Elly De La Cruz homered and became the fifth player since 1901 to hit at least 20 home runs and steal 60 bases in a single season, helping the Cincinnati Reds come back from a six-run deficit to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-7 on Wednesday night.
“That’s us,” De La Cruz said. “We never give up. Down six, it doesn’t matter. We fight until the last out.”
Spencer Steer hit a two-run home run, and Noelvi Marte and Jonathan India also homered as the Reds won two out of three games against Toronto.
“Anytime you can score 11 unanswered is usually a good thing,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said.
After striking out in his first at bat, De La Cruz reached base four times. He stole third base in the fifth inning, his 60th of the season, which leads the majors. De La Cruz then hit his 22nd home run, a solo shot off Zach Pop in the eighth inning.
“It’s unbelievable what he can do day in and day out,” Stephenson said.
De La Cruz expressed his pride about joining the 20-homer, 60-steal club. “It means a lot,” he said. “That’s why I’m working in the offseason. I feel so proud and so happy.”
Toronto’s George Springer hit his 60th leadoff home run of his career, and the Blue Jays added two more homers off right-hander Nick Martinez in the first three innings, but they couldn’t maintain the lead.
Spencer Horwitz hit a two-run homer in the first inning, his eighth, and Ernie Clement made it 6-0 with a three-run blast in the third inning, his ninth.
Clement went 2 for 4 and also homered on Monday. “He’s turned into an everyday player for us for the first time in his career, and he’s handled it great,” manager John Schneider said.
Steer began the Reds’ comeback with a homer off Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodríguez in the fourth inning, his 19th, and the Reds took the lead with a five-run fifth inning.
