2008 Cincinnati Reds season
Encyclopedia
The Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

' 2008 season
2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the...

was their 127th in total and their sixth in their present home park, Great American Ball Park
Great American Ball Park
The Great American Ball Park is a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home of the National League's Cincinnati Reds. It opened in 2003, replacing the Reds' former home, Cinergy Field, which was known as Riverfront Stadium from its opening in June 1970 until the 1996...

. The Reds play in the National League's
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 central division
National League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...

; their divisional foes are the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

, Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

, and Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

. The Cubs are the defending champions. The Reds have not made the playoffs since the 1995 season
1995 Cincinnati Reds season
The Cincinnati Reds' 1995 season was a season in American baseball. It consisted of the Reds winning the National League Central, and the National League Division Series in three straight games over the Los Angeles Dodgers before losing the National League Championship Series in four games to the...

.

The 2008 season
2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the...

 was manager Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...

's first with the Reds; the 19-year major league
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 veteran outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...

er from 1968 season
1968 Major League Baseball season
The Athletics played their first season in Oakland this year, following the team's relocation from Kansas City. It was also the last season of play before each of the two leagues were split into divisions for the following season.-The Year of the Pitcher:...

 to 1986 season
1986 Major League Baseball season
-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player**Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox **Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies *Cy Young Award**Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox **Mike Scott, Houston Astros *Rookie of the Year...

 with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

, and Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

, previously managed the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

 from 1993
1993 San Francisco Giants season
The 1993 Giants season was their 111th in Major League Baseball and their 36th in San Francisco. In the offseason, Barry Bonds left the Pirates to sign a lucrative free agent contract worth a then-record $43.75 million over 6 years with the Giants, with whom his father spent the first 7 years of...

 to 2002
2002 San Francisco Giants season
The 2002 San Francisco Giants season was the 120th in franchise history, and the franchise's 45th season in San Francisco. The season ended with the Giants winning the National League pennant but losing to the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 World Series....

 and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 from 2003
2003 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs' 2003 season was the 131st season for the Cubs. The Cubs went 88-74 during the season and won the National League Central Division for the first time since the division's formation in 1994, and the team's first division title since their 1989 NL East title...

 to 2006
2006 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs' 2006 season was the 134th season for the Cubs. The team finished with a record of 66-96 in last place of the National League Central Division. Chicago was managed by Dusty Baker...

. He took the entire 2007
2007 Major League Baseball season
The 2007 Major League Baseball season, began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1...

 off. Baker replaced Pete Mackanin
Pete Mackanin
Peter Mackanin, Jr. is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who most recently served as the acting manager of the Cincinnati Reds, having replaced Jerry Narron in 2007 before being replaced at season's end by Dusty Baker...

, who was named the interim manager on July 1, 2007, after Jerry Narron
Jerry Narron
Jerry Austin Narron is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager. He currently serves as the bench coach of the Milwaukee Brewers. During an 8-year playing career, he played from 1979–1987 for three different teams...

, coincidentally hired as an interim manager himself, in 2005 season
2005 Major League Baseball season
Click on any series score to link to that series' page.Higher seed had home field advantage during Division Series and League Championship Series.The American League champion had home field advantage during the World Series as a result of the AL victory in the 2005 All-Star...

 was fired.

Baker is the club's first-ever African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 manager.

The season is being dedicated to a number of people who died prior to the beginning of the season. Primarily, former Reds left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...

 pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 and longtime announcer Joe Nuxhall
Joe Nuxhall
Joseph Henry Nuxhall was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, mostly for the Cincinnati Reds. Immediately after retiring as a player, he became a radio broadcaster for the Reds from 1967 through 2004, and continued part-time up until his death in 2007...

, affectionately known to fans as "The Ol' Lefthander", who died on November 15, 2007 of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

. A patch that says "NUXY" is being worn on Reds uniforms.

Other Reds figures who passed were Sheldon "Chief" Bender, a former major league pitcher who developed the Reds' minor league farm system
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. Bender died on February 27, 2008. He worked with general manager Bob Howsam
Bob Howsam
Robert Lee Howsam was an executive in American professional sport who, in 1959, played a key role in establishing two leagues — the American Football League, which succeeded and merged with the National Football League, and baseball's Continental League, which never played a game but forced...

, who had died eight days earlier, to develop the Reds into 1970s powerhouse team nicknamed "The Big Red Machine
The Big Red Machine
The Big Red Machine is the nickname given to the Cincinnati Reds baseball team which dominated the National League from 1970 to 1976, recognized as among the best in baseball. Over that span, the team won five National League Western Division titles, four National League pennants, and two World...

