The Cincinnati Reds maintained control of their Sunday matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates all game long, not needing Sal Stewart's solo shot to pick up a 10-2 win. 

However, Stewart went yard nonetheless as the Reds finished off a four-game series win over Pittsburgh. Stewart's home run, which actually scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning, made history and placed him on pace to set a new franchise record. 

Sal Stewart tied a Reds all-time great for second in rookie season HRs

His bomb deep into the left field stands tied him with Joey Votto's 2008 total for the second most home runs by a Reds rookie. Frank Robinson owns the single-season high of 38 from 1956. 

Stewart now has 24 home runs in 111 games and 422 at-bats, continuing to make his case as the National League's Rookie of the Year. He is currently on pace to finish with around 34 home runs, four shy of Robinson. But his recent hot streak keeps him in play for the record.

Stewart's pace is just shy of Frank Robinson's total, but has been hot as of late 

Stewart's Sunday home run, his first of August, was his second in a three-day stretch. He also has 85 RBI, 59 runs scored, 51 walks, 23 doubles and a slash line of .254/.334/.479. 

This comes after Stewart hit five home runs and drove in eight runs in 18 games as a September call up late last season. 

Joey Votto needed more games and at-bats to hit 24 in 2007 

In contrast, Votto, a former six-time All-Star who spent his entire 17-year career spanning 2007-23 with the Reds, clubbed his 24 home runs in 151 games and 526 at-bats. Votto ended his career with 356 home runs. His personal-best was 37 from his MVP campaign in 2010.  

So even though 2026 has been a rough season for the 53-58 Reds as a whole, Stewart's individual success as he's going for a significant rookie record provides reason for optimism about the future of baseball in Cincinnati.