De La Cruz’s Career-High Homer Leaves Park
De La Cruz’s Career-High Homer Leaves Park
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Key Points
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The home run came after a seven-pitch at-bat against Evan Phillips, and De La Cruz’s ensuing blast was his longest since a 467-foot homer during his 2023 rookie season.
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Reds manager Terry Francona joked about the ball leaving the stadium, saying, “Maybe I’ll pick it up on my way home.”
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Despite its distance, De La Cruz’s homer was not the longest in Great American Ball Park history; Adam Dunn’s estimated 535-foot shot in 2004 remains the park’s longest reported blast, while Paul DeJong owns the longest Statcast-measured homer at 486 feet.
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For the season, De La Cruz was batting .284 with 26 home runs, 71 RBIs and 25 stolen bases, and had accumulated 5.6 FanGraphs WAR and 5.0 Baseball-Reference WAR.
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Although Cincinnati managed only four hits, the Dodgers had just three hits themselves; Los Angeles’ offensive advantage came from drawing six walks, compared with one by the Reds.
Elly De La Cruz hit a career-high 457-foot solo home run in the ninth inning Monday, but it wasn't enough to save the Cincinnati Reds from a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers MLB. The blast came off Evan Phillips on a 98-mph fastball and marked De La Cruz's 27th homer of the season, breaking his previous career record MLB.
De La Cruz extended his on-base streak to 21 games, during which he hit .419 with seven home runs and nine doubles MLB. The shortstop has emerged as one of baseball's elite players, ranking first among qualified MLB shortstops in on-base-plus-slugging while providing power, speed and defensive value MLB.
Dodgers Capitalize on Walks Despite Sparse Hits
The Reds managed just four hits in the loss, while the Dodgers also struggled offensively with only three MLB. Los Angeles won the battle without needing strong hitting. The Dodgers drew six walks compared to just one for Cincinnati, giving them the offensive edge they needed MLB.
De La Cruz's Hot Streak Powers Cincinnati's Offense
During his 21-game on-base streak, De La Cruz slashed .419/.468/.767 with seven homers, nine doubles and three stolen bases MLB. For the full season, the shortstop was hitting .284 with 26 home runs, 71 RBIs and 25 stolen bases before Monday's blast MLB. He's accumulated 5.6 FanGraphs WAR and 5.0 Baseball-Reference WAR through the season MLB.
Historic Distance Stays Below Park Record
De La Cruz's 457-foot shot ranks among the longest in Great American Ball Park history MLB. However, it falls short of Adam Dunn's estimated 535-foot blast from 2004, which remains the park record MLB. Paul DeJong holds the longest Statcast-measured homer at 486 feet MLB. De La Cruz's previous career-longest was a 467-foot homer during his 2023 rookie season MLB.
Reds Starter Lodolo Allows Four in Six Innings
Cincinnati starter Nick Lodolo gave up four runs across six innings, setting up the Dodgers' eventual 4-1 victory MLB. Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal was stingy, working seven scoreless innings to keep Los Angeles in front MLB. Reds manager Terry Francona joked about De La Cruz's towering ninth-inning homer, saying, "Maybe I'll pick it up on my way home" MLB.
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