Because of Oneil Cruz’s nearly unmatched means to hit the ball laborious, the Pittsburgh Pirates erased a four-run ninth inning deficit in opposition to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, and walked off with a 7-6 win in 10 innings (field rating). Rookie infielder Nick Gonzales was the hero with a walk-off single again up the center.
As for Cruz, he did one thing that no participant had ever accomplished within the Statcast period (since 2015) and possibly by no means earlier than in baseball historical past. He hit two balls with a 120 mph exit velocity. The primary, a 120.4 mph line drive, went for a first-inning single. The second was an absurd 121.5 mph laser that tied the sport with two outs within the ninth inning. Have a look at this rocket:
The 120 mph exit velocity threshold is hallowed floor. Solely a handful of gamers have — and may — hit a baseball that arduous. Clearly Cruz is certainly one of them. And never solely did Cruz develop into the primary participant with two 120 mph batted balls in a single recreation Tuesday, he’s now certainly one of solely two gamers with a number of 120 mph batted balls in his total profession.
Cruz’s 120 mph batted balls are the 2 hardest-hit balls in baseball this season. Listed here are the gamers who’ve hit a ball 120 mph since Statcast launched in 2015:
- Giancarlo Stanton: 14 occasions
- Oneil Cruz: 3 occasions (consists of Tuesday)
- Ronald Acuña Jr.: 1 time
- Aaron Choose: 1 time
- Gary Sánchez: 1 time
That is it. There have been 20 batted balls at 120 mph within the Statcast period and two of them got here from one participant Tuesday. Additionally, Cruz had a 116.3 mph double earlier in Tuesday’s recreation. He is the primary participant with three 116 mph batted balls in a single recreation. This dude crushes the ball. He has a particular, unteachable ability. Both you possibly can hit the ball this tough or you possibly can’t, and Cruz can.
Cruz went 3 for five with a double Tuesday and is 17 for 53 (.321) with seven doubles and three house runs in his final 13 video games. His season batting line sits at .260/.303/.441. Tuesday’s win gave the Pirates and Giants similar 23-26 data.
