Oneil Cruz Makes Immediate Impact for Pirates

Cruz has the highest average exit velocity (96.0 mph) in all of baseball and is second only to Chicago White Sox All-Star Munetaka Murakami with a 59.2% hard-hit rate.

He displayed this in his home run, which came off of Tigers right-handed starting pitcher Keider Montero, as he took a knuckle curve down in the strike zone and sent it 107.7 mph off the bat and 422 feet to right-center field.

Cruz had to go down and it didn't even look like he got close to the power he could've generated, but he still managed to drive it out for a no-doubter.

“It felt good, definitely," Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales postgame. "I made good contact, hit that ball out front. It felt good but it felt better just to have the victory as a team and go ahead at that moment.”

Home Run Makes Return Even Sweeter for Cruz

It wasn't the greatest of starts for Cruz in this game, as he worked a 3-0 count and then struck out on six pitches in the second inning.

Cruz's home run came in his second at-bat, as Montero hadn't given up a hit until that point, and that hit allowed the Pirates offense to really get going.

The Pirates have missed that kind of swing in the lineup, which has struggled a bit in the second half of the season, and no one was more excited to see it than manager Don Kelly.

"Wow. Great to have him back," Kelly said postgame. "I thought he played great in center field too. He was aggressive going after that ball in right-center and the homer was a huge answer right there after they had just taken the lead 1-0."

Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft had an incredible game himself, throwing eight innings and allowing just one run over 80 pitches, almost throwing his second straight complete game.

Ashcraft may not have gotten the win he deserved if not for Cruz and he wasn't the least bit surprised when he saw his teammate show off the power that he has, even in his first game back.

"That’s what we expect out of him," Ashcraft said on Cruz. "He’s been that type of player for a long time. That’s why he’s as highly touted as he is. He can change the game with one swing, one at-bat. It’s just good to have that threat back in the lineup and the comfort of knowing a one-run or two-run lead is never safe."