De La Soul.
For the first time in what feels like millennia, the Reds are relevant. More than relevant, in fact. They’re flying, picking up win after win to thrust themselves up the NL Central standings. They’re up to 12 in a row after rallying to beat the Braves 11-10 on Friday.
Why? Well, it’s hard to look past the play of unicorn Elly De La Cruz. The rookie has given the team a new lease on life in the little more than two weeks he has been at Great American Ball Park, animating a long-dormant fan base in the process.
MORE: Are the Reds a good bet to win the NL Central? Breaking down the current odds
De La Cruz added to his growing legacy with another historic display against Atlanta. He hit for the cycle, becoming one of the youngest players — both in age and experience — to record the accomplishment.
The freakish infielder did so with his patented flair, including smoking this 96.3 mph liner to right field for his round-tripper:
ELLY DE LA CRUZ THAT IS ALL pic.twitter.com/JYXLDvJw06
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 23, 2023
— Home Run Report (@homerunreport) June 23, 2023
He capped his night with a dizzying triple, his limbs going every which way as he reached the bag. The cheers spilled from the fans, many of whom had yet to see a Cincinnati player accomplish such a feat in their lifetime.
Oh, and did we mention that he did all of that in his first four at-bats? Or that he slipped in a highlight-reel catch between his hits?
Elly De La Cruz gets it done with the glove, too! pic.twitter.com/WCREEh3qjD
— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2023
Here’s what you need to know about De La Cruz’s history-making night at the plate.
Elly De La Cruz cycle, by the numbers
21 years, 163 days
De La Cruz is the fifth-youngest player in MLB history to hit a single, double, triple and home run in the same game.
Player
Age (years, days)
Team
Date
Mel Ott
20,75
Giants
May 16, 1929
Cliff Heathcote
20,140
Cardinals
June 16, 2018
Arky Vaughan
21,107
Pirates
June 24, 1933
Cesar Cedeno
21,159
Astros
Aug. 2, 1972
Elly De La Cruz
21,163
Reds
June 23, 2023
He bested future Hall of Famer Mike Trout, whose first cycle came at 21 years, 287 days. Other players he is in front of: Alex Rodriguez, Joe Cronin and Joe DiMaggio.
15 games
Age is but a number, but of the players ahead of De La Cruz on the above list, three had already accrued at least a season of service time (Ott, Vaughan, Cedeno).
A better indicator of how impressive De La Cruz’s feat is: number of career games played. Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, De La Cruz has the third-fewest games played among players who have hit for the cycle. His 15-game total trails just Heathcote (six games) and Gary Ward (14 games).
this is Elly De La Cruz’s 15th career game
that’s the 3rd-fewest career games at the time of a player’s first career cycle, among those to debut since 1900, behind only:
6/13/1918 Cliff Heathcote: 6
9/18/1980 Gary Ward: 14
h/t @EliasSports https://t.co/eu8sM3FREQ
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 24, 2023
MORE: Reds are easily baseball’s most exciting .500-ish team
10.83 seconds
De La Cruz is an athletic freak. He routinely hits the ball at speeds surpassing triple digits. Yet, it’s his foot speed that may prove his most mesmerizing tool. De La Cruz is the fastest player in MLB. His average sprint speed of 30.9 feet per second is the best in baseball, 0.5 feet per second faster than the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr.
De La Cruz’s sprinter strides were on full display in his cycle-clinching triple. After scorching a ball into the right-center field gap, De La Cruz put on the afterburners. He slid into third ahead of the relay throws of Michael Harris Jr. and Ozzie Albies.
THE MOST EXCITING 10.83 SECONDS IN SPORTS ⚡⚡⚡@ellylacocoa18 pic.twitter.com/3lJjyhWRkc
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 24, 2023
De La Cruz went from home to third in 10.83 seconds. That is outrageous, but that’s what De La Cruz does.
MORE: Where Elly De La Cruz ranks among fastest MLB players
34 years
Prior to Friday, the Reds hadn’t had a player record a cycle in some 34 years. Then, De La Cruz came along and smashed block.
He became the first Cincinnati player since Eric Davis in 1989 to hit for the cycle. He’s one of 11 players in franchise history to record the feat, joining Frank Robinson and others in the pantheon of Reds hitting performances. Not too shabby for a 21-year-old.
MORE: Longest Reds winning streaks
What is a cycle in baseball?
A cycle refers to a batter recording a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. It’s a rare feat in baseball. Hitters need luck as well as skill to hit for the cycle. There’s a reason it has only been done 343 times in MLB history.
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