Move over, Elly De La Cruz, there’s another young star ready to share the spotlight in Cincinnati.
De La Cruz, the Cincinnati Reds’ multi-talented shortstop, has been making headlines since his MLB debut Tuesday, and he hit a mammoth 458-foot blast for his first MLB home run Wednesday night.
That opened the scoring for the Reds, and 24-year-old outfielder Will Benson provided the perfect bookend to the night, hitting his first MLB home run in the ninth for a walk-off 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Benson’s two-run shot off Evan Phillips gave the Reds their second straight walk-off against the Dodgers.
Benson is batting just .189 in 106 at-bats since his MLB debut in August, so this will provide a definite boost to his confidence. While he has not been making headlines like De La Cruz, he’s a former first-round pick by Cleveland (No. 14 overall) in 2016). So maybe Benson is just now putting it all together.
“It could not happen to a better guy,” Reds manager David Bell said after the game. “He’s really starting to play with confidence, as he should. He’s a good player, sometimes it just takes a little time to settle in. We know what he’s capable of.
“He’s extremely well liked and respected on this team. It was a great and much-deserved celebration because he’s been working so hard at it.”
Reds fans were ecstatic after the win, happy for Benson — and for the first time in a long time, optimistic about the future.
I love this team
— Vincent T. Nerone (@vn2saints) June 8, 2023
Man… this team is gonna be fun
— Brady Helms (@BradyHelms) June 8, 2023
I’m so happy for him
— Jack Knauf (@JackKnauf13) June 8, 2023