Elly De La Cruz is still working toward his first promotion to the major leagues, but he did something at Louisville Slugger Field on Tuesday that no MLB player has accomplished in the last nine years.
De La Cruz, the Cincinnati Reds’ star prospect, had two home runs and a double in Triple-A Louisville’s 10-9 comeback win over the Columbus Clippers. What made his night unique was how hard he hit the ball, registering exit velocities of 118.8 mph (double), 117.1 mph (428-foot homer) and 116.6 mph (456-foot homer).
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It was the first time any player – or even any MLB team – hit three balls at an exit velocity above 116 mph in the same game since Statcast began recording data in 2015, according to MLB.