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Someone get Jose Trevino some ice after catching the latest ball to come out of Elly De La Cruz’s flamethrower.
De La Cruz cut down a run at home plate with a 98.3 mph relay throw Saturday in the Reds’ 11-1 victory against the Tigers.
Javier Baez was on first base when Trey Sweeney drove a one-hopper off the right field wall when the game was still scoreless in the third inning.
Jake Fraley perfectly played the carom and fed the ball to De La Cruz on the outfield grass behind second base.
De La Cruz fired home before a sliding Baez had even entered the television picture, and the former Yankee Trevino applied the tag.
De La Cruz has a reputation for throwing with immense speed, with four out of the five hardest-thrown infield assists in the Statcast era (since 2015) credited to him, as reported by MLB.com.
His remarkable fastball throws date back to his rookie season in 2023 when he first caught the attention of fans and analysts. One notable throw clocked in at an impressive 99.8 mph on July 20.
The only other comparable throw by a major leaguer in the last 10 years was by Gabriel Arias of the Guardians on May 28, 2024.
De La Cruz wasn’t done showing off.
The phenom also homered for the third straight game to up his team-high season total to 15.
That ball jumped off his bat at 110.1 mph and traveled 402 feet.
De La Cruz is known for having one of the strongest arms in baseball.
Even rapper Snoop Dogg was left shocked when he was on the broadcast for a Reds-Brewers game last June.
Snoop, a spectator watching one of De La Cruz’s plays, expressed disbelief at the player’s throwing ability, exclaiming “Oh, he’s safe, he can’t throw that. He ain’t got no arm like that. No, he don’t!” Snoop marveled as De La Cruz swiftly moved to his right, executed the play, and then unleashed a lightning-fast throw across the diamond. “Who is that with that rocket? Oh lord, he got a rocket in his pocket. Oh, he made that,” Snoop admired.