“Bro is the flash”, “This guy is the monster” - MLB fans react as Elly De La Cruz records career-high 4 steals against Dodgers
Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds are at Dodger Stadium to play the first of their four-game series. Matched up against the division leaders, the Reds have gotten off to a hot start, leading 6-0 after six innings.
De La Cruz is off to another stellar start to the season after a great rookie year. He is hitting 262/.367/.510 (146 OPS+), including nine home runs and 21 RBIs, but that's not all.
Apart from his hitting, his baserunning has also been one to look out for. So far, he has 26 steals and is on pace to break the MLB record of 100 steals. He added four more steals to that collection against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
De La Cruz's sprinting skills were on full display as he disrupted the Dodgers' defense and stole a career-high four bases, all by the sixth inning. Among these stolen bases, it also included a daring third base steal in the fifth inning.
After he became the first man to steal 30 bags during the season, fans applauded his base-stealing ability online:
"Such an entertaining player to watch," one fan wrote.
"Bro is the flash," another wrote.
"4 stolen bases, 2 hit, 3 run and this game still in 5th inning. This guy is the monster," another added.
One fan attributed a tweet that mentioned his FanGraphs projection:
"History is written," another quipped.
"I believe he can steal 115 bases this season," another projected.
Elly De La Cruz applauds Shohei Ohtani on his bobblehead night
Thursday's game was the first of three scheduled as Shohei Ohtani's bobblehead nights of the season. Ahead of the game, reporters asked Elly De La Cruz his thoughts about Ohtani:
"He's like, you know how he is, he's a really good player and I like to meet some players like that," De La Cruz said. "And it's, I'm a big fan and I mean, he's really good."
Elly De La Cruz's baserunning has contributed to three runs being scored so far, with him also having two hits and one walk in the game. There are still three innings left for him to maybe steal one or two more bases.