Benson, Cleveland’s No. 1 draft pick in 2016, drove a 361-foot home run into the right field bleachers in the second inning to give the Reds a 3-0 running start.
Hays drove the first pitch of the third inning 375 feet into the left field seats to give the Reds a 5-0 lead...and that turned out to be the game-winner.
The Reds didn’t score after that and Cleveland chipped away until it was 5-4 after eight.
Before the game, former Cleveland manager Tito Francona, managing his first game against his old team, told writers, “I hope we don’t face Jose Ramirez in the ninth inning with the game on the line.”
Ramirez homered in the eighth off Tony Sanguillen to draw the Guardians to within one and Francona said, “When he hit it, I thought the wind might keep it in the ball park, but all the wind did was keep it from going into the river.”
There was a slight heart-skipper opening the ninth with closer Emilio Pagan on the mound. Carlos Santana lifted one very high and very deep toward the right field wall. But it stayed in and Benson caught it.
Pagan then retired the next two, ending it by striking out Gabriel Arias with a 3-and-2 high-and-in fastball. It was Pagan’s 10th save in 12 opportunities.
So the Reds took the first step toward winning the three-game series and reclaiming the not-so-coveted Ohio Cup.
The Indians/Guardians have owned the Ohio Cup since 2015 and entering Friday’s game Cleveland was 31-15 against the Reds since the trinket’s inception.
Even though not many show much care about the Ohio Cup, Francona said before the game, “It’s the Ohio Cub so that’s some added pressure. Hey, I know all those guys and rooted for them last year. But I hope we beat them tonight.”
And they did, barely. It was an added good feeling for the Reds to win by one run because Cleveland was 8-and-2 in one-run games and Cincinnati was 4-and-7.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Reds were facing Cleveland’s best pitcher, Tanner Bibee. Before he left after six innings, he had given up five runs (four earned) and a career-high 10 hits.
The first two pitches of the third innings turned into hits — a first-pitch single by Gavin Lux and a first-pitch double by Spencer Steer, who has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.
After Tyler Stephenson struck out, Benson cracked his three-run homer, his second in two games. Since his recall from Triple-A Louisville, he has played in six games and has seven hits, four for extra bases.
“Will was dying for an opportunity,” said Francona. “A lot of guys when you send them to the minors, it’s human nature. I don’t want to say pouting, but it’s like getting kicked in the stomach.
“He did the opposite of that...he went and played,” Francona added. “Now he is getting the opportunity and trying to make the most of it. He shows up with a good attitude, he’s ready to play, he’s in the right place. It’s been fun to watch.”
His reincarnation began in spring training when former Reds star outfielder Eric Davis helped Benson reconstruct his batting stance and his approach.
“I thought we did a really good job early,” he said. “We had some really good at bats and with Benson obviously having the big hit.”
While Benson could have said, “I told you so,” or grumbled and groaned about his demotion, that isn’t his disposition, not his make-up, not his personality.
All he does is repeat and repeat about how thankful he is for the opportunity and how thankful he is Francona gave him that opportunity.
And that opportunity only came early this week when center fielder TJ Friedl injured his wrist and Benson replaced him. When Friedl was back in the lineup Friday, Benson was in right field.
“I’m just looking for the opportunity to go out there and play every day,” he said. “I’m thankful for that.”
And there is no ‘I’ or ‘me’ when he talks about the team, other than to say, he has no extra incentive to do something magnificent against his old team
But said with a smile, “I’ve gotten past the revenge-type feeling. But I’m having breakfast tomorrow morning with (Guardians outfielder) Steven Kwan, so we’ll have a good laugh over it.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“But I’m grateful for every opportunity to get a chance to work on my craft,” he added. “I’m thankful that I’ve been able to cash in.”
Hays was on the injured list when the team broke spring training camp, played a few games, then was back on it.
So he is deep into recovery. He had a hit and a sacrifice fly during Thursday’s 7-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. On Friday, he homered, singled and stole a base.
Hays said he loves close games “Because everybody gets on their feet and it all comes down to the last strike, like that last-pitch heater Emilio threw up-and-in.
“We’re really putting our at bats together now,” he added. “We’re not missing good pitches to hit and hopefully we found a little something and we can keep it rolling.”
After losing the first two games at home against the Chicago White Sox and winning the third game, Francona said, “I’m happy we won and we played a crisp game, but we have to back it up tomorrow.”
They did just that.
“You know what? Winning is what we showed up to do,” said Francona. “You know they (the Guardians) are always going to show up to play. We know that. I hope we do the same.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Guardians at Reds
When: 6:40 p.m.
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 1410-AM
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