# 1988 Cincinnati Reds season

The 1988 Cincinnati Reds season was the 119th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball, and their 19th and 18th full season at Riverfront Stadium. It marked the last of four consecutive winning seasons for the Reds, all of which resulted in second place finishes in the National League West. Led by manager Pete Rose, the Reds finished with the best record of these four seasons at 87 wins and 74 losses, but finished seven games back of the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 1988 season would be Pete Rose's last full season as Reds manager.

## Offseason

* November 6, 1987: Danny Jackson was acquired from the Kansas City Royals along with Angel Salazar for Ted Power and Kurt Stillwell.
* December 8, 1987: Dave Parker was traded by the Reds to the Oakland Athletics for José Rijo and Tim Birtsas.

## Regular season

Danny Jackson became the last pitcher to win at least 20 games in one season for the Reds in the 20th Century. The 1988 season also marked the final season for the gifted shortstop, Dave Concepción, an integral member of the Big Red Machine of the 1970s in which he played the last of 19 years with the club.

### Suspension of Pete Rose

The stage was set in a dramatic end of a home game on April 30 against the New York Mets, in which the score was tied 5–5 leading into the ninth inning. The game had been contentious throughout, with two hit batsman and a bench-clearing brawl in the seventh inning that resulted in the ejections of both Tom Browning and Darryl Strawberry. With the Mets batting with two outs in the top of the ninth, Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball to shortstop Barry Larkin, whose throw to first base was wide and pulled first baseman Nick Esasky's foot from the bag. First-base umpire Dave Pallone, who'd long been seen as unfair by the Reds, hesitated before making a delayed safe call. Esasky, waiting for the call, failed to make a throw to the plate on Howard Johnson's attempt to score from second base. Johnson's bold baserunning proved to be the difference and stood as the game-winning run for the Mets. A furious Pete Rose rushed from the dugout, vehemently arguing the call. Rose later claimed that Pallone hit him in the cheek with his finger, prompting Rose to shove Pallone twice with his shoulder and forearm knocking him backward. Rose was then ejected and had to be restrained by his own coaches. At the same time, fans in the stadium began showering the field with debris, at which time Pallone left the field with the players retreating to the dugouts.
After a nearly 15-minute suspension of play, the game was resumed with the remaining three umpires. National League president A. Bartlett Giamatti suspended Rose for thirty days, which was the longest suspension ever levied for an on-field incident involving a manager. Rose was also fined. In addition, Reds radio announcers Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall were criticized for inciting the fan response with what were characterized by "inflammatory and completely irresponsible remarks". At the time, especially given Brennaman's and Nuxhall's iconic status in Cincinnati, it was common for spectators at ballparks to listen to their teams' radio broadcasts using portable radios.

### Season standings

vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 94 | 67 | .584 | — | 45‍–‍36 | 49‍–‍31 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 87 | 74 | .540 | 7 | 45‍–‍35 | 42‍–‍39 |
| San Diego Padres | 83 | 78 | .516 | 11 | 47‍–‍34 | 36‍–‍44 |
| San Francisco Giants | 83 | 79 | .512 | 11½ | 45‍–‍36 | 38‍–‍43 |
| Houston Astros | 82 | 80 | .506 | 12½ | 44‍–‍37 | 38‍–‍43 |
| Atlanta Braves | 54 | 106 | .338 | 39½ | 28‍–‍51 | 26‍–‍55 |

### Record vs. opponents

1988 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL |
| Atlanta | — | 5–7 | 5–13 | 5–13 | 4–14 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 5–5 | 8–10 | 5–13 | 3–9 |
| Chicago | 7–5 | — | 6–6 | 7–5 | 4–8–1 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 7–11 |
| Cincinnati | 13–5 | 6–6 | — | 9–9 | 7–11 | 5–7 | 4–7 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 6–6 |
| Houston | 13–5 | 5–7 | 9–9 | — | 9–9 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–6 |
| Los Angeles | 14–4 | 8–4–1 | 11–7 | 9–9 | — | 8–4 | 1–10 | 11–1 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 12–6 | 7–5 |
| Montreal | 8–4 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 4–8 | — | 6–12 | 9–9–1 | 8–10 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 13–5 |
| New York | 8–4 | 9–9 | 7–4 | 7–5 | 10–1 | 12–6 | — | 10–8 | 12–6 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 14–4 |
| Philadelphia | 6-6 | 10–8 | 3–9 | 4–8 | 1–11 | 9–9–1 | 8–10 | — | 7–11 | 4–7 | 7–5 | 6–12 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–5 | 11–7 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 6–12 | 11–7 | — | 8–4 | 8–4 | 11–7 |
| San Diego | 10–8 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 7–4 | 4–8 | — | 8–10 | 6–6 |
| San Francisco | 13–5 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 10–8 | — | 7–5 |
| St. Louis | 9–3 | 11–7 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 5–13 | 4–14 | 12–6 | 7–11 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — |

### Notable transactions

* March 29, 1988: Guy Hoffman was released by the Reds.
* May 14, 1988: Skeeter Barnes was signed as a free agent by the Reds.
* June 1, 1988: Paul Byrd was drafted by the Reds in the 13th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign.
* June 20, 1988: Mario Soto was released by the Reds.
* July 11, 1988: Max Venable was signed as a free agent by the Reds.
* July 13, 1988: Tracy Jones and Pat Pacillo were traded by the Reds to the Montreal Expos for Jeff Reed, Herm Winningham, and Randy St. Claire.
* August 2, 1988: Ken Griffey, Sr. was signed as a free agent by the Reds.

