Cincinnati Magazine
April 20, 2021
The month was September, and the year was 2010. I arrived at Great American Ball Park about an hour before the game was scheduled to begin, and I experienced something I’d never felt before at GABP. There was electricity in the air. It was palpable. The upstart Cincinnati Reds, holding a six-game lead with six games to play, were on the verge of claiming the Central Division crown. After nine frustrating losing seasons in a row, fans were jazzed.
As the game began, I glanced down to the right field grass, just below my seat in GABP’s moon deck. Jay Bruce, then just 23 years old, jogged out to take his position. It was already his third season in the big leagues, but 2010 was the year he broke out as a star, hitting .281/.353/.493 with 25 homers.