The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5 on Monday (Sept. 9) to avenge a 3-7 loss the day before and widen their lead in the National League Central to 2.0 games. Cincinnati is 50-40, while Milwaukee is 48-42.
On Sept. 9 at Milwaukee’s home American Family Field, Eli De La Cruz broke a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning with a two-out, three-run single to left field to make it 6-5. Then Cruz’s “foot baseball” began.
He stole second and third against reliever Elvis Peguero and catcher Williams Contreras, then sprinted home to score the game-winning run. Stolen base season No. 16.
Cruz’s three stolen bases in one inning is the first by a Cincinnati team in the last 60 years. It’s only the second time in franchise history since the inception of the major leagues in 1961. The last time Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins stole three bases off Harmon Killebrew was on May 19, 1969.
Cincinnati is a team that went 62-100 last year. The pre-season projections had them in the bottom half of the standings, but suddenly they’re the favorites to win the district. A district title would set them up for a Cinderella story in 2023.
At the center of this unexpected turnaround is 21-year-old rookie Cruz. Cruz was promoted to the big leagues on June 7. At the time, Cincinnati was 28-33, a natural record. Since then, they’ve gone 22-13. The best team in the NL East during this time is the Atlanta Braves. Cincinnati is second.
One of Cincinnati’s biggest changes for the 2023 season is their footwork. Last year, Cincinnati had just 58, well below the MLB average (83). That ranked 25th in the entire MLB. This year, however, Cincinnati, led by a young core of players, has begun to capitalize on the larger bases. They now have 107, three behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays (110).카지노
A “five-tool player,” the 6-foot-4 Cruz has been the talk of the town since his debut, with his bat speed, strong shoulder delivery and quick feet. His base-to-base speed of 30.7 feet per second is the fastest in MLB. In 29 games, he’s batting .328 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, 16 doubles, 28 runs scored, and an OPS of .899.
It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.