Pirates' Oneil Cruz Makes Two Terrible Plays in Center Field
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a picture perfect start to the 2026 season. Center fielder Oneil Cruz led things off. With the game's opening at bat, he worked back from behind in the count to punch out a bloop single to right center field.
The hit kicked off a two-run inning for the Pirates, and it seemed like this team was off and rolling immediately.
Then things suddenly, and drastically, went downhill. Starting pitcher Paul Skenes didn't even finish the first inning thanks to five runs put on the board. Chief among those issue was Cruz's two blunders in the outfield that led to multiple runs and immediately derailed all of the offseason work he put in to his defensive skills.
Misreading the Wind
The first issue was a terrible read off the bat. With New York Mets third basemen Brett Baty going up against Skenes, he connected with a four-seam fastball.
The ball rocketed off of Baty's bat towards the outfield wall, but Cruz's read on the play was horrendous. He looked frozen for a beat, then took a slight step in before realizing it was heading over his head in a hurry.
Even with Cruz's speed, he was way behind the line drive as it bounced into the wall. The hit cleared the bases and scored three runs, giving the Mets the lead back in the bottom of the first.
BRETT BATY CLEARS THE BASES! 😤 pic.twitter.com/4DC171U0DS
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 26, 2026
Next Batter, Same Issue
The next at-bat was just as troublesome for Cruz. Mets shortstop Marcus Semien popped one up to shallow center field. Immediately, it was clear that Cruz couldn't locate the pop fly due to the sun. He made a stabbing effort toward the ball as it crashed down the field, but it was another blunder.
The dropped ball allowed Semien to get on first base safely and awarded the Mets another run to pad the lead. Ultimately, the Pirates gave up five runs in the first inning.
2025 Haunting Cruz
The missteps were eerily reminiscent of the 2025 season for Cruz. In his first full season as a center fielder, the former short stop struggled. He accumulated multiple errors and even with a ton of offseason work, it's clear he has far to go to become a competent center fielder defensively.
He was hoping to leave those ghosts behind in 2025, but they've clearly followed him into the 2026 campaign.
Jacob is a featured writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for Steelers On SI and the NHL for Breakaway On SI. He also co-hosts the All Steelers Talk podcast. Previous work covering the NHL for Inside the Penguins and The Hockey News.