Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates while running the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals in the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium on May 27. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Elly De La Cruz Ties Legendary Hall of Famer in Cincinnati Reds Team History

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 28, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Cincinnati Reds beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 on Tuesday night behind a solid start on the mound from Brady Singer and a historic effort at the plate from Elly De La Cruz.

The 23-year-old De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three runs scored. According to @JayHayKid of Underdog Fantasy, that is the fifth multi-home run game of his career and ties him with Johnny Bench for the third-most in team history before turning 24.

Elly De La Cruz now has 5 multi-HR games in his career.

That is tied for the 4th-most such games through age-23 in Reds franchise history:

Frank Robinson: 10
Jay Bruce: 10
Wily Mo Peña: 7
Johnny Bench: 5
Elly De La Cruz: 5

Elly De La Cruz now has 5 multi-HR games in his career.

That is tied for the 4th-most such games through age-23 in Reds franchise history:

Frank Robinson: 10
Jay Bruce: 10
Wily Mo Peña: 7
Johnny Bench: 5
Elly De La Cruz: 5
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) May 28, 2025

De La Cruz is hitting .256 with a .331 on-base percentage. He's got 11 homers, 40 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. One of the "toolsiest" players in the league, he could be looking at another All-Star appearance this season.

As for Singer, he went seven innings against his old team, surrendering just two runs on seven hits. The Royals traded him to the Reds this past winter in a deal for infielder Jonathan India.

The two teams will play again on Wednesday night with first pitch coming at 7:40 p.m. ET. Right-hander Hunter Greene will take the ball for Cincinnati while lefty Noah Cameron pitches for the Royals.

Greene, one of the most electric arms in baseball, is 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA. Cameron, a top prospect, is 1-1 with a 0.93 across two big-league stints.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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