WAY. WELL, IT’S CINCINNATI’S HOMETOWN HOLIDAY OPENING DAY A WIN THE WAY REDS FANS WERE HOPING FOR. THE PARTY STARTED EARLY THIS MORNING. FANS LINING THE STREETS FOR THE FINDLAY MARKET OPENING DAY PARADE. AND THEN IT WAS ON TO GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK FOR THE DEBUT OF A NEW SEASON, STARTING PITCHER FRANKIE MONTAS MADE HIS DEBUT WITH THE REDS JUST THIS AFTERNOON AS THEY TOOK ON THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS RIGHT HERE ON WLWT. WLWT FOR FANS WHO DIDN’T HAVE TICKETS, THE BANKS WAS THE PLACE TO BE TODAY. IT WAS A GIANT BASEBALL TAILGATE AREA, IF YOU WILL. AS PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO PACK THE DOOR AREA ALL NIGHT LONG. THIS IS AN EXCITING REDS TEAM THAT WAS FIGHTING FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT ALL THE WAY UNTIL THE LAST WEEK OF THE 2023 SEASON. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M SHEREE PAOLELLO AND I’M MIKE DARDIS, AN ALREADY WANT TO KNOW AND WHAT A START. WE’VE GOT A LOT TO GET TO INCLUDING PODIUM RIGHT NOW. THE WINNING PITCHER FRANKIE MONTAS GUYS FREE BAGS. SO I FEEL LIKE HE SENT A MESSAGE WITH THAT FOR SURE. NICK MARTINI BEING ABLE TO HIT THE HOME RUNS AND KIND OF GIVE YOU A COMFORTABLE LEAD. I’M HAPPY FOR HIM AND HAPPY FOR HIM. UH, THAT WAS HUGE. YOU KNOW, FOR A GUY THAT YOU KNOW HOW ALL HE IS AND, UH, MADE HIS FIRST OPENING DAY, YOU KNOW, AND GO OUT THERE AND, UH, LIVE UP TO, I’LL SAY, LIKE THE EXPECTATIONS. WE ALL KNEW WHAT HE CAN DO. YOU KNOW, HE CAN HIT, HE RAKES, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, FOR HIM TO GO OUT THERE AND HIT TWO PUMPS LIKE NOTHING, BUT REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT KIND OF HOW EVERYONE CONTRIBUTED THE ROLE, YOU PLAYED WAS TODAY KIND OF THE REASON YOU SIGNED OPPORTUNITIES FOR DAYS LIKE THIS? YEAH. NO DOUBT, NO DOUBT. UM, JUST LOOKING FORWARD, YOU KNOW, TO GO OUT THERE AND KEEP COMPETING. YOU KNOW, I’M A REALLY BIG COMPETITOR. I BELIEVE, ON, UM, NO MATTER WHO I’M FACING, I MIGHT GO OUT THERE AND I MIGHT DO. I MIGHT JUST GIVE MY ALL. GIVE 100%. THIS IS. THIS IS WHAT YOU PLAY FOR, RIGHT? COMPETITION, YOU KNOW, TO SHOW WHO’S THE BEST. SO THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I LOVE ABOUT THIS GAME. YOU KNOW, YOU’RE ABLE TO GO OUT THERE AND SHOW YOUR, UH, YOUR SKILLS, YOU KNOW, AND KIND OF MATCH MATCH YOUR SKILLS WITH OTHER TEAMS. TALK ABOUT COMING OFF THE INJURY. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO PROVE TO YOURSELF THAT? UH, NO, MAN, TO BE HONEST, I WAS JUST TRYING TO GO OUT THERE AND HAVE FUN. AND LIKE I SAID, JUST JUST PUT A GOOD PERFORMANCE. MAN, I KNOW WHAT I CAN DO WHEN I’M HEALTHY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE KNOW WHAT I CAN DO WHEN I’M HEALTHY. SO I’M NOT TRYING TO LIVE UP TO WHAT PEOPLE THINK AND EXPECTATIONS LIKE, YOU KNOW, IS THIS A FRANKIE MONTAS FROM COUPLE YEARS AGO AND ALL THAT? NO. THIS IS THE FRANKIE MONTAS FROM 2024. YOU KNOW, THIS IS THIS IS THE HEALTHY FRANKIE MONTAS. THIS IS A HEALTHY VERSION OF ME. SO I’M JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, ENJOY EVERY PART OF IT, YOU KNOW, GO OUT THERE WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK. YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO DO MY JOB AND COMPETE EMOTIONALLY. HOW DID IT FEEL FOR YOU AT THE END OF THIS LONG JOURNEY FROM COMING BACK FROM INJURY, TO BE BACK ON THE MOUND IN A MEANINGFUL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAME? YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TEAMS KIND OF LIKE FALL INTO PLACE. I WOULD SAY, UH, THIS WAS MY 100TH START IN THE BIG LEAGUES AS ALSO MY ANNIVERSARY TODAY. AND WHEN MY WIFE FOR TEN YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE BEEN TOGETHER FOR TEN YEARS AND BEING ABLE TO GO OUT THERE AND GET THE WIN AS WELL, YOU