Cincinnati Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz is used to stealing bases whenever he wants to but during a key moment in Wednesday night's loss to the Seattle Mariners he was called out while trying to swipe second thanks to a rare call that he had nothing to do with.
This all happened in the bottom of the eighth with no outs in a two-run game. As De La Cruz broke toward second, Reds left fielder Austin Hays swung and missed on strike three. His momentum from the swing then caused him to fall toward home plate as the catcher made the throw to second. Umpire Chris Segal quickly called batter's interference on Hays, which meant De La Cruz was out, too.
This isn't something you see every day at the MLB level, but it seemed like the right call despite some fans being upset about it:
Elly De La Cruz was called out because of batter’s interference here on Austin Hays.
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) April 17, 2025
No idea what Hays is supposed to do here.
Ump show. #Reds pic.twitter.com/zzCVIHqPYg
While the announcers wondered if contact had been made between the hitter and the catcher, that doesn't need to happen for the call to be made. The rule states that if the batter does anything to hinder the catcher's attempt to make a throw, then the batter is out. The runner would have to return to his previous base, unless it happened on a strike three call. Then the runner is out, too.
De La Cruz led the league in steals last season with 67. This year he has just four through 18 games. The Reds fell to 9-9 with the 5-3 loss.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Elly De La Cruz Was Called Out for Strangest of Reasons While Trying to Steal Second.
