WATCH: Elly De La Cruz hits for the cycle against Atlanta; gets thrown out trying to steal home

The #1 prospect in baseball has powered Cincinnati to the largest run total against Atlanta this season

Lindsay Crosby | Jun 23, 2023

We asked before the game who would win: The unstoppable force, or the immovable object.

Whichever one of those is Elly De La Cruz, he's the one that won.

Baseball's #1 overall prospect has hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats against Atlanta, completing the cycle against the Braves in the 6th inning of Friday night's matchup.

He hit a double to leadoff the 2nd inning, immediately being driven home via Jake Fraley homerun to put Cincinnati back in the game, down 5-2.

With a runner on base and two outs, he hit a two-run homerun in the 3rd inning to bring Cincinnati back within one, 5-4.

He singled in the 5th, scoring a run to make it 7-6 Atlanta and then stole 2nd, putting himself in scoring position. Ultimately didn't matter, as Joey Votto hit his second homerun of the game to bring him in and stake the Reds to a 9-7 lead.

And then, with a runner on and up 10-6, he did this against Atlanta reliever Ben Heller:

IT'S AN ELLY DE LA CRUZ CYCLE!

In just his 15th big league game, Elly notches the first @Reds cycle since 1989: pic.twitter.com/15RVzTV6ME
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 24, 2023

The RBI gives the Reds eleven runs in the game, which is the highest run total given up by Atlanta all season.

It's only the prospect's 15th career MLB game, and he's notched the Reds first cycle since 1989. He didn't score, though, as he was thrown out trying to steal home and it remains 11-7 as they head to the top of the 7th.

Atlanta's looking to keep the win streak alive while putting an end to Cincinnati's winning streak. First pitch from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati is set for 6:40 PM ET. The game broadcast, with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin, is available inside Braves Country on Bally Sports Southeast and is available on MLB.TV outside of the broadcast area. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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Published Jun 23, 2023

LINDSAY CROSBY

Managing Editor for Braves Today and the 2023 IBWAA Prospects/Minors Writer of the Year. You can reach him at contact@bravestoday.com