Cruz pummels longest homer of young career

PHOENIX -- Before Friday’s series opener against the D-backs, Oneil Cruz showed off his Herculean strength by demolishing a batting-practice ball deep into the left-field concourse, striking a promotional Chevrolet truck and leaving a dent on the body of the vehicle.

The clank echoed throughout Chase Field, and so did the cheers from the early crowd. As it turns out the power display was a trailer for what was to come from the 25-year-old on Saturday night.

On the first pitch he saw from Brandon Pfaadt -- who had only allowed one run in three previous starts this month -- crushed a 472-foot homer in a 9-5 loss to the D-backs.

The blast wasn’t just the longest of his young career, but it tied Josh Bell for the third-longest home run in Pirates history. It also ranks seventh at Chase Field since Statcast tracking began in 2015 and is the longest at the venue this season. It was the fourth homer with at least a 450-foot projected distance for Cruz this season.

“I’ve hit plenty of home runs in my career,” Cruz said in Spanish. “But nothing as far as that. This one definitely ranks as one of the more special ones I’ve hit.”

The ball had an exit velocity of 115.2 mph, but wasn’t Cruz’s hardest-hit ball of the season. On May 21, he made history by becoming the first player in MLB history to smoke two batted balls with an exit velocity over 121.5 mph in the same game, with the fastest topping at 121. 5 mph, the fourth-hardest hit in the Statcast era.

After going hitless in four at-bats on Friday, the power-hitting shortstop knew he needed to be more aggressive and came into Saturday wanting to make damage on the first pitch he liked. Cruz knew the ball was gone the moment it left his bat, but he didn’t see it land because he celebrated by hitting his bat against the ground so hard, it bounced into the Pirates dugout. D-backs third baseman Eugenio Suárez informed him where the ball landed.

What made the homer even more impressive is the location of the pitch, which was high and away. For most players, it would have been way out of their reach and out of their strike zones. But the 6-foot-7 Cruz’s reach allowed him to get all of it.

“When you take so many swings during the season, it becomes natural,” Cruz said. “It just happens that every time I make contact with the ball, it gets hit pretty hard. It’s a benefit I like.”

The Dominican Republic native wasn’t done there. In the seventh inning, he was just shy of his second homer of the night, showing off his wheels and settling for a sliding triple. He continues to add to his impressive July; Cruz is slashing .304/.347/.594 and has recorded a hit in 13 of his 18 games this month.

“He hits the ball really hard,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I think that's the one thing that we know, and when he gets it flush, it goes a long way. I think we saw that today in the first inning.”

As impressive as Cruz’s effort was, it wasn't enough. Marco Gonzales gave up four runs over the next two innings, and took his first loss to the D-backs in his 10-year career. The offense responded by tying the game in the fifth, but the D-backs scored five runs off reliever Quinn Priester.

Arizona snapped Pittsburgh’s three-series win streak, and the Bucs look to avoid the sweep on Sunday.

With the dog days of summer approaching, series like these add extra momentum, especially considering both teams are in the chase for a National League Wild Card spot. Cruz's debut may have been a little under three years ago, but he plays a big role in helping his teammates succeed as a clubhouse influence.

“We need to focus,” Cruz said. “We all have a job to do. On the field, we have to be the best version of ourselves and lock in for all nine innings to be a successful team.”