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New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Pirates' Oneil Cruz is already a Statcast legend. Can the rest of his game catch up?
If, through some freaky genetic engineering, a scientist could combine the physical attributes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, what might be the result? Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a member of the New York Yankees in 2022-23, thinks he has the answer. 'If you put 'em both together,' the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop said. 'I feel like it's Oneil Cruz.' Advertisement Cruz, the Pirates' 6-foot-7, 240-pound center fielder, was at it again Sunday, hitting a home run 122.9 mph, the hardest-hit ball since Statcast started tracking in 2015. His exit velocities and powerful throws are the stuff of Statcast legend. His speed is pretty much elite, too. And considering he is only 26, in his first full season playing center field and working diligently to master the game's subtleties, heaven knows what he might become. Kiner-Falefa, who said Cruz combines the quick twitch and 'missile-like' exit velos of Stanton with the athleticism and power of Judge, has an answer for that, too. 'If he maximizes his potential, he can be one of the best players ever,' Kiner-Falefa said. Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, after the weekend he just experienced in Pittsburgh, is not about to argue. Friday night, Cruz hit a 117.9-mph home run, at that point the hardest-hit homer of his career, and a 113.4 blast to tie the score in the ninth inning of a game the Pirates won, 6-5. Saturday, in a left-on-left matchup against Tyler Alexander, he hit the decisive triple in the seventh inning of a 2-1 Pirates victory. And Sunday, after righty Logan Henderson allowed Cruz's 122.9 shot on a first-pitch fastball in the third inning, Murphy took no chances in the eighth. With two outs, a 6-5 lead and runner on second, he ordered an intentional walk to Cruz, putting him on base as the potential winning run. The move to a righty-righty matchup worked, with Abner Uribe striking out Andrew McCutchen to end the inning and the Brewers winning the game. But days later, Murphy was still reliving the horror of it all. 'I commented to the media, it was like playing against a monster,' Murphy said. 'You just didn't want to look at it, you know what I mean? It was scary.' Never mind that Cruz entered the weekend having gone nearly a month without a homer after hitting eight in his first 25 games. Murphy, 66, called it the best physical performance he has seen, by a hitter with the best bat speed he has seen. Advertisement 'That guy can hit 50 homers easy, 60,' Murphy said. His current pace is a mere 34. Still, opposing pitchers shudder at the thought of missing with Cruz over the middle of the plate, and not simply because he might deposit the ball in the Allegheny River, as he did for the sixth time in his career Sunday. A batted ball coming back to the mound at some ridiculous speed is an equally frightening proposition. 'It's something you're definitely cognizant of,' Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen said. 'And you get reminded of things like that after he hits the ball 123.' St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley joked the best option with Cruz might be to just walk him and avoid him entirely. 'Go to first base, dude,' Helsley said, laughing. 'I want to live.' So, how close is Cruz to realizing his full potential? McCutchen, a 17-year veteran who turns 39 in October, stewed on the question. And ultimately, he could not come up with an answer. 'I don't know. He's kind of a Rubik's Cube up there,' McCutchen said, referring to the difficult-to-solve puzzle. 'You see hints of it at times. But you also see the youthful side of it at times.' McCutchen went on to explain that while Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone, with an average exit velocity of 97.2 mph that puts him in the 100th percentile of all major leaguers, hitting the ball hard isn't always necessary. 'Sometimes you take your walks in situations. Sometimes it just takes an easy swing to the opposite side of the field,' McCutchen said. 'It's things like that, when I talk about the mentality of the game, there's still some work to be done with him. It's definitely there. It's just a matter of piecing it together.' Cruz, who made his debut with a two-game cameo in October 2021, remains relatively inexperienced. In 2022, the Pirates kept him in the minors until June 20. In 2023, he missed nearly the entire season with a fractured left ankle. Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks was the 293rd of his career, meaning he has played less than two full seasons. Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, a player to whom Cruz often is compared, is three years younger, but has played in 15 more career games. Expecting Cruz to be fully formed, then, is unrealistic, particularly when he came up as a shortstop and didn't play his first game in center until Aug. 28. McCutchen said the next step in Cruz's evolution is to go beyond his physical tools, and develop an instinctive, cerebral understanding of the sport. Baseball people call it 'playing the game.' Advertisement For Cruz, McCutchen said, that means producing quality at-bats, getting on base, stealing bases, making difficult plays in the outfield look routine — and doing it all consistently. Before hitting his 122.9-mph homer Sunday, Cruz made a 104-mph throw that sailed off the backstop on an RBI single by Sal Frelick, allowing a second run to score and Frelick to advance to third. 'Those are the plays we want him to learn from.' Pirates manager Don Kelly said. 'You know he's not a finished product.' Kelly, Pirates players and coaches all said Cruz cares, works hard and is eager to improve. Yet even for the most talented, the game is difficult. And for a developing player, consistency often is elusive. Following his big series at home against the Brewers, Cruz went 2-for-13 and six strikeouts on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting his only homer, a two-run shot Wednesday, in his final at-bat of a 10-1 rout. For the season, he is batting .230 with 12 homers and an .841 OPS. He also leads the National League with 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts. As the Pirates' leadoff hitter, Cruz understands that refining his plate discipline is vital. His 32.2 percent strikeout rate through Tuesday was the fourth highest in the majors, and up 2 percentage points from last season. However, he had increased his walk rate from 8.5 to 15.6 percent, and reduced his chase rate from 32.6 percent to 25.8. Gallen, who retired Cruz three times Wednesday, including a strikeout, said pitchers at times can get him to hit their pitch, as opposed to giving him his pitch. Of course, Cruz makes such hard contact, he can mishit balls harder than other hitters square up with their best swings. Regardless, Cruz started working in spring training on making better swing decisions. 'I think we're in a good spot. But we can always get better at that,' Cruz said through Pirates interpreter Stephen Morales. 'If I control the strike zone like great hitters in the past have done, definitely I can be a better hitter, be at the top of the list.' Pirates outfield coach Tarrik Brock likes to make things fun. So, during batting practice, he occasionally will engage Cruz in a fly ball catching competition. Brock played 13 games in the outfield for the Chicago Cubs in 2000. At 51, he remains in good shape. But to compensate for his age difference with Cruz, he established a rule: Cruz must prevail by three catches to win a round. Advertisement The current tally is in dispute. Brock said the two are tied, 3-3. Cruz said he leads, 6-3. Either way, Cruz lightheartedly boasted, Brock has 'no chance.' 'He likes laughing at me,' Brock said. 'And I love being laughed at.' Cruz's transition to center field, though, is serious business. After making 24 errors at shortstop last season, he played the position for the last time on Aug. 25. At the Pirates' behest, he was in center three days later, for the first time in his career. As opposed to the San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill, who had all of 2024 spring training to prepare for his move from shortstop to center, Cruz received a crash course. Brock provided the bare minimum instruction necessary to get him through his final 23 games. Spring training was a better laboratory. Brock built up Cruz in layers. Teaching him fundamental techniques. Showing him spray charts. Helping him understand the position's nuances. The only way for Cruz to apply those lessons, though, was by playing in games. 'Now we have different dialogue,' Brock said. 'He'll come up and go, 'Hey, with this guy, I think I should move over a little bit more.' Absolutely. He's getting it. He's moving other guys.' Cruz, knowing he is fast enough to catch up to balls hit behind him, plays center with an average depth of 316 feet, five feet shallower than league average. Among regular center fielders, only the Philadelphia Phillies' Johan Rojas sets up closer to home plate. The defensive metrics show Cruz is no Pete Crow-Armstrong. Cruz readily acknowledges he is a work in progress. But McCutchen, a center fielder for the first nine years of his career, is impressed. 'He's doing great,' McCutchen said. 'When he makes mistakes, you have to realize he doesn't understand that part. And it's going to sometimes take the mistakes for him to learn. You have to give him some grace there. The fan base has to give him some grace, so he can learn from it. 