Oneil Cruz crushes hardest-hit ball possibly ever

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PITTSBURGH -- Oneil Cruz was born to break Statcast.

The Pirates¡¯ 6-foot-7 shortstop has already set marks with his crazy strong arm, but in Wednesday¡¯s 14-2 loss to the Braves, he recorded the hardest-hit ball in Statcast history with a 122.4 mph single that nearly went out for a homer at PNC Park.

Cruz saw a first-pitch slider in his second at-bat of the game vs. Kyle Wright, who had not allowed a hit the first time through the order. He lined it to right field at a 17-degree launch angle, and it clanged off the top of the Clemente Wall.

¡°It's probably good that ball hit a wall, because it might have hurt somebody if it had been up a little higher,¡± Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Were it not for the 21-foot structure -- or if Roberto Clemente had worn No. 18, which would shorten the wall built in tribute to him -- the scorched hit would have been a game-tying homer. Per Statcast, Cruz¡¯s single would have been a home run in 26 ballparks, and he said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez that he thought it was going to leave the yard.

¡°I did notice that it was starting to go down and about to hit the fence,¡± Cruz said. ¡°That¡¯s when I started running even harder. But I did expect it to go out. I didn¡¯t expect it to hit the wall and come right back.¡±

It didn¡¯t just look incredible. From his seat in the dugout, Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller -- who allowed seven runs (only two of which were earned) in 3 2/3 innings -- said Cruz¡¯s shot was startling to hear off the bat.

¡°It sounded like a bomb went off,¡± Keller said. ¡°It was crazy. I don¡¯t even know how he does it.¡±

The previous hardest-hit ball since Statcast began tracking in 2015 -- and eight of the previous 10 hardest hits -- belonged to Giancarlo Stanton, who managed exit velocities of 122.2 mph on two occasions: Aug. 9, 2021, and Oct. 1, 2017. Before Cruz's drive, Stanton was responsible for 16 of the top 20 exit velocities tracked by Statcast.

Only three players other than Cruz have hit a batted ball tracked by Statcast with an exit velocity of 120 mph or greater: Stanton (14), Aaron Judge (one) and Gary S¨¢nchez (one).

Cruz now owns the Pirates¡¯ three hardest-hit balls in the Statcast era. He hit a 118.4 mph grounder for a single through the shift vs. Milwaukee on Aug. 4, and he also lined a 118.2 mph single against the Reds in his MLB debut on Oct. 2.

¡°When I came into the dugout, some of my teammates shared with me that I hit it 122 [mph],¡± Cruz said. ¡°I smiled, but deep down inside I was like, ¡®Wow, I really hit that ball hard.¡¯ Now, finding out that I broke a record, it means a lot to me. That¡¯s something positive to take away from today¡¯s game.¡±

Earlier this season, Cruz set the mark for the fastest infield assist tracked by Statcast with a 98.7 mph dart to throw out Marlins speedster Luke Williams at first base.

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Yes, it is true that Cruz is facing the league adjustments that most rookies experience. The heavy amount of fastballs he saw early on has decreased, and he¡¯s having to adapt to a breaking ball-heavy mix. Entering Wednesday¡¯s game, he had produced a .162/.244/.338 line with 35 strikeouts in 74 at-bats since July 28.

But the Pirates nonetheless put Cruz in the leadoff spot on Wednesday against the right-handed Wright, who has broken out with a now-2.99 ERA this year with the Braves. The Bucs still have a ton of faith in the 23-year-old, particularly against righties, as he works through these growing pains.

Having a hit like that record-breaking single just increases the team¡¯s confidence in him.

¡°That ball was scorched,¡± Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. ¡°It was a good swing by him -- a really good swing, really encouraging.¡±

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The rest of the league can see what¡¯s possible from the unique shortstop, too.

¡°He's got skills,¡± Snitker said. ¡°My God. I mean, as he gets experience and learns and all that, [he¡¯ll improve] ¡­ But you start grading tools, and it's off the charts.

¡°That's going to be fun to watch.¡±

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