Elly De La Cruz hits home run as he plays through devastating family loss
Cincinnati Reds star Elly de La Cruz played through the pain of losing his older sister on Sunday.
The 23-year-old's sister Genelis died over the weekend but he insisted on being in the lineup for the Reds' series finale against the Chicago Cubs, manager Terry Francona said.
And, despite his heavy heart, the shortstop hit a two-run homer and scored two runs in the 7-3 loss to the Cubs.
After blasting his towering home run - the 50th of his MLB career - De La Cruz appeared to dedicate it to his late sister.
As he took his final steps toward the plate, De La Cruz patted his chest, pointed to the sky and clapped. After touching home, he made a heart with his hands.
'RIP Manita' could be seen written on the back of his spikes and 'RIP Genelis' featured on the back of his helmet in tribute to Genelis. Manita is Spanish slang for a sister.
Elly De La Cruz chose to play today after recently learning about the death of his sister.
He then hit this home run and pointed to the sky and made a heart gesture. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/gGK1ukAWhC
— MLB (@MLB) June 1, 2025
Cincinnati Reds star Elly de La Cruz played through the pain of losing his older sister on Sunday
Z101 Digital in the Dominican Republic reported that Genelis died Saturday after dealing with health problems for some time.
Genelis, De La Cruz's older sister, is said to have left two children behind.
De La Cruz insisted he wanted to play in the finale of the weekend series, and the team was going to support him.
'He takes so much pride in being available,' Francona said. 'Guys like that, Carlos Santana in Cleveland was very similar, and for a kid that's that young, that's an admirable trait.'
De La Cruz declined to speak with the media. The Reds also declined to offer any details on the situation, citing De La Cruz's wishes.
'We care so much about playing a game and winning, but in a hurry you're reminded of what's really important,' Francona said. 'So I think everybody kind of kept their head on a swivel with him today, just trying to take care of him.'
De La Cruz singled in the first and flied out in the fourth. He connected for his 12th homer in the sixth and walked and scored on Tyler Stephenson's sacrifice fly in the ninth.
De La Cruz's 50th career homer was a towering drive down the line in right. The estimated distance was 423 feet with an exit velocity of 117.4 mph.
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