Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz wows in first game after call up from minors
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz impressed both at the plate and the field Monday, leading the way in a 12-1 win against the Chicago Cubs in his first game since getting called up from the minors Sunday.
Cruz, 23, first raised eyebrows in the third inning when he fired a 96.7 mile per hour laser across the infield to throw out the Cubs' Willson Contreras at first base. It was the fastest infield throw of the MLB season, and it was just 0.6 mph behind the fastest since the stat started being recorded.
In the bottom half of the third, Cruz hit a ball 112.9 miles per hour to the wall in center field, driving in three runs. While Cruz was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple, the line drive was the hardest hit ball of the season by a Pirates player.
To cap his night, Cruz hit an RBI single in the seventh inning that extended the Pirates' lead to nine and gave the shortstop four RBIs on the night.
Cruz, who stands 6-foot-7, batted .232 in 55 games this season with Triple-A Indianapolis with nine home runs and 35 RBIs. Last season, he was called up and played with the Pirates for the final two games of the MLB season.
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