Finally. Finally. Finally!
There had to be few things on the entire planet Friday night that felt better than the home run hit by Elly De La Cruz for the Cincinnati Reds.
The incredibly talented star had not homered since July 31, a span of nearly 200 plate appearances.
But with the Reds trying to chase down the NL's final Wild Card spot, and with Elly given a chance to make an impact, he finally left the yard.
As he crossed home plate, he extended his arms high toward the sky (pictured above), surely filled with relief that he still possessed the talent to go deep in a big league game.
Catharsis in the most crucial of moments, as the Reds have no time to spare.
The New York Mets won on Friday, too, so the Reds remain two games out of the final spot. If the Mets don't lose at least a few, the Reds have no chance.
But if the Mets falter, as they've been known to do, Cincinnati can sneak in.
The Reds have eight games left to play. That's enough time, just, to make it happen.
And it'll feel more feasible now that the craziest drought De La Cruz will likely ever have in his entire career is now over.
If there are more home runs to come with a hot streak, great. But even if not, De La Cruz has knocked that incredibly overweight monkey off his bat. He'll be feeling much looser the rest of the way.
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