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Braves, Reds combine for extremely rare same-inning scoring barrage
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- Braves, Reds combine for extremely rare same-inning scoring barrage
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Thursday night in Cincinnati wasn't just baseball — it was a full-on fever dream. In a game that had no business becoming historic, the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds exploded for a combined 16 runs in the eighth inning, marking the first time since 1901 that both teams scored 8+ runs in the same inning in the sixth or later.
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According to Elias Sports Bureau, this chaotic frame became just the third time in MLB history both clubs posted eight or more runs in the same inning. And yes, it was as wild as it sounds. The Braves, up 3-2 heading into the eighth, opened the inning with five straight hits.
By the time Sean Murphy doubled in another run to make it 11-3, four Reds pitchers had been torched for eight hits and eight earned runs. It looked like game over — but then the Reds decided to rewrite the script. Cincinnati's eighth-inning comeback started innocently with a Tyler Stephenson single.
Seven straight Reds hitters followed with knocks, highlighted by Ke'Bryan Hayes' three-run bomb — his redemption shot after a costly error in the sixth. After a Noelvi Marte single chased Atlanta's Dane Dunning , the Braves turned to Dylan Lee . But even he couldn't stop the bleeding.
Reds fall short to Braves on Thursday night
Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Elly De La Cruz and Austin Hays each added RBI singles before Spencer Steer delivered the thunder, launching a game-tying three-run homer to left field. Great American Ball Park went from silent to seismic.
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"It was a little bit of everything in the game today," Hayes said postgame. "I missed that ball [in the sixth] and wanted to make up for it. We battled back, tied the game, but yeah — crazy day."
Still, the Braves had the last laugh.
After a scoreless ninth, Atlanta pushed across the go-ahead run in the 10th thanks to a sacrifice fly from Marcell Ozuna , who admitted the eighth inning was something he's "never seen before." Raisel Iglesias , who remained with the Braves past the trade deadline, slammed the door shut in the bottom of the 10th for his 13th save.
"That third out in the 10th was really fun," Braves manager Brian Snitker said with a grin. "We're just piecing this thing together."
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The Braves' injury-riddled rotation and patchwork bullpen held on — barely. And their offense, led by Ozzie Albies (four hits, two RBIs), was just enough to outlast the storm.
Meanwhile, the Reds — fresh off a busy trade deadline that brought in Hayes, Zack Littell , and Miguel Andújar — showed the kind of fight that playoff teams are made of, even if they fell short. The result stung, but the clubhouse remains confident.
"It hurts. We fell short," Steer said. "That one stings, but we've got a quick turnaround tomorrow."
Baseball is weird. Thursday night was proof. Both teams scored eight runs on eight straight hits. Five pitchers. Twenty-five batters. One inning. One unforgettable game.
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