Cincinnati Reds starter Brady Singer threw seven innings against Milwaukee on Monday night, June 22, allowing just two hits and striking out seven. Sam Moll followed with a pair of strikeouts, and TJ Antone and Brooke Burke each followed with a strikeout to make it 11 on the night for the team.
Per the Reds “Strikeouts for Slices” promotion with LaRosa’s, that earns fans in attendance a free, small one-topping pizza.
Much like the “Tarps Off” craze, Great American Ball Park fans get worked into a frenzy when free pizza is on the line. The fans Monday night −17,971 of them − have seven days from the game to claim their pizzas.
Typically, an 11-strikeout game means a win. Oddly, the Reds have lost their last three games when free pizza was available. Monday’s 2-1, 10-inning defeat is just the Reds’ third defeat of the pizza promotion, with all three coming in June (Kansas City, Arizona, Milwaukee).
Cincinnati Reds ‘free pizza’ games at Great American Ball Park
Home games when the Reds hit 11 strikeouts, triggering the LaRosa’s promotion:
That puts the Reds 9-3 in GABP pizza games but on a three-game skid. The promotion is not for road games.
Cincinnati Reds road games with 11+ strikeouts (pizza not involved)
The pitching staff also reached the 11+ strikeout mark during these away games:
So, overall, when whiffing 11 or more, the Reds are 11-6. June has not been kind in this category as the Reds are 1-6 in these games.
Chase Burns leads the Reds with 102 strikeouts and has the best single-game performance with nine strikeouts against Kansas City on June 3. The Reds lost 5-2.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds pitching earns pizza for fans, loses game
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
