Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz appeared to hesitate on a relay to home plate as the New York Yankees‘ Ben Rice scored on a sacrifice fly in the 5th inning by Anthony Volpe.
Fanduel Sports Network analyst Barry Larkin, a National Baseball Hall of Famer and former Reds great, said De La Cruz’s indecision over where to throw could’ve been avoided.
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“Elly’s back is to the play, so the assumption’s that the runner is tagging,” Larkin said. “And the throw just comes in (late). There’s got to be a lot of communication. They’ve got to be screaming at Elly because his back is to the play. He can’t forecast that.”
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz attempts to field the ball against the New York Yankees
“Yeah, but that’s where his teammates need to be telling him, ‘Home! Home! Home!'” play-by-play announcer John Sadak said.
“Correct,” Larkin added. “Yeah, Elly’s back is to that runner at third base. And you don’t want to assume anything. But I’m assuming he just reacted to the crowd – the crowd noise.”
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Reds manager Terry Francona met with De La Cruz to discuss his baserunning gaffe during Cincinnati’s 5-4 win in extra innings, and De La Cruz vowed that it wouldn’t happen again.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Barry Larkin blames poor communication for Elly De La Cruz hesitation