Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz had a big night on Monday at the MLB Home Run Derby. Cruz blasted several homers, and came close to winning the event. Cruz used an unusual bat in the derby, with the iconic video game figure Donkey Kong on it.

MLB released some photos of the bat on X, to showcase the incredible design.

Cruz hit a 513-foot home run with the bat, which was a shade of red mixed with brown. The Pirates star ended up losing the event to Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, in the semi-finals. Raleigh won the derby.

The MLB All-Star game is on Tuesday night.

Oneil Cruz is having a great season for the Pirates

Cruz is the bright spot of a woeful Pirates offense this season. Pittsburgh has struggled to score runs, and sits in dead last in the National League Central at the All-Star break. The Bucs have a disappointing 39-58 record.

Cruz has 16 home runs this season for the team. He leads the Pirates offense in that category. He also leads the team in slugging percentage, with a .414 mark, and OPS. Cruz is second on the club in several other hitting stats, including on-base percentage.

Cruz has blasted some balls into the sky this year. He set the record for the hardest-hit ball in the StatCast era this year, when he smashed a ball at 122.9 miles per hour.

The Pirates have one of the worst offenses in baseball this season. Pittsburgh looks to deal away some of their pitchers to get hitters, ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Mitch Keller is a possible trade candidate, and several teams are inquiring about him. Cruz has been named as a player that will definitely stay, as well as pitcher Paul Skenes.

MLB's All-Star Game is at 8:00 ET on Tuesday night. The Pirates' next game is on Friday at home against the Chicago White Sox.

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