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 career high while breaking his own single-season franchise record (25 in 2024) for the most home runs by a switch-hitter in Reds history.
The five-game streak is the longest of his career and stands as the longest by a switch-hitter in club history. It also ties him for the second-longest streak overall and moves him within two games of Joey Votto’s franchise record of seven consecutive games with a home run, set in July 2021.
While the Dodgers responded in the bottom of the frame with a six-run outbreak to blow the game open, De La Cruz's solo shot provided the lone score for Cincinnati in a 14-1 loss.
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.
“Well, it's fun to watch," manager Terry Francona said of De La Cruz's recent tear. "I mean, on a night that there wasn't a lot of fun stuff to watch, it's pretty impressive."
The solo shot also added another entry to De La Cruz's growing list of franchise milestones. Beyond the home run streak, Wednesday's blast marked his 223rd career extra-base hit, surpassing Dmitri Young for third most by a switch-hitter in Reds history behind only Pete Rose (868) and Ron Oester (265). And all of this 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.