Reds Break HR Record In Win

The Cincinnati Reds' clubhouse was a fun place again on Saturday night, unless you were one of the few players who didn't hit a home run.

The Reds set the NL record with nine homers, stopping their three-game losing streak in stunning fashion with a 22-3 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies.

"How many starters didn't homer?" pitcher Steve Parris shouted at Sean Casey, one of two starters besides pitcher Pete Harnisch who didn't contribute to the record-breaking night.

Eddie Taubensee had four hits, two homers and three RBIs, Greg Vaughn hit his 30th homer and Jeffrey Hammonds hit a solo shot into the left-field upper deck.

Aaron Boone, Dmitri Young, Pokey Reese, Brian Johnson and Mark Lewis also homered as the Reds kept pace in the NL playoff chase. Lewis hit the record-breaking homer, a three-run shot off Amaury Telemaco in the eighth.

Toronto holds the major league record with 10 homers against Baltimore on Sept. 14, 1987.

"I've nevr seen so many homers in a game," said Reds manager Jack McKeon, who has been in professional baseball for 50 years. "Both third baseman, both catchers, all the starting outfielders. It was nice."

The incredible barrage made Veterans Stadium look like a launching pad. During the eighth inning of the onslaught, a fan sitting behind home plate shouted to longtime Phillies announcer Harry Kalas, "Hey Harry, get loose!"

"You just sit back and watch them run around the bases," McKeon said.

Harnisch (14-8) allowed three runs one earned and eight hits in six innings for his 100th career victory. Stan Belinda pitched three innings for his second save.

"That's a great save right there, in a 22-3 game," Harnisch said.

It was the Reds' most runs since a 24-12 victory at Colorado on May 19, when they hit six homers. The nine homers and 22 runs were the most by an opponent in the Vet since it opened in 1971.

"The good news is, we come back and play tomorrow and it doesn't carry over," Phillies manager Terry Francona said. "I was thinking about how we beat them tomorrow, not past history."

The Reds, who remained 2 1/2 games behind Houston in the NL Central and four games behind the Mets for the wild card, had a players-only meeting before the game. Vaughn, Barry Larkin and Denny Neagle urged players to relax and have fun with the playoff race.

"They can have as many meetings as they want if they keep hitting like that," McKeon said.

Cincinnati had its most homers since connecting seven times at Atlanta on Sept. 15, 1987. The Reds hit eight homers on Aug. 18, 1956 at Milwaukee and had shared the NL record with Milwaukee, San Francisco and Montreal, which did it last, against Atlanta on July 30, 1978.

"It's just one of those special nights," said Taubensee, who needed only a triple to hit for the cycle.

"They'd have an earthquake in Philly before I hit a triple," Taubensee said.

Don't joke, Eddie. The Reds' home run derby might have registered on the Richter scale.

"It felt like they were using aluminum bats," said Phillies starter Paul Byrd, who allowed three homers and lasted only 3 2-3 innings. "It was like slow-pitch softball."

After Billy Brewer and Cliff Politte were bombed in the fifth, Chad Ogea came on in relief and allowed three more homers, passing Colorado's Pedro Astacio for the NL lead with 35. The Reds scored a season-high nine runs in the fifth and added six in the eighth.

eese hit his ninth homer in the sixth, a solo shot off Ogea that made it 15-3. Taubensee hit his second of the game, also off Ogea, in the seventh. Johnson, who had just entered the game defensively, homered in the eighth off Telemaco.

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