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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
For young MLB fans, No. 44 only has one meaning: 'I wanna be like Elly'
Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is a two-time All-Star at age 23, capturing the imagination of fans across MLB. WASHINGTON — It is in some ways the soundtrack to the Cincinnati Reds' season: A high-pitched chorus of youngsters, Sharpies in hand, shouting for their favorite player. Yet the love that America's youngest baseball fans have for Elly De La Cruz extends far beyond the Queen City. As the National League's greatest players exited the field following batting practice before last week's All-Star Game in Atlanta, Shohei Ohtani, the game's global superstar, was flanked by his translator and a security officer, per usual. Yet the 6-foot-3 Ohtani went virtually unnoticed as he slipped into the dugout, dwarfed – in both stature and, for the moment, attention – by the 6-5, dreadlocked figure behind him. 'Elly. Elly! Elly, PLEASE!' screamed the throng of youngsters, almost all of them clad in Braves caps yet some of them sporting the No. 44 jersey worn by one of the game's most dynamic talents. And while De La Cruz's ability to play a capable shortstop, slug homers and steal bases with equal aplomb – he's on pace for a 29-homer, 42-steal season – appeals to all audiences, his superhero vibes have a particular resonance with the young. Earlier this month, Major League Baseball released its top-selling jerseys for the first half. De La Cruz ranked 15th on a list in which the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees comprised the top six positions and seven of the top 16. A slightly deeper dive reveals even greater resonance with the kids: De La Cruz ranks 10th among sales of youth-sized jerseys, according to data provided by MLB. It is a brewing phenomenon evident across the major leagues and all the way to outposts like Corpus Christi, Texas. 'He understands that he is a role model and he's still young in this game,' says Reds catcher Jose Trevino, the Texas native who played three seasons in New York with Aaron Judge, No. 2 on the jersey list behind Ohtani. 'So, when he finds this relationship between him being a superstar and those kids, he goes out of his way to make sure those kids feel that kind of presence. 'It's superstar-esque. Everything about him is great. But I think him being able to relate to those young fans is cool. You see kids from my hometown that people are making jerseys for and they're like, 'Oh, why are you No. 44?' And they start listing all these numbers. 'And it's, 'No, it's for Elly De La Cruz. Elly De La Cruz.' You saw it with No. 99. Now you're seeing it with No. 44.' Indeed, De La Cruz, 23, chose a number greatly associated with baseball badassery, from Hank Aaron to Reggie Jackson to a Reds legend who preceded him, Eric Davis. It looks even larger than life draped across his long torso, especially when he extends his frame to make a play at shortstop or gobble up the basepaths with his long stride and 91st percentile sprint speed. That supersized appearance somehow makes him more accessible to those who congregate near ropelines and thrust their hands under protective netting, hoping to establish connection with a talent that, once between the lines, becomes almost otherworldly. 'Maybe because I always try to be myself. I don't try to be somebody else. And I always have fun,' De La Cruz tells USA TODAY Sports. 'Whenever I can, I go to them, say hi, take a picture with them. 'Not every time, because sometimes we're working. But whenever I can, I do that.' An inspiring giant Greater forces have certainly tried to capitalize on that connection. De La Cruz joined Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes and Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson as cover athletes on MLB The Show's 2025 edition. The league itself produced a Claymation-style short featuring De La Cruz bursting through walls and sending baseballs into the stratosphere. Yet all that national promotion and blue-chip platforming has its limits if the star in question fails to resonate on a personal level with fans. 'He's so personable,' says Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott, who spent All-Star week palling about Truist Field with De La Cruz. 'I think (kids) see him and see how much fun he's having playing the game and how loose he is. He's still young, so he's still a kid himself. We all have that in us, still. 'The kids want to see him, they want to talk to him, they want to get their picture taken with him because they want to be like him. They may not be 6-6, but he inspires them. 