ANAHEIM -- Oneil Cruz couldn¡¯t remember who the last catcher to throw him out was. After a beat, this reporter told him it was the Brewers¡¯ William Contreras.
Cruz followed up and asked if it was in 2022. No, but it was over a year ago, on April 22, 2024.
On Wednesday night at Angel Stadium, Cruz swiped his Major League-leading 11th stolen base, his 31st consecutive successful steal attempt dating back a whole calendar year. He also added a 463-foot moonshot to center, providing the offense behind Andrew Heaney¡¯s brilliant nine-strikeout performance to lead the Pirates to a 3-0 win over the Angels.
For Cruz, a homer and a steal is becoming a pretty normal performance. Wednesday marked the fourth time he had at least one of each in the same game this year. It¡¯s just the 20th time since 1901 where a Pirate had four games in a single season where he met that criteria.
The season is just 25 games old.
Cruz was billed as having an elite combination of raw power and speed when he was coming up through the Minors. He could end up having an offensive season unlike any other done by a Pirate.
"Focus is on hard work for sure,¡± Cruz said on where he draws his confidence from, via interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. ¡°A lot of advice from veterans like [Andrew] McCutchen and Tommy Pham and the work that I've been putting in, day in and day out."
There¡¯s confidence in his swing, and manager Derek Shelton has the confidence to pencil him in at the top of the lineup, finally adding a steady, productive hitter into a spot that had been giving them trouble prior.
And when it comes to stealing bases, well, you need to have confidence to try to swipe a bag.
¡°It¡¯s confidence not only in his ability to run, but confidence in T-Brock [first base coach Tarrik Brock] in what he¡¯s seeing and what¡¯s going on,¡± Shelton said.
Cruz is flirting with history on this stolen base streak. Since caught stealing became an official stat in 1951, the only Pirate with a longer stretch of steals without being caught was Tony Womack, who rattled off 32 straight in 1997. The Pirates recognize a streak of 37 consecutive stolen bases by Max Carey as well, which ranged from 1922-1923.
Cruz has terrific speed, ranking in the 92nd percentile with an average sprint speed of 28.8 mph, and more importantly, he¡¯s feeling like he did before his left ankle surgery in 2023. There were concerns after his fracture that he may not be quite as dynamic on the basepaths when he returned, and the severity of the injury meant that he wouldn¡¯t be at top gear in his first year back. The Pirates pushed him later this past season to start running more, and that¡¯s translating to stolen bases now.
"Right now, I feel like I'm in a really good spot running,¡± Cruz said. ¡°Similar to 2022. Last year was tough. As you guys already know, I was going through some ankle stuff and trying to come back, where at this point, I feel like I did in 2022, base-running wise."
Then, of course, there was the homer. Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz hung a slider, and Cruz did not miss it, sending it halfway up the batter¡¯s eye in center. At 463 feet, it was the longest home run of the season by a Pirate, and the fourth-longest by a visiting player at Angel Stadium in the Statcast era (since 2015).
It¡¯s one thing to know that Cruz has the power to send a ball into orbit. It¡¯s another to see it in action.
¡°I¡¯ve been in this ballpark a bunch of times and I¡¯ve seen very few balls hit that far,¡± Shelton said.
For most of this season, the Pirates have talked about needing to find a spark offensively. They¡¯ve been doing better of late, and having Cruz at the top of the lineup certainly can be a catalyst. After all, a homer, a stolen base and a win sounds like a pretty perfect day at the office.
For Cruz, he¡¯d be happy with just the third item.
¡°It doesn't matter if I go 0-for-4 and my team wins,¡± Cruz said. ¡°That's still a good game. I just want to get my team to get some Ws and win some games."