Tito Speedo makes appearance as Reds rout Nats with cringe-worthy vibe
· Yahoo Sports
The Cincinnati Reds’ hitting flaws have been exposed on a near nightly basis during their early group funk.
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Then they took that exposure thing to another level in the final game of the series against the Washington Nationals this week.
And if the 15 runs they scored in that 15-1 victory that game means anything, fans may need to shield their eyes by the time this team returns home for its next homestand.
“I’m trying to think how I want to say this correctly,” manager Terry Francona said when asked what was behind the season-high scoring outburst – just the second time they’ve scored in double digits all season.
“We had good vibes going in today,” Francona said. “Nap broke out the Tito Speedo.”
That would be Nap as in Mike Napoli, the 44-year-old bench coach with the body of a former catcher.
It seems Napoli donned the skimpy piece of underwear that catcher Tyler Stephenson presented to Francona as a gag gift in spring training – custom-made featuring a bunch of faces of Francona as a 1980s Reds player covering the undergarment from front to back.
And he didn’t just parade around pregame to lighten the mood of a team that entered the game with an MLB-worst 2-10 record in May.
“It was the whole game,” Francona said. “Poor guy.”
Brace your cringe meter for what might be coming next after the Reds broke out for the big scoring binge on a 14-hit afternoon that included four home runs – two by JJ Bleday – and three doubles.
“We needed a game like this,” Francona said.
Now some of them think they need the Speedo.
“I didn’t hear about it,” Bleday said, “But thankfully he wore it.”
The magic Speedo had been set aside since Stephenson’s big reveal in spring training. But now you can expect it to join the club in Cleveland after every Red, including guys off the bench, reached base and all but two did it with hits – five with multi-hit games.
Backup catcher Jose Trevino even delivered a big two-out, two-run hit in the Reds’ four-run fourth from the bottom of the order.
Was it the Speedo?
“First I’ve heard about that,” said Trevino, before laughing at the Napoli tale.
“I might have to try it on tomorrow.”
Yikes.
Must be something about catchers. Even Francona doesn't figure he'll take a turn.
“I tried it this spring,” he said, “and I almost suffocated.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Tito Speedo makes appearance as Reds avoid sweep by routing Nationals