The Cincinnati Reds trio of first baseman Joey Votto, second baseman Brandon Phillips and right fielder Jay Bruce may never win a playoff series together — Votto may be the only one left when the Reds are ready to compete again because Bruce and Phillips become unrestricted free agents in 2018 — but all three continue to add to their legacies in Cincinnati.
Here are seven facts about their rise in the record books:
- Bruce hit his 126th home run at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday in a 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, tying Adam Dunn for the most home runs hit at the stadium. That’s 59 percent of his career total of 214.
- With an RBI on Wednesday, Phillips moved into 10th place all by himself, passing Frank McCormick, with 804 RBIs in a Reds uniform. Phillips had 38 in 135 games with the Cleveland Indians before the Reds traded for him.
- Phillips and Votto played their 1,000th game together on the right side of the Reds infield during the last homestand at Great American Ball Park. That’s the most of any Reds tandem at first and second base and the most by any active set of infielders. They rank eighth in baseball history for career starts together at first and second and could move into the top five this season.
- Votto is one home run away from tying Barry Larkin for 10th place on the Reds’ all-time list. Votto has 197. Next on the list would be Eric Davis (203) and Ken Griffey Jr. (210).
- Bruce ranks seventh in Reds history with 214 home runs. Next on the list is George Foster (244).
- Phillips ranks seventh in Reds history with 1,502 games played. Unless he gets traded or injured this season, he should catch Vada Pinson (1,565) in a couple of months.
- Phillips is tied for 12th in Reds history with Pinson with 186 home runs.
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