The Cincinnati Reds have been one of baseball’s most compelling teams this season.
After losing 100 games last season, they have been a success story this year.
One of the main reasons the team has made such drastic improvements is star shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
De La Cruz possesses a powerful bat, a rocket arm, and elite speed.
On Tuesday night, De La Cruz had a big game against the slumping Los Angeles Angels as he stole his 20th base of the season.
In doing so, he accomplished a historic feat, becoming the fastest player in Major League history to reach 20 steals and 10 home runs, having accomplished this feat in 64 games.
On Twitter, the MLB podcast “Foul Territory” pointed out this interesting fact.
Elly De La Cruz has 20 steals and 10 homers in 64 games — fastest to reach that mark in MLB history 💨 @Reds
Second-fastest was Barry Bonds in 1986 (65 games). pic.twitter.com/7UW7wwhLAi
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 23, 2023
The second-fastest player to reach 10 homers and 20 stolen bases was Barry Bonds, who did it in 65 games back in 1986.
Needless to say, De La Cruz is in some elite historic company after swiping his 20th bag last night.
He helped guide the Reds to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Halos in Anaheim.
But De La Cruz’s rise to stardom has simply been astounding.
In 260 at-bats, he owns a .254 batting average, has driven in 27 runs, and owns an OPS of .759 in addition to his 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Cincinnati is 65-61 on the season, and they are only four games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central.
The Reds are also just a half-game back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League.
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