Fairfield-Echo.com

CINCINNATI — With three home runs off three pitchers already in his pocket, and with his teammates saying he should, you know, try for No. 4, Reds first baseman Joey Votto walked to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning just looking to make good contact.

OK, he admitted, he was actually looking for another homer.

"I'm not going to lie — it was in the back of my head," Votto said. "I just thought if I put a real good swing on a good pitch, I would have a chance. Sometimes you have games like this, and you don't know why things go so well. You go with the flow. That last at-bat I tried to go with it."

Alas, he grounded out to shortstop Ronny Cedeno, and soon after, his day and the Reds record-setting game was complete.

Cincinnati's seven home runs Wednesday, May 7, set a Great American Ball Park record, and the Reds tied a club mark with four home runs in the second inning. That offense and another strong outing from right-hander Edinson Volquez led to a 9-0 win against the Chicago Cubs.

With his three shots, Votto became the 23rd player in club history to hit three home runs in a game. In the dugout, as he tried for No. 4, his teammates were ready to see him become the first Reds player and 15th all time to accomplish that.

"You enjoy it just as much as everybody else in the stadium," Ken Griffey Jr. said. "We were all pulling for him. It was an awesome feeling. It was a great day for the young man."

It was a great day for the Reds.

Volquez matched his career-best with 10 strikeouts and allowed just four hits in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 1.06. In his first seven starts, he hasn't allowed more than an earned run, and according to Elias Sports Bureau, no Reds pitcher has accomplished that since earned runs became an official statistic in 1912.

Yes, he walked six, but he kept getting himself out of trouble.

"The fact is he had 115 pitches (118 actually) and was still throwing 95 mph, which is indicative of his strength and also indicative that he works out," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "I try to stress to him the importance of running. It's old-fashioned running. There's no substitute."

The Reds didn't need to do much running Wednesday. They did a bunch of trotting instead.

The last five Reds to hit three home runs in a game:

Jeffrey Hammonds at Colorado on May 19, 1999

Greg Vaughn at Chicago on Sept. 7, 1999

Russell Branyan at San Diego on Aug. 4, 2002

Aaron Boone vs. San Diego on Aug. 9, 2002

and Boone vs. St. Louis on May 8, 2003

Most Reds team home runs in a game

9: Sept. 4, 1999, in Philadelphia | Final score: Reds 22, Philadelphia 3

8: Aug. 18, 1956, at Crosley Field | Final score: Reds 13, Milwaukee 4

7: May 7, 2008, at Great American Ball Park | Final score: Reds 9, Chicago 0

7: June 1, 1957, at Crosley Field | Final score: Reds 22, Chicago 2

7: April 21, 1970, in Atlanta | Final score: Reds 13, Atlanta 8

Wednesday's home runs

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