The Cincinnati Reds’ play-by-play announcer John Sadak famously called Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz the “most thrilling man in baseball.” Additionally, De La Cruz stunned Sadak once more on Monday by hitting a moonshot home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
De La Cruz was having a terrific day as he stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. In his previous two at-bats, he had reached base on singles and doubles.
With a two-run home bomb that above the batter’s eye and reached the Riverboat Deck, the second-year player further enhanced his already outstanding performance against Pirates reliever Daulton Jefferies.
When Sadak heard about the incredible home run on Bally Sports Cincinnati, he was in complete shock at how high and how far De La Cruz’s bomb had been hit.
De LA Cruz “unloads,” Sadak said. “A high fly…” deep within… Without a doubt! He visited a steamer! atop the eye of the batter! No Forgiveness! A fan on the boat is holding the ball aloft, Lark!
Barry Larkin, a color commentator for the Reds who joined Sadak on the broadcast, was also taken aback.
“I was anticipating the ball to drop. And it just didn’t—my word,” Larkin uttered.
To put it plainly, this is as certain a home run as any that De La Cruz has ever produced. Remarkably, though, this isn’t even his longest home run of the year. That award stems from a home run that was hit off of J.B. Bukauskas 450 feet out during the game on April 8 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
