run includes the 2013 NL Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first two games against the Atlanta Braves in the pandemic-expanded 2020 playoffs, and last season’s Wild Card Series sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With Nick Krall back and rumors of tension between the front office and ownership still hanging around, confidence in a Reds resurgence is lower than ever.
And that’s why Cincinnati fans should pay attention to what happened in Houston.
The Astros dropped Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series to the Chicago White Sox, 6-3, on Tuesday afternoon at home, but the bigger story was the empty seats and the boos. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that more than 7,000 seats inside Daikin Park were vacant, and the crowd let its frustration be heard. The players noticed, too.
“Vibe is awful. It feels like a random Tuesday night in May and not like a postseason game. https://t.co/5fLo1HOx5B”
- Aztec Goblin (@JoshTooJolly) September 29, 2026
Astros reliever Bennett Sousa put it bluntly: “The fans here are definitely spoiled with a lot of ALCS and World Series runs, and we have to earn that right to bring this team back to that position,” Sousa said. “That being said, when this team was in their first (playoff) series 10 years ago, Minute Maid Park was probably packed. It makes a big difference."
Sousa’s own outing wasn’t clean - he spiked two breaking balls into the dirt in the seventh inning and gave up one run on two hits - but his point landed. Houston fans have gotten used to October baseball. The Astros have won the AL West five times in six seasons, reached the postseason nine times in 10 years, and during that stretch have made four World Series trips and won two titles.
Still, booing your own team doesn’t make much sense. The players on the field want to win just as badly as anyone in the stands, and playoff baseball is exactly the time when they are putting everything on the line. Fans spend serious money, especially in October, but that doesn’t change the fact that the guys in the dugout are trying to win every bit as hard.
That’s the lesson for Cincinnati: don’t become Houston.
The Reds’ history gives that warning some weight. The Big Red Machine of the 1970s is considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled, and from 1970-1979 Cincinnati won six division titles, reached the World Series four times and won twice. But since the 1979 NLCS, the Reds have been to the postseason only seven times in 46 years and have advanced just twice.
Astros fans may be used to winning now. Reds fans are still waiting for that kind of run. And when it finally arrives, Cincinnati can’t afford to forget what long stretches of disappointment feel like.
In Other News...
Reds Have A Bigger Lineup Problem Than Fans Realized
The Reds offense spent much of 2026 looking like a unit that could hit the ball out of the park but rarely string together enough production to score in bunches. Cincinnati finished 27th in runs scored, a jarring spot for a lineup that still managed a relatively high home run total, and the deeper issue was bigger than one bad stretch. Too many regulars fit the same frustrating profile: one-dimensional players who fell short in different parts of the game, leaving the offense short on balance and short on answers.
KeBryan Hayes became one of the most glaring examples of the problem, turning in historically poor offensive numbers by modern standards. His season only underscored how scattered the roster felt, with players underperforming not just at the plate but also in areas like defense and baserunning. For a Reds club trying to build a coherent contender, the challenge now is less about finding power and more about constructing a lineup that actually fits together. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Fans Should Be Worried Which Coaching Problem Still Remains
The Reds have already made one notable coaching change in the pitching department, with director of pitching Derek Johnson set not to return in 2027 after a personal leave of absence. Assistant pitching coach Matt Tracy and bullpen coach Oscar Marin handled Johnsons duties during that stretch, and the staffs overall numbers improved enough to make the transition look more than temporary damage control.
Chris Valaikas offense, though, is the issue that still lingers. Cincinnatis hitting production has been underwhelming under the director of hitting, and while the organization has not made any official call on his future, the contrast with the pitching side only sharpens the concern. The Reds can point to a clearer path on the mound now, but the same cant be said for the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Top Prospect Gets A Meaningful Offseason Opportunity At Home
As the Reds minor league season closes and the organizations prospects fan out to the Arizona Fall League or winter ball overseas, Alfredo Duno is headed somewhere a little more personal. The clubs top prospect will suit up for Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League, a chance that ties his development to the country where he grew up and gives him another meaningful stretch of reps after the regular season.
For Cincinnati, the assignment is about more than keeping Duno busy. The Reds want him healthy, having fun and soaking up as much experience as he can in a competitive setting, especially with seasoned pitchers around him. For Duno, it is also the kind of opportunity many young players dream about long before they reach prospect status, and now he gets to live it in a place that already feels like home. [Read more 🡒]