(Milwaukee) Elly De La Cruz became the first Reds player since 1919 to steal second base, third base and home plate in the same inning and the new sensation from the Cincinnati roster propelled his team to an 8 win -5 against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
De La Cruz broke a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning with a two-run single after two outs against Elvis Peguero.
He stole second base on a shot from Peguero (1-2) with the score at 1-1. On the next shot, De La Cruz stole third without a throw.
Shaken, the reliever received the ball from his receiver in front of the mound and turned, walking slowly towards the mound. De La Cruz had stopped only to put his helmet back on and he began to drive forward along the third base line before finally accelerating and outpacing Peguero’s throw at home plate.
De La Cruz jumped for joy and frolicked into the dugout, celebrating with his teammates. Peguero retired Joey Votto to end the round, but he was the butt of boos from the spectators on his way back to the dugout.
De La Cruz became the second player in the post-expansion era, which began in 1961, to steal three bases in the same at-bat. Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins accomplished the feat on May 18, 1969 against the Detroit Tigers.
The last player to steal three bases in an inning was Jon Berti of the Miami Marlins on August 25, 2020 against the New York Mets.
The Reds were 27-33 when De La Cruz was recalled from the minors on June 6. They have since won 23 of their 30 meetings and they lead the Brewers by two games at the top of the Central Division of the National.
De La Cruz stole 16 goals in 30 games. He was 2-for-5 at bat Saturday, improving to .328.
