After the Chicago Cubs’ dominant 13-6 series-opening win, the Cincinnati Reds were looking to make a statement Saturday. And, as you might expect, the statement maker for Cincinnati was Elly De La Cruz, who followed Pete Crow-Armstrong’s exuberant celebration from Game 1 with a bit of his own flair after giving the Reds an early lead.

De La Cruz stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the first inning with one on and one out and drilled a 93 mph Colin Rea four-seamer deep into the right field bleachers. Then, as he rounded the bases, he high-fived his third base coach and transitioned into a dab, via MLB on X.

It was a modest celebration, appropriate for a two-run homer in the first inning. But it seemed to be exactly what the Reds needed after getting clobbered by a hyped Cubs team in the previous game.

Elly De La Cruz provides a spark for the Reds

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) hits a homer in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Great American Ball Park in Downtown Cincinnati.
Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The bomb was De La Cruz’s ninth of the season. After six innings, he has four RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base, giving him 37 RBI, 35 runs scored and 17 stolen bases on the season, all of which lead the Reds.

De La Cruz has proven he has a flair for the dramatic during his young career. The All-Star slugger hit a grand slam on his own bobblehead night back in April. And he recently provided ninth inning heroics with a clutch home run against the White Sox – albeit in a losing effort.

In fact, despite De La Cruz’s impressive contributions, the Reds have done a good deal of losing. And while Cincinnati rebounded from a bit of a slow start, the team has lost three straight games and sits at 25-27 entering play Saturday, 6.5 games behind the first-place Cubs in the NL Central.

But regardless of the Reds’ struggles, De La Cruz is on an impressive career trajectory. MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger predicted the 23-year-old shortstop would be a top three ranked player in baseball in the near future thanks to his rare power/speed combo.

While that’s great news for Reds fans, the team would love to see his exceptional play translate to wins. On Saturday he got the scoring started early with the two-run homer and he helped Cincinnati to a 6-1 lead in the fifth inning with a two-run single and a run scored. Now the Reds just need to take advantage of the spark.