Elly De La Cruz uncorks 105.3 mph throw to rob Teoscar Hernández of inside-the-park homer

Elly De La Cruz uncorks 105.3 mph throw to rob Teoscar Hernández of inside-the-park homer

Economy World


Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández thought he had an inside-the-park home run. Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz had other things in mind.

On Tuesday, both those things clashed, with De La Cruz getting the last laugh on a throw from the outfield clocked at an estimated 105.3 mph.

In the bottom of the third inning of the Dodgers’ 3-2 win over the Reds, Hernández slugged a middle-in fastball from Nick Lodolo to center field, where Dane Myers was unable to secure the ball, allowing it to carom deep into the outfield walls.

As Hernández motored around the bases, JJ Bleday, crashing in from left field, secured the ball and fired to De La Cruz, who was situated in shallow center. De La Cruz received the ball, then uncorked a 105.3 mph throw to home plate, where Hernández was out by more than a few steps, his wild pursuit ending at a triple and out at home.

“I think he’s the only one who can throw me out in that situation,” Hernández said. “Him, or somebody close to him with the strength in his arm. But we got to respect him.”

The throw, per Statcast, would stand as the hardest throw by a fielder this season, besting New York Mets rookie outfielder Carson Benge’s 103.9 mph offering.

“As a fan, it was fun to see Elly throw the baseball 105 mph, too,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted postgame. “You don’t see that every night. A guy who can hit the ball 400 feet and throw 105 mph, I put my fan cap on for that one, for tonight.”

De La Cruz, a true five-tool player, is no stranger to such feats. However, it’s worth noting his arm strength ranks only in the 91st percentile among players at an average of 91.7 mph. Among qualified shortstops, he’s second to St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn.

It wasn’t the only feat of extreme velocity for the 24-year-old on the night. His third-inning two-run home run off reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal clocked in at 109.4 mph, and his eighth-inning double left the bat at 108.9 mph. Both balls were the hardest-struck balls on the night between the two clubs.

De La Cruz, who is in his fourth full season in the big leagues, entered Tuesday with 5.3 fWAR, the fourth-highest mark among qualified hitters, and the second highest in the National League behind Chicago Cubs phenom Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 9.9 fWAR. Despite not being an All-Star, De La Cruz should, at least, finish top-three in NL MVP balloting, a Silver Slugger at shortstop all but a formality.

With 17 games remaining in Cincinnati’s season, a 30-30 season is a slim possibility, though he’s already secured 20-20 status.

— Fabian Ardaya contributed to this report.