Elly De La Cruz's homer is his career-best 26th of the season. Harry How / Getty ImagesSept. 10, 2026 Updated 12:22 am EDTCincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a home run for the fifth straight game Wednesday, his career-best 26th of the season.Batting left-handed against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto leading off the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium, De La Cruz jumped on Yamamoto’s first pitch of the inning, a 97.4 mph four-seam fastball, and hit it 403 feet to left-center field to cut the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.The five-game homer streak is the longest of De La Cruz’s career and is tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history, behind only Joey Votto, who homered in seven straight games in 2021.
Over the streak, De La Cruz has hit three homers from the left side and two from the right side. With the home run, he beat his own club record for most home runs by a switch hitter, set in 2024.
MAKE THAT FIVE STRAIGHT GAMES WITH AN ELLY HOMER ⚡️@ellylacocoa18 pic.twitter.com/qhYrLau7zi
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 10, 2026Coming into the season, De La Cruz had hit just 13 of his 60 career homers from the right side. This year, 10 of his 26 home runs have come from the right side. De La Cruz entered Wednesday’s game hitting .283/.362/.506 overall but .350/.417/.657 as a right-handed hitter.The 24-year-old is having the best season of his career, with a 5.0 bWAR and a 5.5 fWAR, sixth and second in the National League.It comes the night after his arm overshadowed his bat, when his relay throw that was measured at 105.3 mph from center field drew comparisons to Hall of Famers Dave Parker and Roberto Clemente from Reds manager Terry Francona.
