The 1999 Cincinnati Reds season was the 130th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball. During the season the Reds became a surprising contender in the National League Central, winning 96 games and narrowly losing the division to the Houston Astros, ultimately missing the playoffs after losing a tie-breaker game to the New York Mets. As of 2023, the 1999 Reds currently hold the Major League record for the most wins by a team that failed to reach the playoffs in the Wild Card era. It was the final season with Marge Schott as owner, as she agreed in April to sell most of her shares of the team that was approved on September 15.
Offseason November 5, 1998: Melvin Nieves was released by the Cincinnati Reds. November 10, 1998: Bret Boone was traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Mike Remlinger to the Atlanta Braves for Rob Bell, Denny Neagle, and Michael Tucker.Bret Boone Statistics Baseball-Reference.com November 11, 1998: Paul Konerko was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago White Sox for Mike Cameron. December 21, 1998: Steve Avery was signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds.Steve Avery Statistics Baseball-Reference.com February 2, 1999: Mark Sweeney was traded by the San Diego Padres with Greg Vaughn to the Cincinnati Reds for Damian Jackson, Reggie Sanders, and Josh Harris (minors).
Regular season
Opening Day starters Pos Player CF Mike Cameron SS Barry Larkin 1B Sean Casey LF Greg Vaughn RF Dmitri Young C Eddie Taubensee 3B Aaron Boone 2B Pokey Reese P Brett Tomko
Summary In the May 19 contest versus the Colorado Rockies, the Reds won by a 24−12 final, tied for the fourth-highest run-scoring output in MLB history. The Reds' Jeffrey Hammonds hit three home runs this game; following the season, Colorado acquired him via trade. Both Hammonds and Sean Casey totaled four hits. Casey was on base seven times with three walks, and hit two home runs and six RBI. The Reds totaled six home runs; Casey added two, and Brian Johnson one. Colorado's Larry Walker and Dante Bichette both had four hits. Bichette also had five RBI, and Vinny Castilla hit a three-run home run.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Transactions June 2, 1999: Ben Broussard was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed June 2, 1999.Ben Broussard Statistics Baseball-Reference.com August 4, 1999: Jason Bere was released by the Cincinnati Reds.
Roster 1999 Cincinnati Reds Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders Manager
Coaches
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 Eddie Taubensee126424132.3112187 1B Sean Casey151594197.3322599 2B Pokey Reese149585167.2851052 3B Aaron Boone139472132.2801472 SS Barry Larkin161583171.2931275 LF Greg Vaughn153550135.24545118 CF Mike Cameron146542139.2562166 RF Michael Tucker13329675.2531144
Other batters 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 OF Dmitri Young127373112.3001456 OF Jeffrey Hammonds12326273.2791741 3B Mark Lewis8817344.254628 C Brian Johnson4511727.231518 IF Chris Stynes7311327.239214 1B Hal Morris8010229.284016 C Jason LaRue369019.211310 1B Mark Sweeney373111.35527 SS Travis Dawkins771.14300 LF Kerry Robinson910.00000
Pitching
Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W= Wins; L = Losses; K = Strikeouts; ERA = Earned run average; WHIP = Walks + Hits Per Inning Pitched Player G GS IP W L K ERA WHIP Harnisch, Pete 33 33 198.1 16 10 120 3.68 1.24 Tomko, Brett 33 26 172.0 5 7 132 4.78 1.36 Villone, Ron 29 22 142.2 9 7 97 4.23 1.31 Parris, Steve 22 21 128.2 11 4 86 3.50 1.36 Neagle, Denny 20 19 111.2 9 5 76 4.27 1.20 Avery, Steve 19 19 96.0 6 7 51 5.16 1.59 Guzmán, Juan 12 12 77.1 6 3 60 3.03 1.18
Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G GS IP W L ERA SO Bere, Jason 12 10 43.1 3 0 6.85 28
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 Graves, Danny 75 8 7 27 3.08 69 Sullivan, Scott 79 5 4 3 3.01 78 Williamson, Scott 62 12 7 19 2.41 107 Reyes, Dennys 65 2 2 2 3.79 72 White, Gabe 50 1 2 0 4.43 61 Belinda, Stan 29 0 3 1 5.27 40 Greene, Rick 1 0 0 0 4.76 3 Ryan, B.J. 1 0 0 0 4.50 1 Hudek, John 2 0 0 1 27.00 0
Awards and honors Scott Williamson, National League Rookie of the Year Sean Casey, Hutch Award Jack McKeon, National League Manager of the Year
Legacy
The 96 wins by the 1999 Cincinnati Reds were the most since the 1976 Big Red Machine who compiled 102 victories en route to their second consecutive World Series title. The Reds would not reach the 90-win plateau again until the 2010 season, when the team won the National League Central title with 91 victories.
The 1999 team is regarded as one of the best teams not to make the playoffs. Since the switch to 162 game season in 1962, the Reds have the sixth-best record, only to not make the playoffs at 96-67.
Notable Records
The team scored 865 runs, which still stands as the franchise record for runs scored in a season. The team also set franchise highs in most runs batted in (820), most total bases (2,549), and highest slugging percentage (.451)
On May 19, 1999, the Reds set three franchise records when they collected 28 hits, 15 extra base hits, and 55 total bases in a 24–12 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Sean Casey and Jeffrey Hammonds also set individual franchise records with each scoring five runs.
On September 4, 1999, the Reds set a franchise record when they clubbed nine home runs in a 22–3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Eight different Reds players homered in the game, the only time since 1901 that a team has achieved this.
Farm system
References
1999 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference