Elly De La Cruz, a rookie with the Cincinnati Reds, stole three bases in a single plate appearance on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, who earlier claimed himself the ‘fastest man in the world,’ backed up his claim with his speedy run around the bases in the seventh inning of the Reds’ match against the Milwaukee Brewers.
With the game tied at 5-5 and two outs on the board, the sensation singled to left center, bringing in a runner and putting Cincinnati up by one.
De La Cruz went on to take second before snatching the opportunity to steal third while standing up.
But he did not stop there. Just less than ten seconds after stealing third, De La Cruz broke away from the base and raced to home plate, diving in to complete his feat.
Elly De La Cruz stole second, third, and home within a single plate appearance.
After stealing third, De La Cruz rushed to home plate and dived in.
The 6-foot-5 infielder did it in approximately 30 seconds, giving the Reds another score as they entered the bottom of the seventh with a 7-5 lead. Cincinnati went on to win 8-5 in Milwaukee.
The Reds, who were 27-33 when De La Cruz was promoted from the minors on June 6, have improved to 23-7 since, increasing their advantage over Milwaukee in the NL Central to two games.
De La Cruz has 16 stolen bases in 30 games and went 2-for-5 Saturday, raising his batting average to.328. The shortstop’s sole mistake was a careless throw to second for the final out, but the play survived a replay challenge.
According to ESPN, the 21-year-old became the youngest player since 1920 to steal three bases in one inning.
The rookie’s achievement surprised social media, leaving it in raptures.
According to MLB podcaster Jared Carrabis, “Elly De La Cruz is the type of player who converts non-baseball fans into baseball fans.” He has that kind of impact.
Twitch streamer OhChev added: ‘Elly De La Cruz is just playing with his food at this point. man steals home with EASE.’
‘Elly De La Cruz is legit one of the most exciting players in baseball right now. He is must see,’ one baseball fan chimed in.
Another impressed supporter posted: ‘Is this MLB or Little League? Elly De La Cruz steals 2nd, 3rd and home. WOW.’
His stealing skills top off an already impressive season for the youngster. In June, De La Cruz hit for the cycle in just his 15th major league game.
De La Cruz started his night off against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning with a double. In the following inning, he smacked a two-run home run to right center to pull Cincinnati back to within one run of the Braves’ 5-4 lead.
An RBI single to center came in the fifth inning – meaning all he needed at his next at-bat was a triple.
In the sixth inning, he did just that: hitting a perfect pitch into the gap in right center field and hustling around the bases as the ball reached the wall. De La Cruz beat the throw from cutoff man Ozzie Albies by miles as he got to third base with ease.
The phenom’s feat put the Cincinnati Reds up 7-5 in the seventh inning against the Brewers
Social media was left in raptures after being stunned by the rookie’s achievement
With that, De La Cruz added his name to a number of team and major league records.
He became the first Cincinnati Reds player to hit for the cycle since Eric Davis in 1989 – and only becoming the seventh member of the Reds to accomplish the feat.
The rookie was also the youngest player to hit for the cycle since 1972. Plus, at just 15 games into his career, it’s the third shortest stint before a cycle in the big leagues since 1900.
On top of it all, per Opta Stats, De La Cruz is the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to hit for the cycle, steal a base, and drive in more than four runs.