Elly De La Cruz Extends Home Run Streak to Five Games Against Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Even against one of baseball’s elite pitchers, Elly De La Cruz continued his historic power surge. The Cincinnati Reds shortstop launched a first-pitch, 97.4 mph fastball from Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto over the center-field wall in the fourth inning Wednesday night, a Statcast-projected 403-foot solo shot that extended his home run streak to a career-best five consecutive games.
Record-Setting Pace for Switch-Hitter
The blast marked De La Cruz’s 26th home run of the season, establishing a new career high and breaking his own single-season franchise record of 25 set in 2024 for the most homers by a switch-hitter in Reds history. The five-game streak stands as the longest of his career and the longest ever by a switch-hitter for the club. It also ties him for the second-longest streak overall in franchise history, leaving him just two games shy of Joey Votto’s record of seven straight games with a home run, set in July 2021.
Lone Bright Spot in Lopsided Loss
While the Dodgers answered with a six-run fourth inning to blow open a 14-1 victory, De La Cruz’s solo shot provided Cincinnati’s only run. Taking an elite starter deep on the first pitch of an at-bat is remarkable on its own — the homer was just the 19th allowed by Yamamoto this season — and underscores why the 24-year-old remains the engine of the Reds’ offense.
“Well, it’s fun to watch,” manager Terry Francona said of De La Cruz’s recent tear. “I mean, on a night that there wasn’t a lot of fun stuff to watch, it’s pretty impressive.”
Milestones Continue to Accumulate
The solo shot added another entry to De La Cruz’s growing list of franchise milestones. Beyond the home run streak, Wednesday’s blast marked his 223rd career extra-base hit, surpassing Dmitri Young for third-most by a switch-hitter in Reds history behind only Pete Rose (868) and Ron Oester (265).
This performance follows a Tuesday night showcase that highlighted De La Cruz’s elite combination of power and arm strength. In addition to a 444-foot home run off Tarik Skubal — the longest hit at Dodger Stadium in 2026 — De La Cruz threw out Teoscar Hernández at the plate with a 102 mph relay strike, demonstrating how his game-breaking ability alters outcomes on both sides of the ball.
