Eli De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds continued his strong performance in spring training, hitting .500.
Cincinnati played against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 2025 Major League Spring Training game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, on the 5th (Korea time). De La Cruz started as the No. 3 shortstop and managed to hit against the Dodgers' renowned Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, recording 2 hits in 3 at-bats with 1 strikeout.
Cincinnati fielded a starting lineup that included TJ Friedl (center fielder), Matt McLain (second baseman), De La Cruz (shortstop), Austin Hays (designated hitter), Jake Fraley (right fielder), Christian Encarnacion-Strand (first baseman), Noelvi Marte (third baseman), Austin WINS (catcher), and Stuart Fairchild (left fielder).
The Dodgers' starting lineup featured Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Mookie Betts (shortstop), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Teoscar Hernandez (right fielder), Will Smith (catcher), Max Muncy (third baseman), Tommy Edman (second baseman), Chris Taylor (left fielder), and Andy Pahes (center fielder).
The Dodgers' starting pitcher was Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto has pitched in 2 spring training games, recording an ERA of 6.75.
In the top of the first inning with one out and a runner on third, De La Cruz hit a go-ahead RBI single against Yamamoto. On a 2-ball-1-strike count, he hit a 94.1 mph cutter for a left-field RBI single, pushing a pitch to the inside that resulted in a hit that skipped past the shortstop in a no-bounce play.
After driving in a run, De La Cruz successfully stole second base. Last year, he led the league with 67 stolen bases. He then scored on Hays' left-field triple.
De La Cruz faced Yamamoto for the second time in the third inning, and on a 2-ball-2-strike count, he missed a swing on a 91.7 mph splitter and was out on strikes.
De La Cruz came to bat as the leadoff hitter in the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead to face Sasaki. After Yamamoto pitched 4 innings, allowing 2 earned runs, he left the game, and Sasaki took over in the fifth.
Against Sasaki, De La Cruz pushed a 97.7 mph four-seam fastball for a double down the left side on a 2-ball count. The following batter struck out, and the next made a pop-up, resulting in 2 outs. Encarnacion-Strand drew a walk, and a wild pitch by Sasaki put runners on second and third with 2 outs. Marte ended the inning by flying out to first base, and no runs scored.
De La Cruz has played in 7 spring training games, recording 9 hits in 16 at-bats, with 3 home runs, 6 RBIs, 6 runs scored, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts. His batting average is .563, on-base percentage .650, slugging percentage 1.313, and OPS 1.963.
Last year, in his second season in the big leagues, De La Cruz played in 160 games, recording a batting average of .259 (160 hits in 618 at-bats), with 25 home runs, 76 RBIs, 105 runs scored, 67 stolen bases, 69 walks, and 218 strikeouts for an OPS of .810. The number of strikeouts was overwhelmingly high, but Japanese media have already noted that if he improves his batting accuracy, he could become a contender for MVP against Ohtani.
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