Collecting Game-used: Elly De La Cruz via bargain bin? (Yep.)

Elly De La Cruz. That was a name I'd hope for -- but never expect -- from the mystery bargain bin ... but here we are.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is another from a $30 blind grab-bag kind -- picking only from the known date and teams -- and while I totally did not know it was Pup Night at PNC Park (see the gallery) I did know that both squads have some young notables in play in 2024. There's no Paul Skenes action on this day, of course, as he pitched the day before this one but I knew there would be potential for a price that's close to as cheap as it gets for a game-used baseball.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

THE BASICS ...
Game-used ball (MLB Authenticated): Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, June 18, 2024
Watch it in action: All four pitches via the MLB Film Room below.

-

..

-

..

-

..

-

..

-

The matchup: Pirates SP Bailey Falter vs. Reds OF Stuart Fairchild and Reds SS Elly De La Cruz in the sixth inning of a 2-1 Reds victory
The results: A fly-out one-pitch at-bat for Fairchild and three pitches to De La Cruz -- all above.

What's Buzz-worthy: This one starts off with a fly ball fielded by center fielder Michael A. Taylor to start the inning -- one pitch, one out -- and then it turned to the All-Star for two watching and then one that almost got away from catcher Jason Delay. If you watched the videos you know that. The ball went out of play after that extra airtime, so it wasn't further used in a De La Cruz strikeout but solid contact and then some use against a notable name should make this better than a bargain-bin ball if you ask me. (And I've seen a lot of teams' asking prices on even the mundane stuff like ball in the dirt ... or even un-used but prepped-for-play balls. They can often be higher.) Ultimately, both hitters here had 0-fers, though De La Cruz had a walk -- but surprisingly no stolen base (he's got a lot of those this year) from a game just 70 days ago. Falter got the loss in this one despite going seven innings while Cincy's Nick Lodolo did the same for the win thanks to a two-run homer from Santiago Espinal.

--

>> See all past Collecting Game-used stories from Buzz here

--

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com