MLB’s bat regulations are fairly lax. The “torpedo” bats are legal so long as they follow league Rule 3.02, which states: “The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.”

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.

Cincinnati Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, like every baseball player and fan, has heard all about the torpedo bat. And he wanted to see for himself what all the fuss was about. So, De La Cruz, in the lead-up to the Reds' game against the Texas Rangers on Monday night, took some practice hacks with the 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.

Matt McLain gets the Reds on the board with a no-doubt home run in the first inning vs. the Rangers.

Elly De La Cruz hit two tape-measure home runs, doubled, singled and drove in a career-high seven runs to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 14-3 rout of the visiting