Skip to main content

Nationals manager 'didn't like' Elly De La Cruz's 'antics' after home run: 'We can do without that'

Cincinnati Reds rookie phenom Elly De La Cruz got the last laugh after a mammoth home run on Wednesday, and Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez was not happy.

Elly De La Cruz got the last laugh on Wednesday night, but Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez wants him to tone it down a bit.

The Nats had the Cincinnati Reds rookie phenom's bat checked during his second-inning at-bat, as a tracking device was on it.

Umpires told him to remove it, despite it being legal, but De La Cruz got his satisfaction.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

In his next at-bat, he blasted a 455-foot home run, and he did not let the Nats' bench forget what they did prior.

De La Cruz turned to look at the Nationals dugout and pointed to the knob of his bat, which had the device, as part of his taunt.

Martinez says De La Cruz should have just kept it moving.

"I love the way he plays the game, but I didn’t like his antics after he hit the home run. We can do without that. He’s only got two weeks in the big leagues. But he’s gonna be a good player," Martinez said after the game.

METS ROOKIE KICKSTARTS DRAMATIC 9TH-INNING COMEBACK AS NEW YORK FIGHTS FOR POSTSEASON PUSH

The World Series-winning manager said he was all good with the device when umps deemed it legal, and he said he was not "trying to penalize" De La Cruz or the Reds.

Martinez was a bit off in his words on De La Cruz, however - he has one month in the big leagues, and he is making the most of it.

The Reds are 21-6 since they called up their top prospect, who is hitting .318 with a .892 OPS since joining the big leagues. In his 15th MLB game, he hit for the cycle

Cincinnati is one of baseball's biggest surprises this season, as they lead the NL Central with their 48-39 record. They took down the Nats, 9-2, thanks to De La Cruz's 3-for-6 night.

De La Cruz certainly brings a new flavor to the diamond, and it is certainly working for the Reds.

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.