TORONTO (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run double in the third inning of Friday’s game at Toronto, then promptly stole third base on José Soriano’s next pitch to become the fourth Cincinnati player with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season.
“It’s really special,” De La Cruz said after the Reds lost 6-5 to the Blue Jays. “That means a great season. I know, as a group, the season didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but it’s a great season individually.”
The two-time All-Star shortstop hit his 30th home run in Thursday’s 7-6 win at Atlanta.
Cincinnati is 74-86 with two games remaining
“To hit for power and have speed and be able to steal bases like that, it’s a pretty special thing to do, and it’s a great accomplishment,” said Reds assistant bench coach Mike Napoli, who ran the team Friday under manager Terry Francona's supervision.
Eric Davis was the first Reds player with a 30-30 season, hitting 37 homers and stealing 50 bases in 1987. Barry Larkin had 33 homers and 36 steals in 1996, and Brandon Phillips had 30 homers and 32 steals in 2007.
The 24-year-old De La Cruz has nine homers, 19 RBIs and six stolen bases in September.
“He’s still really young,” Napoli said. “He’s still developing, he’s getting better. He’s hungry to get better, You would expect him to be that superstar. He’s gotten better every single year and we expect him to get better.”
De La Cruz also became the first Reds player and eighth big leaguer since 1900 with at least 30 steals in each of his first four seasons. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt also did it from 2022-25.
De La Cruz grounded out in his first at bat Friday, when Soriano made a between-the-legs stop on his 94 mph one-hopper to the mound.
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