Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez reached a major personal milestone.
The Cincinnati Reds dropped Thursday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals in embarrassing fashion. Just one out away from victory, outfielder Dane Myers dropped a fly ball he lost in the sun. The Cardinals poured on six runs in the top of the ninth inning, and despite a rally in the bottom half by the Reds offense they still lost 10-9.
That is the kind of season it has been for Cincinnati. They now sit in last place in the National League Central and are all but mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
Thursday's game did bring a positive moment though for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. He did not start the game, beginning it on the bench before appearing late as a pinch hitter. In his lone at-bat, Suarez drove in Matt McLain with an RBI single, officially recording his 1,000th career RBI and placing him in MLB Venezuelan history.
"Eugenio Suárez is the 7th player born in Venezuela to record 1,000-plus RBI in MLB," the league wrote on X.
Suarez immediately signaled for the ball after hitting it, as the milestone clearly means a great deal to him. He represented Team Venezuela at this year's World Baseball Classic and was on the field when they won the gold medal, so Venezuelan baseball pride runs deep for him.
For Suarez it is a special moment in what has otherwise been a disappointing season. He signed with the Reds this past offseason on a one-year, $15 million deal to be the reliable right-handed slugger Cincinnati had been searching for.
He earned the deal after smashing 49 home runs in 2025 split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners. It was also a nice reunion, as Suarez spent most of his prime years in Cincinnati and 2026 marked his second stint with the organization.
While Suarez has continued to provide power, smashing 18 home runs and 51 RBIs this year, he has not found success in other areas, failing to make consistent contact. Across 341 at-bats he owns a .208 batting average, .289 on-base percentage and .702 OPS.
Suarez has collected over half of his 1,000 big-league RBIs in Cincinnati, making it fitting that he reached the milestone in front of home fans at Great American Ball Park. Even in a lost season, moments like that deserve to be celebrated. Suarez and the Reds will look to get back on track Friday as they prepare for a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
