It’s Been a Long Time Since the Reds Appeared on Sunday Night Baseball

Its been a long time....

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto delivers a pitch during the top of the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on May 14, 2015. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It has been over 4,000 days since the Cincinnati Reds were on Sunday Night Baseball. The drought finally ends today.

Why the Long Drought?

That is the million-dollar question. There are many reasons the Reds have not made an appearance on Sunday Night Baseball in over 11 years. One main reason is that the Reds have not been good. The last time the Reds won 90 or more games was the 2013 season. But not a single occurrence in over a decade?

From April 1990 until September 2025, Sunday Night Baseball was on ESPN. What we have since learned is that ESPN scheduled games to favor big-market over small-market teams. This definitely contributes to the disparity of games given to New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago compared to cities like Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

When ESPN ended its Sunday night coverage, NBC stepped up to continue the longstanding tradition of primetime baseball on Sunday nights. When NBC took over the television rights, the network said it would make an effort to feature all 30 MLB teams throughout its coverage.

Times MLB teams have been on Sunday Night Baseball since 2016 #Reds pic.twitter.com/9VDg0EO9Y2

— Red Hot Reds: A Cincinnati Reds Podcast (@RedHotRedsPod) August 29, 2026

Their Last time on Sunday Night Baseball

Aug 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) makes a pitching change against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Reds have not been featured on Sunday Night Baseball since June 14, 2015. That night, they faced the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Reds sent right-hander Anthony Desclafani to the mound while the Cubs had Jon Lester on the mound. The Reds had a record of 28-34 and the Cubs were 34-27. The Cubs won the game 2-1 in walk-off fashion in 11 innings courtesy of a Starlin Castro RBI single scoring Chris Coughlan. Ironically, they are facing the Cubs tonight at Wrigley to break the drought!

Some other players who were in the lineup for the Reds were Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brayan Pena, Billy Hamilton and Eugenio Suarez ( playing Shortstop!). Some notable Cubs who played were Dexter Fowler, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Chris Couglan, Starlin Castro and David Ross.

One fun note from that game was Billy Hamilton stealing a career-high five bases despite batting ninth in the Reds’ lineup.

There was also a scary moment involving first-base umpire Ron Kulpa, who was hit in the shoulder by an errant warm-up pitch from Aroldis Chapman while Chapman was getting loose in the bullpen. Kulpa was checked out by a trainer and was able to remain in the game.

This 2015 Cubs team would go on to win 97 games, finish third in the National League Central, make the playoffs as a Wild Card team, and go as far as the National League Championship Series, losing to the NY Mets. The 2015 Reds would end up 64-98 and last in the NL Central.

The Last time SNB was at GABP

It has been even longer since the Cincinnati Reds hosted a Sunday night game. When the Reds hosted the St Louis Cardinals on May 25, 2014, this was the last time Great American Ballpark saw Sunday primetime coverage. It was such an event that Reds Superfan Charlie Sheen showed up on the ESPN coverage to talk Reds baseball. What a time to be alive.

Well, it's good to see the Reds finally break their Sunday night drought despite having a terrible 2026 season. Maybe one day GABP will be able to host Sunday Night Baseball again. We can all hope.