Reds’ Elly De La Cruz hits bomb, inside the parker vs. Brewers.
April 9 (UPI) — Shortstop Elly De La Cruz showcased his versatility with a 450-foot homer from the left side of the plate before racing 20 mph around the bases on an inside-the-parker in a Cincinnati Reds win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
De La Cruz went 3 for 4 with four runs scored and two RBIs in the 10-8 victory Monday in Cincinnati.
According to OptStats, the 6-foot-5 speedster is the first MLB player in history to homer from both sides of the plate — with over-the-fence and inside-the-park homers — score four or more runs and steal a base in the same game.
“That’s electric,” De La Cruz told reporters, when asked about his inside-the-park homer. “That’s electrifying for the whole stadium and that’s what I like.
De La Cruz reached second base on a fielding error in the bottom of the second inning. He then stole third and came around to score the game’s first run when second baseman Santiago Espinal grounded out. Designated hitter Will Benson smacked a 386-foot homer in the next exchange for a 2-0 Reds lead.
De La Cruz singled in the bottom of the fourth and scored on a throwing error after a sacrifice bunt in the next exchange. The Reds carried an 8-0 lead into the fifth.
The Brewers plated three runs in the top of the inning, with the first coming from a two-run homer from second baseman Brice Turang.
De La Cruz returned to the plate to lead off the bottom of the inning. He worked the count full before ripping a 93.6-mph fastball from relief pitcher J.B. Bukauskas to hit a 450-foot blast.
That ball traveled 112.3 mph and carried 107 feet above the field at Great American Ball Park before it went over the fence and smacked into the batter’s eye in center field.
The Brewers scored two more runs in the sixth. Left fielder Christian Yelich followed with a 360-foot, two-run homer in the seventh for the Brewers’ final runs of the night.