KNOW, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. THANK GOD THE MAN OF THE HOUR. THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY YOU GUYS INTERVIEW ME. UH, YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT A WAY TO KICK OFF THE SEASON HERE. THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF HYPE, OF COURSE, ABOUT THIS TEAM, ABOUT THIS SEASON. AND MAN, THEY DO IT IN GREAT FASHION HERE. OPENING UP THE SEASON OF COURSE AT HOME WINNING 8 TO 2 OVER THE NATIONALS. AGAIN WE’RE GOING TO DO HIGHLIGHTS AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS. BUT ONE OF THE STARS OF THE GAME, MARTINI, STIRRED IT UP WITH A COUPLE OF HOME RUNS. HE’S THERE RIGHT NOW, ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE ON OPENING DAY, AND I KNOW IT’S ONLY ONE GAME, BUT TO BE ABLE TO DO IT IN FRONT OF THAT MANY FANS AND THIS CITY IS A LOT OF FUN. LIKE YOU PICKED UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF LAST, LAST MONTH OF THE LAST SEASON, KIND OF DIALED IN. YEAH, I FEEL PRETTY GOOD. I, YOU KNOW, GOT A COUPLE OF GOOD PITCHES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLATE AND WAS ABLE TO GET GOOD ONE ON HIM. GOT HIM. SLIDER YOU WANT YOU UNDERSTAND. AND THAT KIND OF JOLT THAT YOU GIVE A CITY ON OPENING DAY WITH THE KIND OF DAY THAT YOU HAD. YEAH I KIND OF FELT IT. UM, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE SECOND ONE, I KIND OF FELT, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW LOUD IT GOT. AND, UH, UM, I MEAN, IT WAS JUST AWESOME. WHAT KIND OF A DRIVE TO THAT POINT IS RUNNING THROUGH YOUR BODY AS YOU’RE ROUNDING THE BASES? SECOND HOME RUN. I THINK A TON. IT ALMOST KIND OF FELT LIKE NOTHING. UM, EVEN THE FIRST AT BAT, I HAD SO MUCH ADRENALINE. UM, BECAUSE THIS PLACE WAS PACKED OUT AND IT WAS JUST AWESOME TO SEE. UM, IT’S AMAZING FEELING WHEN THE FIRST ONE COMES, COMES OFF THE BAT FIRST SWING RIGHT. IT WAS. YEAH, IT WAS, UH, IT FELT UNBELIEVABLE. THAT ONE I KNEW, UM, IT WAS JUST AN INCREDIBLE FEELING. DAVID SAID HE MADE THE ROSTER. IT LOOKED LIKE IT HIT YOU KIND OF HARD. AND THEN HE SAID, WHEN TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE IN THE OPENING DAY LINEUP, HE SAID HE JUST WALKED AWAY. HE DIDN’T WAIT. YEAH. WHEN HE TOLD ME I MADE THE TEAM, IT WAS KIND OF, UH, IT WAS KIND OF HARD TO REACT AT THE TIME. UM, JUST BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN YOU KNOW, 13 YEARS. I HAD A TRIP TO KOREA, UH, CAME BACK HERE, SIGNED A MINOR LEAGUE DEAL LAST YEAR, DIDN’T EVEN GO TO BIG LEAGUE CAMP. SO IT WAS KIND OF LIKE EVERYTHING COMING TOGETHER AT ONCE. BUT, UH, SPECIAL DAY FOR ME. AND THE LINEUP. DID YOU SEE THAT COMING? I DIDN’T, BUT I WAS EXCITED FOR IT. ABSOLUTELY. WHAT’S IT LIKE FOR YOU EMOTIONALLY RIGHT NOW? LIKE, I KNOW OBVIOUSLY IT’S STILL HAPPENING, BUT TWO HOME RUNS, YOUR FIRST OPENING DAY. THAT’S INCREDIBLE. YEAH, I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S FULLY HIT ME YET, ESPECIALLY YOU KNOW, IT WAS SPECIAL FOR ME BECAUSE MY FAMILY WAS ABLE TO BE HERE. YEAH. I JUST DON’T THINK IT’S FULLY HIT ME YET. BUT, UH, IT’S CRAZY. WHAT WAS IT LIKE? YOU KNOW, YOUR TEAMMATES ARE REALLY HAPPY. YEAH. THEY WERE. YEAH, IT WAS, UH, IT WAS FUN IN THE DUGOUT. I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN GO INTO DEPTH ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. WHAT DOES IT DO WHEN THE GUY IN FRONT OF YOU KNOCKS IT AROUND? BOTH TIMES SPENCER HAD COME THROUGH? DOES IT ALWAYS TAKE SOME PRESSURE OFF? I THINK SO, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING A GUY LIKE SPENCE, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH THE YEAR HE HAD LAST YEAR AND THEN A GUY LIKE THAT BATTING SEVENTH KIND OF JUST SHOWS LIKE WHAT KIND OF TEAM WE HAVE. AND HAVING HIM THERE AND THE AMOUNT OF BARRELS HE CAN PUT ON BALLS GIVES, GIVES ME CONFIDENCE. HITTING BEHIND HIM FOR SURE. HE