Elly De La Cruz, a rookie for the Cincinnati Reds, became the league’s youngest player to hit for the cycle in 51 years on Friday night as Cincinnati extended its winning run to 12 games with an 11-10 victory against the Atlanta Braves.
The 21-year-old De La Cruz opened off the second inning with a double, followed by a two-run home run in the third, a run-scoring single to centre in the fifth, and a triple for his fourth RBI of the game in the sixth. The last strike increased the Reds’ advantage 11-7.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, he became the youngest player to hit for the cycle since Houston’s César Cedeo in 1972. In addition, De La Cruz is the third player since 1901 to complete a cycle in his first 15 professional games.
It was the fifth since 1900, the first since Eric Davis did it on June 2, 1989, against the San Diego Padres, and the seventh cycle in Reds history.
The same No. 44 that Davis wore is worn by De La Cruz.
Through an interpreter, De La Cruz stated, “I can’t really put it into words right now. “I’m delighted and thrilled. Eric Davis’ status as a Cincinnati native and one of this game’s legends is lucky. Sure enough, he allowed me to wear jersey number 44, and it is astonishing that I am the [only] person since him to do so.
“Elly! Elly!” was yelled often by the 43,086 fans in the sold-out Great American Ball Park audience. The large turnout occurred two months after a record-low attendance of 7,375 people at the stadium on April 17.
Reds manager David Bell said, “I think this might be the best regular-season game that I’ve been a part of.” “I believe that the atmosphere at the stadium had a significant role. A terrific game was played by both teams. Although they fell short, it demonstrated the kind of team they are. To win the game, several outstanding performances were required.
Cincinnati overcame an early 5-0 hole to defeat Atlanta and snap its eight-game winning streak in a wild showdown of the National League division leaders.
The Reds’ winning streak is tied for the second-longest in franchise history and is the longest since 1900 for the team, matching the campaigns of the 1939 and 1957 squads.
The run is tied with the 1890 Louisville Colonels for the longest winning streak in major league history for a club that had at least 100 games lost the season before.
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