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Cincinnati Reds Star Elly De La Cruz Goes Viral For Awesome Reason

Talk about your wholesome Monday, Elly De La Cruz!

Brady Farkas

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) is out at second as Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) throws to first for the out against first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium in May 2024.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) is out at second as Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) throws to first for the out against first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium in May 2024. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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Thanks to Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz for delivering the wholesome content we all needed on this Monday...

De La Cruz told reporters that he is trying to learn Japanese for the sole reason of communicating with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It makes sense, doesn't it? De La Cruz and Ohtani are now teammates on the National League All-Star team and they figure to make more teams together in the future, so it's understandable why De La cruz would want to do this. Second off, Ohtani and De La Cruz are likely to cross paths many times in the future on the field with De La Cruz playing shortstop. Given Ohtani's propensity for getting to second base, the two absolutely see each other a decent amount over the course of a season.

Furthermore, it's just a challenge, learning a new language. Given that athletes are aspirational and enjoy challenges, it's understandable why De La Cruz would want to undertake this. Ohtani also enjoys learning new languages. We heard back in spring training that Ohtani was teaching Teoscar Hernandez a little Japanese with Hernandez teaching him some Spanish.

De La Cruz is hitting .247 this season with 15 homers and 43 stolen bases. One of the most dynamic athletes in the game, he also features an electric throwing arm.

As for Ohtani, he's the most electric player in the game. He's hitting .314 with 28 homers, 65 RBI and 20 stolen bases. And he's doing all that while not being able to pitch because of an elbow injury.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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