Reds Become First Team Ever to Reach Playoffs Without Meeting These Statistical Marks

After clinching a playoff berth on the final day of the season, the Cincinnati Reds became the first team in Major League Baseball history to not have a qualifying batter hit .270 or better, to not have a batter hit 25 home runs, to not have a pitcher win 15 games, and to not have a pitcher with 200 strikeouts, according to OptaSTATS.

The Reds finished the season 83-79 and tied with the New York Mets, but Cincinnati held the tiebreaker over New York, going 4-2 against them in the regular season.

Cincinnati was 75-76 after September 16 and FanGraphs gave them just a 3% chance of making the postseason. The Reds went 8-3 the rest of the way and sure enough, found themselves in a playoff spot.

The Reds will travel to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in a best-of-three series starting on Tuesday. Blake Snell will start on the mound for LA and it is widely expected that Hunter Greene will take the ball for Cincinnati.

Tuesday's game is scheduled to begin at 9:08 ET.

The Reds are the first team in MLB history to have:

no qualifying batter hit .270
no batter hit 25 homers
no pitcher win 15 games
no pitcher notch 200 strikeouts

...in a non-shortened season and yet still make the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/5qESbdIRuq
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 29, 2025