We knew Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was good at drawing walks, but this is ridiculous.

Yes, during Sunday's game against the Washington Nationals, Votto took a ball to reach a 3-2 count ... but was awarded a walk and, as a result, headed to first base. No one seemed to notice the error.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, this stemmed from an extra ball being added to the stadium scoreboard. It even had the TV play-by-play crew fooled.

And although it likely didn't influence the final outcome too much -- the Reds won 8-2 -- it did come as part of a six-run seventh inning. So ... perhaps Votto's otherworldly walk-drawing did give Cincinnati an edge?

Reds All-Star first baseman Joey Votto will miss 3-4 weeks with a torn cartilage in his left knee. Will Cincinnati, leaders of the NL Central, have a winning record without their best hitter in the lineup?

• BigBlueMachine8: "27 of the Reds' next 30 games are agains sub .500 teams. Reds will be fine. Plus they got Todd Super Frazier."
• pastelpaul: "'Tough break for Reds, because Votto is the ONLY reliably dangerous player in their lineup. He's an awesome clutch hitter and true MVP-type player. Who else do they have? Time for Pirates to get hot and get a lead. Go Bucs!!"
• The Land Shark: "I wish nothing but a full recovery for Votto. As for our playoff chances, I think we still have a chance to get there. We have great players like Phillips, Bruce, Rolen, Stubbs, Cueto, Bailey, Latos, and Chapman to help us."
• BURNER8585: "Reds are screwed. Their only offensive player just went down, now the Reds will slip into 4th-5th place in that span. BOOK IT."
• RedsLvr21: "Even without Votto, the Reds are a better team than anyone they face during his absence, including the Pirates."



Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.

The Reds have locked up Joey Votto for the next decade, signing the young slugger to a 10-year, $225 million extension. Did they give him too much money for his production?

• sharkey5885: "it's nice to see another star lined up in a Reds jersey for the long haul. It's also great that a smaller market can keep their superstar."
• UI571: "Reds just shot themselves in the foot, they are not going to sign these players to long term deals (bruce, stubbs, phillips) They can't even afford this contract to begin with."
• snoogins51fu: "These massive contracts are great for the players that get them, but these 7-10 year deals aren't necessarily good for the teams that make them. Tying that much money to one player for the next decade is silly."
• dodgertodd88: "Glad he's staying with the Reds. But 10/225m is enough for two Joey Vottos, in dollar amount and years."
• buckywaters1: "So almost 30% of the payroll dedicated to one player.... Good luck in the future reds fans."
• mavericksfan071: "as a fan of baseball I'm happy for him and the Reds. Votto just seems like an all around great guy. Will be cheering for him as long as it is not agaisnt the Rangers!"



Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.