The hardest-hit ball of the year so far comes from a familiar source
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Oneil Cruz's name is synonymous with absolutely scalding baseballs, and the Pirates slugger got himself back to a familiar spot: atop an exit velocity leaderboard.
Cruz smacked a 119 mph RBI double in the fifth inning of the Pirates' game against the Nationals on Thursday at PNC Park, the hardest-hit ball in the Majors this season. Even with that distinction, the double doesn't even rank that high among Cruz's many exit velocity accolades.
Since Statcast began tracking in 2015, Cruz owns the record for the hardest-hit ball, base hit and home run, all on one gargantuan, 122.9 mph rocket he hit last May 25 against the Brewers. Cruz also owns the mark for hardest-hit double, which eclipses Thursday's mark by over two mph -- a 121.5 mph two-bagger against the Giants on May 21, 2024.
Cruz has hit 13 batted balls tracked at 119 mph or above, second only to Giancarlo Stanton (36, including postseason) in the Statcast era.