Pirates fans can't get enough of Ke'Bryan Hayes complaints after Reds Game 1 failure

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds at the July 31 trade deadline, receiving left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers and shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura in return. At the time, it looked like a steal for Cincinnati – Hayes is a Gold Glove third baseman, after all – but now, Reds fans are learning what Pirates fans already knew.

It wasn't a secret that Hayes' bat had been a concern before he came to Cincinnati, but the Reds were hopeful that a change of scenery would be just what the doctor ordered to revive his offense. At first, the results were promising – he had a .254/.327/.381 slash line through his first 42 games with the Reds, which is respectable enough for an elite defensive player – but a brutal September slump saw those numbers dip to .209/.299/.224 over the final month of the season.

Now, that's the Ke'Bryan Hayes that Pirates fans remember.

Pirates fans can't help but laugh as Reds fans discover what Pittsburgh already knew about Ke'Bryan Hayes

Unfortunately for Cincinnati, Hayes' slump appears to have extended into the postseason. He went 0-for-4 in the Reds' 10-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card series on Tuesday, and his at-bats ended both of the innings in which Cincinnati rallied for runs.

In the seventh inning, with the Reds trailing 8-0, back-to-back singles put runners at the corners for Cincinnati with one out as Elly De La Cruz came to the plate. De La Cruz grounded into a force out that allowed Austin Hays to score, putting the Reds on the board for the first time.

Then, in the eighth inning, the Dodgers' shaky bullpen saw the Reds close the gap even further. They racked up four one-out walks – including two with the bases loaded – and an RBI single by Spencer Steer to cut their deficit to five runs. But the rally proved too little, too late as Hayes popped out to first base to end the inning after nine batters. Sound familiar, Pirates fans?

For about a month in Cincinnati, Hayes looked like the hitter the Pirates had always hoped he would be in Pittsburgh. Now, he's looking like the hitter he actually was in Pittsburgh – but at least the Pirates aren't the ones stuck with him until 2030.