Elly De La Cruz became the youngest player for the Cincinnati Reds to hit four extra-base hits in a game since at least 1901, helping the team beat the Miami Marlins 10-3 on Monday night, despite Jesús Sánchez hitting a 480-foot home run, the longest in the majors this season.
Nick Martinez (6-5) pitched five scoreless innings to earn the win on his 34th birthday, marking his first start since May 22.
De La Cruz, who had been in a slump with 0-for-13, put Cincinnati ahead with a two-run homer off Roddery Muñoz (2-6) in the first inning. He also doubled in the fourth and sixth innings and hit a solo homer in the eighth against Shaun Anderson, marking his 20th home run of the season.
De La Cruz now has three games with multiple home runs, including two this season.
“Very appreciative of everything because the hard work is paying off,” De La Cruz said in Spanish. “Also appreciate my teammates and the support they give me.”
It was the 20th game with four extra-base hits by a Reds player since 1901, and at 22 years, 207 days, De La Cruz is the youngest Cincinnati player to achieve this feat. He is the sixth-youngest player in MLB history, following Miguel Cabrera (20 years, 74 days in 2003), Mel Ott (20-109 in 1929), Joe DiMaggio (21-212 in 1936), Gregg Jefferies (22-37 in 1989), and Freddie Lindstrom (22-187 in 1928).
“There’s a lot more to come. It’s fun to watch him every day,” Reds manager David Bell said. “But it does start with his approach and how he is working and trying to get better.”
De La Cruz leads the major leagues with 57 stolen bases and is now among the few Reds to hit 20 homers and steal 50 bases in a season, joining Hall of Famer Joe Morgan and Eric Davis. De La Cruz has hit four homers against the Marlins this year.
Sánchez’s home run, which came off a changeup from Jakob Junis, cleared the right-center field upper deck in the sixth inning, surpassing a 478-foot homer hit by San Francisco’s Jorge Soler on July 21.
“Sánchez has some of the best raw power in the game,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, line to line.”
