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Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz embarrasses Dodgers’ fans with home run

Dodgers fans chanted "Overrated" at Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz seconds before he went deep against the SF Giants' rival this weekend.
Sean Keane|
Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz embarrasses Dodgers’ fans with home run
Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz embarrasses Dodgers’ fans with home run

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San Francisco GiantsLos Angeles DodgersCincinnati Reds

SF Giants fans have certain opinions about their rival fans to the south. Obviously, Los Angeles Dodgers fans are rooting for the Giants' biggest rival, but there are some other common complaints. They show up late and leave games early. If they lose in October, they want the whole playoff format changed.

And now they can add this one: Dodgers fans have no idea how good Cincinnati Reds rookie shortstop Elly De La Cruz is, and the baseball gods immediately punished them for it. In the second inning of Sunday's Reds-Dodgers game at Chavez Ravine, fans chanted "Overrated" at the Reds' star rookie seconds before he hit the ball 411 feet to right-center field.

The chant came after De Le Cruz singled on the first pitch of the game, then scored on the third pitch of the game on TJ Friedl's double.

The 21-year-old phenom proceeded to show that he might actually be underrated, finishing the game 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. For the three-game series, De La Cruz was 6-14 with a home run, a double, and a walk. That's a slash line of .429/.467/.714.

We're not saying that the fans' chants caused De La Cruz to go deep, but it's safe to say he wasn't unmotivated. The Reds don't visit San Francisco until the end of August. While the Oracle Park fans might boo De La Cruz, we can hope they won't be foolish enough to say that he stinks or that he's overrated.

When the Giants split a series with the Reds in mid-July, the team gave De La Cruz a great deal of respect. They busted out a pickoff move they've been practicing since spring training to nail De La Cruz on the bases.

Despite Tyler Rogers' filthy move to second, De La Cruz is so fast that he came terrifyingly close to escaping the subsequent rundown.

Patrick Bailey also had no illusions that De La Cruz's speed was overrated during that series. He got him once on a bang-bang play in the final game.

Two games earlier, Bailey thought he caught De La Cruz, but on replay, the umpires gave the Reds rookie the stolen base.

There are a few areas where De La Cruz can improve. He's only walked 14 times in 215 plate appearances. He's on pace for only 52 steals in a 162-game season. Sometimes he'll throw the ball 97.9 MPH to first base, which must really sting Joey Votto's hands.

But it's hard to watch Elly De La Cruz play and not recognize the Reds rookie's immense talent. Though perhaps that's what happens if you arrive in the third inning and leave in the seventh.

Published
Sean Keane
SEAN KEANE

Sean Keane (he/him) is a writer, stand-up, and co-host of the Roundball Rock NBA podcast. He wrote for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” his work has appeared in McSweeney's, Audible.com, and Yardbarker, and he's performed at countless festivals, including SF Sketchfest, the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, RIOT LA, and NoisePop. In 2014, the San Francisco Bay Guardian named Sean an “Outstanding Local Discovery,” and promptly went out of business.

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