Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz made a very famous fan on Saturday: Milwaukee Brewers guest commentator Snoop Dogg.
The legendary rapper was the guest of honor at American Family Field for the Reds-Brewers game on Saturday, where he threw out a perfectly acceptable first pitch and met the home team in the clubhouse. He then stepped into the Bally Sports Wisconsin booth with Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder and provided his signature vocals, culminating at the end of the second inning.
Brewers second baseman Brice Turang hit a well-placed grounder that looked like a potential infield single, then De La Cruz made an incredible sidearm throw across his body to catch it with a step. Snoop Dogg was impressed, to say the least:
“Oh, he’s safe, he can’t throw. He doesn’t have an arm like that. No, he doesn’t!” the rapper said enthusiastically as the throw came in. “Who’s that with the rocket? Oh lord, he’s got a rocket in his pocket. Oh, he made that.”
De La Cruz’s bat has been up and down since he made his MLB debut last year, but his raw tools clearly stood out as one of the best in the MLB, most notably his speed (he entered Saturday leading the MLB with 34 stolen bases) and, as you can see above, his arm.
Snoop Dogg stayed around for the third inning, providing Brewers star Christian Yelich with some coaching on the basepaths.
The Brewers then won 3-1 on a three-run homerun by Joey Ortiz.
Few things can beat the genuine enthusiasm for a sport in the booth, whether it’s from a career broadcaster or a relative novice, and that’s what Snoop Dogg has delivered. We’ll see if he gets another chance to commentate on baseball.
