Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz Joins Rickey Henderson in Record Books on Sunday

The Cincinnati Reds lost to the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon but Elly De La Cruz still made some baseball history in the defeat. With another stolen base, he's joined Rickey Henderson is some prestigious company.

Apr 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) follows through / Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds were beaten by the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon, 4-3. With the loss, the Reds are still a very solid 15-13, while the Rangers moved to 15-14 with the win.

Despite the loss, Elly De La Cruz continued the strong start to his season. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored and he stole his 18th base of the season. He's now hitting .281 with a .968 OPS.

Furthermore, that stolen base helped him join a Hall of Famer in baseball history: Rickey Henderson.

The following came from Bob Nightengale of USA Today before the game:

The only player with at least seven homers and 17 stolen bases in a single month is Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who had seven homers and 20 stolen bases in May 1986.

So, De La Cruz stole his 18th base of the season in that game, but it was his 17th of April (the season began March 28 so De La Cruz stole one bag in March). He already had the seven home runs.

Any time you can join Henderson in baseball history, you've done something right. The 25-year veteran is the all-time leader in stolen bases at 1,406. He led the league in steals in 12 different seasons, including getting 100 bags or more three different years.

He also was a 10-time All-Star, a World Series champion, a Gold Glove winner and a Silver Slugger. He also won the MVP Award in 1991.

If De La Cruz can stay healthy this year and keeps up his running pace, he'll have a chance to approach the 100-steal threshold.

The Reds play the San Diego Padres on Monday night at 9:40 p.m. ET.

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