Billy Hamilton Makes It To The End

The Reds started the season using a rotation of four outfielders that would limit the number of games for each of them.

Billy Hamilton, Scott Schebler, Adam Duvall and Jesse Winker were going to share the field.  The one player who has demonstrated the tendency to be fragile, will end up setting a career-high for games played when the Reds finish the season against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Hamilton will be in center field, batting second in his 153rd game.  He played in 152 in 2014 but since has finished even then he missed the last four games of the season with a concussion. In 2015, Hamilton he had surgery on his shoulder on September 29 after going on the disabled list on September 24.  In 2016, he missed the last 27 games with a strained oblique.  Hamilton missed 13 games in September of 2017 with a fractured left thumb, although he did finish the season on the field.

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This season he finishes with a start on the last game of the season to establish a career high in games played.

"I was thinking about that.  This is the first year I made it to the end.  It seems like every September I get hurt," Hamilton said.  "I made it through one.  It is definitely a good feeling. I'm on the field and not just watching my guys out there at the end of the season."

Hamilton didn't change his routine or how he plays the game to finish the season.

"It is just luck with me," Hamilton said.  "With me how I am with the walls and diving out there and stuff.  If you watched yesterday when I almost hurt myself yesterday when I dove for the ball. It scared me. I came in and Hatch (Billy Hatcher) said, 'You better chill out with stuff like that.' It is always 100 percent with me.  I was trying to cut the ball off from being a double.  Instincts were telling me I have to dive and get this ball."

The four-man rotation worked out such that Hamilton didn't sit out many games.  Duvall was traded.  Schebler spent two tours on the disabled list.  Jesse Winker was shut down for the season in late July.

"I didn't see myself playing this many games with four outfielders," Hamilton said.  "There were four guys that deserved to be playing every single day. I'm happy it worked out like that. I'm not happy that Winker was hurt but I'm happy to play as many games as I did."

Only the normal wear and tear of the season.

"I don't think anyone feels fresh right now," Hamilton said.  "I don't think any body in baseball is fresh.  Every body is beat down and tired right now.  Even guys in the playoffs.  I'm happy to finish the season one time in my career."

Hamilton knows the Reds have potential to be a contender.

"The wins and losses doesn't really define what kind of team we are," Hamilton said.  "We had some ups and downs.  We had stretches in the season that we played really, really good. I know what type of team we could be.  We have the pieces.  We have to get better. I have to get better myself.  I'm going home for two weeks.  Then I'm going out to Arizona.  In the past I took too much time off.  I didn't train enough. I relaxed too much.  I don't want to go the winter to get better.  I can admit that.  I need a physical and mental break but I'm only going to take two weeks.  In Arizona there are people I can train with.  I didn't have that in Mississippi.  The last couple of years the guys I trained with are in the NFL.  My season is done and theirs just started.  In Arizona, Winker is going to be there.  Schebler is going to be there; Peraza, a couple guys from other teams."