During Tuesday’s game at Dodger Stadium, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz unleashed a 105.3 mph throw from center field to nail Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández at the plate, preserving a tie and matching elite velocities tracked by Statcast since 2015.
What started as a broken defensive play in the bottom of the third inning turned into one of the most blistering defensive highlights of the Major League Baseball season. Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández drove a fastball from Cincinnati Reds starter Nick Lodolo deep toward center field, where outfielder Dane Myers chased the ball into a dive and missed. As the ball caromed toward the warning track, Hernández bolted around the bases to stretch the play into an inside-the-park home run.
Left fielder JJ Bleday retrieved the ball and fired a relay to shortstop Elly De La Cruz stationed in center. Receiving the throw, De La Cruz uncorked a bullet toward home plate that reached catcher Jose Trevino in time to tag Hernández out and erase the run.
Statcast Velocity and Historic Arm Strength in Dodger Stadium
Statcast clocked De La Cruz’s throw at 105.3 mph, placing it as the second-fastest outfield assist since tracking began in 2015. The only tracked throw faster belongs to Aaron Hicks, who recorded a 105.5 mph assist for the New York Yankees during the 2016 campaign. Last season, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz threw out J.P. Crawford of the Seattle Mariners with a 105.2 mph toss, putting De La Cruz in elite company.
“That was one of the better throws that you’ll ever see.”
Terry Francona
Opposing players and managers expressed immediate awe at the play.
Power Surge and Offensive Production Against Elite Pitching
The defensive stop arrived just half an inning after De La Cruz homered in a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers. Facing Tarik Skubal in the top of the third inning, De La Cruz launched a two-run home run. The drive marked his 25th home run of the season, and with one more homer this season, he’ll set a career high.
The home run also extended De La Cruz’s streak to four consecutive games with a home run, making him one of only 11 players in Reds history to record multiple streaks of that length. That exclusive group includes franchise legends Johnny Bench, Jay Bruce, Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Ted Kluszewski, Tony Perez, Frank Robinson, Eugenio Suarez, George Foster, and Joey Votto.
“What’s nice is last year at this time he was really struggling, and he looks really good right now. Good. Healthy. Strong. Energetic.”
Terry Francona, Cincinnati Reds manager
Reds Standings Context and Individual Accolades
While the Cincinnati Reds remain outside the National League postseason picture, De La Cruz continues to anchor the club’s long-term optimism with a standout campaign. Entering the matchup, he led all of Major League Baseball in performance against left-handed pitching, batting .352 with a .662 slugging percentage and a 1.082 OPS against southpaws.
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