The long-awaited season debut of Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Oneil Cruz finally took place on Monday night.
Cruz was called up to the big-league club on Monday and made his presence known.
Cruz picked up two hits and drove in four runs as the Pirates took it right to the Chicago Cubs, blowing them out by a final of 12-1.
Needless to say, Cruz had himself a debut to remember on Monday in Pittsburgh, and he had some big moments too.
MLB Pipeline tweeted about what Cruz had accomplished in his 2022 debut, mentioning that in just the first three innings, he registered the hardest throw by an infielder in baseball this year, the hardest hit ball of any Pirate, and the fastest sprint speeds of any Pirate.
3 innings into his 2022 debut, @Pirates' Oneil Cruz has registered:
🏴☠️The hardest throw by an infielder in @MLB this year (96.7 mph)
🏴☠️The hardest hit ball of the year by a Pirate (112.9)
🏴☠️The 3 fastest sprint speeds of the year by a Pirate (31.5, 30.7, 30.3) pic.twitter.com/nScTK5mD4A— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 21, 2022
A Night To Remember
This is quite a season debut for Cruz.
It’s a game that he’ll remember for the rest of his life.
He went out there and showed the baseball world what he is all about and led the way as the Pirates took care of the Cubs.
There aren’t many things to cheer about right now if you’re a fan of the Pirates, but Cruz made the fans in the Steel City forget about their struggles for a night.
In a few years, the Pirates could end up being a much better team if Cruz continues to impress.
He, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Bryan Reynolds could help lead the Pirates into their next phase of greatness and get them back on track in the next few years.
There’s work to be done, but Cruz is going to be a huge part of the Pirates’ future.
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