Oneil Cruz is Setting a Standard for Pirates Power
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PITTSBURGH – Oneil Cruz added another jaw-dropping highlight to his growing resume Friday night, when his third-inning blast didn’t just clear the wall. The ball cleared PNC Park entirely, splashing into the Allegheny River on the fly.
The home run traveled a Statcast-projected 450 feet at 110.8 mph off the bat, marking only the seventh time a ball has reached the river in the air during the ballpark’s 25-year history.
HEADS UP ON THE RIVER WALK!
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 29, 2026
450 ft. 110.8 mph exit velo pic.twitter.com/KQXz4gtuE1
After driving in a run with a groundout in his first at-bat, Cruz unloaded in the third. He jumped on a 90.1 mph cutter from Twins starter Taj Bradley, punishing a 3-1 pitch. The shot is tied for the 18th-longest homer in the majors this season, and it traveled so far that Cruz had a moment to watch its flight. Through that at-bat, he has notched 23 hits with an exit velocity above 110 mph in 2026, including two of the four hardest-hit balls this year.
Cruz keeps rewriting the record book at his home yard. Friday’s homer was his seventh career splashdown in any fashion—the most by any Pirates player. Four of those came during the 2024 season alone. The long ball was also his 12th homer of the year and his 37th RBI.
The solo shot cut Pittsburgh’s deficit to 5–4, breathing life back into the dugout and providing the stage for Bryan Reynolds' eventual walk-off home run in the ninth inning. After a sluggish May, Cruz appears to be finding his rhythm as June nears. The mammoth drive was only his third homer of the month, following a scorching March and April in which he slugged nine.
Twins left fielder Trevor Larnach also reached the river in the top of the third—but his ball bounced into the water after clearing the right-field stands, not on the fly. The two homers were the 86th and 87th to land in the Allegheny, the first since Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II accomplished the feat on April 28.
Cruz Stays Level-Headed
When asked afterward if hitting another ball into the river ever gets old, Cruz kept his cool.
“Kind of feels the same as the last one,” he said. “It’s just a home run.”
And what’s it like being a freak of nature?
“It feels good for sure, but I guess I’m getting used to it because I’m not feeling the same emotions I felt at the beginning of my career in the big leagues,” Cruz admitted. “But it feels really good for sure.”
Cruz also made a point to celebrate the return of pitcher Jared Jones, who recently came back to the mound.
“It feels really good to have him back, for sure,” Cruz said. “He’s one of my favorite pitchers here. Seeing him back on the mound again, it feels really good.
As for what’s clicking during this homestand, Cruz shrugged off any talk of major adjustments.
“Nothing different,” he said. “Just continue to work, put my work in. Like every other player, we have good days and bad days. Nothing specifically changed. Same approach.”
And on those inevitable bad days?
“Those bad days I’m taking really easy,” Cruz explained. “I don’t put too much into it. Those are the days that I joke around more in the dugout, not to let them affect me and continue to move on.”
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Ethan Merrill is from Grand Rapids, MI, and brings with him a diverse background of experiences. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, he worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons before settling in the Pittsburgh area in 2020. With a passion for sports and a growing connection to his community, Ethan brings a fresh perspective to covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.