Reds’ De La Cruz Becomes 5th to Join 60/20 Club

De La Cruz joins elite company.

On the same night that one of the Reds’ all-time greats retired from baseball, the current one pulled off a rare, unbelievable feat.

Longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, a six-time All-Star and the 2010 MVP in the National League, has hung up his cleats and walked away from the game.
The 40-year-old from Canada, made the heartfelt announcement in a short video on social media Wednesday night accompanied by a longer written post.

“I was myself in this sport,” he wrote. “I was able to be my best self. I played this sport with every last ounce of my body, heart, and mind. Thank you for everything.”

Then the evening was all about De La Cruz. It took a little longer than expected, but shortstop Elly De La Cruz became one of the rare 20/60 players in Major League Baseball history on Wednesday during an 11-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

“It means a lot,” said De La Cruz. “I’ve said before that that’s why I’m working the whole season. I feel so proud, so happy.”

De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with a home run in the top of the eighth inning and an easy swipe of third base in the top of the fifth frame. Later in the fifth, he scored the tying run by beating out the throw from shortstop with a slide into the plate after Tyler Stephenson grounded into a fielder’s choice.

The steal made De La Cruz just the fifth AL/NL player in the modern era of baseball since 1900 to hit at least 20 home runs and steal 60 bases in a season.

“It’s special watching him run the bases, play the game,” Reds’ skipper David Bell said. “At such a young age, [he’s] doing everything he’s doing. But also the way he’s handling it, you wouldn’t know he reached a certain milestone. He was thrilled about the win.”

Leading off the eighth inning, De La Cruz crushed his 22nd long ball of the season with an opposite-field drive to left field.

“I was on deck, I had a perfect view of his home run, I was just kind of sitting there speechless,” Stephenson said. “And TJ [Friedl] comes out and says …’What?’ I’m like, ‘How did that just happen?’ It’s unbelievable what he can do day in and [day out].”

De La Cruz, who has blasted his way like a rocket past historical markers throughout his two-seasons in the majors, joined Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023), Eric Davis (1986), Rickey Henderson (1985-86, 1990), and Joe Morgan (1973, 1976) in the exclusive 20/60 club.

Like De La Cruz, Morgan and Davis achieved their feats while suiting up for Cincinnati.

That MLB-leading 60th steal ended a season-high 11-game drought without a swiped bag for De La Cruz. The most extended stretch of his career was 22 games in 2023.

That is partially due to De La Cruz slumping at the plate, so there have not been many opportunities to steal. Going into the night, he was an ice cold 3-for-26 (.115) over his last seven games.

Was De La Cruz running out of steam and carrying too much on his broad shoulders?

“I feel great,” he said. “Ready to go.”

De La Cruz’s homer punctuated the biggest comeback win of the season for Cincinnati, which trailed 6-0 after three innings. It also helped the Reds snatch two of three in the series and improve their record to 62-65, three games under .500. They now sit 5 ½ games back in the National League Wild Card race.

The Blue Jays surged out to their big lead against Reds starter Nick Martinez, who gave up a pair of first-inning home runs to George Springer and Spencer Horwitz and a third-inning three-run jack to Ernie Clement.

In the top of the fourth inning, De La Cruz was a little too anxious and aggressive and thrown out trying to stretch a leadoff single into a double.

“It’s very easy in this game, when something doesn’t go your way, to back off and become fearful,” Bell said. “Especially after that play. But to continue to stay with it and continue to play our game, trust ourselves and not be afraid to fail, that was a big part of tonight’s game.”

De La Cruz was picked up with two outs in the fourth, when Spencer Steer hit a two-run blast to ignite the Reds’ offense. After De La Cruz slid home to tie the game in the fifth, Cincinnati took the lead on a bases-loaded walk by Santiago Espinal that scored Stephenson.
Noelvi Marte and Jonathan India added back-to-back homers during a three-run sixth.

“I feel so happy with the team,” De La Cruz said. “That’s us. We never give up. Down six, it doesn’t matter. We fight until the last out.”