History of the Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have a long and storied history in Major League Baseball. Founded in 1882, the Reds are one of the oldest teams still playing today. They were known as the Red Stockings until 1890 when they changed their name to "Reds." The team has won five World Series titles, most recently in 1990, and has been National League champions twelve times since their inception.

The Reds' first decade was marked by success on the field but financial struggles off it; however, this all changed with new ownership at the turn of the century, which brought stability to both aspects of operations for years to come. This period saw some legendary players participate, including Hall-of-Famers Edd Roush and Pete Rose, who helped bring two World Series championships during this time (1919 & 1940).

In 1956 came arguably one of baseball's greatest teams ever assembled - The Big Red Machine! Led by future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Perez, along with Sparky Anderson managing from behind the home plate, these men combined forces over a six-year span that resulted in four NL Pennants (1970–1972 & 1975) as well as back-to-back world series titles (1975 & 1976).

Following this era came what is now referred to as “the dark ages,” where little success was found mainly due because there wasn't much money being spent on talent or scouting departments which led them into an extended rebuilding process throughout much of the 1980s/90s before finally making another postseason appearance again after 14 years drought when they made it all way through winning 1990 World Series title against Oakland Athletics 4 games to 3.

Today's version looks very different than its predecessors. Still, it remains rooted deeply in its past successes while striving towards greatness once more, having had three consecutive playoff appearances between 2010 and 2012. As we look forward, let us not forget the roots that makeup such a great organization like Cincinnati Reds, whose rich history will be remembered fondly throughout the MLB landscape!