".

Just 21 games into the 2008 season, the Reds fired 3rd year General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

 Wayne Krivsky
Wayne Krivsky
Wayne Krivsky , is the Special Assistant to the GM of Major League Baseball's New York Mets franchise.-Biography:Wayne Krivsky attended Duke University, where he played baseball for three years...

 and replaced him with former St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 General Manager Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty is the General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He was previously the General Manager of the St...

. The Reds had at 9–12 record, tied for 4th in the NL Central standings at the time of the firing. It was the team's worst start since the 2003 season.The Reds again stirred up controversy in Cincinnati in late July and early August by first trading right fielder Ken Griffey Jr., who a month earlier had hit his 600th home run, to the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

 at the trade deadline. On their next off day they sent popular left fielder Adam Dunn
Adam Dunn
Adam Troy Dunn , nicknamed "Big Donkey", is an American Major League Baseball first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed....

 to the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

 for two minor leaguers and pitcher Micah Owings
Micah Owings
Micah Burton Owings is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher currently pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks....

.

Roster

2008 Cincinnati Reds
Roster
Pitchers

Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders

Other batters
Manager

Coaches
(third base)
(first base)
(hitting)
(bullpen)
(pitching)
(bench)

2008 Game Log

The following is the Reds' 2008 season game log.
2008 Game Log

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In; SB = Stolen Bases; AVG = Batting Average
Player G AB R H HR RBI SB AVG
Bako, Paul
Paul Bako
Gabor Paul Bako II is a catcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. Bako is an example of a baseball "journeyman", having played for 11 different major league teams during his 12-year career...

 
99 299 30 65 6 35 0 .217
Bruce, Jay
Jay Bruce
Jay Allen Bruce is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. He was selected 12th overall in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft....

 
108 413 63 105 21 52 4 .254
Cabrera, Jolbert
Jolbert Cabrera
Jolbert Alexis Cabrera [HOLE-bert kah-BRER-rah] is a Major League Baseball Utility player who is currently playing in the Mexican League. Cabrera played with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan's Pacific League for two years...

 
48 115 17 29 3 12 2 .252
Dickerson, Chris
Chris Dickerson (baseball)
Christopher Charles Dickerson is a Major League Baseball left fielder for the New York Yankees.-Early career:...

 
31 102 20 31 6 15 5 .304
Encarnacion, Edwin
Edwin Encarnación
Edwin Elpidio Encarnación , is a Dominican Republic Major League Baseball utility player with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 6 ft 2 in, 235-pound Encarnación bats and throws right-handed....

 
146 506 75 127 26 68 1 .251
Freel, Ryan
Ryan Freel
Ryan Paul Freel is a retired baseball utility player. He played second base, third base, and all three outfield positions.-MLB career:...

 
48 131 17 39 0 10 8 .298
Hairston, Jr., Jerry  80 261 47 85 6 36 15 .326
Hanigan, Ryan
Ryan Hanigan
Ryan M. Hanigan is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Cincinnati Reds.Hanigan made his debut at the end of the season as a September call-up. He debuted on September 9 as a pinch hitter, and recorded his first major-league hit in that at-bat...

 
31 85 9 23 2 9 0 .271
Hopper, Norris
Norris Hopper
Norris Stephen Hopper is an outfielder who is presently with the Somerset Patriots. He attended Shelby High School, and in addition to his baseball abilities was an outstanding quarterback for the school's football team...

 
26 50 3 10 0 1 1 .200
Keppinger, Jeff
Jeff Keppinger
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Keppinger is an American professional baseball infielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed. Known as a contact hitter, Keppinger has one of the lowest strikeout rates in Major League Baseball...

 
121 459 45 122 3 43 3 .266
Patterson, Corey
Corey Patterson
Donald Corey Patterson is an American professional baseball free agent outfielder in Major League Baseball. He is the older brother of outfielder Eric Patterson.-Amateur career:...

 
135 366 46 75 10 34 14 .205
Phillips, Andy
Andy Phillips
George Andrew "Andy" Phillips is the current assistant coach for The University of Alabama's baseball team. He has played for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. Phillips was raised in Demopolis, Alabama, where he played baseball for the Demopolis Academy...

 
52 73 11 17 3 10 0 .233
Phillips, Brandon
Brandon Phillips
Brandon Emil Phillips is a second baseman for Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. The Raleigh, North Carolina native was selected in the second round of the 1999 draft by the former Montreal Expos after signing a letter of intent to play both baseball and football at the University of Georgia...

