The 1921 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished sixth in the National League with a record of 70–83, 24 games behind the New York Giants. This team is most notable for setting the Major League record for fewest strikeouts in a season with 308.
Off-season
Following a disappointing ending to the 1920 season, in which the Reds lost 17 of their final 25 games to drop out of the National League pennant race, Cincinnati made some moves during the off-season.
On November 20, the club traded away outfielder Greasy Neale and pitcher Jimmy Ring to the Philadelphia Phillies, getting pitcher Eppa Rixey in return. Rixey had spent his entire eight-year career with the Phillies, and in 1920, despite a poor record of 11-22, Rixey had an ERA of 3.48, struck out 110 batters in 284.1 innings pitched, and pitched 25 complete games. His best season came in 1916, as Rixey had a 22-10 record and a 1.85 ERA in 38 games. He played under current Reds manager Pat Moran in Philadelphia.
In December, the Reds picked up outfielder Dode Paskert off of waivers from the Chicago Cubs. Paskert, now 39 years old, had previously played with Cincinnati from 1907 to 1910. With the Cubs in 1920, he appeared in 139 games, batting .279 with five home runs and 71 RBI. The Reds then traded pitcher Dutch Ruether to the Brooklyn Robins for pitcher Rube Marquard. Marquard, a 34 year old veteran, had a 10-7 record with a 3.23 ERA in 28 games with the Robins in 1920. Marquard also previously pitched for the New York Giants, where he had the most success in his career. In 1911, he led the National League with a .774 winning percentage and in strikeouts with 237. The following season, in 1912, he led the National League in wins with 26.
Cincinnati struggled at the start of the season, as the team had a record of 7-9 in the month of April. The losses continued to pile up in May, with Cincinnati winning only seven of 26 games, to drop their overall record to 14-28, last place in the National League.
At the beginning of June, the Reds picked up outfielder Greasy Neale off of waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. Neale had previously played with Cincinnati from 1916 to 1920, and the club traded him in the off-season to the Phillies in a deal that brought pitcher Eppa Rixey to the Reds. Neale struggled in Philadelphia, batting .211 with a home run and three RBI in 22 games.
The club played better baseball in June, as in the middle of the month, the Reds had a streak where they won eight of nine games, and while the club moved out of last place into seventh, they were still well behind in the pennant race with a 25-41 by the end of the month.
In July, Cincinnati continued to struggle early in the month, and the team made a move, purchasing pitcher Bob Geary from the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League for $10,000. Geary had previous experience in the American League, pitching in 25 games with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1918 until 1919, where he had a 2-8 record and a 3.24 ERA. The Reds finished July with a 16-14 record, their first winning month of the season, as the team improved to 41-55, remaining in seventh place.
The Reds had a second consecutive winning month, as the team went 16-15 in August, and moved into sixth place in the National League. The team continued to play .500 baseball in the last 26 games of the season, going 13-13.
Overall, the club finished the year with a disappointing 71-83, which was their first under .500 record since 1916.
Outfielder Edd Roush led the club with a .352 batting average with four home runs and 71 RBI in 112 games. Third baseman Heinie Groh hit .311 with 48 RBI in only 97 games. First baseman Jake Daubert batted .306 with two home runs and 64 RBI in 136 games, while rookie second baseman Sam Bohne hit .285 with three home runs, 44 RBI and a team high 26 stolen bases in 153 games. Outfielder Pat Duncan had another very solid season with a .308 batting average, two home runs and 60 RBI in 145 games.
Newly acquired Eppa Rixey led the Reds in wins, as he had a 19-18 record with a team best 2.78 ERA in 301 innings pitched in 40 games. Dolf Luque finished the season with a 17-19 record and had a 3.38 ERA, as well as a team best 304 innings pitched and 102 strikeouts and 25 complete games in 41 games pitched. Rube Marquard, also in his first season with Cincinnati, had a solid 17-14 record with a 3.39 ERA over 265.2 innings pitched in 39 games.