Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Watch: Oneil Cruz sets record for hardest hit ball in Statcast era

By Andrew Wright | Last updated May 25, 2025 3:19 PM ET

Oneil Cruz has one-upped himself in one of the most egregious ways possible.

In the bottom of the third inning in Sunday's game, Cruz launched his 11th home run of the season and got the Pittsburgh Pirates on the board.

The homer by Cruz had an exit velocity of 122.9 mph off the bat and broke the record for the hardest hit ball in MLB's Statcast era.

122.9 off the bat

Oneil Cruz sent this baseball for a SWIM pic.twitter.com/1mCWfZb9FP
— MLB (@MLB) May 25, 2025

Cruz broke the previous record that was held by himself. Cruz hit a 122.4 mph single against the Atlanta Braves in August 2022, meaning he now holds the top two spots on the list.

Along with now holding the record for the hardest hit home run and single, Cruz also holds the record for the hardest hit double in the Statcast era. A 121.5 mph double against the San Francisco Giants in May 2024 still stands atop the leaderboard.

It is only a matter of time before Cruz takes over the top spot for the hardest hit triple. That record is currently held by Christian Yelich, who hit a 117.2 mph triple in July 2022 against the Colorado Rockies.

ONEIL CRUZ

Hardest-hit batted balls under Statcast (2015):

5/25/25 Oneil Cruz: 122.9 mph
8/24/22 Oneil Cruz: 122.4 mph
8/9/21 Giancarlo Stanton: 122.2 mph
10/1/17 Giancarlo Stanton: 122.2 mph
8/9/18 Giancarlo Stanton: 121.7 mph
5/21/24 Oneil Cruz: 121.5 mph https://t.co/jj8s1l05fO
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 25, 2025

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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