This might be the greatest moment yet for Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz.
Elly De La Cruz hasn’t been in the majors for long, but he’s already one of the most electric talents in baseball. The 21-year-old has a special combination of size and speed, and it’s helped the Cincinatti Reds make a surprising turn into a postseason contender. At his best, De La Cruz is capable of stunning displays of speed, and he proved it in the most dramatic way yet during the Cincy’s Thursday night game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
With the Reds trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, De La Cruz ripped a ball to deep right center. While it didn’t clear the fence, it did take a Reds-friendly bounce off the bottle of the wall. That’s all De La Cruz needed to turn on the jets and head for home. The result: an inside-the-park home run to tie the game. Watch the video here:
Baseball doesn’t get any more exciting than that.
His speed really is incredible by the numbers.
De La Cruz is a walking human highlight reel on the field. The Reds would have a wildcard spot if the season ended today, and their youth movement is a big reason why.
De La Cruz is of course not a perfect player yet — he entered hitting .257 and striking out a ton — but few players have created more breathtaking moments this season than him. This might end up as the defining highlight of his awesome rookie season. The more the Reds keeping winning, the more we get to watch De La Cruz get the chance to make magic happen.
