Hinds hits his 4th, 5th HRs in 6th career game, extending unreal run

CINCINNATI -- The Rece Hinds Show continued in Cincinnati's 10-6 win over Miami on Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds rookie completed his next achievement: His first multihomer game in just his sixth Major League appearance.

The first of Hinds' two homers, a solo long ball in the third inning off Miami Marlins starter Edward Cabrera, marked Hinds' eighth extra-base hit since his debut -- the most by any Major Leaguer in their first six games since 1901. Of course, with his second long ball he bumped that number up to nine, setting a new high-water mark.

But that's not all. Hinds -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Reds' No. 15 prospect -- became just the second player in AL/NL history with at least five homers in his first six games. Trevor Story had seven in his first six games in 2016 with the Rockies.

“Honestly, I wasn’t [aware of it] until some people started talking about it,” Hinds said. “I try not to think about it too much. Try to stay humble, stay even keeled, not get too high, not get too low. We have the All-Star break coming up, couple of days off, so [it will] probably sink in a little bit more then, when I'm just relaxing, thinking about the week that just happened."

“It’s amazing to watch,” Reds manager David Bell said. “For us, any athlete or any baseball player that’s that locked in and that into the zone and not really thinking -- it’s almost like no thought, just playing the game and reacting to every situation, seeing the ball and using his natural ability.”

In addition to his two-homer game, there was the added flair of Hinds and former Minor League teammate Elly De La Cruz belting a home run in the same inning in Cincinnati’s three-run third that featured three solo long balls.

“Elly and I started back in [Single-A] Daytona, actually,” Hinds said. “I came back from a meniscus tear and he was tearing it up. We kind of bonded a little bit. The next year we played in [High-A] Dayton.

“Our relationship has just gotten closer every year since being able to play with each other. And then, I didn’t get to play with him the last couple of years since he was up here, [so] to be able to play with him and see the excitement -- I just feed off it and I think we kind of feed off each other.”

The bond between the two was apparent for all to see Saturday as De La Cruz celebrated with Hinds after his second homer, a majestic 454-foot knock to the upper deck in left-center field in the sixth.

“Just baseball in general,” Hinds said. “We both love the game. We both like to have fun. We’re both flashy in some way. I think we just feed off that energy that we give off.

“We’ve definitely had some competitions over the years. In BP, home run derbys -- just see who can hit the ball the farthest, who can hit it the hardest on exit velo, how many home runs we hit in this round of BP.”

Hinds' two-homer game is the latest in what is an unprecedented start to his Major League career. Hinds also homered in his first two games, then connected for a grand slam on Friday night.

On Saturday, Hinds' first homer, which landed in the left-field seats, traveled a Statcast-projected 430 feet.

But in Hinds' next at-bat in the fourth inning, Hinds wore a 97-mph fastball on the back of his left hand. He shook it off, though, and took his spot on first base.

“I stuck to my same approach that I’ve been doing the last few weeks, just trying to hunt something over the heart of the plate and capitalize on it when I get it,” Hinds said.

Fast forward to the sixth inning as Hinds stepped to the plate against lefty Andrew Nardi with Jake Fraley on first. Hinds exacted a measure of revenge, drilling his homer as part of a three-run frame that gave the Reds a 10-6 lead. His second long ball was the fifth of Cincinnati's six homers.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity that’s been given,” Hinds said. “I’m just happy to capitalize on it and be successful and help the team win in any way I can.

“I think everyone knows I’ve always been an aggressive hitter, and to be able to hone that in to a zone and stay aggressive, that’s all I really want."