Shortstop Elly De La Cruz has only played 37 league games so far, but has already produced several exciting moments in a Cincinnati Reds uniform.
In less than a week, the rookie phenom managed to set and break his own record for pitching velocity in a field goal. During Thursday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, De Le Cruz threw a 99.8 mph pitch at the plate to end any hopes Giants infielder Wilmer Flores had of scoring a run.
“I knew on that pitch I was going to be able to throw it as fast as possible,” De La Cruz said through a translator after the game. “I’m ready every time to throw whatever it takes.”
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July 20, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Elly De La Cruz (44) of the Cincinnati Reds throws to first base for the out against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. (David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports)
The 21-year-old De La Cruz has already thrown four assists on pitches over 95 mph in his young MLB career.
De La Cruz expressed confidence in his ability to throw even faster if needed. “We had to get that guy home. But you know what? I can definitely throw harder than that,” he said.
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However, De La Cruz’s impressive pitch was faster than any pitch the Giants’ starting pitcher or relief pitchers threw during the game. One of reliever Mauricio Llovera’s pitches clocked in at 97.4 mph, slightly below De La Cruz’s impressive pitch.
On July 16, during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, De La Cruz moved to third base where he threw a ground ball. Moments later he threw a record 97.9 mph pitch to record an assist in the outfield.
At the time, the pitch was the fastest field assist recorded by Statcast.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) walks in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, July 20 of 2023. The Reds led 2 -0 after three innings.
De La Cruz’s record-breaking pitch Thursday ended the fourth inning. Flores was on first base when Giants outfielder Luis Matos hit the ball over the glove of a Reds outfielder for a double.
Instead of stopping at third base, Flores gave up at home plate after the outfielder temporarily bounced the baseball.
Elly De La Cruz #44, TJ Friedl #29, Matt McLain #9 and Nick Senzel #15 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrate after beating the San Francisco Giants 3-2 at Great American Ball Park on July 19, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
De La Cruz was in the cut-off position and received the throw from his teammate in the shallow part of the field turf. He then threw the fastball at the plate.
Reds catcher Luke Maile then successfully applied the tag.
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“The thing about Elly, too, is he’s helping us win in a lot of ways,” Reds manager David Bell said after the game. “A lot of things maybe go unnoticed, even though we’re all recognizing what a special player he is. Getting off the board is so important in any game. It was a big play today.”
Cincinnati defeated San Francisco 5-1 to stay 2.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central.
Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
