Elly De La Cruz Made a Ridiculously Cool Catch vs. Rays

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If it feels like Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz is a human highlight film it's because, well, he is. The 22-year-old shortstop seemingly does something cool every time he steps on the baseball field and that continued on Sunday when he made an unreal catch on a little blooper into short left field.
De La Cruz, who made the funniest force out of the MLB season on Friday against the Rays, this time showed off his athleticism as he raced back to make a play on a ball hit by Taylor Walls in a 1-run game.
Look at how De La Cruz was able to keep his focus on this even as he ran past a teammate at the last second:
How did Elly De La Cruz catch this baseball? 😮 pic.twitter.com/8BYTFu4xQ8
— MLB (@MLB) July 28, 2024
Too. Good.
De La Cruz also had four stolen bases in the game, which brings his season total to a MLB-best 55.
Elly De La Cruz has his second career 4-steal game 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/zKYKLlySjg
— MLB (@MLB) July 28, 2024
The Reds lost the game, 2-1, but De La Cruz's stardom only continues to grow.

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.
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