Billy Hamilton's Walk Off Homer Lifts Reds

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Billy Hamilton’s walk off home run with two outs in the ninth made a winner out of Raisell Iglesias and the Reds in a 5-4 win.

Hamilton’s fourth home run of the season off Josh Hader gave the game an abrupt end.

The term walk off was a misnomer Hamilton was flying around the bases with a purpose.

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 “I was going to hit a home run if it landed in play any way," Hamilton said.  "Hitting off the wall and beating it home was the goal there. I really had to get on my horse. Hader throws like 95. I was looking for the heater for . He loves his fastball. He has a good one. I asked Cozy what to look for, he said heater.  The second pitch came in it was change up. I thought uh oh.  Then I knew he was coming back with a fastball.”

“It was an out of nowhere shot," Bryan Price said. "You hope he gets on steals a base and Cozy drives him in.”

Just like better times, Homer Bailey strung together scoreless innings and Joey Votto’s walk played a key role in the Reds’ 4-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

 “This was like Homer of 2012 and 13.  He had both good stuff and command," BPrice said.

Votto walked with the bases loaded against Brewers’ starter Chase Anderson to put the Reds on the board after they were shut out the last two games in Pittsburgh.

Votto, Zach Cozart and Scooter Gennett singled to load the bases against Anderson in the sixth.  Eugenio Suarez drew a walk for the Reds’ second run.  Tucker Barnhart hit a two-run double with Patrick Kivlehan in the on-deck circle to bat for Bailey.  The double extended Bailey’s outing.

Bailey allowed the Brewers three hits in six innings without a walk.  Bailey gave up two of those hits in the first inning.  Newly acquired Neil Walker hit a one out double when Scott Schebler couldn’t make a sliding catch.  Ryan Braun singled sharply past Votto at first.  Schebler got to the ball quickly, holding Walker to third..  Billy Hamilton threw Walker out at the plate on Travis Shaw’s fly ball to center.   It was Hamilton’s 11th outfield assist, second in the league to teammate Adam Duvall.

 “The play by Billy just gets you going, Price said..  "The play on defense has just been a segue to the offense at times. It gave Homer a chance to settle in.”

“Saving a run was better for me," Hamilton said..  "Me and Duvall go out there every day to try to out do each other.  He still has one up on me.  I’d rather throw a guy out than hit the big homer but I’ll take both of them.”


Ryan Braun led off the seventh with his 14th home run.  It was Braun’s first since August 12 and first in his last 76 plate appearances.  Shaw and Domingo Santana hit singles to chase Bailey from the game.  Michael Lorenzen came into the game.

Orlando Arcia tied the game with a three-run, two-out home run, his 14th off Lorenzen.

 “We had the wind knocked out of us a little in the seventh," Price said., going from 4-0 to 4-4. Now you’re two outs. We haven’t seen a ton of Hader but he’s been really good when we have seen him.  Of all people Billy hits the home run from the right side to walk em off.”

Bailey finished with six-plus innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits.  The Arcia home run denied him of the win.

 “We were able to hold them at bay for six.  It was good to see Billy come up big right there," Bailey said. “We could talk all day about Billy  We could talk about him for hours.  He’s like a highlite reel out there.  Our outfield has been so good at throwing runners out.”

Kevin Schakelford held the Brewers with a perfect eighth,

Iglesias earned his third win against two losses with a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts.

Hamilton beat his teammates to home plate.

 “By the time I got to home plate there was like four people out there. I was rolling," he said.