'He's learning to let off the throttle a little bit, especially on fly balls. He's not 100 percent every time. He's gliding to the ball better. I just can't wait for him to get to some of those zero percent catch probabilities and actually catch them. He has the capability of doing that, catching balls no one else can.' Advertisement Brock, who doubles as the Pirates' first base coach, said Cruz also is showing greater discipline in the way he steals bases, waiting for the right combination of a pitcher's time to plate and catcher's pop time to go. Cruz is within four steals of the career high of 22 he established last season, when he was coming off his ankle surgery. 'This year,' he said, 'I feel so much better.' Kiner-Falefa sees the entire package coming together. As Cruz grasps his potential as a base stealer, he is running more. And as he grows increasingly comfortable in center, he can devote more time to his offense. 'The next step for him is the (batting) average. It will come,' Kiner-Falefa said. 'The OPS is going to be there. The power is going to be there. But I also believe he could hit .280 to .330. His speed alone, sometimes he hits the ball too hard where he can't use his legs.' As with any homegrown Pirates star, the length of time Pittsburgh fans will get to enjoy Cruz likely is limited. He is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this offseason, and under club control for the next three years. By the time he becomes eligible for free agency, entering his age-30 season, he figures to be at the peak of his powers. How close is he to that peak now? McCutchen isn't sure. 'But I know,' McCutchen said, 'how great he can be.' (Top photo of Oneil Cruz: Joe Puetz / Getty Images)
Reuters
3 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Paul Skenes dominates as Pirates rout Diamondbacks
May 28 - Paul Skenes threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings, Oneil Cruz homered and drove in three runs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-1 in the rubber game of a three-game series in Phoenix on Wednesday. Skenes (4-5) gave up four hits, struck out seven, walked none and hit a batter while dropping his ERA to 2.15. It was his 10th quality start in 12 appearances this season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits including two doubles, Henry Davis had two hits and an RBI and Jared Triolo had two hits for the Pirates, who broke it open with a five-run sixth after winning Tuesday's game with a seven-run eighth. Cruz's two-run homer capped the Pirates' scoring in the eighth. Tim Tawa homered in the ninth for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of eight. The Pirates, who have won two of their last three series and split the other, are 9-10 under interim manager Don Kelly. The Pirates outscored Arizona 19-1 in the final 13 innings of the series. Kiner-Falefa had a two-run double in the sixth, when Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds also had RBI hits. Hayes' single drove out Arizona starter Zac Gallen (3-7). Gallen gave up six runs (five earned) and six hits in five-plus innings. He struck out three and walked three. Gallen leads the National League with 32 walks, and his 5.54 ERA is second highest among the 40 NL qualifiers. The D-backs put two runners on base in only the third and sixth innings against Skenes, who threw first-pitch strikes to the 17 of the 26 batters that he faced. Skenes struck out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. with runners on first and second to end the third, and he got Eugenio Suarez to fly out and Pavin Smith to ground out to end the sixth. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the second when Davis singled after Alexander Canario walked and Spencer Horwitz singled. The Pirates made it 3-0 with a two-run fifth that included second baseman Jordan Lawlar's second error. Hayes walked before Kiner-Falefa and Triolo singled to load the bases. Cruz grounded to Lawlar, whose throw to second in an attempt to force Triolo went into left field, enabling two to score. D-backs regular second baseman Ketel Marte missed his second straight game with the flu. --Field Level Media
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Pirates vs. Rangers Tickets, First Pitch Time for Saturday, June 21
