As his teammates were playing on the field against the Red Sox on Wednesday, injured Reds first baseman Joey Votto was a man of the people at Great American Ball Park.
During the first three innings, Votto made his way around the seating area and concourses at the stadium. Wearing a classic Reds No. 11 jersey of Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, Votto started in the upper deck behind home plate sitting with a fan and chatting in the first inning.
Soon, Votto was making his way along the upper deck aisle — stopping repeatedly for numerous selfie photos, talking to kids and shaking hands with fans.
Eventually, Votto popped up around other spots inside the seating bowl.
Aaron Judge grew up in the Bay Area rooting for the Barry Bonds-era Giants, but the slugger wasn’t his favorite player. It was a 6-foot, 170-pound shortstop.
There is still time for the other contenders to make a late-season push, but right now Justin Verlander and Sandy Alcantara are both looking like they’ll be taking home the hardware.