Elly De La Cruz blasted a ridiculous 444-foot home run deep into the bleachers at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, but that wasn’t even the craziest thing he did. A half-inning later, his relay throw from center field was clocked at an insane 105.3 mph before MLB pulled the stat down, showing off the kind of power that has Cincinnati fans already dreaming big for next season.
This September Is Different for Elly
Forget the 3-2 loss to the Dodgers; what Elly De La Cruz is doing *right now* is absolutely wild. This dude is a two-time All-Star shortstop and is ranked fourth in the majors for position-player WAR at 5.2, sitting just behind MVP frontrunner Pete Crow-Armstrong. But here’s the kicker: his teammate Matt McLain, his double-play partner, said it best, “It’s no secret that he’s one of the best players in our game, especially at shortstop. We’ve said this like every year: He just keeps getting better and better.” Manager Terry Francona is seeing it too. He mentioned how De La Cruz was really struggling at this time last year, but now he “looks really good right now.” And you know what? Francona’s right. In four years in the big leagues, this is the first September De La Cruz has looked this fresh, this productive.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Remember back in 2023 when he faded hard down the stretch? Or how about last year, when he played through a quad injury that zapped his power, even though he never missed a game? That’s not happening this year. His blast on Tuesday wasn’t just another long ball; it tied his career high of 25 homers, which is also a franchise record for a switch hitter. And get this: he did it in only 126 games this season, way faster than the 160 games it took him during his 2024 All-Star year. Francona thinks those three weeks De La Cruz missed in June with a hamstring injury, plus some strategic DH days recently, might be why he’s so fresh heading into September. Whatever it is, the man is on fire. He hit the first pitch he saw this series into the right-field seats, then cranked another one even farther off two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. This is the guy who declared “This is my city” in Los Angeles two seasons ago, and he’s backing it up big time.
This kind of performance is exactly why the Reds are holding onto hope. They want to get back to the playoffs next year for the first time since that quick two-game appearance against these same Dodgers a year ago. With Elly De La Cruz showing up like this right now, giving them a glimpse of what’s possible, you gotta feel good about what’s coming for Cincinnati. This kid is absolutely electric.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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