Pirates vs. Rangers Tickets, First Pitch Time for Saturday, June 21 Oneil Cruz and the Pittsburgh Pirates will play Josh Jung and the Texas Rangers at PNC Park on Saturday, June 21 at 4:05 p.m. ET (and on Fox Sports 1, SportsNet PT, and RSN). Buy Pirates Tickets on SeatGeek Buy Pirates Tickets on StubHub Pirates vs. Rangers Game Info Game day: Saturday, June 21, 2025 Saturday, June 21, 2025 Game time: 4:05 p.m. ET 4:05 p.m. ET TV channel: Fox Sports 1, SportsNet PT, and RSN Fox Sports 1, SportsNet PT, and RSN Live Stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply) Watch LIVE with Fubo! Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Stadium: PNC Park PNC Park Pirates Starter: TBA TBA Rangers Starter: TBA Pirates vs. Rangers Tickets For Sale Pirates vs. Rangers offensive insights The Pirates' 39 home runs rank second-to-last in MLB this season. Hitters for Pittsburgh have combined to rank last in MLB with a team slugging percentage of just .334 this season. The Pirates rank 26th in MLB with a team batting average of just .225. The Rangers rank 14th in baseball with 57 total home runs. This season, Texas has the fifth-lowest slugging percentage in the majors (.360). The Rangers have the third-worst batting average in the majors (.223). Watch MLB on Fubo Pirates' top hitters Cruz's batting average this year is .231, and he has a .356 on-base percentage and a .479 slugging percentage. His strikeout rate is 32.2%, and his walk rate is 15.6%. He has 11 homers and 23 RBI, plus 31 runs scored and 18 stolen bases on 19 attempts. So far this year, Bryan Reynolds is batting .223, with a .653 OPS (.292 on-base, .360 slugging). His strikeout rate is 26.7%, and his walk rate is 8.5%. He has seven home runs and 30 RBI, plus 21 runs scored and three steals on five attempts. Andrew McCutchen's current batting average is .261, and he has three home runs and 14 RBI, plus 15 runs scored. He has a .371 on-base percentage, and a .369 slugging percentage. His strikeout rate is 17.6%, and his walk rate is 13.9%. Also for the Pirates, Isiah Kiner-Falefa's batting average is .285, with a .333 on-base percentage and a .358 slugging percentage. His strikeout rate is 16%, and his walk rate is 5.5%. He has one homer and 11 RBI, plus 17 runs scored and eight stolen bases on 11 attempts. Rangers' top hitters Wyatt Langford, who owns a .251/.333/.468 triple slash line this year, has racked up 24 runs, 21 RBI, and 10 home runs in 195 PAs. As a basestealer, he's picked up 10 steals on 12 attempts. His walk rate is 10.8%, and his strikeout rate is 23.6%. In 183 plate appearances, Jung, who has a .281/.328/.456 slash line this year, has tallied 18 runs, 20 RBI, and seven bombs. As a basestealer, he's snagged four steals on five attempts. His walk rate is 6%, and his strikeout rate is 21.9%. So far this season, Josh Smith has blasted four bombs, driven in 12 runs, and scored 19 times while batting .269/.337/.388 in 179 plate appearances. He's also stolen five bags on seven attempts. His K rate is 17.3%, and his walk rate is 8.9%. At the plate, Adolis Garcia has produced a batting average of .211 with an OPS of .636 (.259 OBP; .376 SLG) this season, while crushing seven homers with 16 runs and 27 RBI. He's walking at a 5.2% clip and fanning 25.9% of the time. On the bases, he's stolen five bags on seven tries. Pirates' injuries Colin Holderman: 15 Day IL (Thumb), Tim Mayza: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Nick Gonzales: 60 Day IL (Ankle), Dauri Moreta: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jared Jones: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Joey Bart: 7 Day IL (Concussion) Rangers' injuries Joc Pederson: 10 Day IL (Hand), Evan Carter: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Kumar Rocker: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Chris Martin: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Cody Bradford: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jon Gray: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Josh Sborz: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Nathan Eovaldi: day-to-day (Tricep) Buy Pirates Tickets on SeatGeek Buy Pirates Tickets on StubHub
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Pirates vs. Rangers Tickets, First Pitch Time for Friday, June 20
Pirates vs. Rangers Tickets, First Pitch Time for Friday, June 20 Oneil Cruz and the Pittsburgh Pirates square off against Jake Burger and the Texas Rangers on Friday, June 20 at 6:40 p.m. ET (and airing on SportsNet PT and CW33). Buy Pirates Tickets on SeatGeek Buy Pirates Tickets on StubHub Pirates vs. Rangers Game Info Game day: Friday, June 20, 2025 Friday, June 20, 2025 Game time: 6:40 p.m. ET 6:40 p.m. ET TV channel: SportsNet PT and CW33 SportsNet PT and CW33 Live Stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply) Watch LIVE with Fubo! Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Stadium: PNC Park PNC Park Pirates Starter: TBA TBA Rangers Starter: TBA Pirates vs. Rangers Tickets For Sale Pirates vs. Rangers offensive insights The Pirates' 39 home runs rank second-to-last in MLB this season. Hitters for Pittsburgh have combined to rank 30th in MLB with a slugging percentage of only .334 this season. The Pirates have a team batting average of just .225 this season, which ranks 26th among MLB teams. The Rangers rank 13th in MLB play with 57 total home runs. This season, Texas is slugging .360, the fifth-lowest percentage in baseball. The Rangers are 28th in MLB with a .223 batting average. Watch MLB on Fubo Pirates' top hitters Cruz is hitting .231 this season, with a .835 OPS (.356 on-base, .479 slugging). He