Reds top prospect Elly De La Cruz launches first home run of career
CINCINNATI, Ohio (WTVQ) — Elly De La Cruz, the No. 1 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system, showcased his power after hitting his first home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night.
The 458-foot home run would come in the first inning against pitcher Noah Syndergaard. With one out remaining, the 21-year-old blasted the ball to the right-field stands for a two-run homer that brought in Catcher Tyler Stephenson for De La Cruz’s first RBI.
“Frame it” the Reds tweeted — showing De La Cruz holding up a 44, the same number he wears on his jersey — immediately after the 2-run bomb.
After being tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning, fellow teammate Will Benson got his first home run in a walk-off to elevate the Reds over the Dodgers 8-6.
De La Cruz would finish the night 2-4 with a home run and a triple. He has a batting average of .429 and On Base Percentage of .556 through his first two games in the major leagues.
Sitting at five at-bats into his MLB career, De La Cruz has registered the 2023 Reds’ two hardest-hit balls (114.8 and 112), two fastest sprint speeds (30.9, 30.4), longest home run (458) and fastest home-to-third time (10.83).
And the Reds’ “Frame it” tweet received thousands of interactions from gleaming fans:
“Buying the jersey” user WesFromSpace wrote.
“Need this as a wallpaper asap 🔥🔥” Ted Burns McCoart, director of public relations at Isaiah House Treatment Center, wrote.
“Next kid is named Elly. No matter what” user davisr10 wrote.
De La Cruz ended the night by meeting the proud fan who caught his home run ball.
De La Cruz and Benson are the first Reds teammates to hit their first MLB career home run in the same game since 1907, according to ESPN.