'He's a good kid himself, too. It makes total sense.' For De La Cruz, emerging as something of a face of the game and buzzworthy figure has been balanced by his growth as a player. It's easy to forget he's in just his second full season, with a very high ceiling to reach while doing the everyday things that can get him there. Elly De La Cruz: American idol The growth is evident. While De La Cruz was an All-Star both this year and last, his overall offensive profile is far healthier now. He's upped his on-base percentage from .339 to .357, and his adjusted OPS from 119 to 127. And after striking out 218 times last season, most in the majors, De La Cruz has trimmed his strikeout percentage from 31.3 to 24.3, while his walk rate has inched north of 10%. Defensive metrics tell a murkier story, as they often do. De La Cruz was worth 14 outs above average last season, but that's dropped to -2 even as his fielding percentage has bumped up from .954 to .966. The Reds consensus is De La Cruz is making the routine play more routinely this season, even if the metrics are unkind. 'He's being a lot smarter, a lot more in tune with himself, with what he can do,' says Abbott, the ace of a 53-50 Reds club on the doorstep of the NL wild card race. 'He's still going to have some growth, still going to have some maturity. It's going to be scary when all that stuff hits. 'When he's making every play, hitting 500-foot homers, throwing 95 across the diamond – when he's doing all that, it's a very fun game to watch.' Even if he were playing Gold Glove-caliber shortstop, De La Cruz's frame and speed might suggest an eventual move to the outfield. Regardless of locale, the singlemindedness that compels De La Cruz to post every day – he and the Mets' Pete Alonso have played in an NL-high 103 games this season – will follow him around the diamond. 'I just try to play the game right. Try to do my job every day,' he says. 'I want to represent my country and the team I play for. 'I just want to do it right.' That singular mindset and commitment to routine sometimes means De La Cruz must bypass the throng of kids to get his work in, a situation he says is 'tough, because a lot of those kids come to see us playing. Sometimes we've got to do something; we don't have time to sign. 'It's sad, but we gotta do it like that sometimes.' And sometimes, the role is reversed. When De La Cruz was growing up in the Dominican Republic, he idolized Derek Jeter because, he says, the Yankees legend 'was a great leader, and respected the game.' After De La Cruz made the NL's 2024 All-Star squad, there was his chance, on the Fox set, to tell Jeter just that on live television. The laconic Jeter expressed his appreciation. And De La Cruz extended his hand across the table, beaming, and in all earnestness told his idol, 'It is a pleasure to meet you.' Kid meets idol, a tale older than time. And with every passing year, it is De La Cruz making those memories, and then taking the field and giving his admirers something with which to aspire, unlikely as it may be to repeat his feats. 'He's the modern player: You get your speed, you get your power, you get your arm strength. He's got all the tools in the world,' says Trevino. 'If I'm a kid, I'm like man, I wanna be like Elly – fast like Elly, hit the ball far like Elly.' The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Terry Francona makes bold move to leverage Cincinnati Reds' Noelvi Marte skills in RF
NEW YORK – Buckle up. The afterglow of the All-Star game swing-off hasn't yet faded, and the Cincinnati Reds' Summer of Tito is already underway. With the start of the post-break stretch run, first-year Reds manager Terry Francona is starting to pull competitive levers in earnest to manipulate his roster into a playoff team. Reds trade deadlin Cincinnati Reds seek hitter, bullpen help before MLB trade deadline, barring sudden swoon Reds New York Mets Emilio Pagan Cincinnati Reds beat New York Mets again, clinch first series out of All-Star break Reds injured list Hunter Greene rehab Cincinnati Reds' Hunter Greene (groin) to start rehab assignment A big one came in game No. 100 on Sunday in New York when career infielder Noelvi made his first start in the outfield in his seven-year professional career. He had been sharing time at third base with Santiago Espinal. 'We've been talking about it for a little while,' manager Terry Francona said. 'I think his skillset is really going to work fine there, and then we can keep Espy at third. 'We're doing it to try to have an advantage. We think it gives us more flexibility. And maybe better flexibility.' Marte, who said he wanted to be an outfielder when he was a kid, inspired the move with the ability he showed just during batting practice this season when he would shag balls in the outfield. The team asked him to start working more formally in right just in recent days. 'You can tell when there's the actions of a guy's feet and just the way they go after the ball,' outfield coach Collin Cowgill said. 'There's a nose for it. It's like, 'Oh, man, he kind of knows where the ball's going to land.' As an outfielder if you know where the ball's going to land your routes are going to be pretty good by default. 'That's the instincts. And then you put the elite speed and the athlete in him, it might be a really nice recipe' Maybe it doesn't work, team officials caution. But if it takes, it's the kind of move that gives the Reds the chance to keep one of their best right-handed bats this year in the lineup when Espinal also is playing, while also theoretically strengthening their often shaky team fielding at both third base and right field. In other words: the kind of move a team makes when it thinks it's in a playoff race. 'For right now, short term, he gives us a better lineup both offensively and defensively against a left-handed pitcher,' general manager Brad Meador said. 'That's really all it is right now. 'How this goes could change things moving forward with how we look at our roster long-term. But right now I don't want to speculate on that, because we don't know.' Long-term? Think Sal Stewart. The Reds' top-hitting prospect in the high minors is a phone call away from a debut at third base after his promotion to Triple-A Louisville this month, a hitter Francona calls one of the most advanced he's seen as a minor-leaguer. 'Ooh, you might be getting a little ahead of us there,' Francona said. What counts for now is whatever Marte can provide as an able outfielder. He's already willing. 'As an infielder you always think you can play outfield,' Marte said, through team interpreter Tomás Vera. 'It's something that when I was a kid I wanted to be an outfielder, so maybe it looks natural because it's something mentally I was willing to do. 'I'm a person who likes challenges,' he said. 'I like experimenting with different things. So if the team needs me I'll be there.' And if that means that the shortstop-by-trade is an outfielder for the rest of his career? 'It depends how I perform,' he said. 'If I perform well, and they think that's it, I can't control that.' But if the team thinks it helps them win, he's all in, he said. 'Just looking at Noelvi as a human and as an athlete, the foundation to be an outfielder is there,' Cowgill said, adding Marte has 'all the tools that you would even look for in a center fielder. There's elite speed. There's elite arm strength. There's elite instincts. 'And who knows? He's going to mess some stuff up because he's never really done it,' Cowgill added. 'But we trust him as an athlete and a baseball player enough to stick him out there and see how it goes.' This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona put Noelvi Marte in outfield
Toronto Sun
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Reds outfielder TJ Friedl gets hit by pitch 3 times against Mets, tying MLB record
Published Jul 19, 2025 • 1 minute read Cincinnati Reds' TJ Friedl celebrates his home run against the Colorado Rockies run during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Cincinnati. Photo by Jay LaPrete / AP Photo NEW YORK — Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl tied a major league record Friday night when he was hit by a pitch three times — by three different New York Mets hurlers. The 5-foot-8 Friedl was plunked on the left forearm by a 91 mph fastball from left-hander Sean Manaea in the third inning and on the left foot by an 85 mph slider from right-handed reliever Alex Carrillo in the fifth. Mets lefty Brandon Waddell then drilled Friedl on the left hand with a 91 mph sinker in the eighth. 'The lefties, it makes more sense because everything is away and I'm trying to stick my nose in there,' Friedl said. 'The last one, that one stung!' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It was the 39th time in the modern era (since 1901) that a hitter got nailed three times in one game. It's happened to 34 different players — the only previous Reds batter was Derek Dietrich at Milwaukee on June 21, 2019. Two other major leaguers have been plunked three times in a game this season: Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams on May 31 at Arizona, and Colorado's Tyler Freeman on June 17 at Washington. Batting leadoff, Friedl finished 0 for 2 but scored twice in an 8-4 victory over the Mets. He expects to be in the lineup Saturday and joked that he didn't want a day off anyway. Toronto & GTA MMA Toronto & GTA Tennis Letters
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Infantino promises retractable roofs for 2026 FIFA World Cup, but can they douse the heat
Complaints of excessive heat have been soaring as much as the temperature itself at the Club World Cup, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino assured that stadiums with roofs will be used to ease concerns over severe weather at the World Cup in 2026. In a media conference at FIFA's new office in New York, he said: 'Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyse what can do better.' 