Elly De La Cruz has been mired in a slump for weeks. Perhaps matching a Barry Bonds feat will help the Cincinnati Reds rookie break out of it.
De La Cruz started off the Reds’ Sunday matinee against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a mammoth home run to right center field.
The moonshot was De La Cruz’s fifth of his fledgling career.
Not only did the blast help secure the Reds’ 8-3 win against the D-backs, but it also etched the rookie’s name in the history books. De La Cruz tied Barry Bonds as the second-fastest player to tally five homers and 15 stolen bases since 1900. Only Gary Redus — who fittingly played for both the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates — did it faster.
The history-making home run was just De La Cruz’s second in the month of July. Since his four-hit game on June 23, it’s been a struggle for him to maintain his torrid pace to start off the season.
De La Cruz is slashing just .233/.278/.356 in July, as teams are likely paying more attention to him on their scouting reports than they were a month prior. The Reds star has still remained a serious threat when he does get on base, piling on eight stolen bases in July.
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