Elly De La Cruz hits a home run and leads Cincinnati to victory over Detroit

SANTO DOMINGO. – Dominican Elly De La Cruz once again displayed his offensive power by hitting his ninth home run of the season, contributing to the Cincinnati Reds’ 9-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

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De La Cruz’s hit, a two-run homer in the second inning, extended Cincinnati’s lead and set the course of the game. The Reds’ offense also featured Sal Stewart, who hit a three-run home run and drove in five runs, in addition to home runs by Nathaniel Lowe and TJ Friedl. With this result, Cincinnati improves its record to 18-9, placing them nine games above .500 for the first time since 2003, representing their best start to a season in more than two decades. De La Cruz and Stewart became only the second pair of teammates in franchise history, since 1900, to connect at least nine home runs each before the month of May, matching a feat achieved by Austin Kearns and Adam Dunn in 2003. In the mound, right-handed Brady Singer (2-1) worked for 5.1 innings, allowing eight hits and two runs, both the result of solo home runs. For Detroit, rookie Kevin McGonigle opened the game with a home run and extended his on-base streak to 23 games. Tigers’ opener, Jack Flaherty (0-2), took the loss after allowing six earned runs and three home runs, in a difficult outing for the right-hander. With his outstanding performance, De La Cruz continues to establish himself as one of Cincinnati’s leading offensive figures at the start of the 2026 season.