The Colorado Rockies were a bit too relaxed at the start of their game against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, and Elly De La Cruz made them pay.
De La Cruz worked a walk off of Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner in the bottom of the 1st inning of the Reds’ 6-0 win at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The speedy shortstop then stole second base, but he did it in a very untraditional manner.
After Feltner delivered an 0-1 pitch to Jeimer Candelario, De La Cruz waited until Rockies catcher Elias Diaz started throwing the ball back to Feltner and then took off for second. Feltner could not react in time to make a play.
Elly didn't even start running until AFTER the catcher caught the pitch lol pic.twitter.com/9ldRnq2HLl
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 8, 2024
Bally Sports Ohio play-by-play announcer John Sadak noted that the Reds had discussed how Feltner does not get himself in position to throw to a base after he gets the ball back from the catcher.
The delayed steal is something that is rarely seen at the pro level, but it makes perfect sense that De La Cruz was the one to pull it off. The 22-year-old now leads MLB by a wide margin with 45 stolen bases.
Between his combination of speed and power and how hard he can throw a baseball, De La Cruz has quickly became one of the most entertaining players in sports.
