Cincinnati Reds’ superstar Elly De La Cruz is having an unforgettable sophomore season. De La Cruz leads MLB in stolen bases and set a franchise record with 45 steals before the All-Star game.
Today De La Cruz set another franchise record when he became the youngest Reds’ player with four extra-base hits in a single game, per MLB's Sarah Langs on X. Only 20 Reds’ players have recorded four extra-base hits in a game since 1901 and at 22 years and 207 days old, De La Cruz is the youngest to do it.
One of baseball’s most electric players, De La Cruz entered the game in a 0-13 slump. But he busted out of that slide in a memorable way. The Reds’ shortstop went 4-5 against the Miami Marlins today with two doubles and two home runs – a two-run shot in the first inning and a solo homer in the eighth. He’s now up to 24 doubles and 20 home runs on the season. He also collected three RBI and scored three runs in the 10-3 victory.
De La Cruz made his first All-Star game this season, although he was not selected as a starter. He leads the majors with 57 steals and has now scored 73 runs in 109 games. He’s up to 3.5 WAR and a 124 OPS+ so far for the Reds this year. With his 20th home run today, he joined Joe Morgan and Eric Davis as the only Reds’ players with 20 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season, per ESPN.
Elly De La Cruz rewrites the Reds’ record book
While De La Cruz has enjoyed a breakout season it hasn’t led to a whole lot of winning. The Reds are four games under .500 and 8.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. The Reds are 6.5 games back in the Wild Card standings and would need to overtake six teams to land the third playoff berth.
Despite what’s turning into another lost season for the team, Reds’ fans can at least enjoy watching De La Cruz’s unique blend of speed and power. He gave fans a taste of his talents as a 21-year-old rookie when he hit 13 home runs and stole 35 bases in just 98 games last season.
This year the young star is slashing .261/.347./496 with an .843 OPS. Although he does still struggle with swings-and-misses as he leads baseball with 143 strikeouts. Still, fans will take the lows when they come with such incredible highs.
While the Marlins’ Jesus Sanchez hit a 480-foot home run in today’s game, the longest in MLB this season, De La Cruz still managed to steal the show as the two homers he smashed during his record-setting game traveled a combined 839 feet, per ESPN.
Follow Us
Subscribe