Brandon Phillips: Reds giving away No. 4 'a slap in the face'

C. Trent Rosecrans | Cincinnati Enquirer

Before his first appearance as a Brave at Great American Ball Park, Brandon Phillips said he felt like he was slapped in the face for a second time by the Reds.

The first was in 2013 when he told Cincinnati Magazine that his six-year, $72.5-million contract was a “slap in the face.” Friday, he used the same language to describe Scooter Gennett wearing No. 4 for the Reds this year.

“I still can’t believe that No. 4, is… someone is wearing my number,” Phillips told WLWT-TV and FoxSports Ohio. “I think that’s a slap in my face, too. But it is what it is. Man, people have their own opinions and I’m going to have mine.”

Brandon Phillips finally spoke with the media before the game, and he had a lot to say #WLWT pic.twitter.com/FcNSiGdb5n — Derek Forrest (@DerekWLWT) June 2, 2017

Before Friday’s game, Phillips declined to speak to the Cincinnati media, according to Jonathan Kerber, the Braves’ senior coordinator for media relations. As 15 members of the Cincinnati media waited for Phillips in the clubhouse in the 50 minutes it was open, Phillips waited in areas off limits to reporters while his teammates wondered why their clubhouse was so crowded.

Last year, long-time Reds outfielder Jay Bruce held a postgame press conference after an afternoon game in his first game back at GABP. Just this past week, Reds first baseman Joey Votto held a lengthy press conference in his return to his hometown of Toronto. Phillips declined any such accommodation.

Phillips finally appeared on the Great American Ball Park field at 5:23 p.m., as the Reds were taking batting practice and three minutes after the rest of the Braves’ position players began their pregame stretching routine.

Phillips did speak to WLWT-TV and FoxSports Ohio after batting practice.

“I’m still Mr. Cincinnati, regardless of what anybody say,” Phillips told WLWT-TV and FoxSports Ohio. “I still run this piece. I’m just here to play this game and get as many wins as I can as possible against the Redlegs.”

Phillips and the Braves didn't get one on Friday. Phillips went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts in the Reds' 3-2 victory in 10 innings. Phillips declined to speak to The Enquirer when approached after the game.

Several sources also confirmed Phillips declined any sort of pregame ceremony to honor his return, as the Reds did last year with Bruce. Bruce, his wife Hannah and son Carter appeared on the field with Reds officials before the Labor Day game in Cincinnati, a little more than a month after he’d been traded from the only organization he’d known as a professional.

Phillips has had a rocky relationship with local Cincinnati media for much of his career as a Red but was almost always accommodating with fans at the ballpark, making him a fan-favorite.

What also made him a favorite was his play on the field. A four-time Gold Glove winner, Phillips made three All-Star teams in his 11 seasons with the Reds. He finished his time in Cincinnati as the Reds’ all-time leader among second basemen in hits (1,774), doubles (311), home runs (191) and RBI (851). Hall of Famer Joe Morgan is second to Phillips in each of those categories.

Although there was no pre-game acknowledgment of Phillips return, fans at Great American Ball Park gave him a 40-second standing ovation before his first at-bat, which he acknowledged by tipping his cap. He then struck out on four pitches by Bronson Arroyo.

The Reds showed a video montage of Phillips’ time in Cincinnati in the middle of the first inning, highlighting his accomplishments both on and off the field, showing several of his own tweets of photos of him posing with fans around town.

Phillips received a loud (seated) cheer in the third inning when he lined out to Scott Schebler to end the Braves’ inning with a runner on second base.

The Reds had tried to trade Phillips for years before they ultimately moved him to the Braves on the eve of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in February. The Reds paid the Braves $13 million of the $14 million they owed him for 2017 and received two minor-league pitchers in return. One of the two pitchers, 27-year-old lefty Andrew McKirahan is still with the organization. The other, 29-year-old right-hander Carlos Portuondo, was released by the team in April.

Reds trade Brandon Phillips The Reds traded long-time second baseman Brandon Phillips to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, opening the way for Jose Peraza and Dilson Herrera to get more playing time as the team's rebuild continues.

The Reds traded Phillips, who would be a free agent after the 2017 season, to make playing time for Jose Peraza at second base. Phillips, who used his no-trade rights to nix at least two trades before the 2016 season, used his no-trade rights to turn down a trade with the Braves earlier in the offseason. The Reds made it clear to him that he wouldn’t be the everyday starter at second base. After the Braves’ Sean Rodriguez was injured in a car accident, Atlanta and Cincinnati reignited trade talks and got the deal done.

“It hurt in my heart to see myself leave Cincinnati. It really sucks,” said Phillips, who has outproduced Peraza at the plate so far this season, to WLWT-TV and FoxSports Ohio. “I have to play every day. I wasn’t going to platoon when I know I can play every day, especially with the years I’ve been having with the Reds and what I can still do. I’m just going out there and playing the game the best way I know how.”

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