Elly De La Cruz’s Unprecedented Steals Spark Reds’ 8-5 Victory Over Brewers

In a momentous game, Elly De La Cruz became the first Cincinnati Reds player since 1919 to steal second, third, and home in a single inning, a thrilling move that set the pace for the Reds’ 8-5 win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

In the seventh inning, with the game tied at 5-5, De La Cruz delivered an RBI single off Elvis Peguero, giving the Reds a much-needed advantage. He then went on to exploit the distracted pitcher in the span of just two pitches, stealing second on Peguero’s 1-1 pitch, and on the very next offering, third base, with no throw in response.

The visibly unsettled Peguero was caught off guard as De La Cruz walked calmly down the third-base line before bursting into a sprint and comfortably beating Peguero’s hurried throw to home plate.

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“I kept observing him to see if he was going to move or even glance in my direction,” De La Cruz shared via a translator. “Seeing him walk back to the mound at a slow pace and not even look towards third, I decided to make my move.”

As he returned to the dugout, De La Cruz was greeted by cheers and high-fives from his teammates. On the other hand, Peguero exited to boos from the crowd after Joey Votto made the final out.

De La Cruz is only the second player since 1961 to steal three bases during one plate appearance, a feat first achieved by Minnesota’s Rod Carew on May 18, 1969. The last such performance was by Miami’s Jon Berti during a 3-0 win against the New York Mets on Aug. 25, 2020.

Reds manager David Bell expressed his admiration for the rookie’s daring act, saying, “It’s so much fun to watch, so much fun to be a part of. It’s one of those plays that’s so rare, especially on two pitches to steal a base like that. The speed is obvious, just elite speed like maybe we’ve never seen, but also how heads-up it was.”

The Reds, who have won 23 out of their last 30 games since De La Cruz’s promotion from the minors on June 6, now lead the Brewers by two games in the NL Central.

De La Cruz, who has stolen 16 bases in his 30 games so far and carries a .328 batting average, remains modest about his performance. “I didn’t like how I let that happen,” De La Cruz said about a close play at second for the final out. “I like that we got the out to end the game, but I wish it could have turned out a little bit better.”

In the game, Lucas Sims (3-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, Jonathan India’s sacrifice fly in the ninth provided the Reds a three-run lead, and All-Star Alexis Diaz got the final three outs, securing his 26th save in 27 chances.

On the Brewers’ end, Willy Adames delivered a solo homer in the first and a two-run homer in the third. For Cincinnati, Votto hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Will Benson hit a solo shot in the third. This set a new franchise record for the Reds of 22 consecutive games with a homer.

Milwaukee RHP Corbin Burnes (7-5, 3.94 ERA) was named to the NL All-Star team for the third consecutive year, while in the Reds’ roster moves, the contract of RHP Michael Mariot was selected and RHP Tony Santillan was sent to Triple A-Louisville.

The Brewers will have LHP Wade Miley (5-2, 3.36 ERA) on the mound for Sunday’s series finale, while the Reds are yet to announce their starting pitcher.

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