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Oneil Cruz’s latest Pirates HR feat only done 6 other times in PNC Park history
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- Oneil Cruz’s latest Pirates HR feat only done 6 other times in PNC Park history
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The Pittsburgh Pirates got a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. While Bryan Reynolds hit the walk-off to win the game, Oneil Cruz also had a special night. He hit a home run into the Allegheny River which is quite rare.
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"The ball, which traveled a Statcast-projected 450 feet and left his bat at 110.8 mph, was the seventh home run to reach the river on the fly in PNC Park's 25-year history," MLB.com reported.
Cruz downplayed the significance of the moonshot later on. The Pirates outfielder now has 12 homers on the season.
"Probably feels the same as the last one," Cruz said through an interpreter. "It's just a home run."
Cruz is known for really hitting the ball. His home runs are called "Cruz missiles" by the Pirates broadcast team.
"Cruz has 23 hits with an exit velocity over 110 mph in 2026, including two of the top four exit velocities this year," the outlet reported.
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The hard-hitting Cruz has impressed Pittsburgh's manager, Don Kelly . Kelly says he sits in awe sometimes watching Cruz connect at the plate.
"It turns into a golf ball pretty quick," Kelly said postgame.
On the campaign, Cruz is now hitting at a .258 batting average. He has 37 RBIs to go with his 12 homers, and he is also one of the best baserunners in MLB.
The Pirates improved to 30-28 on the season following the win. Pittsburgh remains in last place in the National League Central, which has all five teams sitting with winning records.
Pittsburgh takes on the Twins again on Saturday. The Bucs now have wins in six of their last 10 contests.
Related: Pirates planning huge Ryan O'Hearn move during Twins series
Related: Pirates star Bryan Reynolds walks off Twins for 6-5 win