'Of course the heat is an issue. Last year, at the Olympic Games in Paris, games during the day, in all sports, took place in very hot conditions. Cooling breaks are very important and we will see what we can do, but we have stadiums with roofs and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year,' he added. But there are two roadblocks. A) Only four of the stadiums in the US have retractable roofs. B) Many of them are NFL stadiums designed for winter—to retain the heat rather than out. Add the heavy watering of grass laid over the artificial turn and the humidity inside the stadium could rise. So the purpose of hosting games in indoor facilities could turn counterproductive, unless they are air-conditioned as it was in early stages of the Qatar World Cup in 2022. From more frequent breaks to rescheduling games to suit the weather than broadcast schedules, there has been a war-cry from players to coaches and officials to tame the heat that could potentially affect the marquee event next year. Not just football, baseball too was affected by stifling heat, triggered by a heat dome, which occurs when a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere acts as a reservoir that traps heat and humidity. A fortnight ago, Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners' Trent Thornton fell ill. De La Cruz vomited on the field with two outs in the fourth inning of Cincinnati's extra-inning loss at the St Louis Cardinals. 'I actually watched him. He drank a bunch of water. I mean a bunch,' Reds manager Terry Francona said. 'And then he went right out and got rid of it.' FIFPRO, the global representative organisation for 65,000 professional footballers have been repeatedly requesting FIFA to put commercial ambitions behind for players' safety. 'We clearly believe that from a health and safety perspective, this [extreme heat] is something that must take priority over commercial interests with regards to the safety of the players,' Alexander Bielefeld, director of policy and strategic relations, said on a conference call about extreme heat at the Club World Cup. 'Heat conditions are not happening in a vacuum. The debate on extreme heat is not happening in a vacuum. It's actually quite foreseeable.' he said. The organisation has been urging FIFA to lower the temperature at which cooling breaks are mandated to 78.8F on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature gauge (WBGT) and set a limit at which games are to be delayed or postponed at 82.4F. Some climatologists want to lower the threshold, taking into account the players' safety. Christopher Tyler, a reader in Environmental Physiology at the University of Roehampton, recently told The Athletic: 'FIFA would argue that it works because they haven't seen enough medical complications at that temperature or above, but the argument against that is that players are probably slowing down and changing how they are playing, so they're not getting ill. 32°C/89.6F is high compared to many other sports as a threshold from a safety point of view, but also, it will eventually compromise the quality of the game as well.' he said.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
All-Stars Abbott, De La Cruz help Reds beat Marlins 7-2, halt Miami's 11-game road winning streak
Cincinnati Reds' Noelvi Marte celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run homer during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Miami Marlins pitcher Valente Bellozo throws during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz celebrated in the dugout after Will Benson hit a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds' Noelvi Marte celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run homer during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Miami Marlins pitcher Valente Bellozo throws during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz celebrated in the dugout after Will Benson hit a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) CINCINNATI (AP) — Andrew Abbott pitched seven innings of shutout ball a day after being named an All-Star, Elly De La Cruz hit a pair of RBI doubles and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Marlins 7-2 on Wednesday night, snapping Miami's franchise-record 11-game road winning streak. Abbott (8-1) was named to the NL All-Star team on Tuesday, replacing Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Advertisement Against Miami, Abbott allowed one run on six hits and two walks while striking out five. The 26-year-old left-hander lost his shutout bid and left the game when Heriberto Hernández hit a two-out RBI single in the eighth. The Reds ended a four-game skid. The Reds scored three runs in the first and fourth innings with De La Cruz hitting RBI doubles in each. Noelvi Marte hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the season, in the fourth. Will Benson added his eighth homer in the eighth. Reds manager Terry Francona moved within three wins of his 2,000th career victory as a manager. Miami's Sandy Alcantara (4-9) gave up nine hits and six runs over five innings. Connor Norby hit his sixth homer of the year off Emilio Pagán in the ninth. Advertisement Key moment De La Cruz sparked a three-run first inning with an RBI double to get the Reds on the board. Austin Hays and Tyler Stephenson added RBI hits, and the Reds never looked back. Key stat Abbott has given up more than one earned run in just three of his 16 starts this season. Up next Miami's Cal Quantrill (3-7, 5.40) pitches against Cincinnati's Nick Lodolo (5-6, 3.58) on Thursday. ___ AP MLB:
