Reggie Sanders

Did You Know?

• Sanders attended Spartanburg Methodist College before beginning his pro career with the Billings Mustangs.
• He was selected in the seventh round of the 1987 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
• Sanders was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2025.

Baseball career

Sanders made his MLB debut on August 22, 1991, against the Atlanta Braves, going 0-for-4. He hit his first home run on September 26 of that year off Atlanta pitcher Armando Reynoso. The next season, as the primary right fielder, he batted .274 with 20 home runs and 27 stolen bases. During the strike-shortened 1994 season, he batted .263 with 17 home runs and led the National League in strikeouts with 114.

That year, he gained attention when he charged the mound after being hit by a pitch from Pedro Martínez, who was one out from a perfect game; some in the press ridiculed Sanders for believing the pitcher would intentionally abandon a perfect game. In 1995, after adjusting his batting stance, Sanders had a career year, batting .306 with 28 home runs, 99 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases. The Reds won the NL Central, but Sanders struggled in the postseason, batting .154 in the NLDS and .125 in the NLCS as the Braves swept Cincinnati.