Former Reds Pitcher Gets Out of Bases-Loaded Jam for Yankees, Has Epic Reaction

Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Fernando Cruz got out of a bases-loaded jam for the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card series on Wednesday night and had an epic reaction.

The Boston Red Sox loaded the bases in the seventh inning, but Cruz got Trevor Story to fly out to deep center field to end the inning.

Story hit the ball hard, hitting it 102.3 mph, but Trent Grisham was there to haul it in and end the inning.

The right-hander appeared in 141 games for the Reds from 2022 to 2024, including 69 games a season ago. In the offseason, the Reds traded Cruz for backup catcher Jose Trevino.

Cruz posted a heartfelt goodbye to Reds fans on Instagram.

"It has been three wonderful years for me and my family, enjoying this beautiful sport with wonderful teammates coaches and families at this level," Cruz wrote on Instagram. "I want to thank the fans who always supported and trusted me and treated me with so much love and affection. It was a dream every day to go out to play in Cincinnati. Now it’s my turn to continue this chapter of my life in the organization of the Yankees, which for me is an honor and a privilege this opportunity to play for such a prestigious and important team."

Trevino appeared in 94 games for the Reds this season. It's fair to wonder if they could've gotten a different catches instead of trading Cruz, but they were focused on upgrading defensively—especially at catcher.

You can watch Cruz's epic reaction below: