With torpedo bat, Elly De La Cruz has 7 RBIs, keys Reds' win - ESPN

CINCINNATI — Using the trendy torpedo bat for the first time, Elly De La Cruz had a single, double and two home runs for a career-high seven RBIs, as the Cincinnati Reds routed the Texas Rangers 14-3 on Monday night.

The torpedo model — a striking design in which wood is moved lower down the barrel after the label and shapes the end a little like a bowling pin — became the talk of Major League Baseball over the weekend, especially after some of the New York Yankees used the model in a resounding sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Aaron Leanhardt, a former physics professor at the University of Michigan who is being credited with the design, says «it's about the batter, not the bat,» though, and Reds first-year manager Terry Francona agrees.

«I think it's more the player than the bat,» Francona said of De La Cruz, Cincinnati's No. 3 hitter, adding that, «I said that before the game, and I still do.»

De La Cruz spoke with reporters after the win and was asked about his bat choice, and whether the 3-0 Yankees influenced his decision.

«No,» he said. «It was because of, 'How's it feel like?'» And then when asked if he'd use it again, he simply looked down at the podium and laughed.

It was that kind of night for the Reds, a much-needed effort for a club that dropped two of three games to the San Francisco Giants in the opening series of the season. Brady Singer pitched seven scoreless innings in his Cincinnati debut, and the Reds batted around in the sixth to double their lead to 12-0. And it all started with Matt McLain, who missed the 2024 season because of a shoulder injury. He hit his third home run of the season to give Cincinnati a 2-0 lead in the first.

All told, the 14 runs were Cincinnati's most since a 19-2 victory over