CHICAGO – As if Sal Stewart wasn't already fiery enough. As if he didn't already have a team in his own division whose fans enjoy making him their personal villain. As if this guy doesn't have a chance to have this kind of impact, do this kind of damage and elicit these kinds of boos for a lot of years for the Cincinnati Reds and perhaps beyond. For now, add Chicago White Sox fans to those of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Stewart's list of personal boo birds when he bats in their ballparks after what he "did" to pitcher Davis Martin and the White Sox during the clincher of this week's series win over Chicago – and especially after Martin's response. As former All-Star Alfonso Soriano liked to say, "They don't boo nobodies, babe." Reds injury report Hunter Greene Reds' Hunter Greene to miss 2027 season after 2nd Tommy John surgery Reds pitching rotation Hunter Greene Why Reds say they can reach playoffs in 2027 without Hunter Greene And that might be the larger point for the Reds corner infielder who seems to play larger with every passing month of his young career. Already with a team-leading 26 home runs with six weeks to play. Already ranked second in the majors with 89 RBIs. Already an All-Star. And the guy's still only a 22-year-old rookie.
His presence and fire from the second spot in the lineup during the 9-8 series finale win on Thursday might have underscored at least some of what those around him mean when they predict a quick rise to prominence in the Reds clubhouse. Stewart hit a no-doubt home run halfway up the left-field seats to open scoring in the first inning, admired the line drive for perhaps a second or two longer than Martin appreciated before starting his lap around the bases, then became the center of Martin's attention in the third – and of Sox fans the rest of the game. When Stewart batted in the third, Martin threw a pitch over Stewart's head, followed by one to his grill – nearly hitting him in the face as it clipped the helmet. Stewart whirled, stepped toward Martin, pointed his bat with one hand, held up two fingers with the second and shouted something that looked like, "Hey, (bleeper-bleeper), that's twice!" Benches emptied. Bullpens emptied. Veteran teammate Eugenio Suárez shook his head as he joined the scrum, telling the Sox and umpires, "That's not right. That's not right." No punches were thrown. Order was quickly restored. And after a brief huddle by the umpires, Martin was ejected – as the first round of boos rained down.
Stewart was booed every time he batted the rest of the game. He also wound up scoring the tying run in the third on Suárez's sacrifice fly, and then delivered a go-ahead hit in the fourth with a one-out single. He walked and scored another run in the sixth. Suárez had four RBIs in the game, including a two-run homer in the three-run first. Tyler Stephenson added a three-run shot in the fourth. Dane Myers reached three times in this one. But the only thing anyone watching this game on this rainy afternoon in Chicago will remember after this week is the fiery Rookie of the Year favorite in the middle of another big moment. And it's only his first full year in the majors. Wait'll next year. And especially the year after, when the Reds return to Chicago's South Side. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rookie Sal Stewart makes presence felt again as Reds beat White Sox