PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Pirates have had their struggles at the plate as of late, but they really just needed one swing of the bat to help them achieve their ultimate goal.
Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz did this against San Diego Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller, hitting a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning for the go-ahead run in the 1-0 win at Petco Park on Aug. 25.
Cruz didn't get an easy pitch to hit from Miller either, a 98.2 mph changeup down and inside, but the Pirates slugger got a hold of it and sent it 111.8 mph off the bat and 379 feet to right field for the home run.
That swing from Cruz showed his value to this Pirates team and also was perhaps the most impressive home run from him in the major leagues.
Cruz is no doubt one of the most physically imposing hitters in baseball, 6-foot-7 and 248 pounds when he steps to the plate.
He is one of the most powerful hitters in baseball , with the highest average exit velocity (95.7 mph), the hardest hit ball this season (119.0 mph) and in the Statcast era (122.3 mph/since 2015) and the second-best hard hit rate (58%) in 2026.
Aug 25, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) hits a solo home run during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
While Cruz does possess all these characteristics, Miller is the best closer in baseball and for good reason, as most hitters have no idea what to do against him.
Miller came into this latest outing with just five earned runs allowed all year and one earned run allowed past the All-Star break for a 0.81 ERA.
He is great at inducing weak contact, with the sixth-lowest hard-hit rate (27.6%) and 10th-lowest average exit velocity (85.5 mph) in baseball this season.
This saw Miller last give up a home run against Lourdes Gurriel of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 5, 2025, marking 73 games without doing so.
Miller doesn't get these results by luck, he possesses a four-seam fastball that averages 101.5 mph and a slider around 88 mph that he gets a 54% whiff rate on.
The home run for Cruz came off the changeup, a pitch he's thrown just 21 times prior this season, a surprising choice that ended up backfiring for Miller.
Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes wasn't on the field, but loved the matchup of perhaps the best fastball hitter-thrower combo in baseball right now.
"Looked really hard from the TV," Skenes said to SportsNet Pittsbugh. "Really hard off the bat, really hard in. That was, I'm not big on calling shots, but that was one that I was hoping would happen, wanted to see that matchup. I'm sure a lot of people did between the one of the best fastball hitting hitters in the baseball and probably the best fastball in the big leagues. That was cool."
It was a huge home run for Cruz for a variety of reasons, but it showed that he is ready for the challenge of facing the best pitchers in baseball and succeeding against them.
Cruz only battled Miller twice, when he was with the Athletics, and struck out on four pitches, a fastball and then three straight sliders, for the final out of a 5-2 win on April 30, 2024.
Aug 25, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) rounds the bases in front of San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It was more of a waiting game for Cruz, who looked for the best pitch and to try and do something with it, especially against a pitcher like Miller.
"Keeping myself engaged in the at-bat and looking for a good pitch to hit because I know I'm facing the best closer in the game," Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales. "It takes a lot to be successful against him."
Cruz had also struggled over the past few games up to this point, with no hits in his past 12 at-bats and showed frustration after striking out and flying out prior to the home run.
Keeping a positive mindset has been big for Cruz, particularly after missing more than two months with a left hand fracture , but that staying calm in these opportunities will give him the best results.
"I'm the type of player that even when things are going bad, I'm a little bit different from other guys that may show their emotions, but I know, just continue to have fun and look for conversation to put my mind somewhere else and not to show my emotions and to be able to come through in situations like that," Cruz said.
Cruz has had some big hits since returning from injury, two big two-run home runs, plus an RBI-single and a two-run triple, becoming an important part of the Pirates lineup once again.
Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Cruz has grown up and matured over the last year and that this home run vs. Miller was a culmination of his patience and play developing.
"I think that with Oneil, the moment hasn't been too big," Kelly said to SportsNet Pittsburgh. "He's just going up there and has had some huge hits since coming back off the IL. Hand isn't 100% and he's going out there to help us win and certainly did that tonight."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates' Oneil Cruz Pulls Off Unthinkable Against Mason Miller .
