Ellie De La Cruz blows up HR in the hall after scoreboard taunt, but Brewers has the last laugh

Don’t tease Ellie De La Cruz.

The sensational Cincinnati Reds rookie crashed into center field during his first game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night. As he came to the plate for his second at-bat in the third inning, he was greeted with that cheer from the Brewers’ home scoreboard operator.

“Ellie De La Cruz: Almost hit a home run in the first inning…but didn’t.”

On the very first bat-off, De La Cruz did the following:

It’s a 456-foot home run that didn’t just go over the right wall in center field. He cleared the stands. The ball did not land until it hit the lobby behind the seats in center field. This happened with the message trolling De La Cruz still on the board.

A two-run blast from Brewers starter Colin Rea also hit catcher Tyler Stephenson to give the Reds a 2-1 lead. It was De La Cruz’s sixth home run in 41 games since he was called up in early June. It wasn’t the first time De La Cruz hit the ball, who has a habit of hitting the ball really, really hard. Take, for example, that 458-foot explosion on his second day in the Major Leagues.

Entering the game on Monday, De La Cruz hit .273/.322/.447 with 5 home runs, 17 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. He was a big reason why the Reds started the night with a polygame behind the Brewers and took first place in the NL Central.

But the Brewers had the last laugh on Monday night. They went to the bottom of the ninth place at 2:2. Given the chance to end the game, Christian Jelic converted. The former MVP hit an RBI single off closer Alexis Diaz, who hit Blake Perkins from second base.

A passing single gave the Brewers a 3–2 win and snapped the Reds’ five-game winning streak. It also ensured they finished the night with a 1.5 game lead at NL Central.

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