We’ve been telling you for a couple of weeks that it’s time to take note of the Cincinnati Reds.

Actually the truth that the Reds are profitable once more — they entered Friday evening’s sport towards the Atlanta Braves 1.5 video games up within the NL Central and using an 11-game profitable streak — is a giant assist. However greater than the rest, the Reds are enjoyable. Joey Votto is again, having introduced his return from a shoulder damage in unimaginable trend earlier than belting a homer and a go-ahead hit in his first sport again.

Another excuse try to be paying consideration? Their youth. They’ve the 2021 NL Rookie of the Yr in Jonathan India, a younger nearer in Alexis Diaz, and sure, they’ve Elly De La Cruz, the power-hitting, lightning-fast phenom we have additionally advised you about.

De La Cruz made his debut again on June 6, hit his first house run the very subsequent evening, and has been must-watch since getting known as up. And on Friday evening, De La Cruz turned the youngest participant in over 50 years to perform one in all baseball’s rarest feats.

Hitting for the cycle.

De La Cruz first got here to the plate within the backside of the second, with the Reds already trailing 5-0. However he received the inning began doing what he does so effectively: Hitting the ball extraordinarily onerous and utilizing his velocity to his benefit:

Jake Fraley, the subsequent hitter to come back to the plate, homered to chop Atlanta’s result in 5-2.

De La Cruz would come to the plate the next inning, with a runner on and two outs. Cincinnati was nonetheless trailing 5-2.

However not for lengthy:

The rookie jumped on a first-pitch breaking ball, and deposited it within the right-field bleachers for a two-run shot, his third of the season. All of a sudden it was a one-run sport.

De La Cruz singled within the backside of the fifth, scoring a run to make it 7-6 Atlanta. When he got here to the plate subsequent, within the backside of the sixth inning, India was one base and the Reds had been within the lead.

And he wanted a triple to finish his cycle, and together with his velocity, he was considering three the second he made contact:

As famous by ESPN De La Cruz turned the youngest participant to hit for the cycle since 1972. He can be the third-youngest participant in MLB historical past to perform the feat:

Including to his cycle is that this:

Cincinnati at the moment leads Atlanta 11-7 within the high of the eighth, and there’s a likelihood that the Braves come again and win this sport. Though, with the way in which Diaz has held issues down within the nearer’s position this yr, odds are that the Reds do go on to win.

However no matter tonight’s outcome, the Reds are profitable, they’re enjoyable, and so they have a history-making phenom in De La Cruz.

Observe: The Reds did maintain on for the win, 11-10, as Diaz recorded his twenty first save of the season. Additionally notice that it’s Friday evening, I counted improper, and this was his fifteenth sport, not his 14th. Apologies everybody. Doesn’t change the truth that it’s nonetheless insanely fast in his profession.