There was a bird on the field during Sunday’s matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.
The bird didn’t seem particularly interested in going anywhere. To be fair to the bird, it was in foul territory with what must’ve seemed like gigantic human beings hovering over it. If it was spooked, no one could blame it. There’s also a chance the bird was injured and couldn’t fly very far on its own, which would be sad.
Regardless, the teams didn’t want to play on until the bird was taken care of. Letting it just roam around near the foul line probably wasn’t the best idea.
That’s when Elly De La Cruz took notice. He had been in the dugout, probably contemplating his next at bat, when the bird caught his eye.
Using that signature athleticism, De La Cruz burst out of the dugout, reached down, and snatched the bird.
Elly De La Cruz With a Bird
The video is a fun watch:
Elly de la Cruz: Bird Man. š¦¹ pic.twitter.com/PXXroiKAS4
ā Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 6, 2026
It’s not immediately clear where De La Cruz put the bird once he had it, but it does seem like every team has a guy for something like this.
It was just pretty adorable to see Elly confidently burst out to make a play on this bird.
Reds Start Fast
It had been a fast start to the game for the Reds even before the bird took the stage.
They had gotten off to a 4-0 lead over the NL Central-leading Brewers. Yes, Milwaukee eventually chipped away at that lead, but things were turning up Cincinnati’s way in the early-afternoon game.
Tyler Stephenson delivered in the bottom of the first inning when he knocked an RBI single for a 1-0 lead.
Then in the second, De La Cruz drove in a run on a fielder’s choice. Sal Stewart followed with a sacrifice fly.
In the third, new guy Juan Brito smoked an RBI double to put the Reds up 4-0.
Not long after the Brewers pulled within 4-3, De La Cruz used his bird powers to lift off with a two-run homer.
Even as the Reds have struggled, it’s been a strong season for De La Cruz. He entered the day with an .840 OPS, which would be a career-high if it holds.
Elly has 22 homers and 24 steals through 123 games entering Sunday, and he has shown an improved consistency over some moments earlier in his career.
He still has a flair for the fun, too, as he showed with this bird. Once in a while, an animal takes attention on an MLB field. It’s a bit of levity during a long season. On this particular Sunday, it was a little bird, and it was a lanky athlete in Elly De La Cruz, and they shared a cute moment before the baseball game continued.
Reds’ Elly De La Cruz Saves Bird in Middle of MLB Game