Rather than a triple, De La Cruz launched a 436-foot homer, his second of the night, that left the bat at more than 110 mph. No, that does not count as a cycle, but a night with two homers, a double and a single (and a stolen base, for good measure) for a career-high seven RBIs is objectively better than a cycle.

Elly De La Cruz had his breakout game of 2025 Monday night. It also happened to be the first night he used the so-called 'torpedo bat.'

It took four games but the Reds found the full throttle for their offense, with both their little engine -- Matt McLain \-\- and their big engine -- Elly De La Cruz \-\- combining forces to provide the power.