Gary Redus had 146 stolen bases over four MLB seasons for the Cincinnati Reds from 1982 to 1985, and played a total of 13 MLB seasons for five teams.
But the Reds’ 15th-round pick in the 1978 draft did something truly remarkable that summer, and MLB’s official Twitter/X account paid tribute in a tweet calling Redus’ 1978 season for the Reds’ rookie-level team in Billings, Montana, “the greatest statistical season in professional baseball history.”
“In 1978, Gary Redus hit .462 with 100 runs scored, 42 stolen bases, 17 home runs,” MLB tweeted. “And before that season, he almost stopped playing. It was his mom who convinced him to keep going.”
A video accompanied the tweet, with the narrator explaining, “Gary Redus spent the entire 1978 season making the Pioneer League look like tee ball. Nobody could touch him that year. And it’s all thanks to … his mom?”
“When the Cincinnati Reds drafted him in the 15th round, he had a decision to make,” the narrator continued. “It all came down to his mom, whose three simple words quickly would change his life. ‘Just go play.’ And he did. And he did it better than anyone could have possibly predicted. The Billings Mustangs … went 50-18 that season, and rolled their way into a league championship. Thanks in no small part to Redus’ historic performance.”
Redus’ son, Gary II, became Rutgers’ women’s basketball head coach in March.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: MLB pays tribute to former Red’s ‘greatest statistical season’ ever
Reporting by Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
