PITTSBURGH -- Oneil Cruz is heating up. If a 450-foot splashdown into the Allegheny River on Friday night wasn’t enough to prove it, a 420-foot shot to dead center on Saturday further cemented the claim.
Cruz’s three-run homer in the bottom of the second inning ballooned Pittsburgh’s lead to six, helping the Pirates to a 10-9 win over the Twins. Cruz has tallied 13 total bases -- largely thanks to his pair of homers vs. the Twins -- through the first six games of Pittsburgh’s homestand. He had hit just two home runs across his 21 games in May entering the homestand (May 1-24).
Cruz’s day added power to the Bucs' 15-hit display. The center fielder added two stolen bases and a walk in the game, bringing his stolen base total to 19.
“He’s working extremely hard to try to cut down on strikeouts,” manager Don Kelly said. “It’s a little give and take when, yes, we want to get that run in. We want to see a fight. We want to see the battle. We also know it’s gonna happen. But he’s got the ability to drive the ball out. That was to the left of center field and in the bullpen. That was a big hit.”
The 6-foot-7 superstar athlete has struggled to find consistency through his first five Major League seasons. With long levers comes a large strike zone, and his swing often works against him -- his whiff rate (37.6%) is in the 2nd percentile and his strikeout rate (35.3%) is in the 1st, per Baseball Savant.
Cruz, however, hits the ball harder (and sometimes farther) than anyone in the sport. Kelly said the rate of swing and miss for Cruz is worth it, due to his ability to provide so much power when he does make contact. His OPS is at .795, which would be the best of his big league career.
His hot streak showed signs of blooming against the Cubs on Tuesday, when Cruz slapped three singles, with two coming off the bat at over 112 mph. After going hitless in the final two games of the series versus Chicago, Cruz didn’t flinch. Cruz blasted a shot out of PNC Park on Friday against Twins starter Taj Bradley’s cutter.
“Continue to work, put my work in, and like every other player, we had good days and bad days, but nothing, nothing specifically changed it or nothing. Same approach,” Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales after Friday’s game.
A day later, Cruz struck out in his first at-bat against the slow-throwing Bailey Ober. In the second, with Pittsburgh ahead, 4-1, Cruz stepped to the plate with Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales on the corners.
Cruz laced an 88 mph fastball a few inches above the strike zone to dead-center field for a home run. Cruz makes his own strike zone, it seems.
Both home runs came against right-handed pitchers, though he’s improved against left-handers too in 2026. Cruz is batting .315 with an .880 OPS against lefties this season after having hit only .102 against southpaws last year.
Cruz also has matured. Now 27 years old, Cruz has veteran Marcell Ozuna a locker away. Kelly said Ozuna has helped Cruz play loose while going through a tough stretch. Cruz said he tries to joke around more in the dugout when he’s going through a rough patch to help him move on.
“Oneil has gotten a lot better in handling [adversity],” Kelly said. “Looking back on some times, there's nobody that feels worse than Oneil whenever something doesn't go right in the field. And he has shown that in different ways. Sometimes that's been in feeling bad, and I know the body language isn't great at times. I think he's gotten much, much better at that, in continuing to compete, continuing to go.”
Pittsburgh’s offense already ranks near the top of the Majors. The Bucs' team batting average (.253) ranks in the top five averages in MLB, as do their 279 RBIs. As June approaches, Cruz’s power surge could elevate the Pirates through the summer. Only time will tell.