The Cincinnati Reds needed their best players to step up.
It was Game 162, and a win by the Reds meant they’d seize the third and final NL Wild Card spot.
Elly De La Cruz stepped up to the plate and delivered.
His early solo home run sent the Reds on their way to a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers that didn’t actually matter, because they still got a spot in the postseason.
In the process, De La Cruz made a bit of MLB history.
Here’s what @JayHayKid shared on X:
“He is the 2nd player in MLB history to rack up 60+ HR and 130+ SB through his age-23 season, joining César Cedeño (1970-74).”
That’s a pretty cool tidbit, to be sure.
De La Cruz has some of the most impressive tools in baseball.
When he puts it all together, it’s a special thing to watch.
It’s good news for the Reds, too.
Elly was in a major slump through essentially all of August. But now, he’s heating up.
The best chance Cincinnati has of making noise is to get guys like Elly to put together a few massive games in the Wild Card Round.
De La Cruz looks up to the task.
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