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Elly De La Cruz Annihilates Kumar Rocker Pitch for First Home Run of 2025

Ryan Phillips

Elly De La Cruz had 25 home runs for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024.
Elly De La Cruz had 25 home runs for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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Elly De La Cruz is back and so are his monster home runs.

On Monday, the Cincinnati Reds shortstop finally got on the board with his first round-tripper of the 2025 season and he got his money's worth.

In the bottom of the second inning with two on and two out, De La Cruz took an 83 mph slider from Texas Rangers starter Kumar Rocker and turned it inside out. More than 415 feet later, the ball landed beyond the center field fence at Great American Ballpark. It left his bat at 107.2 mph.

That ball was destroyed.

De La Cruz remains one of baseball's most exciting players. In 2024, the 23-year-old hit .259, with 25 home runs, 76 RBIs and 67 stolen bases. He finished with an OPS of .809. He does strike out a ton and had 218 in 160 games last season, but what he lacks in plate discipline he makes up for in pure excitement generated.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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