There are certain names that pop up that emphasize a particular feat on a baseball diamond as remarkably impressive.
Lou Gehrig is one of those names, and that’s the company that Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz is keeping lately.
De La Cruz just did something so rare that it hasn’t been accomplished in Major League Baseball since Gehrig did it for the New York Yankees nearly 100 years ago.
The game has obviously changed a lot, but the idea that the statistics of this sport tie it back into eras so long in the past is a remarkable feature of baseball.
And it really emphasizes just how remarkable De La Cruz has been down the stretch of this season.
Elly De La Cruz Makes Baseball History
De La Cruz is currently on a 23-game on-base streak, which is impressive but not the history he made.
The history comes from his exact statistical combination during the 23-game streak, which was shared by OptaStats.
In the 23 games, De La Cruz has:
- 21 singles
- 10 doubles
- 8 home runs
- 23 runs scored
- 10 walks
- 4 stolen bases
It’s a combination of six stats that has not been matched in a 23-game stretch in MLB history since Gehrig.
OptaStats writes that Gehrig did it in June 1930. That’s 96 years ago.
Elly De La Cruz during his 23-game on-base streak:
21 singles
10 doubles
8 home runs
23 runs scored
10 walks
4 stolen basesOnly one other MLB player in the modern era has reached all of those marks over any 23-game span: Lou Gehrig (June 9-30, 1930). pic.twitter.com/sRH9xJpAhc
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 17, 2026
Interestingly enough, that 1930 season was one of the rare years back then that the Yankees didn’t even reach the World Series. And in those days, either you won the American League pennant or you missed the playoffs entirely — there were no earlier rounds.
So despite Gehrig’s incredible feat, the Yankees missed the playoffs in 1930. And the Reds are comfortably missing the playoffs in 2026.
Of course, that’s not the part of the parallel anyone in Cincinnati wants to focus on. It’s worth simply appreciating how good De La Cruz has been.
Elly’s Future
The question that will begin to be more and more on the minds in Cincinnati is that of the future of De La Cruz.
His agent Scott Boras is already making noise about the fact that down the road, he doesn’t think De La Cruz will sign an early contract extension with the Reds.
That puts pressure on the Reds to ensure their roster is competitive sooner rather than later — both to impress Elly but also to make the most of the time they still have with him.
In various ways, De La Cruz is a historically special baseball player. At least for a few more years it seems, he’ll be doing that in a Reds uniform.
Reds’ Elly De La Cruz Makes Baseball History Only Done by Lou Gehrig