Elly De La Cruz Had Ridiculously Cool Stolen Base Before Pitcher Even Threw the Ball

De La Cruz stole third base while Max Meyer wasn't looking.

Elly De La Cruz might be the most electric player in Major League Baseball, and he added another highlight to his impressive reel on Tuesday night.

In the top of the third inning of the Cincinnati Reds' game against the Miami Marlins, De La Cruz pulled off a feat rarely seen in baseball. He stole a base before Marlins pitcher Max Meyer had even thrown a pitch.

With one out in the inning, De La Cruz doubled to right. As Spencer Steer was at the plate, De La Cruz looked on from second base and saw his opportunity. Meyer stopped paying attention to him on a 3-1 count, and De La Cruz took off for third. By the time Meyer realized what was going on, it was too late to even attempt a throw.

Just incredible timing and execution.

Steer walked, then TJ Friedl doubled to center, scoring De La Cruz to give the Reds a 2–0 lead.

De La Cruz currently leads baseball with 58 stolen bases. His closest competition is Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Turang, who both have 32. No one is catching him in that category this year.


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Ryan Phillips

RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.