Even before Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto walked into the batter’s box in the seventh inning on Monday night, the crowd at Great American Ball Park had a feeling he was going to make history.
In the Reds 14-5 win over the Chicago Cubs, Votto entered the seventh inning with 1,999 hits. When Votto stepped up to the plate, most of the Reds fans in the crowd were already on their feet.
Votto hit a line drive single into center field. He became the fifth player in franchise history to get 2,000 hits, joining Pete Rose, Barry Larkin, Dave Concepcion and Johnny Bench.