The Reds didn’t just take care of business Sunday against the Rockies. They carved out a little more room in the franchise record book while they were at it.
Tyler Stephenson, Jose Trevino and rookie Sal Stewart all had a hand in the history-making afternoon, with Stephenson’s power display headlining the group.
Stephenson put together one of the most eye-catching offensive games a Reds catcher has had in a long time. He launched two home runs and came up just short of a third, finishing with 10 total bases - the most by any Reds player this season.
It also marked the most by a Cincinnati catcher since Ryan Lavarnway had 10 against the St. Louis Cardinals on this date in 2019.
The big day fit right in with what Stephenson has been doing since June 21. Over that stretch, he has been one of the sport’s most productive offensive catchers, hitting .380/.426/.580 with six extra-base hits. He’s also cut down on the strikeouts, going from a 24.9% strikeout rate on the season to 16.7% during that run.
Trevino’s name was already in the mix after his two-homer game Saturday, and Stephenson’s follow-up made the pair part of a first in franchise history. The Reds became the first team in club history to have catching duo record multi-home run games in back-to-back contests.
That’s not exactly the lane Trevino is known for, but he’s been swinging it well since returning from the injured list a little over a month ago. In that span, he’s hitting .357/.357/.619 with five extra-base hits.
Stewart added his own milestone to the day. With his 20th home run and 23rd double of the season, he became just the second Reds rookie at his age or younger to post at least 20 homers and 20 doubles in a season.
The only player to do it younger was Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.
Stewart is now hitting .253/.334/.475 with 43 extra-base hits on the year, and he’s drawing walks in more than 10% of his plate appearances. Through a rookie season that has already kept him in the company of some of the biggest names in Reds history, Sunday gave him another line on a growing resume.
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