Pirates Rookie O’Neil Cruz Records Hardest Hit in Statcast History

Oneil Cruz has set a new record. The Pirates shortstop drilled the hardest-hit batted ball (122.4 mph) in the Statcast era during Pittsburgh’s game against the Braves on Wednesday.

In the third inning with two outs, Cruz crushed Kyle Wright’s slider 366 feet and over the right field wall at PNC Park. According to MLB.com, Cruz’s hit would have been a home run in 26 venues across the league. Take a look.

Cruz’s hit broke the previous hardest hit in the Statcast era (since 2015) set twice by Giancarlo Stanton (122.2 mph). Stanton did so on Oct. 1, 2017, while playing with the Marlins and on Aug. 9, 2021 while playing in a Yankees’ game against the Royals.

In June, the Pirates called up Cruz to the big leagues. However, he previously made a brief MLB debut in October, appearing in two games. This season, Cruz has posted .198/.249/.401 slash line while recording 37 hits, 10 home runs and 30 RBI in 51 games.

The 23-year-old was signed by the Dodgers in ‘15 as an international free agent, then traded to the Pirates in ’17 as part of the Tony Watson deal. During his minor league career, Cruz hit .275/.342/.458 with 58 home runs and 71 stolen bases across 459 games.