Pirates' Marcell Ozuna Reaches Impressive Career Milestone
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has played in the major leagues a long time and his latest home run was a huge one for his career.
Ozuna hit the 300th home run of his career, which came off of San Francisco left-handed starting pitcher Robbie Ray in the top of the second inning in the series opener at Oracle Park on May 8.
The Pirates veteran took an 84.7 mph slider at the knees and sent it 104.7 mph off the bat and 365 feet over the left field wall to give the road team a 1-0 lead.
Big Fly for the Big Bear! 🐻 pic.twitter.com/0Mm8DaqNGv
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 9, 2026
Ozuna didn't get a chance to celebrate a win postgame in the 5-2 defeat, but saw Ray go down low prior and thought he might have a shot if he did it again and thankfully for Ozuna, he did to get his 300th homer.
“I’m just going in my mood. I’m just gonna get ready to swing and that’s what I get it," Ozuna said on his home run. "The pitch to swing, the pitch before I just missed and I said ‘Okay. Maybe he make a mistake,’ and he did.”
Ozuna Joins Exclusive List of Dominican Sluggers
Ozuna became the 15th player from the Dominican Republic to hit 300 home runs or more in their career, a big honor for someone from a country with a rich history of baseball.
This includes Hall of Famers like greats like Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez, Hall of Famers in Adrían Beltré and Vladimir Guerrero and former Pirates players like Aramis Ramirez, José Bautista and Carlos Santana.
“It means a lot, being on that board," Ozuna said. "Part of the 300 is amazing, especially for my country and the people to be able to come and see what I do here. I feel blessed.”
Domincian Republic Home Run Leaders in MLB History
Player | Home Runs | Years Played |
|---|---|---|
Albert Pujols | 703 | 2001-22 |
Sammy Sosa | 609 | 1989-2005, 2007 |
Manny Ramirez | 555 | 1993-2011 |
David Ortiz | 541 | 1997-2016 |
Adrian Beltré | 477 | 1998-2018 |
Nelson Cruz | 464 | 2005-2023 |
Vladimir Guerrero | 449 | 1996-2011 |
Edwin Encarnación | 424 | 2005-20 |
Alfonso Soriano | 412 | 1999-2014 |
Aramis Ramírez | 386 | 1998-2015 |
José Bautista | 344 | 2004-2018 |
Robinson Canó | 335 | 2005-20, 2022 |
Carlos Santana | 335 | 2010-Present |
Miguel Tejada | 307 | 1997-2011, 2013 |
Ozuna made his MLB debut in 2013 with the Miami Marlins where he spent five seasons until 2017, played two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (2018-19) and played the past six seasons with the Atlanta Braves (2020-25), before joining the Pirates.
He is a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and an All-MLB First Team honoree in 2020, where he led MLB with 18 home runs in the 60-game season.
Marcell Ozuna Home Runs By Season
Season (Games) | Home Runs |
|---|---|
2013 (70) | 3 |
2014 (153) | 23 |
2015 (123) | 10 |
2016 (148) | 23 |
2017 (159) | 37 |
2018 (148) | 23 |
2019 (130) | 29 |
2020 (60) | 18 |
2021 (48) | 7 |
2022 (124) | 23 |
2023 (144) | 40 |
2024 (165) | 39 |
2025 (145) | 21 |
2026 (32) | 4 |
Ozuna Turning Corner in May
It's been a difficult season for Ozuna, who joined the Pirates on a one-year, $12 million deal with a $16 million mutual option for 2027.
Ozuna has slashed .198/.271/.322 for an OPS of .593 in 32 games, with 24 hits in 121 at-bats, three doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI and 11 walks to 33 strikeouts, which prompted boos from Pirates fans early on in the season.
He has started hitting better in May, slashing .364/.462/.682 for an OPS of 1.144 in six games, with eight hits in 22 at-bats, a double, two home runs, six RBI and four walks to four strikeouts.
Ozuna is feeling more confident now, with this his first road home run of the season, and is looking forward to warmer weather to get his bat going.
“Just my confidence, as a player, we lost the confidence, we lost the timing and then cold weather is messed up most of the time and I think it’s a time to get ready to compete," Ozuna said. May, June, July is our months.”
Ozuna has been putting in a great deal of work in batting practice and elsewhere to finally start hitting like he has in previous seasons.
Pirates manager Don Kelly, who played with Ozuna on the Marlins, has noticed the hard work from his designated hitter and isn't surprised to see him doing so well this month.
“He has and the work that he’s been putting in and I know, sometimes you don’t see the translation from the work in BP into the game right away, but I think we’re starting to see that," Kelly said postgame. "We’re starting to see him drive the ball and then, even the base hit later, he stayed through it and got it into the outfield. He’s a good hitter and he’s coming around.”
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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.