How 'amazing' Elly De La Cruz made more Reds history vs. Dodgers

Los Angeles – Elly De La Cruz has been generating a tremendous amount of excitement around Dodger Stadium this week, with local radio shows inundated with questions about how many years the Dodgers might acquire him. This buzz reached the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse, where broadcasters from the Dodgers stopped by to speak with him about his extraordinary performances in the first two games of their recent series and his long-standing admiration for Shohei Ohtani.

De La Cruz embraced the opportunity and learned a few Japanese phrases to converse with Shohei, although they typically communicate in English.

The star shortstop continued his impressive recent streak in the series finale and cemented his place in Reds history. In the fourth inning of the game on Wednesday, September 9th, De La Cruz hit a homer to left-center field, marking his fifth consecutive game with a home run – two shy of the franchise record set by Joey Votto in 2021.

The achievement also made De La Cruz the 26th player in team history to reach 26 home runs, an accomplishment that surpasses the previous record for a switch-hitter. During his first two at-bats against the Dodgers in the series finale, De La Cruz was batting 5-for-10, driving in three runs and contributing significantly to the Reds' scoring in the series.

Teammate Eugenio Suárez described De La Cruz as "very special" and "amazing."