It appeared as if Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández was going to have an inside-the-park home run during Tuesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
And then Elly De La Cruz unleashed a throw fast enough to make most roller coasters blush.
The Cincinnati Reds shortstop took the relay throw from the outfield and unleashed a 105.3 mph throw to the plate. By the time it arrived, tagging Hernández out was the easy part for catcher Jose Trevino.
For context, Andrew Destin of the Associated Press reported last season that Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz threw out J.P. Crawford of the Seattle Mariners at the plate with a 105.2 mph throw.
It was the second-fastest thrown ball for an outfield assist since Statcast began tracking such totals in 2015. Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees threw one 105.5 mph during the 2016 campaign.
So, De La Cruz is in excellent company.
He has also been dominant at the plate of late and entered Tuesday’s game with a .500/.556/.917 slash line, three home runs and seven RBI in six September games.
While the Reds are on the outside of the National League playoff picture looking, De La Cruz has been quite the bright spot. And he provided one of the highlights of the season to prevent a run Tuesday.
This content was brought to you by: Bleacher Report – Front Page
