De La Cruz makes more Reds history with first cycle since 1989

In the 15th game of his career, De La Cruz hit for the cycle on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at Great American Ball Park against the Atlanta Braves, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to record that feat and the first since Eric Davis in 1989.

De La Cruz led the Reds (41-35) to an 11-10 victory as the Braves (48-27) saw an eight-game winning streak end. The Reds have won 12 games in a row for the first time since 1957. The 12-game winning streak matches the longest of the modern era for the Reds.

“It’s just an honor and privilege to be with this team and organization,” De La Cruz told Jim Day, of Bally Sports Ohio, after the game as fans chanted his name. “To hear (the fans) scream for us, it’s just awesome. I’m so glad to be up in the major leagues right now. Best fans in the world we have right here.”

De La Cruz, who made his big-league debut on June 6, doubled in the first, homered in the third, singled in the fifth and tripled in the sixth. At that point, he was 4-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. He raised his average to .367 15 games into his big-league career.

At 21 years, 163 days, De La Cruz is the youngest player to hit for the cycle since César Cedeño, of the Astros, who was 21 years and 159 days old when he hit for the cycle in 1972.

The Reds overcame a 5-0 first-inning deficit thanks in part to the play of De La Cruz, plus two home runs by Joey Votto, to build an 11-7 lead through six innings.

Davis hit for the cycle on June 2, 1989, against the San Diego Padres at Riverfront Stadium. Davis doubled in the first, singled in the second, hit a three-run home run in the fourth and then tripled in the seventh. He went 4-for-4 with six RBIs in a 9-4 victory.

“He has the best potential in the league, the best tools in league,” manager Pete Rose said then.

Davis was the first Red since Frank Robinson on May 2, 1959, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, to hit for the cycle.

The other Reds to hit for the cycle were:

• Long John Reilly: Aug. 6, 1890, vs. Pittsburgh Innocents.

• Tom Parrott: Sept. 28, 1894, vs. New York Giants.

• Hernie Groh: July 5, 1915, vs. Chicago Cubs.

• Harry Craft: June 8, 1940, vs. Brooklyn Dodgers.