Elly De La Cruz Sets Reds Record as Historic Home Run Streak Continues

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In a game that was hard to watch as a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, Elly De La Cruz added his name to the Reds’ history books by hitting his 26th home run of the season in the Reds’ 14-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night.

Elly De La Cruz Sets Reds Switch Hitter Home Run Record

Elly De La Cru

Sep 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates with designated hitter Eugenio Suarez (28) after a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Not only has De La Cruz hit five home runs in as many games, he set the Reds record for the most home runs in a season from a switch-hitter, which is also his career-high. He first set the record back in 2024 when he hit 25 home runs. Felipe Lopez held the record for 19 seasons, from 2005 through 2024, when he hit 23 home runs during his All-Star season in 2005.

Barry Larkin holds the team record for the most home runs in a season by a shortstop with 33, set in 1996. While time is running out in the season, with the run De La Cruz is currently on, he might get close to it. He has hit a home run in each of his last five games, joining Eugenio Suarez, Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco, Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Johnny Bench, George Crowe, and Ted Kluszewski as the only players in franchise history to do so. 

The Reds travel to Milwaukee on Friday for a three-game series. De La Cruz has hit four home runs in 23 games at American Family Field, tied for the most of any ballpark outside of Great American Ballpark. He looks to add to his club record as the season winds down with just 16 games left to play.

He’s Been On Fire In The Second-Half Of The Season

Elly De La Cru

Sep 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) throws a ball to first during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since the All-Star break, De La Cruz is batting .298 with a .383 on-base percentage and a .924 OPS, and he’s reached base safely in each of his last 17 games. He’s hitting .500 over his last seven games with five home runs, slugging 1.107 during that stretch. Defensively, he threw out Teoscar Hernandez at home plate from medium depth center field on a throw that was clocked at 102 miles per hour on Tuesday night. He’s shown a vast improvement on the defensive side this season, accumulating 18 errors; he had 29 errors in 2024 and 26 errors last season. Reds manager Terry Francona continues to be impressed by his shortstop. 

“Well, it’s fun to watch,” Francona told MLB.com’s Courtney Hollmon. “I mean, on a night that there wasn’t a lot of fun stuff to watch, it’s pretty impressive.”

The amazing part about all of this is De La Cruz is still only 24 years old. He has all the talent in the world to become the face of Major League Baseball. It’s unfortunate that the Reds haven’t been able to build a winning team around their star shortstop.

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