Elly De La Cruz, the Reds’ sensational rookie, astounded everyone, including himself, with his exceptional performance that ensured the team’s leading position at the All-Star break.
The sensational rookie delivered a crucial hit in the seventh inning, driving in the go-ahead run. He then showcased his incredible speed and base-running skills by stealing second, third, and home consecutively, all within three pitches. This impressive display powered the Reds to an 8-5 victory over the Brewers on Saturday. Notably, Cincinnati displayed resilience by overcoming deficits of 1-0, 4-1, and 5-4, securing their 33rd come-from-behind win of the season, the most in Major League Baseball.
With the series now tied at one game apiece, the victory propelled Cincinnati two games ahead of Milwaukee in the division standings, positioning them favorably heading into the final game of the first half.
Elly De La Cruz delivered a crucial hit, bringing home TJ Friedl to even the game with two outs. Seizing an opportunity, he swiftly made his way to second base on Elvis Peguero’s 1-0 pitch to Jake Fraley, successfully evading William Contreras’ throw.
Demonstrating his exceptional speed, Elly De La Cruz then stole third base on a 1-2 pitch. With a keen sense of timing, he made a daring break for home before Peguero could fully prepare, completing the impressive sequence. This remarkable display of base-running prowess increased his total stolen bases to 16 for the season, an outstanding achievement considering he has played in just 29 games since his call-up on June 6.
Elly De La Cruz Walks the Reporters Through His Incredible Performance
“When I saw him walk back to the mound, he was kind of at a slow pace, and then he didn’t look back over to third, so I decided there I was going to go,” De La Cruz said through interpreter Jorge Merlos.
Even Reds third-base coach J.R. House was caught off guard by Elly De La Cruz’s audacious steal of home.
“Everybody is giving me credit for sending him, and I had nothing to do with it. Zero,” House said. “So he steals second and third. … I was going to give him a high five, he stole third base, like, ‘Nice job,’ and he wanted no part of it.
I didn’t really understand what was going on, and he just kind of kept creeping towards home plate and eyeballing the third baseman, and catcher, pitcher and then gone.
Elly De La Cruz
“I didn’t really understand what was going on, and he just kind of kept creeping towards home plate and eyeballing the third baseman, and catcher, pitcher and then gone. Just really impressive. When he slid into the third, the play wasn’t over for him. He knew it, he was watching it, he was seeking it, he was hunting it, and I got to watch it. It was great.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau, De La Cruz’s feat of stealing three bases in a single plate appearance makes him the second player in the expansion era (since 1961) to accomplish this, with Rod Carew, a Hall of Famer, being the first on May 18, 1969, for the Twins while Harmon Killebrew was batting.
The Reds Now Take The First Place
Elly De La Cruz’s speed played a role in the Reds’ three-run fourth inning, which leveled the score at 4. The rookie legged out a single to shortstop and advanced to second when Willy Adames made an errant throw to first base. De La Cruz then took advantage of a balk, allowing him to move to third base. With Fraley drawing a walk, Joey Votto wasted no time, crushing Colin Rea’s first pitch for his seventh home run. Since returning from the injured list on June 19, half of Votto’s 14 hits have been home runs.
Votto’s home run came one inning after Will Benson’s third-inning blast, which extended the Reds’ streak of consecutive games with a home run to 22. This surpassed the previous record set by the 1956 team, making it the longest streak in club history.
In the bottom of the fourth, Milwaukee took back the lead as Brian Anderson singled and Brice Turang followed with a triple to the gap in right-center field.
The Reds responded by tying the game again in the fifth inning. Matt McLain led off with a single, stole second base, and then Jake Fraley delivered a two-out RBI double off reliever Bryse Wilson.
Following Luke Weaver’s 3 2/3 innings where he allowed five runs, the Reds’ bullpen took over and delivered 5 1/3 scoreless frames. Lucas Sims came up big by inducing an inning-ending groundout from Christian Yelich with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, effectively neutralizing the Brewers’ best threat for the remainder of the game.