### All-Star Game

The 1988 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 59th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 12, 1988, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the home of the Cincinnati Reds of the National League. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 2-1.

### The Perfect Game

Tom Browning pitched a perfect game on September 16, 1988 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

#### Scorecard

September 16, 1988, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| W: Tom Browning (16-5) L: Tim Belcher (10-5) |||||||||||||
| Attendance: 16,591, Time: 1:51 |||||||||||||

#### Batting

| Los Angeles Dodgers | AB | R | H | RBI | Cincinnati Reds | AB | R | H | RBI |
| Griffin, ss | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Larkin, ss | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Hatcher, 1b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sabo, 3b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gibson, lf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Daniels, lf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gonzalez, lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Davis, cf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshall, rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | O'Neill, rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shelby, cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Esasky, 1b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hamilton, 3b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Reed, c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dempsey, c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Oester, 2b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sax, 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Browning, p | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Belcher, p | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Woodson, ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Totals | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 |

#### Pitching

| Los Angeles Dodgers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | Cincinnati Reds | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Belcher, L (10-5) | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | Browning, W (16-5) | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

## Player stats
### Batting
#### Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | Bo Díaz | 92 | 315 | 69 | .219 | 10 | 35 |
| 1B | Nick Esasky | 122 | 391 | 95 | .243 | 15 | 62 |
| 2B | Jeff Treadway | 103 | 301 | 76 | .252 | 2 | 23 |
| SS | Barry Larkin | 151 | 588 | 174 | .296 | 12 | 56 |
| 3B | Chris Sabo | 137 | 538 | 146 | .271 | 11 | 44 |
| LF | Kal Daniels | 140 | 495 | 144 | .291 | 18 | 64 |
| CF | Eric Davis | 135 | 472 | 129 | .273 | 26 | 93 |
| RF | Paul O'Neill | 145 | 485 | 122 | .252 | 16 | 73 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| Dave Concepción | 84 | 197 | 39 | .198 | 0 | 8 |
| Dave Collins | 99 | 174 | 41 | .236 | 0 | 14 |
| Ron Oester | 54 | 150 | 42 | .280 | 0 | 10 |
| Jeff Reed | 49 | 142 | 33 | .232 | 1 | 7 |
| Lloyd McClendon | 72 | 137 | 30 | .219 | 3 | 14 |
| Herm Winningham | 53 | 113 | 26 | .230 | 0 | 15 |
| Terry McGriff | 35 | 96 | 19 | .198 | 1 | 4 |
| Tracy Jones | 37 | 83 | 19 | .229 | 1 | 9 |
| Buddy Bell | 21 | 54 | 10 | .185 | 0 | 3 |
| Luis Quiñones | 23 | 52 | 12 | .231 | 1 | 11 |
| Leon Durham | 21 | 51 | 11 | .216 | 1 | 2 |
| Eddie Milner | 23 | 51 | 9 | .176 | 0 | 2 |
| Ken Griffey Sr. | 25 | 50 | 14 | .280 | 2 | 4 |
| Lenny Harris | 16 | 43 | 16 | .372 | 0 | 8 |
| Ron Roenicke | 14 | 37 | 5 | .135 | 0 | 5 |
| Leo García | 23 | 28 | 4 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
| Van Snider | 11 | 28 | 6 | .214 | 1 | 6 |
| Marty Brown | 10 | 16 | 3 | .188 | 0 | 2 |

### Pitching
#### Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Danny Jackson | 35 | 261.0 | 23 | 8 | 2.73 | 161 |
| Tom Browning | 36 | 250.2 | 18 | 5 | 3.41 | 124 |
| Mario Soto | 14 | 87.0 | 3 | 7 | 4.66 | 34 |
| Ron Robinson | 17 | 78.2 | 3 | 7 | 4.12 | 38 |
| Jack Armstrong | 14 | 65.1 | 4 | 7 | 5.79 | 45 |
| Norm Charlton | 10 | 61.1 | 4 | 5 | 3.96 | 39 |
| Dennis Rasmussen | 11 | 56.1 | 2 | 6 | 5.75 | 27 |

#### Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| José Rijo | 49 | 162.0 | 13 | 8 | 2.39 | 160 |
| Keith Brown | 4 | 16.1 | 2 | 1 | 2.76 | 6 |

#### Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| John Franco | 70 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 1.57 | 46 |
| Rob Murphy | 76 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3.08 | 74 |
| Frank Williams | 60 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2.59 | 43 |
| Rob Dibble | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.82 | 59 |
| Tim Birtsas | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4.20 | 38 |
| Pat Perry | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5.66 | 11 |
| Randy St. Claire | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.63 | 8 |
| Pat Pacillo | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5.06 | 11 |
| Jeff Gray | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 5 |
| Candy Sierra | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 4 |
| Dave Concepción | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Nashville Sounds | American Association | Jack Lind, Wayne Garland, Jim Hoff, George Scherger and Frank Lucchesi |
| AA | Chattanooga Lookouts | Southern League | Tom Runnells |
| A | Cedar Rapids Reds | Midwest League | Dave Miley |
| A | Greensboro Hornets | South Atlantic League | Marc Bombard |
| Rookie | GCL Reds | Gulf Coast League | Sam Mejías |
| Rookie | Billings Mustangs | Pioneer League | Dave Keller |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Chattanooga, Cedar Rapids

## Awards and honors

* Ron Oester, Hutch Award