Elly De La Cruz became the first batter since 2021 to hit an inside-the-park and outside the park home run in the same game
Elly De La Cruz showed off his speed as he recorded an inside-the-park home run (Image via Imago/X)
Is there something that Elly De La Cruz cannot do? The Cincinnati Reds youngster once again showed off his incredible power and speed as he recorded an inside-the-park home run against the Brewers on Monday.
This home run turned out to be this second homer of the game thus marking just the second time where he has had a multi-home run game. His first one came in the fifth inning when the Reds were in cruise control of the match.
The 22-year-old would go on to slam a 450 ft shot off J.B. Bukauskas for his first big fly of the 2024 season. While this homer was a great one as it showcased his strength, the highlight of the day was definitely his inside-the-park homer which came at his next at-bat.
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The Brewers had cut the deficit to one run to make it a 9-8 ballgame when Elly De La Cruz stepped up to the plate again. This time batting right handed, he hit a line drive which could have been a routine out.
Unfortunately for the Brewers, center fielder Sal Frelick was unable to make a diving play. The ball would thus roll past him and race towards the warning track. Seeing this, De La Cruz started accelerating around the bases and beat out the throw quite comfortably in the end to hit an inside-the-park home run.
De La Cruz thus scripted further history. He became the first man since Amed Rosario to hit an outside and inside-the-park home run in the same game. Rosario did so against the Kansas City Royals while playing for the Cleveland Guardians in 2021.
Elly De La Cruz makes bold World Series claim following historic performance against Brewers
Since making his debut in June 2023, Elly De La Cruz has made a huge impact on the Cincinnati Reds roster. A team which had been struggling in the past few seasons are now looking like a team to beat with his emergence. After his historic performance against the Brewers, De La Cruz has now made a bold World Series claim.
Elly De La Cruz (Image via Imago)
Speaking to the media in English, De La Cruz said it was important for them to win this game against the Brewers as they defeated them (Reds) several times last year.
It’s so important for us. We are trying to win games. Milwaukee, they won a lot of games against us last year so we’ve got to beat them. We put in a lot of work and we’re ready (to go) to the World Series.Elly De La Cruz said.
With this win, the Reds are now 6-4 for the season, 0.5 games behind the Brewers in third place. Though it is still very early to predict how the season will go, a healthy De La Cruz might just take them to the promise land in 2024 season.
