Cruz crushes 122.9 mph HR, breaking own mark

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates' Oneil Cruz had the hardest-hit shot since Statcast started tracking successful 2015, a location tally disconnected the Brewers' Logan Henderson connected Sunday that near the bat astatine 122.9 mph and splashed into the Allegheny River.

Cruz's leadoff thrust to close successful the 3rd inning connected a 92.2 mph fastball traveled 432 feet and chopped the Pirates' shortage to 3-1 successful a 6-5 loss.

"I connected truly well. It feels adjacent amended conscionable to cognize that it's the hardest-hit shot successful the past of Statcast," Cruz said done an interpreter. "It doesn't substance however hard the shot was hit. I conscionable spell retired and marque bully contact. Sometimes, I don't adjacent effort to marque the hardest contact."

Cruz had the erstwhile hardest-hit ball, a 122.4 mph azygous Aug. 24, 2022. Giancarlo Stanton had the anterior hardest-hit location tally astatine 121.8 mph erstwhile helium played for the Miami Marlins, a thrust disconnected Gio Gonzalez astatine Washington connected Aug. 9, 2017.

"The crushed down my at-bats is conscionable to enactment bully interaction connected the ball," Cruz said. "Whatever happens, happens."

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound outfielder has deed six of the 83 location runs that person reached the stream since PNC Park opened successful 2001.

"I'm truly gladsome that got retired of the stadium due to the fact that if that would've been into the stands, that happening is flying," Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. "I can't accidental capable astir him and however helium played, however he's been playing, particularly successful this series.

"Superstar-type stuff. ... Guys proceed to grind, proceed to battle. I deliberation Oneil is, obviously, a immense portion of that successful what he's doing. It's contagious, too."

Cruz leads the Pirates with 11 homers this season, including 3 successful his past 3 games. He deed 2 Friday, tying it 4-4 successful the ninth with his second, for his archetypal multi-homer crippled successful a 6-5 triumph implicit the Brewers and had a 114.3 mph triple to thrust successful the winning tally of a 2-1 triumph Saturday.

"It's conscionable astir the absorption and the enactment that I've been putting successful lately," Cruz said. "That's the main key. It ever feels bully arsenic a subordinate conscionable to beryllium capable to bash that successful 1 series."