Exuberant Elly says grand slam is 'first of many'
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MINNEAPOLIS – The National League's co-leader among several others in games played with 147, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz isn't looking to get a rest down the stretch. De La Cruz went out and proved it during Friday's 8-4 win over the Twins at Target Field by hitting the first grand slam of his young career.
"I’m not tired," De La Cruz said. "I’m good. I’m going to play every day."
Cincinnati broke open a 1-1 game with six runs in the top of the seventh inning. After TJ Friedl plated the go-ahead run with a perfect squeeze bunt to score Spencer Steer, the rally continued. Jonathan India's two-out walk brought De La Cruz to the plate to face reliever Jorge Alcala.
On a first-pitch slider from Alcala, De La Cruz hit a high drive and watched it as the ball landed in the right field seats.
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"I feel so good, it means a lot," De La Cruz said of connecting for his first grand slam. "It’s the first of many."
The grand slam was also the 100th extra-base hit for De La Cruz, who is in his second big league season. He is one shy of having 100 career steals.
A first-time All-Star in 2024, De La Cruz is batting .259 with an .815 OPS, 24 home runs and 69 RBIs. He also leads MLB with 64 steals to go along with an MLB-high 197 strikeouts.
During his rookie season, De La Cruz was gassed during the second half as his production faded. He spent much of his offseason building strength and endurance and frequently works out and lifts weights before and after games.
Even though De La Cruz entered the night batting .200 with one homer in September, manager David Bell wasn't looking to give the 22-year-old a rest. The Reds also have three scheduled off days along with their 13 remaining games.
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“He’s playing with good energy," Bell said. "He’s playing hard. He’s taking care of himself. I know he’s played a lot of innings, a lot of games, All-Star Game. We’re watching everybody close. If somebody really needs one, we’ll give him a day off for sure. He’s proving just having him on the field helps us win games.”
Now that he has the first grand slam, what's next for De La Cruz?
"I don’t know. Walk-off? Whatever," said De La Cruz, who has yet to notch a walk-off hit. "We never know what comes next."