Elly takes Yamamoto deep for FIFTH straight game with a home run

LOS ANGELES -- Even against one of the game's elite arms, Elly De La Cruz couldn't be slowed down.

When the Reds' shortstop turned on a first-pitch, 97.4 mph fastball from Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday night, driving a Statcast-projected 403-foot fly ball over the wall in center field, he didn't just get his team on the board -- he extended his home run streak to a career-best five games.

The fourth-inning blast marked De La Cruz’s 26th home run of the season, setting a new single-season career high. The five-game streak is the longest of his career, moving him within two games of Joey Votto’s franchise record of seven consecutive games with a home run, set in 2021.

While the Dodgers responded in the bottom of the frame with a six-run outbreak to build a commanding lead, De La Cruz's solo shot got the Reds on the board. Taking an elite starter deep on the first pitch of an at-bat is notable on its own -- the homer was the 19th allowed by Yamamoto this season -- and in the broader scope of Cincinnati's season, the swing reinforced why the 24-year-old centerpiece remains the engine of the Reds' offense.

The streak continuation comes directly on the heels of a Tuesday night showcase performance that highlighted De La Cruz's elite combination of power and arm strength. In addition to a 444-foot home run off Tarik Skubal -- the longest hit at Dodger Stadium in 2026 -- De La Cruz threw out Teoscar Hernández at the plate with a 102 mph relay strike, proving how his game-breaking ability alters outcomes on both sides of the ball.