has 11 home runs and 23 RBI, plus 31 runs scored and 18 steals on 19 attempts. His strikeout rate is 32.2%, and his walk rate is 15.6%. In 2025, Bryan Reynolds' batting average is .223, to go along with a .292 on-base percentage and a .360 slugging percentage. He has seven homers and 30 RBI, plus 21 runs scored and three stolen bases on five attempts. His strikeout rate is 26.7%, and his walk rate is 8.5%. Andrew McCutchen is batting .261, with three home runs and 14 RBI, plus 15 runs scored. His strikeout rate is 17.6%, and his walk rate is 13.9%. He has a .740 OPS (.371 on-base, .369 slugging). The Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa is hitting .285, with a .333 on-base percentage and a .358 slugging percentage. He has one home run and 11 RBI, plus 17 runs scored and eight steals on 11 attempts. His strikeout rate is 16%, and his walk rate is 5.5%. Rangers' top hitters Wyatt Langford is hitting .251/.333/.468 this season with a walk rate of 10.8% and a K rate of 23.6%. In addition, he's slammed 10 homers while knocking in 21 runs and scoring 24 times. Plus, he's stolen 10 bases on 12 attempts. In 183 plate appearances, Josh Jung is batting .281/.328/.456 this season with a walk rate of 6% and a K rate of 21.9%. Additionally, he's swatted seven home runs while driving in 20 runs and scoring 18 times. Plus, he's swiped four bags on five tries. So far this season, Josh Smith owns a .269 average along with a .337 OBP and .388 SLG in 179 plate appearances. He's also swatted four dingers with 12 RBI and 19 runs, including five stolen bases, while putting up a 17.3% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate. At the plate, Adolis Garcia is batting .211/.259/.376 this season with a walk rate of 5.2% and a K rate of 25.9%. Additionally, he's popped seven home runs while knocking in 27 runs and scoring 16 times. Plus, he's stolen five bases on seven attempts. Pirates' injuries Endy Rodriguez: 10 Day IL (Finger), Colin Holderman: 15 Day IL (Thumb), Tim Mayza: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Nick Gonzales: 60 Day IL (Ankle), Dauri Moreta: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jared Jones: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60 Day IL (Shoulder) Rangers' injuries Joc Pederson: 10 Day IL (Hand), Evan Carter: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Corey Seager: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Kumar Rocker: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Chris Martin: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Cody Bradford: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jon Gray: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Josh Sborz: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Nathan Eovaldi: day-to-day (Tricep) Buy Pirates Tickets on SeatGeek Buy Pirates Tickets on StubHub
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Diamondbacks look to stop 5-game skid, take on the Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates (19-35, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (26-27, fourth in the NL West) Phoenix; Monday, 8:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Andrew Heaney (3-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 42 strikeouts); Diamondbacks: Ryne Nelson (1-1, 4.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 30 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Diamondbacks -187, Pirates +156 BOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks aim to break their five-game slide when they play the Pittsburgh Pirates. Arizona has gone 13-13 at home and 26-27 overall. Diamondbacks hitters are batting a collective .255, the seventh-best team batting average in MLB play. Pittsburgh is 19-35 overall and 6-19 on the road. The Pirates are 11-7 in games when they out-hit their opponents. Monday's game is the first time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Corbin Carroll leads the Diamondbacks with 15 home runs while slugging .566. Ketel Marte is 13 for 41 with five home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games. Oneil Cruz has six doubles, a triple and 11 home runs while hitting .236 for the Pirates. Alexander Canario is 11 for 37 with a double, a triple and a home run over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Diamondbacks: 4-6, .278 batting average, 4.80 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs Pirates: 4-6, .244 batting average, 3.99 ERA, outscored by 13 runs INJURIES: Diamondbacks: Eduardo Rodriguez: 15-Day IL (shoulder), A.J. Puk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jordan Montgomery: 60-Day IL (elbow), Blake Walston: 60-Day IL (elbow) Pirates: Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (thumb), Nick Gonzales: 60-Day IL (ankle), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Endy Rodriguez: 10-Day IL (finger), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
