Like it or not, the Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz just dumped a ton of fuel on the torpedo-style bat conversation that's engulfed MLB.
The so-called torpedo bats − the MLB-legal, tailor-made bats with weight redistributed toward the label − were thought to have aided the Yankees as they crushed 15 home runs in their three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers. Nine were reportedly hit with the new bats.
Playing against the Texas Rangers Monday at Great American Ball Park, De La Cruz picked up the bat for an official game for the first time, and the results were similar to what took place at Yankee Stadium.
De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with two home runs in a 14-3 Reds win. Both De La Cruz homers were hit deep to center field, with the first-inning shot landing on the turf berm and the seventh-inning homer hitting the base of the batter's eye. Combined, the homers stretched for 854 feet.
De La Cruz, a switch hitter who batted from the left side in the series opener against Texas, also singled in the first inning and sandwiched an RBI line-drive double to the opposite field between his homers. He ended the night with seven RBI, tying a Reds single-game club record for RBI by a switch hitter.
The game was the fourth multi-homer game of De La Cruz's career.
It's hard to separate De La Cruz's night with the torpedo-style bat in his hand and the rest of the conversation around the equipment innovation that is the talk of the North American sports world.
Of course, it's also important to acknowledge De La Cruz had a penchant for spectacular and jaw-dropping moments long before the phrase "torpedo bat" became a baseball-ism. Needless to say, the bat didn't get full credit afterward.
"I think it's more the player than the bat," Reds manager Terry Francona said.
But even on De La Cruz's long list of impressive firsts and achievements, Monday's performance was up there with the best of them − and the torpedo bat was his tool of choice on the night. He said Monday's game was his first official game with the torpedo bat, adding: "I just want to know if it feels good and it definitely does."
De La Cruz said now-former Yankee and Reds catcher Jose Trevino discussed the bat, which he's used for over a year, during this past spring training.
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