The Cincinnati Reds found a new way to qualify for the postseason.
In a bunch of different statistical ways, the Reds don't appear to be an elite team.
But they found a way to put the pieces together and win enough games to get into the dance, and that's really all that matters.
The Reds secured it by winning Sunday, the final day of the regular season, to hold off the New York Mets for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.
OptaStats summed up the oddity by pointing out all the stats the Reds didn't have:
- No qualifying batter hit .270
- No batter hit 25 homers
- No pitcher won 15 games
- No pitcher notched 200 strikeouts
The Reds are the only team in a non-shortened season to not have any of those marks and yet still reach the playoffs.
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Sometimes, a team is more than the sum of its parts.
And when the Reds got rolling down the stretch, it felt like that.
They have solid hitters, if not prolific. They have a deep stable of pitchers, if not overpowering.
These Reds can win baseball games, and they can do it in the playoffs, too. And they made it in, which is the most important step.
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