Reds star Elly De La Cruz delivered another highlight for the ages on Saturday as the self-proclaimed “fastest man in the world” lived up to the billing against the Blue Jays.
De La Cruz, two months removed from making his bold claim, amazed fans inside the Great American Ball Park with an unreal, rounding of the bases to narrow Cincinnati’s 3–1 deficit against Toronto.
Facing a 1–2 count in the bottom of the fourth inning, De La Cruz launched a ball deep toward right-center field that bounced off the wall, setting in motion the latest electric moment for the rookie phenom.
As the ball traveled toward home plate, De La Cruz, who drove in shortstop Matt McClain on the hit, rounded third before eventually finishing the play, much to the home crowd’s delight.
Elly De La Cruz is ELECTRIC!! pic.twitter.com/3qXyyRcwPJ
— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2023
After a slow month of July, the 21-year-old slugger appears to be heating back up in August while showing off the signature speed that quickly became a staple of his game since his MLB debut in June.
Needless to say, the Reds (64–59) will need all the production they can get from De La Cruz and Co. as they look to stave off the Blue Jays (67–56) and move closer to overtaking the Brewers (67–57) for first in the NL Central.