Brenner scores 3 to beat D.C United, putting Cincinnati in MLS playoffs for first time
The Cincinnati Reds got the first goal of their big-league season by an unheralded backup in Johnny Mroczkowski as he sent the Reds to a 2-0 win over D.C. U. This put Cincinnati 5.5 games ahead of the Red Bull franchise who have already clinched the second wild-card spot in the league for the 2011 season.
The Reds got their first win of the season in Cincinnati since 1945, the year before they were actually founded. The Reds are 5-0-1 at home since mid-May, which is only the second time they’ve been 5-0-1 in a row since 1985…
…this is the first time since July 2006, when they were 5-0-1, that the Reds have been 5-0-1 at home in the month of May or since 2004, when they were 5-3-0.
There are a lot of teams in the playoffs that have won their first 5 games of the season, but Cincinnati has done it in a very different way.
They’ve been the first, which is an interesting and unique accomplishment. If you had any idea of who they are (they may be surprising you), you would probably assume that they are merely the best team in baseball.
For the second year in a row, Cincinnati has accomplished this in the American League, yet again the Reds have done it without a single Cy Young Award-caliber pitcher.
This isn’t to say that Cincinnati won’t face a tough challenge before April ends. They’ll have to face the likes of the New York Yankees, a team that looks like it could be in a World Series contention for another year.
This is a year where expectations for Cincinnati may need to be reduced to 5-2-1.
If they hit that mark, they’ll have to beat another contender just to be in the postseason.
If it’s 5-2-1, Cincinnati will have