TORONTO – The more Elly De La Cruz runs, the faster he piles up history milestones.
On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds All-Star became just the seventh shortstop in major-league history to steal 60 bases in a season, when he beat a wide throw to third in the top of the fifth inning against the Blue Jays in Toronto. He then scored the tying run from third on a sharp grounder to the drawn-in shortstop, sliding past the swipe tag.
De La Cruz had gone a season-high 11 consecutive games without a steal until Wednesday.
The single-season list of steals by a shortstop is topped by Maury Wills, who had 104 in 1962, and it includes Hall of Famer Honus Wagner (61 in 1907).
“It seems like he does something new every week that nobody else has done in 100 years,” teammate Nick Lodolo said. “The guy is incredible.”
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Along the way, De La Cruz also became just the fifth player in MLB history to reach 20 home runs and 60 steals in the same season, and just the second since 1990 (Ronald Acuna Jr. did it last year).
The elite 20-60 list includes two other Reds:
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds, 2024 – 21 homers, 60 steals (36 games left)
Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves, 2023 – 41 homers, 73 steals
Rickey Henderson, Oakland A’s, 1990 – 28 homers, 65 steals
Eric Davis, Cincinnati Reds, 1986 – 27 homers, 80 steals
Rickey Henderson, New York Yankees, 1986 – 28 homers, 87 steals
Rickey Henderson, New York Yankees, 1985 – 24 homers, 80 steals
Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds, 1976 – 27 homers, 60 steals.
Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds, 1973 – 26 homers, 67 steals
De La Cruz’s milestone steal in the Reds’ 127th game puts him on pace for 77 stolen bases this season.
Wills, who also had 94 in 1965, and Jose Reyes (78 in 2007) are the only shortstops to ever steal that many in a season.
De La Cruz won’t say how many steals he thinks he might be able to get this year.
‘I’m just having fun,’ he said, ‘and trying to win.’
Only one shortstop besides Wills and Reyes has stolen 70 in a season: the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Frank Tavares with 70 in 1977.
The full list of 60-steal seasons for shortstops:
104 — Maury Wills, Dodgers, 1962
94 — Maury Wills, Dodgers, 1965
78 — Jose Reyes, Mets, 2007
70 — Frank Tavares, Pirates, 1977
64 — Jose Reyes, Mets, 2006
62 — Bert Campaneris, A’s, 1968
62 — Bert Campaneris, A’s, 1969
62 — Jonathan Villar, Brewers, 2016
61 — Honus Wagner, Pirates, 1907
60 — Jose Reyes, Mets, 2005
60* — Elly De La Cruz, Reds, 2024
*-On pace for 77.