On this day in 1967, former Red Scott Service was born in Cincinnati, OH. Service spent four years in Cincinnati as a barely serviceable reliever. He posted a 4.50 ERA (93 ERA+) in 102 innings with the team in 1993, '94, '96, and '97.
On this day in 1980, former Red Gary Majewski was born in Houston. Majewski will live in infamy as a key piece of "the trade" in 2006, but it's hard to exaggerate just how poorly he performed as a Red. In three years with Cincinnati, he posted a 7.38 ERA (62 ERA+) in just 78 innings.
On this day in 1996, the Red signed catcher Joe Oliver.
Also on this day in 1996, Cincinnati signed catcher Damon Berryhill.
Although neither catcher had a particularly impressive career, Oliver was probably the better of the two. He hit .247 with good power in a 13-year major league career while Berryhill hit .240 with slightly less power in a shorter big league career. What separates these two at the end of the day? Oliver had 400 more games and more power. That's about it.
Kevin Mitchell is Batman earned the point yesterday.
Joe Oliver finished fourth among the 1992 Reds in batting average. Which three players finished ahead of him? Each player is worth a point.