Two days after letting go of his bat and letting it fly into the stands once again , Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz hit a three-run home run off New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, tying Sunday's game at Citi Field 3-3.
With the Pirates trailing the Mets 3-0 in the top of the sixth inning with runners on first and second and nobody out, Cruz sent a home run over the right-centerfield wall on a 2-2 pitch from deGrom.
Cruz's blast scored Zack Collins and Jason Delay, tying the game and giving the Pirates new life, as they attempt to avoid being swept by the Mets in game four of their four-game series in New York.
It was the rookie's 17th home run of the season and the 18th of his young career.
Cruz is slashing .222/.268/.738 with 51 RBI and seven stolen bases in 2022.
The 6-foot-7 shortstop has shown a great deal of promise and has been one of the most exciting young players to watch.
With the long ball, Cruz became only the 11th player to hit a home run and a double off deGrom in the same game. The other ten players are James Loney (Tampa Bay Rays), Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals), Carlos Gonzalez (Colorado Rockies), Randal Grichuk (St. Louis Cardinals), Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants), Eric Thames (Milwaukee Brewers), Paul DeJong (Cardinals), Scooter Gennett (Cincinnati Reds), Hunter Renfroe (San Diego Padres) and Juan Soto (Nationals).
The feat had not been accomplished since September 3, 2019, when Juan Soto went 3-for-4 off deGrom in the Nationals' 11-10 win in Washington.
More must-reads: