On Monday, the Cincinnati Reds opened up a four-game series against their division rival in the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cincinnati took the opener of the series, defeating the Redbirds in walk-off fashion.
However, the Reds knew that the Cardinals were playing with heavy hearts.
Earlier this season, former Cardinals star and radio announcer Mike Shannon passed away at the age of 83.
On Monday, Hall-of-Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel, who covered the Cards for 51 years, also passed away.
Knowing this, the Reds saved two spots in the press box for the two Cardinals fixtures, leaving a rose in a glass of water to honor them.
.@Reds saved spots for Rick Hummel and Mike Shannon in the press box tonight. pic.twitter.com/PfVGVqsavy
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) May 22, 2023
The Cardinals were certainly playing with heavy hearts on Monday.
But this is a nice gesture by the Reds to honor both Shannon and Hummel.
The Reds and Cardinals are fierce rivals in the NL Central.
However, the Reds did the right thing on Monday by setting the rivalry aside and saving spots in the press box in Hummel and Shannon’s honor.
Prior to the game, the Reds also held a moment of silence to pay their respects to the two Cardinals greats, posting farewell messages on the jumbotron at Great American Ballpark.
The rivalry between the two teams meant nothing on Monday as the Reds showed their support for the Cardinals in these difficult times.
The two teams will continue their four-game series on Tuesday night.
The series will wrap up on Thursday.
Cincinnati will match up with the Cardinals again on June 9 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
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