McCoy: De La Cruz’s two HRs, including inside-the-park sprint, lead Reds past Brewers

They finally held off the Brewers, 10-8.

The big bat was swung by Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz, one on a trot and one on a blinding speed sprint around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

First, he unloaded a mammoth 450-foot home run that nearly broke out a window in the faux steamboat atop the grass behind the center field wall.

Then he hit a line drive that skipped past diving center fielder Sal Frelick and De La Cruz sprinted around the bases for his first career inside-the-park home run. And he scored four runs.

He scored one from first base on a bunt by Santiago Espinal when Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz threw the ball away and De La Cruz used his world-class leg work to blaze the basepaths.

And after the game, he did his first post-game interview with Bally Sports Ohio in English.

“When I see him miss that ball, I said, ‘I’m going home,’” he said. “Doesn’t matter what happens, I’m going home. Running, that’s my favorite part. I enjoy that, every moment, and that was electric.”

And the 450-footer on which he stood briefly and watched the baseball disappear into the cool night air?

“Three-and-two count … I was looking for a fastball and he (pitcher J.B. Bukauskas) threw me a fastball and I didn’t miss it,” he said in near-perfect English, his hat turned backward and his gold necklace reflecting the stadium lights. “I didn’t miss it.”

It was the first inter-divisional game for both teams. The Reds lost 10 of 13 to the Brewers last season and had lost 28 of the previous 38.

“I mean, they won a lot of games against us last year,” said De La Cruz. “This year, we’re gonna win a lot of games against them. We’re gonna get them. It’s like a battle against them. We’ve put in a lot of work and we’re not going to give up.”

Four Brewers errors in the first four inning led to eight runs, four unearned, and it appeared this one would be a laugher.

But it turned into a grimace when the Brewers hammered away and pulled within 9-8 in the seventh inning.

All the runs mayhem came after a double dose of disheartening news hit the Reds before the game.

It was revealed that pitcher Tejay Antone suffered a torn tendon and partially torn ligament in his elbow. It will require his third Tommy John surgery, ending his season and perhaps his career.

And Jonathan India was hit by a line drive off his leg during Monday’s batting practice, suffering a contusion that removed him from the lineup.

Didn’t matter.

The Reds, aided by the four errors, jumped all over Milwaukee left-hander Aaron Ashby, who missed all of 2023 with a shoulder injury and was making his first start in eight months and one start on rehab in Triple-A.

And during that splurge, Will Benson hit his first home run against a left-handed pitcher while wearing a Reds uniform.

The Brewers, though, didn’t make it a total eclipse.

Given the 8-0 lead, Reds starter Graham Ashcraft couldn’t enjoy the early avalanche, despite holding the Brewers to one infield hit through four innings.

The Brewers scored three in the fifth and three in the sixth and rid themselves of Ashcraft.

After the Brewers scored three in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run home run by Brice Turang, De La Cruz hit his first home run, the 450-footer.

Stuart Fairchild went above the wall to rob Willy Adames of a home run leading off the sixth. Ashcraft, though, didn’t take advantage of it.

Sal Frelick singled and Ashcraft struck out Rhys Hoskins … two outs, one on. The next three Brewers reached, including a two-run double bv Turang, his fourth RBI of the game and a throwing error by Ashcraft that permitted Turang to score.

Suddenly, it was 9-6 and the Brewers were not finished. Christian Yelich ripped a two-run home run off relief pitcher Justin Wilson and it was 9-8.

De La Cruz’s inside-the-parker, finished with a head-first slide, gave Reds closer Alexis Diaz an extra run to work with.

And Diaz made it squirmy for the Reds in the ninth. He retired the first hitter, then issued a full-count walk. With two outs, he hit Frelick with a pitch.

That put the potential tying runs on base and the potential go-ahead run at home plate in the personage of Hoskins. Hoskins flied to right and the wild, wild night was over.