CINCINNATI — What a time it is to be a Cincinnati Reds fan.
The Reds are on a winning streak, they're leading the division and fans are loving it.
"The experience has always been great, but now the team and the product on the field makes it even that much more fun," said lifelong Reds fan Jeremy Powell.
It was just a few months ago the Reds hit record-low attendance at Great American Ballpark. It didn't take long for fans to get back on board, including Powell, who bought tickets to Wednesday’s game.
"My dad and I made a pact, if they get back to 500, we will buy tickets and go down to support the Reds," he said. "So, we're glad to be back."
Hanzley Butler is another Reds fan who is back on board. Butler also has tickets for Wednesday’s game.
"Better to be seeing a winning Reds team than what we've been seeing lately,” he said.
Cincinnati's ninth straight win on Monday night moved the Reds into first place in the NL Central. Local sports radio host Mo Egger said Joey Votto's return made the win even more special.
“A night that would have already been awesome had it come during a miserable season, but the fact that it came during this streak and vaulted them in the first place, you can't write scripts this good," Egger said.
Reds fan Karl Kercheval was at Great American Ballpark when Votto made his return. He said it was an experience that’s hard to put into words.
"The atmosphere, the electricity, it's almost hard to describe unless you were there," he said.
And on Tuesday night, Cincinnati extended its win streak to 10 games. The last time they did that was in 2012.
"Winning 10 games in a row is very, very difficult to do," said Ohio University Sports Management professor Brandon Wright.
Reds fans said there's a feeling they haven't felt at Great American Ballpark in a long time.
"Last year, the Reds gave them reasons to go away. For years, the Reds have given people an excuse to go away," Egger said. "This team is giving people a reason to come back."
It’s a shift that can happen quickly, but as Egger said, "we'd all be lying if we said we saw it happening this quickly, but that's the cool thing about sports."
Phil Castellini spoke exclusively with WCPO 9 news reporter Taylor Nimmo on Tuesday about the team’s success. Castellini said he is very excited about the product the Reds are putting on the field and he hopes the fans are enjoying this.
He made a point to say he is grateful to the fans for their continued support.
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