CHICAGO — Oneil Cruz is one of the most powerful hitters in baseball and he’s shown that throughout his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cruz did so again with his long, hard-hit solo home run in the top of the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox, putting the Pirates up 1-0 in the eventual 2-0 win at Rate Field on Sept. 10.
He hit that home run 117 mph, marking the hardest-hit home run in MLB this season, and 433 feet to deep center field, good for a home run in all 30 ballparks.
Cruz hitting this home run was another important moment for him in his return from injury and one that showed his value to the Pirates.
Cruz Setting MLB Standard For Elite Power
There is no one quite like Cruz when it comes to exit velocity, as the Pirates’ center fielder has put up the best numbers in recent history.
Cruz has the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era (since 2015), a 122.9 mph home run off Milwaukee Brewers right-handed starting pitcher Logan Henderson at PNC Park on May 25, 2025.
He broke his own record, a 122.4 mph line drive off Atlanta Braves right-handed starting pitcher Kyle Wright on Aug. 24, 2022, at PNC Park.
Cruz is one of the most powerful hitters in baseball this season, including the hardest-hit ball, a 119.0 mph double off the Roberto Clemente Wall at PNC Park against the Washington Nationals on April 16.
He has the second-highest average exit velocity (94.9 mph) and ranks sixth in hard-hit percentage (55.2%), marking balls hit 95 mph or higher, in 2026.
“Yeah ,there’s not many players that can hit a ball like that on planet Earth,” left fielder Jake Mangum said on Cruz postgame. “117, I haven’t seen the numbers; I know 117. He’s a huge human that is a good athlete that can swing really hard. And that swing right there was all we needed for the shutout. Happy he’s on our team, happy he’s back healthy and we just got to keep rolling.”
Pirates Benefitting Massively with Cruz Back in Lineup
The Pirates got Cruz back from injury on Aug. 17, as he missed more than two months with a left-hand fracture.
Cruz has been the Pirates’ best hitter since returning, batting .315/.405/.534 for an OPS of .939 in 20 games, with 23 hits in 73 at-bats, two doubles, a triple, four home runs, 18 RBIs and six stolen bases.
He’s had some big moments since returning, a two-run home run in a 4-1 win over the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park in his first game back on Aug. 18 and then a solo home run off San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller in the ninth inning in a 1-0 victory at Petco Park on Aug. 25.
Cruz also had an RBI single in this game, accounting for both runs and helping the Pirates sweep the White Sox for their first road sweep of 2026.
The Pirates have just 15 games left in 2026 and need Cruz at his best if they want to really make a run at the postseason.
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