Elly De La Cruz Fires 105.3 mph Assist to Nab Hernández at Home

Q: How did a historic 105.3 mph throw and a massive home run still end in a heartbreaking defeat?

Because Cincinnati got only those two runs from De La Cruz and could not overcome the damage from its pitching lapses early and in the fifth. De La Cruz nearly won the game by himself. His 444-foot, two-run homer off Tarik Skubal tied it 2-2 in the third, and moments later his 105.3 mph relay throw erased Teoscar Hernández at the plate and prevented what would have been another Dodgers run. That throw was historic — the second-fastest tracked outfield assist since Statcast began in 2015 — but it only kept the game tied. The Reds still lost because Los Angeles had already scored once on Will Smith’s solo homer in the first and added another run in the second when Nick Lodolo’s control problems — two walks and a hit batter — created a run-scoring chance. Lodolo later allowed a two-out single to Hernández in the fifth that brought home the go-ahead run, ending his night after 4 2/3 innings and three earned runs. Francona and Lodolo both pointed to the same issue: too many free baserunners. Lodolo said he needed to limit the walks, and Francona said his command was off early even though he improved later. So the heartbreak is simple: De La Cruz delivered two elite, game-saving and game-tying moments, but the Reds’ offense produced nothing else after his homer, and the Dodgers’ three runs were enough to hold up in a 3-2 win.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 9

105.3 mph was the speed of De La Cruz’s relay throw Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, cutting down Teoscar Hernández at the plate as he tried for an inside-the-park homer in Cincinnati’s 3-2 loss.
The play unfolded after Dane Myers missed Hernández’s liner in center and JJ Bleday retrieved the carom at the wall, setting up De La Cruz in shallow center for the strike to catcher Jose Trevino.
Statcast says the throw was the second-fastest outfield assist since tracking began in 2015, trailing only Aaron Hicks’ 105.5 mph throw for the Yankees in 2016.
De La Cruz also supplied the Reds’ only offense with a 444-foot, two-run homer off Tarik Skubal—his 25th of the season and fourth straight game with a home run.