Joel Embiid Mocks Pirates' Oneil Cruz After Brutal Opening Day
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PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz couldn't have had a worse inning in center field for the Pittsburgh Pirates than he did on Opening Day.
Cruz made two poor plays defensively, which helped score four runs for the New York Mets, who would take a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the first inning in front of raucous home crowd at Citi Field.
He started too far in on a fly ball from designated hitter Brett Baty, as it sailed over him and ended up a bases-clearing triple to give the Mets a 4-2 lead.
Cruz then lost a fly ball in the sun, as he was not wearing sunglasses, which dropped for a double from second baseman Marcus Semien, scoring Baty and increasing the Mets' advantage to 5-2.
NBA Star Joel Embiid, a center for the Philadelphia 76ers, took the moment to joke on Twitter, suggesting Cruz go play designated hitter instead.
Cruz, get ready to learn DH buddy!!
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 26, 2026
Those two plays also resulted in Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes' leaving his outing before the end of the first inning, with all five runs earned and no errors on Cruz.
Cruz's Struggles in Center Field
This isn't the first game that Cruz has struggled defensively in center field, as he was one of the worst at the position in 2025.
He finished with -14 defensive saved (DRS) and -11 defensive runs saved above average, both the second worst marks of any qualified center fielder in MLB, according to FanGraphs.
The 2025 campaign marked his first full season at the position, after he transitioned from shortstop towards the end of 2024.
Cruz has played good defense at times as he has great speed and a strong arm, but he has also made many mistakes, like letting balls go under him or, like he did vs. the Mets, misjudging a fly ball that should've been a routine out.
He trained with four-time Gold Glove Award winner Kevin Kiermaier this offseason, who was incredible in center field, gaining insight and continuing the adjusments from the infield to the outfield.
Kiermaier spoke to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about Cruz and said that he has confidence in him becoming a strong defensive center fielder, but that he has to handle his responsibilities better and work every day to improve his game.
“Watching him for years, I knew exactly what I was signing up for in a way,” Kiermaier said. “[I tell him], if you want to be this type of defender out here and you want to play center field and be good at it, you have to do these things in order to have success, I promise.
“And you're so athletic and gifted already, but if we can blend some good technique and focus and determination and have that intent to be better out here and [have] him hold himself accountable to always be ready for every pitch and be into everything, then everything's going to work out.”
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.