The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 11-7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night despite a historic performance from shortstop O’Neil Cruz.
The powerful slugger finished with 2 hits in 5 at-bats, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. In the loss, he hit his 8th home run of the season. Not only did Cruz’s home run make the final score that much more respectable, but it also made him a part of team history.
According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
O’Neill Cruise
117.7 mph
Statcast’s Most Powerful Pirates Home Runs (2015)
O’Neill Cruise
117.7 mph
Statcast’s Most Powerful Pirates Home Runs (2015)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 7, 2024
Maybe the home run will also help Cruz get out of a slump. He’s batting .177 over his past 15 games and .207 over his past seven games. This year he’s batting .244 with eight homers, 23 RBI and five stolen bases.
While the numbers aren’t great right now, it’s good to see Cruz back on the field after missing most of the season after breaking his ankle last April.
Cruz is one of the best pure athletic players in baseball after his debut in 2021. He had a breakout year in 2022, hitting 17 home runs in just 87 games.
The loss dropped the Pirates to 29-33, putting them in last place in the National League Central, a division that remains in a tight race, with Pittsburgh just 7.0 games out of first place.
The Pirates are back in action on Friday night against the Minnesota Twins, with first pitch at 6:40pm ET, featuring Joe Ryan (Minnesota) facing off against Mitch Keller.
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