Friday, February 28, 2025, 2:10AM |  42°
MENU
Advertisement
Oneil Cruz #61 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks off the field in the second inning of his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on Oct. 2, 2021.
4
MORE

Pirates surge to exciting victory over Reds, as Oneil Cruz makes MLB debut

Justin Berl / Getty Images

Pirates surge to exciting victory over Reds, as Oneil Cruz makes MLB debut

Oneil Cruz yanked the bright red batting gloves from his gigantic hands after the fifth inning had finally finished Saturday, the Pirates prospect upset after chasing three pitches out of the zone and striking out with two outs and the bases loaded.

As Cruz, the 6-foot-7 shortstop who’s equal parts talented and unique, walked slowly up the third-base line, the PNC Park crowd began to erupt. Many of the announced 22,910 were there to see Cruz make his MLB debut and were eager to voice their appreciation following a six-run Pirates outburst.

While the Pirates’ 8-6 victory over the Reds did not happen solely because of the oversized, fun-loving Cruz, he was responsible for much of the buzz that permeated the ballpark on this beautiful October evening.

Advertisement

He obliterated a ball for a single in the seventh inning. It traveled 118.2 mph, which marks the hardest-hit ball by a Pirates player in the Statcast Era (2015-present), and it took Cruz fewer than two hours to claim that honor. Cruz finished with two singles in five at-bats, drove in a run, scored once and flashed his terrific arm on a double-play turn.

The Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes hits a single during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 26, 2021 in Philadelphia.
Mike Persak
Ke'Bryan Hayes discusses most recent hand injury, personal position among Pirates rebuild

“I truly believe that I belong here,” a confident Cruz said through team translator Mike Gonzalez. “I’m looking forward to being a part of this big league team.”

Saturday was easily the best crowd of the season, with lines snaking around PNC Park roughly 30 minutes before first pitch. Parts of it even felt like — gasp — a playoff atmosphere; with Cruz and Roansy Contreras making their MLB debuts this past week, it doesn’t seem crazy to think this level of excitement might be routine in a couple years.

If that happens, it’s hard to see how it doesn’t involve Cruz, the player the Pirates have joked looks like what would happen if Kevin Durant was born in the Dominican Republic and decided to play baseball.

Advertisement

Cruz has power. He runs like the wind. His arm could shatter glass with a tennis ball. And the guy never, ever seems to stop smiling.

“He hit a ball 118 [mph],” Bryan Reynolds said. “Threw the bat at it and hit it that hard. That’s unheard of. He’s a special talent. He’s gonna be fun to watch.”

That the Pirates brought him here was supposed to be a reward for Cruz maturing this season and being more accountable, manager Derek Shelton explained.

It also hasn’t hurt that Cruz has been tearing up Class AAA. In 68 minor-league games this season between Class AA Altoona and Class AAA Indianapolis, Cruz hit .310 (84 for 271) with 16 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs, 47 RBIs and a .970 OPS.

Pirates starter Wil Crowe pitches against the Reds at PNC Park on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.
Jason Mackey
Analysis: How might Wil Crowe and Cole Tucker fit into the Pirates’ future?

After he was promoted Sept. 20, Cruz hit .524 (11 for 21) with five home runs, a .655 on-base percentage and a 1.941 in six games with the Indians.

“I began this season making some adjustments,” Cruz said. “I’ve had some teammates and coaches that have been pouring into me. Being able to speed up my game and play my game a bit quicker has helped me out a lot this year. It feels great that the team trusted me with the opportunity.”

As entertaining as Cruz was to watch, the winning run came from an even bigger — not physically, that would be hard — Pirates pillar in Reynolds. With the score tied at 6 in the bottom of the sixth, Reynolds ripped a 1-0 fastball from Reds reliever Tony Santillan into right for his MLB-high-tying eighth triple of the season.

That gave the Pirates a 7-6 lead, and it was the third of four hits for Reynolds on the night. Reynolds is now hitting .483 (14 for 29) over his past nine games.

“We’re seeing a guy who is a premier hitter that right now is really locked in at the plate,” Shelton said.

Down 5-0 at the time, the Pirates’ fifth-inning rally started with singles from Ben Gamel and Jacob Stallings before Cruz, in his second at-bat, drove a full-count splitter from Reds starter Tyler Mahle through the right side for a single, allowing Gamel to score.

Wilmer Difo, who began the game tied for second in the majors with 15 pinch hits, drove in two more runs with No. 16, a triple that he crushed to the right-center field gap. Cruz motored around the bases and nearly caught Stallings by the time he scored.

Cole Tucker’s infield single netted a fourth run, and Michael Chavis put the Pirates in front, 6-5, with his two-run double down the left-field line.

After Gamel singled and Stallings walked, Cruz had a chance to do more damage with two outs and the bases loaded. However, Cruz swung at three consecutive pitches out of the zone, the second two sliders in the dirt, and struck out to end the inning.

Cruz struck out twice with two outs and the bases juiced, but it was also hardly enough to dull what was an extremely fun night at the ballpark. For Cruz and pretty much anybody who happened to watch.

“When I got on that field and began to stretch, I felt nothing but excitement,“ Cruz said. “I just wanted to stand at shortstop. I was really excited to get going and to be a part of this game.”

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published: October 2, 2021, 10:06 p.m.
Updated: October 3, 2021, 3:40 a.m.

RELATED
Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin and catcher Jacob Stallings talk with pitcher Mitch Keller as they take on the Royals in the first inning Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at PNC Park. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
Mike Persak
Pitching coach Oscar Marin offers his takeaways for Pirates staff in 2021
SHOW COMMENTS (33)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler delivers in the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
1
sports
3 takeaways from Pirates’ lopsided spring training victory over Twins
An example of a Real ID-compliant non-commercial driver's license in Pennsylvania.
2
news
The Real ID deadline is approaching. Here's what Pennsylvanians should know.
FILE - Demonstrators protest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) layoffs in front of the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Feb. 18, 2025.
3
news
Judge finds mass firings of federal probationary workers to likely be unlawful
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, left, and general manager Omar Khan stand on the field before an NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
4
sports
2025 NFL salary cap will rise to $279 million. Here's what that means for the Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Arthur Smith walks off the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Ravens won 28-14.
5
sports
Joe Starkey: Was Steelers GM Omar Khan kidding with his Arthur Smith comments?
Oneil Cruz #61 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks off the field in the second inning of his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on Oct. 2, 2021.  (Justin Berl / Getty Images)
Bryan Reynolds (10) and Cole Tucker celebrate after scoring on a double by Michael Chavis off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Justin Wilson during the fifth inning Oct. 2, 2021, at PNC Park.  (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press )
Michael Chavis doubles off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Justin Wilson, driving in two runs, during the fifth inning Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at PNC Park.  (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press )
Pirates manager Derek Shelton stands on the top of the dugout steps during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 10, 2021.  (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)
Justin Berl / Getty Images
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story