Nationals manager Dave Martinez detailed his decision to ask the umpires to check Elly De La Cruz’s bat in the second inning of Wednesday’s 9-2 loss to the Reds. Martinez also said that he “didn’t like his antics” that De La Cruz pointed to his bat after hitting a home run after the bat check. Here’s what you need to know:
- Martinez said he didn’t try to punish De La Cruz by speaking to the umpires: “I love the way he’s playing the game. I didn’t like his antics after the home run. We can do without that. He only has two weeks in the big leagues. But he will be a good player.”
- De La Cruz hit a 455-foot home run in the fifth inning at Nationals Park after bat inspection after Martinez asked about the housing for a sensor on the bottom of De La Cruz’s bat.
- The problem caused a brief delay, and the umpires ordered De La Cruz to remove the sleeve for an at-bat – which failed him – before De La Cruz was allowed to put it back on.
What you say
Martinez said “it’s not a big problem” and that he “just wanted to know what it was” as far as the housing of the sensor was concerned.
“I know what the device is, but I’ve never seen anyone wear it during a game,” Martinez said of the device used to take racquet swing metrics.
“They checked it out and when they came back and said to me, ‘Hey, it’s legal,’ everything was fine,” Martinez said. “It was over. It was done. … I’m not going to make a big deal out of it.”
Reds manager David Bell explained that the button on De La Cruz’s bat was approved by the MLB, but the umpires initially had no record of it and “on the second hit it was settled.”
Bell also praised the 21-year-old, saying: “Elly played great, he plays in a good way with a lot of emotion and joy, but he’s also great at channeling that properly.” … I thought it was impressive how he did that tonight.”
De La Cruz appearance and celebrations
Nothing in his first month in the big leagues seemed to upset De La Cruz. De La Cruz actually looked excited at batting in his second inning, and kept adjusting his grip on his bottom hand before striking. But that one Batting Wednesday was the only time so far he’s looked no less than being touted as the most exciting player in the game. De La Cruz has done exactly what he’s done so far this season: react. Not only did he hit a home run, he added two doubles and even stole his 11th base of the season.
De La Cruz has been hitting a home run since the minor leagues, which also saw him dab with third-base coach. He celebrates almost everything he does on the field by flipping his racquet and showing four fingers on each hand to represent his No. 44 jersey on his first home run of his career. There were some who questioned showing emotion, but his manager Bell encouraged him to express himself and play loose. So far it seems to be the right way. – Rosecrans
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(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)