Pirates' Oneil Cruz Reaches Milestone, But Makes Crucial Mistake

Sep 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) hits an RBI single against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pirates' Oneil Cruz Reaches Milestone, But Makes Crucial Mistake

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Sep 6, 2026 3:00 PM ET

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need Oneil Cruz to produce on offense, but they also need him to make better decisions.

Cruz reached a career milestone against the Los Angeles Angels with his 100th stolen base, but then also got caught stealing in the eighth inning of the 6-1 loss at PNC Park on Sept. 5.

The Pirates star singled, stole second base, but then tried to steal third base, but got tagged out, and it ended the eighth inning before the Pirates could start a comeback.

Cruz wasn't the entire reason the Pirates lost, but it was something that frustrated Pirates manager Don Kelly.

"It’s something we can’t do right there," Kelly said postgame. Second base, if you know you’re going to be safe, we’re on board with that, but third base, we can’t be going right there.”

Pirates Need Cruz's Speed

While Cruz made an error trying to go to third base, there's no doubt about his importance to the Pirates, with his speed being the most important.

Cruz has stolen 100 bases over his past five seasons from 2022-26 and has been the best Pirates' base stealer during that time.

Oneil Cruz Stolen Bases Per Season

Season (Games)	Stolen Bases	Attempts
2022 (87)	10	14
2023 (9)	3	3
2024 (146)	22	23
2025 (135)	38	43
2026 (80)	27	32

His 27 stolen bases ranked tied for 13th-most in baseball and tied for eighth-most in the National League.

It's even more impressive as Cruz had 21 stolen bases through 64 games, before fracturing his left hand and missing 61 games over two months from June 10 to Aug. 17.

He was on pace for 53 stolen bases, which would've gotten him close to leading all of baseball, but he'll still end up with a solid number.

The Pirates had stolen 65 bases by the time Cruz got injured, and stole just 42 bases when he was out.

Pittsburgh also didn't have Konnor Griffin for a good portion of the season with this injury, who has 20 stolen bases this season, but the loss of Cruz was a big reason they had fewer.

Cruz Still Having Best Season

Cruz was the first player to join the 10-10 club (10 home runs, 10 stolen bases), reaching it by May 10, and was on pace for the 30-50 club, with 34 home runs and 53 stolen bases.

He has hit .267/.359/.476 for an OPS of .835, with 82 hits, 11 doubles, 17 home runs and 58 RBI in 80 games, a big improvement from last season, .200/.298/.378 for an OPS of .676.

Cruz has also greatly improved against left-handed pitching in 2026, slashing .294/.345/.471 for an OPS of .816, after slashing .102/.224/.176 for an OPS of .400 in 2025.

The Pirates have benefited from his return, but they'll hope he makes smarter plays in the future and leads them to more wins.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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