Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz not solely performed towards the Chicago Cubs on Sunday after being knowledgeable in regards to the loss of life of his older sister, Genelis De La Cruz Sanchez, he additionally honored her reminiscence each on his gear and together with his play on the sector. 

De La Cruz, who had “RIP” written on his cleats and hat, took a timeout earlier than his first at-bat to assemble himself. He then singled off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon. Later, within the sixth, De La Cruz launched his twelfth house run of the season. He pointed to the sky after which made a coronary heart gesture together with his two fingers as he crossed the plate. Have a look:

De La Cruz, 23, didn’t converse to the press earlier than the sport. Supervisor Terry Francona, nevertheless, advised reporters that De La Cruz insisted on enjoying on Sunday. “We simply advised him we’ll assist no matter he must do,” Francona stated. “He desires to play at the moment after which we’ll go from there.”

As famous by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, media reviews within the Dominican Republic acknowledged that Genelis had handed away after a chronic battle with unspecified well being issues.

Main League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Settlement stipulates that gamers are allowed to be positioned on the bereavement checklist for at least three days and a most interval of every week. It is unclear at this stage if De La Cruz will likely be assigned that designation. 

De La Cruz entered Sunday hitting .252/.324/.439 (104 OPS+) with 11 house runs, 40 runs batted in, and 17 stolen bases on 22 makes an attempt. Final yr, he completed eighth in Nationwide League Most VAluable Participant Award voting after recording 25 house runs and 67 stolen bases.

The Reds misplaced Sunday’s recreation 7-3 to the Cubs (field rating).