Sometimes, baseball gifts you one of those “did that really just happen?” moments. Tuesday night in Anaheim, Elly De La Cruz delivered one of those moments and left the Angels’ broadcast team practically shouting into their headsets.
Elly Turns a Single Into a Sprinting Masterpiece
It was the top of the fourth, Reds and Angels tied, and De La Cruz opened the frame with a single. It was nothing spectacular until Miguel Andújar lofted a blooper into short left. That’s when things broke loose.
Most players cruise into second. Maybe stretch it to third if the left fielder bobbles it. But Elly throttled down to a jog, read the ball off Taylor Ward’s glove, then hit the nitro button like a sprinter out of the blocks.
Five seconds later, he was sliding across home plate, safe ahead of Ward’s throw.
“OH MY GOODNESS!” Angels play-by-play man Wayne Randazzo blurted as De La Cruz rounded third. “Now I’ve seen everything! Dude scored on a base hit to left field!”
A Rare Feat, Made to Look Routine
Scoring from first on a ball that’s fielded cleanly by an outfielder is almost unheard of. It’s the kind of play you might see once in a decade, usually in a botched defensive sequence.
But De La Cruz? He made it look effortless. He wasn’t even running full tilt the whole way. That’s the part that should scare opposing defenses the most: he’s so fast, so dynamic, that he can turn the ordinary into highlight-reel chaos without appearing to strain.
The Reds went on to win 6-4, with De La Cruz scoring twice, but that mad dash will be the lasting memory. Plays like this remind you why fans pack ballparks and stay glued to late-night broadcasts. It’s because in a game that’s been played for over a century, someone like Elly can still show you something brand new.
On Tuesday, Elly De La Cruz turned a bloop single into a viral sprint and gave everyone watching a fresh reminder: sometimes, you really haven’t seen it all.
