Reds’ Sal Stewart Shines with Two Three-Run Homers in 8-3 Victory Over Giants
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds delivered an explosive offensive performance Wednesday night, powered by rookie standout Sal Stewart’s career-best six RBIs in an 8-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Stewart, just 22 years old, smashed two three-run homers—his sixth and seventh of the season—marking his first multi-homer game. His six RBIs set a personal record and made him the second-youngest Reds player to achieve the feat, trailing only teammate Elly De La Cruz, who did so at 21 last season.
The Reds wasted no time attacking Giants starter Tyler Mahle, a former Red, who struggled with command. After walking two batters in the first inning, Stewart crushed a 1-1 fastball into right-center field, giving Cincinnati an early 3-0 lead. Veteran Eugenio Suárez followed with a solo shot, his 192nd homer as a Red, passing Brandon Phillips for 12th on the franchise’s all-time list.
San Francisco briefly clawed back in the second with Daniel Susac’s two-run double, but Stewart struck again in the third. With two outs and two on, he hammered another Mahle offering deep into the left-field stands, extending the lead to 7-2.
De La Cruz added to the fireworks in the fourth with a towering 442-foot solo blast, his sixth of the year. The Reds’ rookie trio—Stewart, De La Cruz, and starting pitcher Rhett Lowder—proved too much for the Giants. Lowder (2-1) held San Francisco to three runs over 6⅔ innings, while Mahle (0-3) was tagged for eight runs, including four homers, in just four innings.
Key Takeaways:
- Stewart now has 12 career homers, the most by a Reds batter in his first 36 games since Aristides Aquino in 2018-19.
- Suárez’s three-hit night was his first since rejoining Cincinnati.
- The Giants’ bullpen kept the Reds scoreless after Mahle’s exit, but the early damage was too much to overcome.
Up Next:
The series concludes Thursday with Giants right-hander Landen Roupp (2-1, 3.24 ERA) facing Reds rookie Chase Burns (1-1, 3.31 ERA).
— Reported by Nexio News
