Reds’ Elly De La Cruz Celebrated by MLB Twitter After Hitting for Cycle vs. Braves
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It took Elly De La Cruz 15 games to earn a place in Cincinnati Reds history and the awe of MLB Twitter.
The 21-year-old infielder hit for the cycle in six innings against the Atlanta Braves Friday night.
It was the first time a Cincinnati batter achieved the feat since 1989. He is the youngest player to do so since 1972. Baseball fans were impressed, to say the least.
De La Cruz started out with a double in the bottom of the second and added a home run in the third before recording an RBI single in the fifth.
That set up arguably the most exciting way to finish a cycle—the all-out sprint to third base for the triple.
In the bottom of the sixth, De La Cruz slid into third to make Reds history.
De La Cruz added a stolen base to the outing for good measure. He is now the first player since 1903 to record 20 hits, three home runs, and five stolen bases in his first 15 career games, per ESPN Stats and Info.
Cincinnati fans have seen their team make just one playoff appearance in the last nine seasons. It’s been some time since the squad has rostered a must-watch player who gets opposing fans to flip the channel to a Reds game.
De La Cruz is starting to look like that player.
De La Cruz, who began his career in the Dominican Republic, once doubted he would make it to the MLB.
The baseball academy where De La Cruz was training only brought him in front of a Reds scout in 2018 to “make” another shortstop “look good” with his hits, De La Cruz told Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2022.
The Cincinnati scout returned the next day, this time to look at De La Cruz. The Reds ended up giving De La Cruz his first contract offer, after which he spent the next few years in the minors.
After starting this season playing for the AAA Louisville Bats, De La Cruz is finally getting his shot at the majors. He’s making the most of it in a way MLB Twitter won’t soon forget.