Elly De La Cruz did not leave much suspense once he gave the Reds a lead in Toronto. After drilling a two-run double in the third inning Friday, Cincinnati’s shortstop took off for third base on Jose Soriano’s first pitch to Sal Stewart and slid in headfirst ahead of Alejandro Kirk’s throw.
The steal was De La Cruz’s 30th of the season, pairing with his 30 home runs to make him the fourth player in Reds history to post a 30-homer, 30-steal campaign.
A rare Reds combination
De La Cruz, 24, joined a short Cincinnati list that includes Eric Davis in 1987, Barry Larkin in 1996 and Brandon Phillips in 2007. Each of the three previous members of that club is in the Reds Hall of Fame, while Larkin also owns a plaque in Cooperstown.
The milestone had been building all week. De La Cruz hit his 29th homer and stole his 29th base against Atlanta on Tuesday. He then reached the 30-homer mark Thursday against the Braves, leaving only one more successful steal to complete the double milestone.
That final swipe came quickly against the Blue Jays. De La Cruz’s double put Cincinnati in front, and when the next at-bat began, he turned the inning into another piece of franchise history.
