Elly De La Cruz does something unprecedented in Sunday’s game

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) jogs in to the dugout in the middle of the fourth inning during a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, July 1, 2023, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Photo Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz continues to do things that nobody has seen before, at least in recent memory. On Sunday, that involved him showing off his ridiculous arm on defense.

De La Cruz uncorked a throw from third to first that measured 97.9 MPH in the third inning of Sunday’s game against Milwaukee, according to StatCast. That is the fastest-tracked infield assist since tracking began in 2015, per MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

This Elly De La Cruz 97.9 mph laser is the fastest-tracked infield assist in the Statcast Era, per @SlangsOnSports pic.twitter.com/Qu0f2b75dN

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 16, 2023

That is essentially a 98 MPH throw across the infield. Some pitchers don’t even throw that hard. The velocity would not matter much if the throw was inaccurate, but it wasn’t.

For De La Cruz, it’s just another day at the office. This probably isn’t even as impressive as the feat he pulled off just before the All-Star break against the same team.