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Pirates talked with Oneil Cruz about his bizarre play in field

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 7:06 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a talk with Oneil Cruz about his bizarre play in the field on Friday night.

The Pirates lost at home to the Texas Rangers 6-2 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. There was a play in the top of the first inning where Cruz let a ball go past him in center field. Rather than hustle after the missed ball, Cruz let right fielder Adam Frazier get the ball. The Rangers scored the first run of the game on the play.

Oneil Cruz yikes… pic.twitter.com/vTGSjLc0QC
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 20, 2025

Cruz missing the ball was bad enough, but seeing him not go after the missed ball was odd.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said after the game that he talked with Cruz about the play.

“We’re going to misplay balls. That’s going to happen. How do we react to it in the moment and then react after? We talked about it, him going after it if it gets by him. Sometimes you’re not going to get it, but to go,” Kelly said.

Kelly said he felt Cruz recovered after the issue and played hard the rest of the game.

Don Kelly said he and Oneil Cruz talked after Cruz misplayed a ball in center field ️

"We talked about it. We had a conversation." pic.twitter.com/YUANNK9cNV
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) June 21, 2025

Cruz went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in the game. The 26-year-old finished the game batting .213 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs and 25 stolen bases. He definitely has the type of speed that would allow him to get after a misplayed ball without issue.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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