Elly De La Cruz is one of those players who defy description. Less than 40 games into his career, and we are already running out of adjectives to describe him, especially on this record-breaking throw he made to save a run clocked at an unbelievable 99.8 mph.
Luis Matos smacked a double into the gap that Cincinnati Reds right fielder Will Benson took a bad angle on, so the ball went to the wall. Giants infielder Wilmer Flores, who was on first base, started chugging as soon as the ball hit the gap. Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg saw the ball in the gap and Flores nearing third and decided that sending him home was a no-brainer, but typical decisions go out the window when De La Cruz is involved. The relay was well-executed, and from just outside the outfield grass, De La Cruz smoked Flores at home plate. Flores was nowhere near the plate when the ball got there.
This move was a record-breaking throw. The first question one has to ask oneself is, “Whose record did it break,” right? Yeah, he broke his own record. Just days ago, De La Cruz set a record for the hardest infield throw when he cannon-balled a 97.9 mph throw over to first base.
This throw that nailed Flores at home clocked at 99.8 mph. Can we ask the radar gun to stop being so stuffy and round that up to a nice 100? It might as well be. We can’t wait to see what De La Cruz might do next.