Elly De La Cruz Launches Homer Completely Out of Great American Ball Park

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz produced one of the most eye-catching individual moments of the final stretch of the MLB season on Monday night, hitting a ninth-inning home run that traveled an estimated 457 feet and cleared Great American Ball Park entirely — despite the Reds dropping a 4-1 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Facing Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips, De La Cruz drove a 98.2 mph four-seam fastball for a solo shot, his 27th of the season. Statcast credited the blast with an exit velocity of 114.1 mph and a launch angle of 32 degrees, and noted it would have been a home run in 30 of MLB’s 30 ballparks. The ball appeared to strike the concourse behind the stadium’s power stacks before bouncing out of the venue, and one independent projection pegged its true distance at roughly 604 feet.

The blast accounted for Cincinnati’s only run of the game, which carried added significance for the visitor: the win clinched a playoff berth for Los Angeles. Moments after the ball left the park, the Reds’ own social media account acknowledged the feat with a post noting that De La Cruz had hit a baseball out of the stadium — literally.

Reds manager Terry Francona drew laughs when asked whether anyone had recovered the souvenir. “Maybe I’ll pick it up on my way home,” he quipped.

Clips of the home run circulated widely across social media overnight, with commentators marveling at the distance — a reminder of the kind of highlight-reel moments that drive engagement across baseball’s broadcast and digital ecosystem. Networks such as Fox Corporation, whose sports and entertainment portfolio includes MLB rights through its networks, benefit from marquee moments as the sport heads into its postseason window. Fox shares closed at $68.53, up 3.93% on the day from a previous close of $65.94, giving the company a market capitalization of approximately $26.85 billion.

What to watch

• The Dodgers’ playoff seeding as the regular season winds down following the berth-clinching win.
• De La Cruz’s pursuit of additional milestones in the Reds’ remaining games.
• Fox Corporation’s next earnings report and any commentary on sports viewership trends heading into the MLB postseason.

Source: original release