 
141 559 80 146 21 78 23 .261
Richar, Danny
Danny Richar
Danny Adam Richar is a second baseman in the Camden Riversharks organization of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball....

 
16 36 4 8 0 3 1 .222
Valentin, Javier
Javier Valentín
José Javier Valentín Rosario is a catcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. From -, he played for the Cincinnati Reds after playing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and playing in four brief stints for the Minnesota Twins from -. He is the younger brother of former Major League...

 
94 129 10 33 4 18 0 .256
Votto, Joey
Joey Votto
Joseph Daniel "Joey" Votto, is a Canadian Major League Baseball first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. He is the 2010 NL MVP, the recipient of the National League Hank Aaron Award for 2010, and won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year in 2010.-Early life:Votto was born on...

 
151 526 69 156 24 84 7 .297
Castillo, Wilkin
Wilkin Castillo
Wilkin Castillo is a Major League Baseball utility player.-Professional career:Castillo was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in by the Arizona Diamondbacks....

 
18 32 6 9 0 1 0 .281

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games Pitched; IP = Innings Pitched; W= Wins; L = Losses; K = Strikeouts; ERA = Earned Run Average; WHIP = Walks + Hits Per Innings Pitched
Player G IP W L K ERA WHIP
Volquez, Edinson
Edinson Volquez
Edinson Volquez [VOL-kez] , is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. He bats and throws right-handed....

 
33 196.0 17 6 206 3.21 1.33
Harang, Aaron
Aaron Harang
Aaron Michael Harang is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher.-Amateur career:Harang graduated from Patrick Henry High School then went on to San Diego State University...

 
30 184.1 6 17 153 4.78 1.38
Arroyo, Bronson
Bronson Arroyo
Bronson Anthony Arroyo , is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and an aspiring musician. He has previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002 and Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005...

 
34 200.0 15 11 163 4.77 1.44
Cueto, Johnny
Johnny Cueto
Johnny Brent Cueto [KWAY-toe] is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds.-Minor league career:...

 
31 174.0 9 14 158 4.81 1.41
Fogg, Josh
Josh Fogg
Joshua Smith Fogg is an American professional baseball player who has been a pitcher for nine Major League Baseball seasons. Fogg played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft...

 
22 78.1 2 7 45 7.58 1.58
Ramírez, Ramón
Ramón Ramírez (starting pitcher)
Ramón A. Ramírez is a Venezuelan pitcher who is currently a free agent.-San Diego Padres:On March 27, 2000, Ramírez was signed by the San Diego Padres as an outfielder. He was released by the Padres on June 12, 2001.-2004:On May 12, 2003, Ramírez was signed by the Cincinnati Reds, this time as a...

 
5 27.0 1 1 21 2.67 1.04

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games Pitched; IP = Innings Pitched; W= Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; K = Strikeouts; ERA = Earned Run Average; WHIP = Walks + Hits Per Innings Pitched
Player G IP W L SV K ERA WHIP
Cordero, Francisco
Francisco Cordero
Francisco Javier Cordero is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds...

 
72 70.1 5 4 34 78 3.33 1.41
Affeldt, Jeremy
Jeremy Affeldt
Jeremy David Affeldt is an American baseball professional pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He throws and bats left-handed. Previously, he has played for the Kansas City Royals, the Colorado Rockies, and the Cincinnati Reds....

 
74 78.1 1 1 0 80 3.33 1.31
Weathers, David
David Weathers
John David Weathers is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He bats and throws right-handed.- Early career :...

 
72 69.1 4 6 0 46 3.25 1.53
Bray, Bill
Bill Bray
William Paul "Bill" Bray , is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary...

 
63 47.0 2 2 0 54 2.87 1.57
Lincoln, Mike
Mike Lincoln
Michael George Lincoln is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He played at Casa Roble High School, American River College and the University of Tennessee...

 
64 70.1 2 5 0 57 4.48 1.28
Majewski, Gary
Gary Majewski
-Career:Majewski graduated in 1998 from St. Pius X High School in Houston, where he was unanimously selected for Houston Player of the Year for his achievement of maintaining a 1.64 ERA and a 14-3 record. With that, he led his team to the state championship in Class 5A TAPPS.In the majors, Majewski...

 
37 40.0 1 0 0 27 6.53 1.90
Masset, Nick
Nick Masset
Nicholas Allen Masset is a right-handed pitcher for Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. He was selected in the eighth round of the entry draft by the Texas Rangers. After graduating from Pinellas Park High School, Masset attended St...

10 17.1 1 0 0 11 2.08 1.21
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK