Catcher Tucker Barnhart was drafted by the Reds in 2009, a year before they returned to the playoffs after a 15-year absence only to be swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in three games. He made his big-league debut five years later and one year after the Reds lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2013 wild-card game.
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In between, the Reds suffered their most crushing postseason disappointment in that period. They blew a 2-0 lead by losing three straight home games to the San Francisco Giants in the 2012 division series.
Barnhart watched all those games.
“I watched the game in Pittsburgh when (Johnny) Cueto pitched,” Barnhart said Tuesday. “I was in the stands in Cincinnati when the Giants were playing the Reds. I watched Roy Halladay (throw a no-hitter) against the Reds (in 2010). There aren’t a ton of positive things I remember, but hopefully we can start a string of positive stuff for the Reds. I think we’ve been playing great baseball of late and look forward to getting started tomorrow.”
The first pitch of Game 1 will take place at 12:08 p.m. Wednesday. Game 2 will start at the same time Thursday. Game 3, if necessary, will start at 3:08 p.m. Friday, though that time could change if other series end in two games Thursday. All three games will be televised by ESPN.
Other than Votto, who was drafted in 2002 and debuted in the big leagues in 2007, no one has been with the Reds or in the organization longer than Barnhart. He made his big-league debut in 2014 when most of the players from the 2013 playoff team were still around.
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Barnhart and Votto are the only Reds remaining from the 2014 roster. Eugenio Suarez, Michael Lorenzen, Raisel Iglesias and Anthony DeSclafani joined them in 2015.
For the players who have been around that long, the return to the playoffs has extra meaning. Barnhart said there was a ton of emotion Friday when the Reds clinched a postseason berth by beating the Minnesota Twins.
“You look around the room and see guys I grew up with in the minor leagues and coaches I’ve known since I was 18 or 19 years old,” Barnhart said. “To get to experience this with them, my first winning record in the big leagues and my first postseason experience in a Reds uniform is extremely special, extremely exciting. I’ve got those jitters that I welcome. It’s that old cliche. It’s going to be tough to sleep tonight. I feel that’s absolutely going to be the case.”
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