Pirates slugger blasts missile to separate from Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuna Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in exit velocity ranks

Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz is one of the fiercest hitters in major league baseball. While the Pirates star's hitting prowess is well documented since his MLB debut in 2021, Cruz accomplished a formidable feat with his hit against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Oneil Cruz further showcased his firepower against the Brewers when he walloped a 432-foot home run off Logan Henderson at PNC Park. The baseball disappeared into the stands and measured 122.9 mph off the bat, the hardest-hit baseball in 10 years of Statcast.

It was also the sixth time a baseball hit by Cruz was measured above 120+ mph, five more than MLB superstars Aaron Judge (1), Ronald Acuna Jr. (1) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr (1). Cruz's stat is only surpassed by veteran power hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who has 16 hits with 120+ mph.

“It feels good. I was looking for a good pitch to hit and I connected really well,” Cruz said. “It feels even better just to know that it's the hardest-hit ball in the history of Statcast. It doesn't matter how hard the ball is hit. I just go out to make good contact. Sometimes, I don't even try to make the hardest contact, just [put] the ball in play.”

It was Oneil Cruz's 11th homer of the season and 83rd in the ballpark's history. However, it wasn't enough to secure a win for the home team.

Pirates ace impressed by Oneil Cruz's history hit

Oneil Cruz broke his previous record of 122.4 mph set in 2022. Previously, the record was set by Giancarlo Stanton at 121.7 mph in 2018. Despite Cruz's latest milestone hit, Pirates starter Bailey Falter seemingly missed the moment.

“I thought it was a foul ball because he was just standing there and then I looked up on the board and realized he hit it [122.9 mph] into the Allegheny,” Falter said. “So that was pretty impressive. I don't think I’ve ever seen a ball hit that hard ever, in my life. When he’s on, he’s on. It’s fun and it's impressive to watch.”

Despite a 6-5 loss, the Pirates split the four-game series against the Brewers, with Oneil Cruz going 6-for-16 in the series with three home runs and five RBIs.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash