Tony Santillan left these over the plate.... #PHF #cincinnatireds

Tony Santillan’s disastrous ninth inning handed the Kansas City Royals a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on June 3, 2026, at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds had battled back to tie the game at 2-2 thanks to Blake Dunn’s late two-run homer, handing a tied contest to their closer in the top of the ninth. What followed was a complete meltdown. Santillan (now 1-3) surrendered a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single to Michael Massey that scored pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert for a 3-2 Royals lead. He then served up a two-run homer to Nick Loftin—his first of the season—pushing the lead to 5-2. A walk ended Santillan’s night after facing just five batters and recording only one out.

The right-hander threw 22 pitches, 13 for strikes, with poor command—especially on breaking balls—and middle-in fastballs that Royals hitters punished. It marked yet another high-leverage failure for Santillan, whose recent outings have spotlighted deeper bullpen issues for a Reds team sitting around .500.

Fans and analysts expressed frustration online and in postgame shows, with headlines bluntly declaring “Santillan BLOWS IT!” Daniel Lynch IV earned the win and Alex Lange the save for Kansas City, who took the series. For Cincinnati, the loss underscored ongoing late-inning fragility despite a competitive start from their rotation. Santillan’s implosion turned a potential win into a deflating defeat in front of the home crowd.