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Cincinnati Reds History: Pokey Reese Has a Day to Forget
Pokey Reese was a Gold Glove caliber shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. One could be forgiven for thinking otherwise on this day in 1998, when Reese had a truly horrific day in the field.
Errors happen. Even the best defensive players will have a miscue or two. Sometimes, multiple errors can even happen on the same play, as Tommy John once infamously discovered. In the end, the key is to limit those mistakes, and make as many plays as possible.
On this day in 1998, Pokey Reese had one of the more miserable days of any player defensively. In the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starting lineup due to an injury to Barry Larkin, Reese made quite the impression, albeit in a negative fashion. The Reds shortstop managed to make four errors on his first three chances, setting the tone for Cincinnati's 10-2 loss to the Padres.
Reese's issues began almost immediately. The second batter of the game, Steve Finley, grounded to first for what seemed like an easy double play. Eduardo Perez fired to Reese to get the force at second, but Reese's throw sailed wide, allowing Finley to reach second. The Reds emerged unscathed, and one could chalk it up to Opening Day jitters.
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Then came the third inning, where everything unraveled. Quilvio Veras led off the inning with a grounder to short that Reese was unable to corral. After a double, Tony Gwynn hit a grounder to Reese, who was unable to make the play. He then compounded matters by throwing the ball away, making two errors on the play and four errors in his first three chances.
While he performed better at short over the course of the season, the 1998 campaign was still a struggle defensively. In his 18 games, Reese made seven errors, costing Cincinnati three runs. Moved to second the next year, Reese fared far better, and won the Gold Glove award in both 1999 and 2000. He would eventually become a shortstop again, and even performed well, saving 17 runs for the Red Sox in 71 games in 2004.
Pokey Reese was an excellent defensive player, but one would not have known it based on his performance on this day in 1998. The Cincinnati Reds shortstop had quite the rough performance, with four errors on his first three chances.
