If for only one night, Ryan Lavarnway belonged in the same sentence as one of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball history.
Lavarnway, making his Reds debut, went 3-for-4 with two homers and six RBIs Friday night in Cincinnati’s 12-11 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first big league appearance for Lavarnway since Sept. 30 of last year, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Here’s his second homer:
New Red Ryan Lavarnway hits his second homer of the night to give him a career-high 6 RBI. It is the second multi-homer game of his career. pic.twitter.com/skgPAnQtOW
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 20, 2019
Now, check out where Lavarnway’s performance ranks among the greatest in Reds history:
Playing his first Major League game of 2019, Ryan Lavarnway has hit his first two big league homers since 2015.
He is the first Reds catcher to have a 3-hit, 2-HR, 6-RBI game since — get this — JOHNNY BENCH, on May 9, 1973.
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) July 20, 2019
Talk about making a strong first impression.
New Englanders likely remember Lavarnway for his days with the Boston Red Sox, for whom he once was one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball. Lavarnway, now 31, hit .201 in 97 games for Boston, which waived him after the 2014 season.
The journeyman backstop since has played for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, in addition to the Pirates and Reds.
