Reds Mocked on Twitter for Blowing 9-Run Lead in Loss vs. Pirates

It was a collapse of epic proportions.

The Cincinnati Reds were leading 9-0 in the third inning of Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and a win would help the Reds keep pace in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot. It appeared like that was the likely scenario. Think again.

The Pirates stormed back with a run in the fourth and then five runs in the sixth, three runs in the seventh and four in the eighth and emerged victorious by a score of 13-12.

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds had a home run and three RBIs, Alfonso Rivas was three-for-five with five RBIs and Ji Hwan Bae had another three RBIs in the comeback win.

Alexis Díaz took the loss for the Reds, surrendering five hits and four runs in 2/3 of an inning. The loss dropped the Reds to 2.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the final Wild Card spot and 1.5 games behind the Miami Marlins for the first team out.

Fans on social media expressed shock at the collapse and called for change to avoid such a fate in the future.

As it stands, the Reds are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but it's an uphill battle. Cincinnati has six games remaining on its schedule and will need some help from both the Cubs and Marlins in order to crash into the postseason party.