Celebrating 140 years of existence, Sporting News recently ranked the 25 greatest baseball teams of all time.
To do so, it assembled 14 experts with over 280 combined years of experience to vote on the top teams.
Unsurprisingly, both World Series-winning “Big Red Machine” teams are featured in the top 10.
The 1976 squad comes in at No. 5. Sure, that team went 102-60 and swept the New York Yankees in the World Series, it led the National League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, runs, home runs, and stolen bases . The defense also committed the fewest errors in the league and featured four Gold Glove winners in Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Davey Concepcion and Cesar Geronimo.
The 1975 team that beat the Boston Red Sox in an epic seven-game World Series battle comes in at No. 7. The team that officially established the nickname “the Great Eight” actually had a better record (108-52) and run differential (+254) than the 1976 team. The key to that season, writes Michael Knisley, was Sparky Anderson moving Pete Rose to third base and regularly playing George Foster in left field.
The Reds celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1975 team throughout the 2025 season, punctuated by a reunion weekend from June 27-29.
The top 10 includes three teams that defeated the Reds in the World Series, including the 1939 Yankees at No. 3, the 1970 Baltimore Orioles at No. 4, and the 1961 Yankees at No. 6.
The 1927 Yankees and its “Murderers Row” lineup of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri tops the list.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sporting News ranks 1975, 1976 Reds in top 10 all-time baseball teams
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
